Quick skwirl hunt

[bigben]

So pa has been in a freeze it seems.  About two months of nothing but below freezing temps.  Some of them in the single digits.  There's nothing like a warmup to bring everyone out to enjoy the weather.  I have been off and on sick for a month now.  my wife two months and i firmly believe that getting outdoors helps it.  So yesterday I decided to work a 8 hour day and head to the woods to hunt a bit and do some post season scouting.  I also had a new buck 102 that i picked up back after I shot my last deer realizing that I needed a thinner blade to quarter deer and im a gear hound so why not. 

I got to the property around 2pm.  I got dressed a pair of unlined bibs and a hoodie was good enough for today.  temp was upper 40"s.  I started walking through the woods slow looking for any shed antlers or just deer.  I wasn't in any real hurry.  I could hear squirrel scolding things through the woods so I knew they were out. 

I got to my first sitting spot.  I had been sitting for a half hour and hadn't seen any movement close.  The woods were pretty quiet.  I was looking at my phone for a few minutes and looked up and about 60 yards away a skwirl was hanging on a white oak.  I picked my chiappa up and settled the crosshairs behind the shoulder as I wasnt steady enough for a head shot.  The crack of the gun and I seen the skwirl go limp but still hanging on for a bit.  After what seemed like a minute she fell.  A big female which was a surprise to me.  Typically late season the females dont roam too much mostly sticking to their den trees. 

I worked my way on back threw the woods to the sanctuary i call it.  I call it that because theres no way to get into it that deer dont see or smell you and I just leave it alone except for one time and thats now to see what is in there.  Deer beds dead heads maybe some rubs trails whatever.  I was surprised to learn some things that I hadnt in past years.  New travel patterns that didnt make sense in hunting season made perfect sense now.  As I walked into the brush from the field edge I heard a deer stand up.  I stopped and seen them a pair of does only about 30 yards away.  I was surprised that they let me get that close before they sprung.  as I watched them bound away a skwirl ran across one of the many black walnut trees in the area. 

I watched and waited till a clear shot was presented.  It stopped i settled the crosshairs and the little .22 barked and it rolled off the log.  Another behind the shoulder shot.  I walked up to find another big female.  as I collected her I heard a skwirl behind me bark and scold.  I leveled the chiappa again and aimed for the head as thats all it presented.  at the shot I thought it fell.  I walked up and seen no skwirl.  I turned around and headed back to the main woods. 

I followed the main deer trail keeping my eyes trained for antler or skwirls or even rabbits.  I got all the way back to right below were i started before I seen skwirl again.  I decided to not take any shots on the far side of the hollow I was on.  I just decided that if that was it two was good enough.  I worked my way along the bottom of the hollow heading for a trail cam I needed to retrieve.  I got to the trail cam and sat a piece.  I heard another skwirl above me run down a tree I quickly stood to try to draw a bead and it scampered away quick.  I worked my way up the hill to a tree seat I was going to bring in as well. 

I got to my tree seat opened it up and sat a little to rest and hunt for a final half hour or so.  My attire wasn't good for sitting too long.  I sat until 4:30 watching.  Seen a deer on the far ridge that was feeding as well as a pileated woodpecker that was hammering one of the dead oaks close by.  It was a good after noon and even with two in the bag I was pretty happy with what I gained by a few hours in the woods.  Kinda full circle to hunt small game late season. 

My hunting season typically starts with a small game hunt or two.  Though both seasons are so different.  Early the leaves create such a tough hunt for skwirls.  Trying to get good shots are problematic.  The warmth and bugs plague you and the only reason your out there is because you have waited all summer to get in the woods.  Late season is tough for other reasons.  No leaves make it hard to sneak up on wary old skwirls.  The ones left have fought for their life.  Birds of prey.  Predators. Stray house cats.  Fat hillbillys with a .22 have all been after them.  Typically a skwirl at this time of year has to only go out and gather a few nuts to live through the next day.  Their busy gathering that you see all of archery and rifle season has subsided to lazy living of preservation.  Again the only reason I am out again in late season is cabin fever.  Deer season has been gone for only two weeks but I miss it so.  It felt nice to get out and sit in the woods in mid 40's temps.  If i had been a bit warmer a nap probably would have happened. 

Im not sure if I will get out again in this area just because.  I dont want to harass the critters too much.  Might go to our mountain property to do the same hunt but this very well could be it for the winter fall hunting season for me.  Our house is set to be delivered here in two weeks as well as get set on the foundation.  Thanks for reading along. 

[bigben]

Man im pretty impressed with this little buck as well.  It came super sharp but I like a 20 deg edge.  what they had was closer to a 15.  So i hit it on my sharpener and man buck knives really have impressed me recently to the point I look for them at shows.  this one is a new one from amazon. 

[FinsnFur]

Nice lil cache
Thanks for taking us along. Skwirl hunting to me is always so peaceful. No drunk, wrapped in orange, rifle wielding, tourists tromping through shit everywhere.

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks for taking me along on your successful hunting expedition. It is always good to get outside and walking in a woods is much better than walking the streets in town.

I have always liked Buck knives which is obvious from the number I have. I always got them at a gun shop across the street from my house. Richard had set up the shop in a converted garage behind his mother's home. Richard was a Buck dealer and would get a 40% discount on all Buck products. He then sold them at a 25% and sometimes 30% discount. I was there every evening and would run the shop if he was away. So, I got anything I wanted at his cost. That was bad for me since there was always something in one of the catalogs that I wanted. Richard went in for a routine heart Cath in September 2003 and died on the table. I got the call at work and went over to be with his mom when she received the word of her son't passing. After that I ran the shop for the rest of the year and closed it down at the end of December.

[nastygunz]

Last night I was stropping two of my buck knives while watching Gunsmoke, now that's America !

[slagmaker]

Nice trip to the woods.

Thanks for that.

[Hawks Feather]

Nasty, what are you using to strop your blades? I have always used leather, but saw a guy use polishing compound on cardboard and gave it a try. It works really well.

[Okanagan]

bigben, thanks for the good read. 

[nastygunz]

I use leather with polishing compound for my knifes and wood carving tools, chisel, adze, hatchet etc.

[pitw]

Gad I love the way we stay on topic. 

[Okanagan]

FWIW, the sharpest blade I've ever seen was finished on a cotton buffing wheel with jeweler's rouge on it. 

[nastygunz]

Sandpaper works too, diamond stones, paper wheels, lotta good options. I hand sharpen and power sharpen. Ive been eyeballing one of those Tormek sharpeners. Ever sharpened a knife on the edge of your vehicle window? 😉

[Hawks Feather]

Good point Barry. I will start a thread on knife sharpening.

[pitw]

Good point Barry. I will start a thread on knife sharpening.

Why we already discussed it.

[nastygunz]

Lol.

[Okanagan]

Sandpaper works too, diamond stones, paper wheels, lotta good options. I hand sharpen and power sharpen. Ive been eyeballing one of those Tormek sharpeners. Ever sharpened a knife on the edge of your vehicle window? 😉

Good one.  I will keep the window in mind.  I've sharpened knives on river rocks I picked up, on a cement sidewalk curb (to get a really dull knife shaped and started), and on several ceramic coffee mugs, one of those in Africa.  One time my wife and I were staying at a furnished apartment during course I took in California, and the place had no knife worth the name.  I stopped by a Goodwill, bought a decent but terribly dull knife, and sharpened it well on the sidewalk and a couple of stones from the landscaping. 

Almost any kind of paper is slightly abrasive, and I have improved the fine edge on a knife already pretty sharp by whetting it on an envelope or printer paper.  A country boy can improvise.

[nastygunz]

I use a Lansky Puck stone for axes, hatchet, draw knife, splitting froe, bigger tools.

[bigben]

this here is one of my favorite sharpening implements 

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Guided-Field-Sharpener/dp/B009YKHZ96?pd_rd_w=Hg4Jx&content-id=amzn1.sym.528bfdfa-ea96-478b-a7d9-043e650836af&pf_rd_p=528bfdfa-ea96-478b-a7d9-043e650836af&pf_rd_r=BWGXMY6QR2N5GECFJ9HY&pd_rd_wg=Cm2ma&pd_rd_r=5c79e013-7c2b-4cfc-95a0-4d3783ace004&pd_rd_i=B009YKHZ96&ref_=pd_basp_d_rpt_ba_s_2_t&th=1

It has it all a rough a fine edge plate along with ceramic rods and a leather strop thats pre loaded with compound.  if I have an axe that is really beat up I use a good old nicholson file on it first and then a puck similar to what was posted above but I finish with this work sharp gizmo.  I only wished you could buy replacement plates for it. 

Sandpaper works too, diamond stones, paper wheels, lotta good options. I hand sharpen and power sharpen. Ive been eyeballing one of those Tormek sharpeners. Ever sharpened a knife on the edge of your vehicle window? 😉

A buddy showed me that a good many years ago.  the older windows worked better then newer ones. 

[nastygunz]

I like that work sharp