Late season skwirl hunt with a old fox.

[bigben]

Since rifle season has been long gone and it has been biter cold out I took advantage of ice and fished for a bit.  The weather then got crazy and went from warm and rainy to cold again in a weeks time.  I pretty much have stayed indoors.  The other saturday I was texting back and forth with a bud.  He had picked up a couple guns from a guy that needed money.  In the picture was a savage combo gun and a shotgun.  I have a combo gun and since pa doesnt allow rifles now for turkey most of the market has dropped out on them.  This one was a 12ga/.22 hornet.  I told him I wasnt interested in the combo gun but wanted to know more about the shotgun that was beside it.  It kinda looked like a side by side but was hard to tell for sure. 

He sent me better pictures and I told him let me know what he wanted for it because I wanted it.  The first picture that he sent said fox savage arms.  Model B.  If you look back at the start of the season I told of a side by side shotgun that my father got from my grandfather and my FIL dad had worked on back in the day.  In reality i will probably inherit that shotgun as well but until then I have been on the search for a 16ga or 20 ga or even a .410  just something different then the 12 my family already owns.  I even looked into buying a modern day version of a sxs shotgun with screw in chokes.  I just couldnt justify the cost for new.  So when this one popped up it was almost like I was supposed to buy it. 

This one my bud had is a chikopee falls gun.  looking at the pictures I knew it was an early one but wasnt sure how early.  I arranged a time to go meet him to look and buy the gun.  As the day came I drove the hour to his house and we bs'd a bit then got to looking at the fox.  It looks good from first look but after diggin a bit it was obvious someone used it hard and then got it recased.  The gun is setup with 28" barrels.  Fixed chokes are Full and Modified.  Looking at the gun there is typically a etching in the bottom of a flushing bird.  that is wore off as well as the scroll work on the sides.  But the case looks extremely good.  My guess is someone used it and polished off the rust then got it refinished.  The gun is from 1952.  This was before they marked serial numbers on guns.  I did a bit of digging and found an original ad from then and the gun cost 75.50 back then.  The 12 ga i hunted with earlier this year is a 1953. 

so with two boxes of ammo bought both 1 oz of 6 shot.  I wanted to shoot it to see if it was functional and what pattern looked like at 20 yards.  I was down in our slate bank on tuesday last week.  I was pleasantly surprised to see both barrels are regulated well and pattern great.  I took it for a quick stroll that day but the wind kept anything legal tucked in their homes. 

The weather was supposed to get better saturday and I figured it would be a great time to get out of the house to try to get the first critter with this "new" old shotgun.  I also had to get a few more skwirls for a batch of something. 

Saturday morn i took afield after a bit of a later start then i had planned.  other then a skwirl barking at me i seen nothing.  I went to town and grabbed a bite to eat and then went back to the property.  I had dropped some trees back in summer and figured I should cut em up to get them out of the way.  Once that was done it was around 2pm.  Other then a breeze every now and then it was pretty comfortable.  I grabbed the old fox and took to the woods for a quick walk about. 

I worked to my spot I sit at in rifle season figuring there was atleast 4 den trees in range of that old fox id wait em out to get some sun in their fur.  About 45 minutes into the sit I spied one way out sunning on a tree limb.  It kept my interest until I heard one 10 yards to my right.  my head snapped quick to see a grey skwirl hanging on the side of an oak.  I stood and swung on him but he was faster.  I know that that tree was a den tree as I watch em running threw all hunting season.  I stayed aimed towards that oak waiting for him to run round the trunk as I looked up I seen one perched way up high but not out of range of the full choke barrel.  I pulled up lined up the set of beads on that fox eased the safety off and pulled the back trigger.  The fox barked and that skwirl came off that limb but ran around the back of the tree.  a second later I heard the thud only a large grey skwirl makes when falling.  It worked out in my advantage because the first one spun round the trunk.  I took aim and gave him the modified barrel.  soon after he toppled out of that oak as well.  I searched about in the tree tops and two others had came out to look at what was going on but my ammo wasnt easy access and both of them got away. 

I reloaded and walked towards my set of skwirls only to see both were very large males.  Prob some of the largest I had shot all season.  I walked them back to the seat and sat a bit.  I figured i had made some meat with the old fox and that was good nuff for this hunt.  I broke open the action laying the old gun down I reached in my bag for my buck 110 and my tree lopers.  A gallon baggie I went to work on skinning them two large males.  I figured if another showed while I was cleaning them id take him too but none showed.  Wiping my hands on some red oak leaves I packed up and headed for home. 

our season ends on friday.  not sure if I will get back out or not.  depends on weather.  but this might be the last hunt until turkey now. 

[Hawks Feather]

Nice looking shotgun and congratulations on getting the meat that you needed.

[Okanagan]

I always wanted a Savage combo gun but never did find one in a combo I wanted. 

Enjoyed reading about your hunt.  Good stuff. Wish I could hunt with you some time.

[FinsnFur]

Nice double   Thanks for the story.
Your snow pack looks a lil thin down there 

[nastygunz]

Like that 2 barrel!

[bigben]

yea im glad our snow finally went away and this week is supposed to stay above avg for temp which is a first in a while.  the news was just complaining about the lack of snow this year and we are already in drought conditions.  honestly im glad i have mud in the front yard again instead of ice and snow.  this winter seemed tough for us.  alot of cold polar vortex's  i just hope summer is going to stay somewhat normal but doubt it.

[nastygunz]

45 degrees here today