First Squirrels of the Year (Somewhat Graphic)

Joshua M. Smith · 11-15-2007, 12:31 AM

Hi All,

This was a fun, but brief, hunt.

I stepped into the woods with my M1969 Romanian trainer .22 and right away saw two squirrel gathering acorns from an oak tree.

One started down the tree and when it froze, I shot it through the high chest, nicking the spine. It went straight down and only thrashed a little.

Its companion hid. I waited for it to come out for about five minutes, rifle aimed and finger off the trigger. I chirped a couple times and resumed looking like a tree. It poked its head out and I shot it as it was looking at me.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/DSC00029.jpg
These are the squirrel I took, somewhat on the small side for this area, even for grays.

I collected them and saw they were smaller than I had thought, and on the smallish side even for Indiana gray squirrel. They were both skinny as well. Almost no meat.

I had shot them though, and I eat what I shoot. Figured I'd just shoot a couple more tomorrow to make up for the lack of meat, and make stew.

As I dressed the first one out, I noticed that it had yellowish spots on its liver. Not good. I built a largish fire and tossed both squirrels and the latex gloves I was wearing onto it, and kept it going for a while.

I'm pretty disappointed. I don't know what a spotted liver on a squirrel means, but I know I'd never seen one before and I wasn't going to take a chance on catching something. A spotted liver on a deer is bad, so I figured this was only prudent.

Regardless, I felt very good about the shots I made. Neither required any sort of follow up, and neither animal suffered.

I attribute this to the similarities between the M1969 and the Mosin M44. I had been sending a hundred rounds downrange weekly from the Mosin carbine and I didn't have to concentrate on the M1969's sights this year; I was just smooth and accurate.

I may hunt again tomorrow. I need to shoot a couple more squirrel to see if they all have the spotted livers. I was going to take my dog but don't want to let her handle them if they're all sick. Since she flushed the first rabbit I've seen around here in years when I was training her the other day, I may take her rabbit hunting instead this year. She's still a pup but obeys well.

Any comments on the spotted liver are welcome. I really am concerned.

Josh <><

NHmsj · 11-15-2007, 06:19 AM

The link below requires Adobe Acrobat to read. The paper, although primarily concerned with rabbits, does include squirrel as being subject to this infection. Of course, I am certainly not saying this infection is what the squirrels, in fact, displayed, but does it sound somewhat similar to what was described. No?

http://www.prairiedogpals.org/archive/tularemia.pdf

11-15-2007, 12:31 AM	#1
Joshua M. Smith Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Wabash IN Posts: 381	First Squirrels of the Year (Somewhat Graphic) Hi All, This was a fun, but brief, hunt. I stepped into the woods with my M1969 Romanian trainer .22 and right away saw two squirrel gathering acorns from an oak tree. One started down the tree and when it froze, I shot it through the high chest, nicking the spine. It went straight down and only thrashed a little. Its companion hid. I waited for it to come out for about five minutes, rifle aimed and finger off the trigger. I chirped a couple times and resumed looking like a tree. It poked its head out and I shot it as it was looking at me. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/DSC00029.jpg These are the squirrel I took, somewhat on the small side for this area, even for grays. I collected them and saw they were smaller than I had thought, and on the smallish side even for Indiana gray squirrel. They were both skinny as well. Almost no meat. I had shot them though, and I eat what I shoot. Figured I'd just shoot a couple more tomorrow to make up for the lack of meat, and make stew. As I dressed the first one out, I noticed that it had yellowish spots on its liver. Not good. I built a largish fire and tossed both squirrels and the latex gloves I was wearing onto it, and kept it going for a while. I'm pretty disappointed. I don't know what a spotted liver on a squirrel means, but I know I'd never seen one before and I wasn't going to take a chance on catching something. A spotted liver on a deer is bad, so I figured this was only prudent. Regardless, I felt very good about the shots I made. Neither required any sort of follow up, and neither animal suffered. I attribute this to the similarities between the M1969 and the Mosin M44. I had been sending a hundred rounds downrange weekly from the Mosin carbine and I didn't have to concentrate on the M1969's sights this year; I was just smooth and accurate. I may hunt again tomorrow. I need to shoot a couple more squirrel to see if they all have the spotted livers. I was going to take my dog but don't want to let her handle them if they're all sick. Since she flushed the first rabbit I've seen around here in years when I was training her the other day, I may take her rabbit hunting instead this year. She's still a pup but obeys well. Any comments on the spotted liver are welcome. I really am concerned. Josh <>< __________________ Is it better to live by a corrupt society's standards rather than face persecution for not doing the same? This is the dilemma we now face. We must hold fast to our convictions as we confront this dilemma. Knowing one's self goes a long way in the crisis. - Me, Standup Philosopher

11-15-2007, 06:19 AM	#2
NHmsj Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 127	tularemia The link below requires Adobe Acrobat to read. The paper, although primarily concerned with rabbits, does include squirrel as being subject to this infection. Of course, I am certainly not saying this infection is what the squirrels, in fact, displayed, but does it sound somewhat similar to what was described. No? http://www.prairiedogpals.org/archive/tularemia.pdf __________________ "I yam what I yam, and that's all that I yam!" (Popeye the Sailor) Last edited by NHmsj; 11-15-2007 at 06:37 AM.