Post by dburkhead on Oct 18, 2008 20:15:50 GMT -5
Went down to Yellowwood State Forest hunting Tree Rats today. A surprisingly short distance from where I parked, I discovered some fairly fresh acorn cuttings. After waiting a few minutes, I also heard what I thought had been pointed out to me in a previous trip as squirrel cutting--a kind of "scratching sound." And so I found a downed log which I could set by (and brace against) while I watched an area with several oaks and one big shagbark hickory tree. (I didn't see anything from the hickories so I presume that they're done now.)
And so I waited, listening for activity, occassionally glassing the trunks and treetops to see if I could spot what I was hearing. And then I set down my rifle to shift my weight and happened to look behind me. There, standing on the side of an oak behind me was this big (as such things go) fox squirrel. Before I could pick up my rifle, he moved partly around to the far side of the tree (I could see his tail. He had that stuck out as a flag to taunt me, I know he did) and scooted on up it. I lost track of him when he reached the crown.
I shifted to the other side of the log and hunkered down to wait, hoping he'd forget about me and come out where I could see him. Well, about 10-15 minutes later he came down the tree. I could track his movement by the sound and occassional flash of tail. Once he reached the base, he dashed across to another tree, too quickly for me to get a bead on him. Again, from the far side of that tree, he waved his tail at me, then dashed through the underbrush to yet another tree where he went up it on the side facing me (but there were limbs from interveining trees blocking a clear shot--I know he did that on purpose).
I sat down to wait again, hoping that he'd come back or another squirrel would come to the same location. Later, I did see another squirrel (maybe a gray with tints of red, or maybe a fox with a grayer colloration) near the base of tree the first one had vanished up. Again, he vanished before I could get the shot.
Well, I didn't get anything, but at least I saw some. That's improvement, isn't it?
And so I waited, listening for activity, occassionally glassing the trunks and treetops to see if I could spot what I was hearing. And then I set down my rifle to shift my weight and happened to look behind me. There, standing on the side of an oak behind me was this big (as such things go) fox squirrel. Before I could pick up my rifle, he moved partly around to the far side of the tree (I could see his tail. He had that stuck out as a flag to taunt me, I know he did) and scooted on up it. I lost track of him when he reached the crown.
I shifted to the other side of the log and hunkered down to wait, hoping he'd forget about me and come out where I could see him. Well, about 10-15 minutes later he came down the tree. I could track his movement by the sound and occassional flash of tail. Once he reached the base, he dashed across to another tree, too quickly for me to get a bead on him. Again, from the far side of that tree, he waved his tail at me, then dashed through the underbrush to yet another tree where he went up it on the side facing me (but there were limbs from interveining trees blocking a clear shot--I know he did that on purpose).
I sat down to wait again, hoping that he'd come back or another squirrel would come to the same location. Later, I did see another squirrel (maybe a gray with tints of red, or maybe a fox with a grayer colloration) near the base of tree the first one had vanished up. Again, he vanished before I could get the shot.
Well, I didn't get anything, but at least I saw some. That's improvement, isn't it?
