I've duck hunted in the Delta quite a few times but never had a chance to squirrel hunt. I'd sure like to kill one with a bit of white on him, that would be interesting.

DLH

Eric mentions the wood ducks, I suppose I should add that part of the tale.

I heard some wood ducks squealing up the creek a bit so thought I'd try a sneak. I managed to get walked right up on a pair of them, really felt like a wild indian for a minute I can assure you. I made a few more quick steps and the first one flushed nice and close. I raised the Scott, which is stocked a bit low for me and managed to shoot under the duck as it rose.

I'd have gotten straightened out and killed him the 2nd shot I'm certain but I happened to mistakenly put a black powder shells in the gun and couldn't quite see him well enough through the bilious cloud of white smoke. The great duck hunter......


DLH

I fired a couple of black powder 8ga shells the other day with 160grs of powder in my back yard and I couldnt see where I was going for a few minutes.

I've pass shot birds with blackpowder 8 gauge shells before but I was standing in the open on a clear day. On a narrow creek in the deep woods it was amazing how big the smoke cloud was and how long it hung there.

DLH

The black squirrels I have run into (and shot) in Oscoda and Ogama Counties, MI were sized like Destry's; quite a bit smaller than the fox types on the farm here in Ashland County, OH. The menace to the big foxes here is the nasty little red squirrels who are reputed to run down and castrate the fox studs.

One of mine was a big old boar, as big as a fox squirrel. The rest were smaller young squirrels, just the kind you want to eat.

DLH

Destry, next time you're down let me know & I'll try to put you on some tree rats in the Delta.

Those little SOBs are also reputed to eat grouse eggs and chicks.

I can invision a grouse holding a sign that says eat more squirles.

Eighteen Canadian black squirrels were released many years ago in the National Zoological Park in Northwest DC. This was during TR's administration. About three years ago, we saw the first ones in upper Montgomery County, MD, about 38 miles straight north of the Zoo. Now they are firmly entrenched here. They are inbred with Greys, some being a grey black combination, some being jet black. My Wirehair hates the blacks with a passion, not so much the greys. There is a website locally that invites comments about sightings. The blacks are very agressive and from time to time, seem to run the greys off the property, but they manage to come back. Right now, in my yard, there is a mix of the two with one beautiful big solid black.