Finally a Rockchuck, but...
Apr 5, 2014 15:59:48 GMT -7
Post by 72camaro on Apr 5, 2014 15:59:48 GMT -7
Broper put us in the right area, we looked and didn't see anything, went really high into the hills and took a side road looking for Rockchucks but nothing till we were nearly out of what we though might be the area. He was spotted about 75' from the road, seen us and started up the grass towards the rocks. I jumped out and got the .17hmr out and couldn't find him in the scope. The son-in-law seen him and took a gander in the scope but I didn't have my sun shade on and he was getting glare and in the mean time I finally seen him again, in the shadows among some type of tall grass. Even in the scope he looked like a ball of fur and I couldn't tell head from tail. Afraid he was going to get away I took the shot, after being up there and looking back it was probably about 110 to 120 yards, 45 degees up hill. He was hit and injured and came out crawling in and out among the rocks faster than I could pick him up but I started to climb. Nearly out of breath, heart pumping hard about 20' away he was big and huge and laying down on a rock staring at me. I raised the gun and put a cross hair on the middle of his head and fired. He disappeared.
I started climbing and where he was laying down was a pool of water mixed with a bunch of blood and behind that another rock with about a 2-1/2" to nothing 12" long triangle of solid blood. To the side of that was a trail of blood and inside parts on the rocks that went around a boulder and under some more rocks, almost 270 degrees of trail. I could hear the gurgling expiration of a final breath, he was really near. The hunter son-in-law showed with a very bright flashlight to look in the crevices and we moved the rocks we could, but he was under the big boulder somewhere and we just couldn't pick him out. We searched for 15 to 20 minutes. We found a smaller but easy to see blood trail from the first shot too but leaving inside parts outside on the rocks, this guy was tough.
I felt horrible as I wanted that pelt and felt that was a waste, not finding him.
Next time I'm going to have to up my game, the .17hmr at nearly point blank range did heavy damage but not DRT, and I still cannot believe it. I'm moving up to the .223 next year, I can't let another get away like that. If I would have not shot him again, would he have stayed right there and died, I'll never know.
I started climbing and where he was laying down was a pool of water mixed with a bunch of blood and behind that another rock with about a 2-1/2" to nothing 12" long triangle of solid blood. To the side of that was a trail of blood and inside parts on the rocks that went around a boulder and under some more rocks, almost 270 degrees of trail. I could hear the gurgling expiration of a final breath, he was really near. The hunter son-in-law showed with a very bright flashlight to look in the crevices and we moved the rocks we could, but he was under the big boulder somewhere and we just couldn't pick him out. We searched for 15 to 20 minutes. We found a smaller but easy to see blood trail from the first shot too but leaving inside parts outside on the rocks, this guy was tough.
I felt horrible as I wanted that pelt and felt that was a waste, not finding him.
Next time I'm going to have to up my game, the .17hmr at nearly point blank range did heavy damage but not DRT, and I still cannot believe it. I'm moving up to the .223 next year, I can't let another get away like that. If I would have not shot him again, would he have stayed right there and died, I'll never know.