Rossi Rifleman

I wasn't going to write a "story" but, I just can't help recounting a successful hunt(s).

After finishing some chores this morning I decided it was too pretty of a day not to take a walk around the farm with my Rossi double 20 gauge. I was going to fill the corn feeders anyhow today, so walking/hunting wouldn't spook the deer any more than my driving to the feeders would do. I planned to walk the wooded ditch line below the pond to the line fence at Whittemoore's then follow it through the party field where I'd head uphill along the line fence of Spurlock's.

I was watching the first scaly bark below the pond, but the squirrel saw me first and scampered into a hole. I was walking on the Pepper Field side of the ditch. As I'm approaching Whittemoore's, I hear munching. There's a squirrel on the ground next to the feeder. I made the mistake of shooting at with the modified barrel. The squirrel was 30+ yards. The shot rolled her, but she kept crawling. Not wanting to chase a squirrel only to lose it in a hollow tree, I held the bead 2 inches off her nose and let go with the full choke barrel. She went in the game pouch.

Continuing along Whittemoore's woods, I hear a squirrel squeaking on a walnut. I found that this time of year with the leaves off the trees, the squirrel are either on the ground or just at the top of leafy under story level. As I'm closing the distance to the squirrel I hear the undeniable tweet, tweet of a woodcock flushing in the cedars over my left shoulder. I turn to watch it's zig-zag flight. Back to the squirrel. A couple more steps and I see the movement of it's paw turning the walnut. Two more steps and I have a clear shot. Boom...Thud.

Thirty yards father, I hear a squirrel jump in front of me in the under story. I raised the double barrel as the squirrel ran out a bare limb. Boom...Thud.

With no other squirrel sightings or sounds along Whittemoore's woods, I turned east, uphill along the blackberry/locust patch. Near the end of the blackberry/locust thicket I hear leaves rustle. A bunny popped out running into the Haunted Forrest cedar patch. I could have done a "hail marry" shot, but I passed.

Seeing the rabbit reminded me that I need to put a couple in the freezer for some burgoo this winter. And, I have rabbits coming in my yard at dusk. I need to snipe a couple with the .22.

I much prefer to take small game with a .22 rather than a shotgun so I don't have to dig out the pellets and fur from each hole. But where I live, I do have neighbors within a mile of me, so shooting up in the air in trees with a rifle is just not safe in my opinion.

Half way up the hill I startle a squirrel. I must be getting complacent with 3 in my pouch. It runs out a limb, I shoot. It disappears off the limb but I don't hear the THUD. I spend the next 20 minutes looking for the squirrel to no avail. It turned out the limb it was on was just 2 feet from a hollow on the backside of the tree. My guess is the squirrel drop to the next limb then made it to the hole. I hate that. The shot selection was good and so was the sight picture. Maybe if I had used the full choke barrel, the squirrel might have dropped at that 25 yard shot. Hind sight is 20-20 they say. I hate losing game, but it happens.

RABBIT
At dark-thirty I opened the attic window of the guest cottage and waited with my Savage .22. At 5:38, ten minutes left of legal shooting light a bunny hops out. I put the crosshairs on it's eye. I hit 3/8 low at 25 yards. I need to check the scope.

Now I have to agree rim fire is the way to for saving chipped teeth and keeping meat better. I cannot count how many times I hurt my teeth growing up on squirrel and rabbit full of buck.

akuser47 wrote:Now I have to agree rim fire is the way to for saving chipped teeth and keeping meat better. I cannot count how many times I hurt my teeth growing up on squirrel and rabbit full of buck.

Me too as small game was our main stay back in the day !

And Moon ... Dad, step brother and me all shot twenties !

Jim

Jim, my first shotgun was an H & R single shot 20 gauge that Dad gave to me as an early 13th birthday present. He bought the 20 thinking it would be lighter recoil. Well, it kicked harder than his 12 gauge. And it was useless on squirrels. It would take me 3 to 5 shots to knock a squirrel out of the tree. After going through 3 boxes of shells and complaining about this gun's lack of ability as squirrel killer, Dad said I'll take that gun hunting and prove to you that it's the shooter and not the gun. He came back with 3 squirrels, but had shot 12 times. He handed me the shotgun saying I needed to use another gun to squirrel hunt.

For it's short comings as a squirrel killer, it was awesome rabbit weapon.

Great story of the hunt, I appreciate all the details. It is weird how here in Texas no one small game hunts any more. I guess there are too many hogs but I'd rather clean a rabbit than a hog.

I really like the attic window for sniping at the rabbits!

Thank you for sharing. I didn't know that Rossi made double barrel shotguns. I love double barrels for small game.

That's good hunting story, Like I pictured my self there,,,I am thrown by the Squirrels and the Rabbit.
Like Cat Fish, you all eat Cat Fish,,,,and Squirrel,,,,
See here, if I shoot a rabbit on a day when the ground isn't frozen, it's covered in lice.
I reckon Squirrel same. I'd be willing to try squirrel, them you shot, the ones here are not much bigger than a mouse.

How long have you had the double? I've never seen one for sale.

Ken and RD, I bought it used from a gun shop in '90 or '91. I've always had a fondness for side-by-sides with a straight stock. This one isn't completely straight, but close enough. I love this little gun. It's so solid. It's put a truck load of meat on the table, literally.

By the stamping on the barrel, it seems Rossi made those for H & R. The original plastic butt plate says H & R.

Thanks for the info, another one for the watch list!