I took my kids camping yesterday, we had originally planned to go up to the spot I plan to elk hunt this year. But schedules interfered and things wouldn't work out, so I decided to take the kids camping up here above the house. No elk to be scouted, but there are chucks!
We did some riding, and some glassing last night, but no chucks were seen. The summer heat I believe has them a little more scarce, and not spending much time at their stony perch's. Only in the early morning hours when the mountain air is still crisp and thick do these little fellas come out to watch the sunrise.
My campspot, though not ideal, did give me the advantage of being in walking distance from some chucky valleys. So first thing this morning, me and the kids (9 and 6) went for a stroll. We sat upon a ridge line that overlooked a valley with beaver-ponds and pine trees, I wasted no time scouring the many different rock piles. I spotted something that looked extra chuckery, so I grabbed my rifle and looked through the scope. At 480yds I spied four chucks, crammed together on the edge of a rock, enjoying their morning sun. I scrambled to get my camera and gun into position, but after just a few seconds, they had moved about. They were in high gear, waddling around through the rocks and bushes, grazing I'm sure. I would catch a glimpse of them now and again through the waist high grass and shrubs, and they would tease me by jumping up on a rock, just long enough to steady on them, then back into the green sea of vegetation they'd jump. Finally one gave me a good shot, wandering out into a trail, cleared of any obstructions. I had my dope dialed for 480yds, and had accounted for the steep angle down into the valley. I fired a shot, and missed him by inches. He disappeared in a cloud of dust, the dry powdery soil of the trail covering him. He then shot out the cloud of dust, like a furry little rocket, leaving a dust trail behind him as he headed for cover. I tried, and tried, but I couldn't bring one of the little buggers down, they were too busy running around. Finally my patience waned, and the kids and I decided we'd go down into the valley to get a better shooting position. After riding down in there on the four-wheeler, we stopped plenty far enough away to not spook them, and we began a stalk. It felt to me like we were stalking something big, and majestic, with keen eyes and a very good defensive plan. But it was really just me trying to keep my daughter from stomping, and helping my son understand the importance of a quiet, and vigilant advance. Keeping his eyes ahead, watching where you step, keeping his gun pointed in a safe direction always. We moved slowly along the trail, keeping our eyes moving along the rock piles ahead. We came upon my bullet hole in the trail, so we knew we were close. As quietly as one can with a nine year old anxious to shoot boy, and a tea spooned bladder six year old diva, we moved to a high grassy point with some fallen pines, that would both conceal us, and give us a good position to engage the rock pile where the original four chucks were spotted.
No sooner had we crested the hilltop, than I looked at the rock pile, and saw the brown and tan colors of marmotry sitting at attention. A quick peak through the Swarofsky confirmed the distance, 120 yards. Not far at all for us big fellers, but CBM Jr shoots a Cricket EX17HMR. I knew it could be done, but it was going to have to be a good shot. I've seen far too many chucks make it down their hole with two foot a guts draggin behind em. They are tuff little animals, and deserve a vital shot same as any deer. I was explaining to Jr about the complicity of his situation, and the need to put the shot in, on, or near the mutha-f@ckin brain-stem, in order to subdue and recover this handsome chuck without a drilling rig or a backhoe. He was setup, rifle steadied on an old fallen pine tree, I whispered cunning counsel over his shoulder, you know, steady, easy does it, that kind a shit.
I had my video camera in hand, ready to start rolling when I got the command from the shooter.
Well, nature threw us a hell of a curve ball, as the two of us hunkered over the dead tree, whispering. Not more than ten feet to my 10 o'clock, my eye caught movement. My heart stopped as I saw the little eyes of a chuck, climb his way to the top of a rock, right in front of us. So close, I was afraid to breathe, or speak, for fear of spookin the little guy. I tapped my son's shoulder, and whispered as quiet as a dead man. I told him to slow as possible, swing his rifle left, and bring it on the new target. Our quiet stalk had paid off, we had gotten to within feet of another chucks burrow without alerting anyone.
CBM Jr kept his cool, he responded with perfect precision. Steadily moving his little rifle into the new direction, I backed off his 3-9 from 7 down to 3, because at 10ft, he was having trouble seeing more than hair. Just as I figured it was squeeze time, a second chuck, with curiosity rivaling any cat, rose into view behind the first. I knew we had seconds before they scattered, they had us busted dead rights. I pressed the record button on the camera as the second chuck rose to his feet, and whistled the alarm.
Jr broke the trigger and chuck went flying, he'd shot the first chuck and his little .17 pummeled the furry little critter. The other one disappeared just as fast, and it was over just like that.
Jr and I high fived, and hugged. He had tried so many times to get into a firing position, but they were always too far away, or never gave him enough time to get on it. Well today he finally sealed the deal. He said; "Now I'm a Major League Chucker too Dad!" Hahahahahaha we laughed it up for a moment, and then recovered my son's prize. Obviously a young one, and probably the only reason he stuck around long enough to get "seventeened". But that didnt matter to us, we were successful, and had a chuck in hand to show. I couldn't get that chuck away from him for a while, but he finally yielded for some pictures, taken by his little sister.
Took this shot with my phone, right before the shot broke:
We shot some other stuff too, plenty of ground squirrels running around when the chucks are all sacked out:
I got some awesome frame by frame pics of my .260 making friends with a big chubby ground squirrel: