VarmintAir's Airgun Hunting Blog

More Ground Squirrel Hunting Fun - With My Benjamin Marauder - PCP - Pistol/Carbine.

I had a chance, about a week ago, to get out and do some more ground squirrel hunting with a good friend of mine.  He was shooting his new Daystate MCT, .22 PCP, and I, once again, hunted with my Marauder PCP pistol/carbine.

It was an awesome day of squirrel hunting.  My buddy made some very impressive shots out to 80 yards.  Inside of 60 yards, my P-Rod, as usual, was knocking them dead.   

The hunting was very challenging.  The vegetation has gotten thick and tall.  The stinging nettles were 5 to 6 feet tall in many areas, and it was a challenge to not get tangled up in those things.

The weather was just about perfect.  It never got really hot, and there was just enough wind to keep most of the flying, biting, bloodsucking, insect critters stuck on their launch pads.  This time of year, all of the skeeters, deer flies, sweat flies, gnats, and no-see-ums, have all hatched out, and are all looking for something to eat, so it was nice to get a reprieve from the onslaught of flying, biting, bloodsucking bugs.

I'm in the process of making the switch from hunting ground squirrels in California, to hunting prairie dogs here in AZ, so this will probably be the last California Ground Squirrel hunt for this year.

The only gun I've hunted ground squirrels with in 2011, has been my Marauder PCP pistol/carbine, and I can't say enough good things about this rig.  While hunting in some pretty steep terrain, I've come to really appreciate the compactness and light weight of this small carbine. The accuracy has been stellar, and the 13 fpe she generates with the 12.8 grain Sn-2 tin pellets, has been more than enough to cleanly kill ground squirrels out to just past 60 yards.  She has most definitely earned a permanent spot in my airsenal.

Below, are some video clips from this latest hunt.  They may take 20/30 seconds to load, and run about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.  I didn't narrate these clips as I hunted along, but the shots ranged from about 30 yards, to just under 50.

 

I've got my new .22 caliber, AA 510 TC to use, and it's time to dig out my .25 caliber Marauder, and start taking care of business in the prairie dog towns. Hunting prairie dogs presents some different challenges from hunting ground squirrels.  One of the big ones is, the ever present wind on the open prairie. Fifteen to 20 miles per hour is typical, so you need to bring your wind doping "A" game when going after these guys with airguns.

Weather permitting, I'll be after them later this week, so stay tuned, more airgun hunting adventures to follow.

Some more pics from last weeks hunt.

 

 

Benjamin Marauder PCP Pistol/Carbine - The Fun Meter Is Still Pegged! - Part 3

Here's the final set of video clips from my last hunt with the P-Rod.  I've hunted this rig all spring, and it has been a ton of fun.  This little carbine has met all of my expectations and then some.  Best $400 I've spent on my airgunning hobby in a long time.  Super fun rig, and worth every penny.  

Below are the video clips.  They may take 20/30 seconds to load, and run about 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

 

I've got a new toy on its way.  According to the tracking number, it should hit my front porch this coming Tuesday.  It's one of the new AA 510TC ERBSL rifles, in .22 cal, with the dual air cylinders.  I'm really looking forward to getting her setup with a scope, and doing some pellet testing.  

I'll also be spending some time shooting her over my chrono, to see what the velocity and shot string look like.  I should have some preliminary info next week.  Stay tuned, much more to follow.  

  

Benjamin Marauder PCP Pistol/Carbine - The Fun Meter Is Pegged! - Part 2

Here's some more video from my last hunt with my Marauder PCP pistol/carbine.  As the title says, the fun meter is still pegged.  The accuracy and power, combined with the light weight, make this my goto gun for high elevation, and or, steep terrain ground squirrel hunting.

I've got a new toy coming, so I'll start spending some time with it, but the past couple of months with the Marauder pistol/carbine have been more fun than mere words can describe.

The below video may take 20/30 second to load, and runs about 4 minutes and 45 seconds.  Thanks for watching.

 

I still have a bit more video from the last day of my hunt.  I'll get that uploaded and posted as soon as I have time.  As you can probably tell, I am really, really, happy with the performance of my P-Rod.  

 

Benjamin Marauder PCP Pistol/Carbine - The Fun Meter Is Pegged!

WOW!  Is all I can say.  I just got back from a couple more ground squirrel hunts with my Marauder PCP pistol/carbine, and the fun factor of this gun continues to be completely off the charts.

Because it is so accurate, light, and easy to carry, I started racking my brain about places on the ranch that I hunt, that are remote, at higher elevations, and fairly steep. Places I usually bypass because humping a heavy rifle in that terrain takes the fun out of the hunt.  I knew that those types of places would get very little, if any, hunting pressure.  Just too much effort for most guys, myself included, to even be remotely interested.

I've hunted this ranch now for 17 years, and have been down pretty much every 4x4 track I had access to.  I remembered a remote place that I hunted, with great success, when I was producing my DVD, "Airgun Hunting the California Ground Squirrel."  I hadn't been there since finishing the DVD several years ago.

I loaded up my gear, and started up the dusty trail, to see if I could still get back into the area.  By going slow, and using 4x4-lo-lo to crawl through some washed out areas, I was able to carefully work my way back into the spot that I wanted to hunt.

Wow!  Was it ever worth the effort.  I don't think this place has been hunted since I was there several years ago.  The hunting was amazing.

My Marauder pistol got a serious workout, AGAIN, and she came through with flying colors.  Making shots from 30 yards to just over 60 was the name of the game, and she handled it superbly.

One of several squirrels taken at 60 yards with my P-Rod. 

I've hunted ground squirrels, exclusively, with my Marauder pistol/carbine this spring, and the fun factor has been completely off scale. When I bought it, I was looking for a light weight PCP carbine, to take the place of my much heavier Beeman R9, and HW97 .20 cal springers.  I can now say, after about two months of hunting it hot and heavy, the Marauder pistol has surpassed my expectations, and I couldn't be more pleased.

I shot a ton of video during the hunts, and I'll get a lot of it posted, in multiple segments, as I have a chance.  The first clips are posted below.

This video may take 20/30 seconds to load, and runs just over 4 minutes.

 

I've been pretty busy helping our son in his business.  Because of that, I haven't had as much time to devote to my blog as usual, but it isn't every day that a parent has a chance to help a son take his career to the next level, and I wouldn't miss this opportunity for anything.

The blog is still ongoing, but it may be a bit longer between entries than usual.

The Continuing Hunting Adventures Of - P-Rod - the Marauder Pistol/Carbine - Day Two

 

Wow!  Time flies.  I meant to have this finished and posted a week ago.  I've been super busy helping our son with his business, and that's a good thing, but it has definitely cut into my playing time.  I finally had a chance to complete the day two story, and videos, from my last hunt with my Marauder pistol/carbine.  It's posted below.

 

I was out bright and early on day two.  Once again, the weather was forecast to be just about perfect, sunny with temps in the high sixties, and I wanted to make the most of it.

I almost took my AA 410CRBSL Carbine with me on this hunt, but when it was time to leave for Califonia, I went for the Marauder Pistol again. This is one of those guns that I just can't get enough of.  It is so handy to hunt with.  Plenty of power for my application.  If you've watched any of the previous videos of hunts with it, the accuracy speaks for itself, and the light weight makes it so easy to carry, that I have a hard time putting it down.

There are other places on the ranch, where longer range shooting is required, and a 30+ fpe rifle is the best choice for those, but in these steep canyons, with their close quarter, 30 to 60 yard shots, a nice light gun like this Marauder pistol/carbine makes a lot of sense. 

I headed back into the same general area I hunted the day before, but hunted a bit more East. Once again, I was soon spotting ground squirrels in the piles of deadfall, on stumps, and sitting on old logs.  I got in a full day of hunting, and took some good video clips of a lot of the shots.  

This years crop of mini vermin were thick as flees on a hounds back.  I may go back with one of my FWB 300S rifles, and have a mini squeak hunt.  I've done that in the past, and it is a ton of fun.  The 300S will drop them in their tracks out to around 45 yards.

Some mini squeaks, and a few adults, taken with one of my FWB 300S rifles, on a previous hunt.

Below, are a bunch of video clips from the hunt.  If you listen closely, in many of the slomo clips, you will hear two impacts.  The first is from the pellet impacting the squirrel, and the second, immediately following, after a complete pass through, is the pellet impacting something behind the squirrel, .

The following video may take 20/30 seconds to load, and runs a bit over 4 minutes. Thanks for watching.

 

I wish now, that I had been keeping track of the number of kills made with this Marauder pistol/carbine.  It has been very impressive to say the least. Until next time, thanks for reading and watching.

 

Pellets In Flight - A Compilation Of Clips - Showing Pellets In Flight - While Hunting With the Marauder PCP Pistol/Carbine

Some folks, myself included, like seeing shots where the pellet is visible during its flight to the target. The DYNAMIC tin pellets, with their shiny smooth finish, seem to do this quite well.  There is a very practical side to being able to see pellets in flight too.  It makes it very easy to make a slight correction in your hold, for the second shot, when the first one obviously missed by just a squirrel whisker.

The past month and a half, I've been hunting my Benjamin Marauder Pistol/Carbine, shooting the tin Sn-2 pellets.  While reviewing some of the video clips from the various hunts, I noticed a pretty good number where the pellets are clearly visible in flight.

It is especially so during the slow motion replay of the clips.  I have put together a compilation of many of those clips, showing the pellets zipping toward their intended targets.  Little tin missiles, with SHSR, (squirrel head seeking radar).

The video may take 20 to 30 seconds to load, and runs about one minute.

  

The pellet of choice.

The Continuing Hunting Adventures Of - P-Rod - the Marauder Pistol/Carbine

I was in California, on business again last week, and when we wrapped things up early on Friday morning, I did what any good varmint hunter would do, I threw my stuff in my vehicle and went hunting.

By the time I got up to the ranch that I hunt on, it was early afternoon.  I decided to hunt an area of the ranch, that is at a higher elevation than my normal spots.  Spring comes later up there, and I knew it would still be green and lush.

It takes four wheel drive to get up the old logging track, that leads into the area that I wanted to hunt.  Because of the difficulty of the 4x4 track, and the fact that the area is pretty steep, and takes some physical effort to hunt, it doesn't see much action from most guys.  My kinda place.

The weather was about as nice as I could ask for.  It was sunny, with the temp in the mid sixties.  There was a breeze blowing, but nothing that wasn't manageable.  Perfect ground squirrel hunting conditions.  There were still a lot of wildflowers in bloom, and that always adds a nice bit of eye candy to the hunt.

Once I had my gear ready to go, I slipped out into the forest, and slowly started to hunt the area.  It didn't take long before I started spotting ground squirrels with my binoculars.  The adult squirrels were out and about, but for the first time this year, the new crop of mini vermin were also above ground at this elevation.

They were everywhere I went, and lots of them too.  There are a lot of critters on this ranch that feed on these things, and the number of ground squirrels is always impressive.  The place is an airgun hunters paradise.

I had a great afternoon of hunting.  The P-Rod, as usual, performed flawlessly, and did herself proud.

I shot a lot of video, so I'll let the clips tell the story of some of the hunt. It also conveys really well, the type of terrain that I was hunting in. Also, if you pay close attention, you can hear two impacts in some of the shots. The first one is the pellet hitting the squirrel, and the second is the pellet hitting something behind the squirrel, after a complete pass through.  Plenty of power for the task at hand.

The following video may take 20/30 seconds to load, and runs about 4 minutes 30 seconds.  Thanks for watching.

 

Day two with my P-Rod was fantastic.  The weather was great, maybe a bit more wind, but nothing terrible, and the squirrels were out and about in great numbers. Shot some fun video clips, and as soon as I have time, I'll get the videos from day two posted.

 

  

A Winning Combination - Marauder PCP Pistol - Leica 8x32 BA Binoculars - Leica Rangemaster 1200 Range Finder - and The Stoney Point Telescoping Bipod

I just got back from another ground squirrel hunt with my Marauder PCP pistol/carbine.  What a hoot. The gun, in and of itself is fantastic, but I have to give credit to a few other pieces of gear, that allow me to use the P-Rod to its full potential.

First up, are my binoculars. They are the Leica 8x32 BA model.  I've had these things for more years than I can remember.  The clarity is superb. They're compact and light enough, that I can wear them around my neck all day without any strain, but more importantly to me, they do not cause me any eye strain either.  

When hunting, I spend a tremendous amount of time looking through my binoculars, hunting for ground squirrels that are hiding back in the shadows, and nooks and crannies where they build their dens and dig their burrows.  Many times all you will see is a head, or just a part of a head sneaking a peek over the edge of a burrow, or over the back of a log or stump.

At 40/50/60+ yards, you need a good pair of binoculars to pick them out. Especially when the squirrels are tucked back in the shadows.  I can spend hours looking through these binoculars, without feeling like my eyeballs are being sucked out of my head.

I've had my Leica Rangemaster 1200 range finder, since they first came on the market. The things I really like about it are, it's very accurate, it is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, the optics are crystal clear, and the reticle is lit.  

I had a model from a different manufacturer for awhile, and the problem I was having with it, was the fact that the reticle wasn't lit, and in some lighting situations, like when a squirrel was tucked back in deep shadows, my tired old eyes were having a hard time seeing the reticle. On the Leica's, the reticle is a brightly lit red box.  Even these old eyes can see that.

For me, the other indispensable piece of gear is my Stoney Point bipod. Without the use of my binoculars, to dig the squirrels out of their hidey holes, I wouldn't get half the number of shots that I do, and without the use of my bipod, I wouldn't make half the kill shots that I do.  Hitting small targets, at range, in the wind, is very challenging. I can use all of the help I can get, and my bipod makes all of the difference in the world.

Depending upon what, and where I'm hunting, the gun changes, but the other three pieces of gear stay the same, and are a huge part of my hunting success.

I shot a bunch of video during this hunt, so I'll have some more stories and video to share soon.  It was an awesome time to be in the field.  This years crop of mini vermin have come above ground, and were everywhere.  I saw multiple dozens of them, just in the area that I was hunting in.  

When they first emerge from below ground, they are about one third, to one fourth the size of the adults, with heads about the size of a quarter. Talk about challenging shooting.

Here's a picture looking across a field of wildflowers, that shows the type of terrain that I was hunting in.  When I took this picture, I was four wheeling my way up the side of a mountain, headed for a canyon that is very steep, but always produces good numbers of ground squirrels. I hunt the spot and stalk method, and because the area is so steep, I hunt up the side of the mountain in a zig zagging traverse fashion.  

I'm off to work on the stories and video.  Stay tuned, more to follow.     

                                                     

 

Benjamin Marauder Pistol - Hunting California Ground Squirrels - The Sequel - Part 2

On day two, of my continuing adventure, of hunting ground squirrels with my Marauder PCP Pistol, I headed out to a canyon that has always produced a good number of squirrels. I always like hunting this canyon, because of the varied terrain.

The mouth of it is fairly open, wide and flat, with a large meadow full of stumps and old logs.  Yet as I hunt my way up into it, the canyon narrows, and the timber gets much thicker with lots of deadfall and blowdowns.  Perfect ground squirrel habitat.

The sides become very steep, and that can make for some interesting shots.  Hit a squirrel up on the side of the steep canyon wall, and it will roll a long ways until it comes to rest at the bottom.

The first shot of the day, was on a squirrel with just its head showing over the back of an old log.  The range was just under 40 yards. When the shot broke, the pellet completely penetrated the squirrels head, blowing a lot of dirt and dust off of it, as well as impacting a log behind it, leaving a nice indentation there. The power and accuracy of this rig are excellent, making head shots to 60 yards, the rule of the day.

As I slowly hunted my way up the canyon, and by using my binoculars to find them, I was able to pick off several more ground squirrels along the way .  As the vegetation is getting taller, and taller, it's becoming ever more challenging to find them.  A few weeks ago, they could easily be seen down on the ground, and sitting on mounds, now, they pretty much need to be up on something to be spotted.

Below, are some video clips from the days hunt.  They may take 20 to 30 seconds to load, and run 2 minutes 30 seconds.  Thanks for watching.

 

This little P-Rod carbine is a definite keeper.  I will be hunting with her again soon. Stay tuned for more stories, and video adventures of P-Rod doing her thing.

 

 

Benjamin Marauder Pistol - Hunting California Ground Squirrels - The Sequel - Part 1

I was in California again last week on business, and when I was finished with that, I was able to get out for a couple of days of ground squirrel hunting with my Marauder PCP Pistol.

For me,  hunting with airguns is about precision pellet placement, and having fun with the guns I hunt with.  For the hunting to be fun, the gun I'm hunting with has to be accurate.  I don't mean pretty accurate, or kind of accurate, I mean dead nuts accurate, and this Marauder pistol of mine is just that.  I won't go into the specific accuracy of this pistol now, as I've done that in a past blog entry.  You can find the story about the accuracy, by scrolling down the side bar, but let's just say this gun amazes me every time I've taken it out for ground squirrels.  

Any ground squirrel inside 50/55 yards is in very, very, serious trouble. I have the gun set up with the shoulder stock on it, and hunt it as a light weight, compact carbine. The "on squirrel" performance is everything I had hoped for, and then some.

One of the reasons that I have as much success shooting ground squirrels in  the areas I hunt, as I do, is because I spend a tremendous amount of time in my binoculars, looking for them.  I would say that probably 60/70 percent of the shots I get, are shots where I first found the squirrel with my binos.

The videos make it look like they are just sitting out everywhere, but many times, they are tucked back in the shade and shadows, sometimes only a head is showing over the edge of a mound, out of the ground, or over the back of a log, or stump.  They blend in really well with all of those things, and in a lot of those cases, they are darned near impossible to see with the naked eye.  Especially at 30 to 60 yards.  They seem to instinctively know that shade, and the darker places they inhabit, are their friend.  

A good pair of binoculars makes finding them, when they are tucked back in their hidey holes, a whole lot easier.  By the time I've got the video camera zoomed in on them for the shot, the hard part, spotting them, has already been done.

The first day out, I didn't get started until early afternoon.  I headed for a narrow canyon that has a nice creek running down the bottom of it, and is just about perfect for hunting ground squirrels with a gun like the Marauder PCP Pistol.

The lay of the land makes for shot opportunities that run from about 30 yards, out to around 60.  I don't normally hunt this area with my rifles, because the shots just aren't very challenging with a 30+ fpe gun.  

However, with my P-Rod generating 13 fpe at the muzzle, this particular canyon would be the perfect place to hunt ground squirrels, while using this compact PCP carbine.

As I was getting my gear set up, I could see several squirrels sitting on piles of deadfall, and running up, down, and across the cow path that I intended to hunt along. I knew from experience, that If I could see that many, there were even more tucked back in the shadows, that I would have to dig out using my binoculars. 

Once I had my gear all set, I slowly hunted up the canyon for several hours, glassing all of the nooks and crannies, with excellent success.  I also had my first up close and personal encounter with a rattlesnake this year.  He wasn't very big, maybe a two footer, but man was he grumpy. These snakes are very interesting. Some of the ones I encounter, never coil. All they want to do is get away.  Others, like this guy was, are grumpy before they see me, or me them.  I heard him before I could see him, and he wasn't at all happy to be sharing space with me.  Some of them, just flat don't play well with others.  I shot some video of him, and wished him luck with his squirrel hunting this year.  In the slomo clip of him, you can hear his rattles clicking away in the background.

The afternoon hunt was very successful, and I was able to shoot some good video, in real time, as I made the various shots.  Below are some video clips showing some of the hunt results, along with some footage of my buzztail friend.

The video may take 20 to 30 seconds to load, and runs just a few seconds over 5 minutes in length.

 

It was another great afternoon hunting ground squirrels with my Marauder PCP Pistol.  The Sequel, part 2, is coming soon.  Stay tuned.