The Adventures of Sniper99 – an Airgun Story

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First,I will not go into detail about how we made it to the ranch. You read that already  though it was fun , like I said, you already read it.  We made it to the cabin  and done some shooting to to get ready. As always it was more like shooting and show and tell. There were alot of awesome rigs there. Any lower level you want.

After we got all of the rifle’s  shooting where  we wanted them to shoot, we just kinda sat around talking. You know, as I looked around during this part of the day, you had the ” shooters/ hunters guys” in one group, and the “builder/hunter group.  but unlike in the hallways in high school, it was not like a “click” or anything. you could just kinda walk up and start talking and just join in with out a hitch and the conversation just keep flowing. ( hey, for me mostly, if I happen to be in the  “builder/ hunter group “I would just kinda sit back and listen. You learn alot that way.

The next day, we all got up ( except for Bill , Man, he was not feeling well at all, that’s another story,Bill, I hope you feel better) washed up or shower and headed into town toget a quick bite to eat and then we met up with our guides for the day. I will not go into every one’s hunt (I don’t want to steal there thunder) I’m sure they  will tell you what happen soon enough.

It  was finally my turn  and I remember the last time I was here and saw  this gaint bird and  thought to myself that would be a nice hunt and that the next time I come , I’ll try for one if I could.   I told some of the guys what my plan was and they all started to laugh at me saying ” you want to hunt what!?  that’s like hunting Chicken little, That would not take any real skill ” and they would sit back and  laugh  I said  ” well ok, it’s not a Ram  but it’s a hunt none the less so,I stuck to my guns.  The day before, the Quackenbush 308 LA ( I call it worm eater) was shooting very well, Hitting a 1″ piece of tape at 100 yards with most ofthe shots about 1″ away from that ( I know that the rifle in the right hands can do alot better but this is good enough for me, for now any way)  which gave around a 2″ group which was good enough for  the shot I wanted to take.  

The area I was to hunt in had alot large rocks with grass kinda in between them ( some of the rocks were as large as houses)  as soon as I  we made to the area I saw  one of the giant birds moving his long 3 1/2′ neck up and down, side to side and back and forth.  The guide said  “you’re In luck, there’s one  there”  I took out my range finder and moved to within 100 yards  ( I was using a flat nose 157 grain bullet and I know just what it would do at that range )  I looked around and there was a small tree right at the 100 yard mark ( cool) I laid the rifle on one of the limbs and looked through the cross hairs and for the next five mins I could not keep the cross hairs on the bird’s head! Then, he held his head still for a moment and I pulled the trigger – BOOM! The shot went  above him about 6″ and to the right of him about 4″ . The bird stay in the same spot  but started to move his head around again so, I loaded another one  and cocked the rifle and laid it over the same branch  the bird seem to stop miving almost right on cue I put his head in the cross hairs and pulled the trigger . This time , the bullet hit behind him about 4″ above his head again ( All Man!)  To my mazement, the bird kept moving his head around but stayed in the same area!. I looked back at the guide he just kept looking at the bird ( he was a great guide by the way) I bolted in another bullet and put the bird’s neck in the cross hairs and pulled the trigger. This time, a large puff of feathers came off his neck . The guide said ” you may want toget closer”  so I picked up and got 20 yards closer, I put in another bullet and aimed  ( the same neck area. His head was just moving way to fast for me toget a good shot in ) and shot. this time, the bird took three steps and was out of site. I was a little worried, Being this is a bird that could kill a full grown man with no problem and we did’nt know where this bird was  put me on edge. I put another bullet in the rifle ( on the same charge) and went after the beast.  Later, we found him  he was 50 yards away and I leaned over this rock and took a shot which hit him in the neck and he just walked off. I put another bullet in and pulled the cocking handle back and just one more let’s do this. A few mins later , We saw him he was looking right at me, I put the cross hairs on his neck again and fired. the shot. the bullet hit him in the neck again.  The bird stood up and look me right in the eye ( I’m 6′1″ and he looked right in my eyes level across from where he was and ran off) and took off.  we went after him again and we saw him sitting down behind these large rocks  the guide said ” ok here’s your chance to put and end to this. I slowly walked behind this boulder and could see him at ten yards. Already having a bullet in the chamber, I cocked the rifle very slowly and  put the crosshairs right on the head and pulled the trigger , All I head was PPSSSSTTTT!  I looked back at Jim who just happen to have his awesome Gargoyl with him . He look down at his rifle and then at me ( I guess he saw how pityfull I must have looked at that moment)  He noded his head up and down and said ” here, use the  Gargoyl”  I looked at him and smiled . I cocked the Gargoyl and put the cross hairs right below the bird’s head and pulled the trigger BOOM!

The bird didn’t go without a fight.  Upon the shot, the bird leap about 4 feet in the air ( almost making over the other side of the  this large rock which was over 5 feet tall and stated to hiss and hitting the ground and the boulders around with his feet.   the sound of his feet hitting the ground was like taking a baseball glove and hitting the flat ground with all the power you can muster.  the back of his legs have  about  50 spurs that look like a saw blade. ( and very sharp too.) and they were hitting the rocks and scraping the rocks up . all in all it was a great hunt.

 I’m having the legs made into a lamp stand. The guy that’s drying the legs for me told me his friend and him took two shot guns  and shot one and it took 8 shots to bring one down so, now I don’t feel to bad.  The next time you see Chicken Little, give him some respect, because you don’t want him to go-back and tell his big brother on you.lol     Sniper99

“Keep your tank filled and a pellet loaded”