Squirreling away

It was one of those damp, cool January afternoons when I hit the woods with my .22 rifle, hoping to bag a few squirrels before nightfall.

I planted myself at the base of a good-sized tree, and waited.

Once the woods settled down from my activity, the wildlife came to life. A headshot dropped the first squirrel to the ground. I let it lay, hoping another squirrel would show itself before I disturbed the woods again to pick it up.

I heard movement in a tree to my right, so I slowly turned my head, expecting to see another squirrel. Instead, a big owl had lit in the tree, and was making eyes at the squirrel I’d just shot.

Hoping for an easy meal, the owl looked at the dead squirrel, then cautiously in my direction. It couldn’t quite figure out what I was, or what to do about me. I quickly stood to retrieve the squirrel, and the owl flew off.

I took my place on the ground again and laid the squirrel across my thigh, wishing I’d brought a game bag.

Shortly after that, I watched two squirrels run up one tree, down the other side, up another tree then jump from that one to another. Before long, they were out of sight.

Then I heard acorn scraps dropping out of an oak tree straight in front of me. I’m always amazed at how a squirrel can suddenly appear, right where I’d been looking for some time, without notice.

I scanned the tree and spotted the squirrel, sitting in the crook of a branch. I slowly raised my rifle, put the bead on the squirrel’s head, and pulled the trigger.

As the rifle cracked, the woods went dark and I heard a great whooshing sound as things got even darker. I was confused enough, and I felt like the dead squirrel on my thigh had somehow sprang back to life and was running up and down the rest of my body. I was sure my rifle had exploded, but then things cleared right back up, and I realized wings were flapping away from me.

The owl had swooped in and taken the squirrel off my thigh, just as I pulled the trigger on the other squirrel. It touched down in a low tree branch within easy sight of me, and began pulling at the squirrel’s skin, watching me as it worked. It had not scratched me or even ripped my pants when it yanked the squirrel from me.

I picked up the other squirrel and made my way out of the woods. I turned back once, and the owl was still there, happily eating its free meal.

I gave the owl a nod. And I could have sworn it nodded right back.