Sako’s & Game Fall 2023

[bloorooster]

I saw a Cooper rifle a while back in .17 squirrel
Crazy little cartridge…if I remember correctly the gun came with dies.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

I saw a Cooper rifle a while back in .17 squirrel
Crazy little cartridge…if I remember correctly the gun came with dies.

The Squirrel family also includes the 12, 14, 19, 20, 22, & 25 calibers. Built on a shortened Hornet case. IIRC, that 17 Squirrel can hit 3500 fps from that tiny case. Tons of fun! Buddy of mine had one.

 

[stonecreek]

If you can't justify any more .20's, how about a factory .18 caliber, the HK 4.6x30?

HK 4.6×30mm - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[paulsonconstruction]

If you can't justify any more .20's, how about a factory .18 caliber, the HK 4.6x30?

HK 4.6×30mm - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I think they call people like you "influencers", or maybe it's "enablers". Either way makes it very difficult not to succumb.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

I prefer to call it the ".204 Jaguarundi". Necking it all the way down to .17 would result in the ".17 Tomcat".

Did a little digging & it's been done! Called the 5mm Shrike. Seems casehead diameter is so small that it's hard to fit everything in the bolt face and still have enough support for the face of the case. Very sensitive to .1 grain changes in powder. But you & your evil partner bloorooster now have me thinking of the 17 Skeeter!

 

[icebear]

5mm FN??? I want one of those too!

Here it is, the original FN PS90. I believe this was the weapon the 5.7x28 FN was originally designed for. The PS90 is the semiauto version of the P90 SMG. According to FN, a 27-grain bullet fired from a 16" PS90 develops a muzzle velocity of 2132 fps and muzzle energy of 282 ft-lbs. Numbers for a .22 Hornet with a 45 grain bullet are 2690 fps/723 ft-lbs. This is out of a longer barrel - fully comparable numbers are hard to find. So, a rifle chambered in 5.7x28FN, or a smaller caliber wildcat, would be very quiet, but power would be adequate only for small critters. The 5.7x28 is mainly used as a pistol cartridge; I've seen AR-15's chambered for it but not a bolt gun.


The full-auto version was featured in the "Stargate SG-1" series on the Sci-Fi Channel (1997-2007).

 

[bloorooster]

Did a little digging & it's been done! Called the 5mm Shrike. Seems casehead diameter is so small that it's hard to fit everything in the bolt face and still have enough support for the face of the case. Very sensitive to .1 grain changes in powder. But you & your evil partner bloorooster now have me thinking of the 17 Skeeter!

Try to work up something with a .223 parent case…not very much Hornet brass around these days

 

[stonecreek]

As is often the case, we've strayed a long way from Spaher's original subject. But anecdotally, I've seen the same two fawns twice today milling around my house. Saw them with their mother a week ago, and I can tell you that the little buggers are growing like weeds! Here, a hundred or two miles north of Spaher's place, the fawn survival also looks good. Haven't happened to see any bucks yet, but even old, nearly toothless Angus cows are fat and slick, so I suspect that antler growth will be excellent.

 

[bloorooster]

Yup..they’re everywhere!

 

[bloorooster]

 

[Spaher]

Not running cameras as too early, other than low positioned along creeks & river to find cats, but found an unknown black faced buck that begins to indicate it may be a really good upcoming season. Sept can’t come soon enough for scouting. Cheers

 

[bloorooster]

Not running cameras as too early, other than low positioned along creeks & river to find cats, but found an unknown black faced buck that begins to indicate it may be a really good upcoming season. Sept can’t come soon enough for scouting. Cheers
View attachment 30724

Oh…
My…
Gawd…
I’m gonna plant some cacti!
What a beautiful Buck!

 

[stonecreek]

Not running cameras as too early, other than low positioned along creeks & river to find cats, but found an unknown black faced buck that begins to indicate it may be a really good upcoming season. Sept can’t come soon enough for scouting. Cheers
View attachment 30724

Oooow . . . a 6 x 6 typical, and looks very symmetrical. If you've hunted whitetails for over a half-century like I have you know how rare a 6 x 6 typical really is. Way to go, Spaher!

By the way, I've made several trips to the Sangre de Cristos in Southern Colorado this year and mule deer sightings have been abundant. Except for NW Colorado where the winter kill was severe, the state looks like it will have a good season with very little area in drought.

Likewise, the Rolling Plains of Texas (very roughly a triangle from Abilene to Lubbock to Wichita Falls) had good spring rains and has become a very popular whitetail destination. Demand from people from the DFW metroplex and other urban areas has tripled the price of land in the last 3 or 4 years, with hunting being the main driver of demand. Trophies won't match the Brush Country of South Texas, but there are plenty of 150+ B&C bucks taken up there every year now.

 

[Bucktote]

I believe the B&W photo shows an adult Jaguarundi based on smaller head, shoulder height & length with the basket dimensions serving as a good measuring tape. Pretty cool I think…

Hi Mr. Spaher & crew,
As with Sako haven't we learned to never say never. Jaguarundi cats may indeed exist in south Texas. They seem to be more elusive than other native cats that live in the USA, but photos will make them believe. My wife was driving home with my Mother & grandson & told me that they had seen a UFO over the water @ The Herb river. When my grandson opened the sunroof & stood up on the armrest to get a better look, the UFO shot away at un believable speed. I DON"T ARGUE with my Wife or MOM!!! So keep up the good work with those cameras Mr.
Spaher & we just might prove they are indeed here in Texas.

 

[gunner620]

What a beautiful buck. If I ever encountered one like that I would have some clean up to do, you know, with toilet paper. You have a wonderful place Spaher.

 

[Bucktote]

Here's what Wikipedia says about their size: It is about twice as large as a domestic cat (Felis catus), reaching nearly 360 mm (14 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 3.5–7 kg (7.7–15.4 lb). So, not too different from a bobcat, but with a tail nearly as long as its body.

Other sources may show it a bit larger. They range through out Central and South America and are listed by ICUN as "least concern" in terms of species survival. However, Texas (and possibly NM and AZ) represents the extreme northern extent of their range, making them extremely scarce in the U.S.

Hi stonecreek,
Just spoke with my son & he tells me that Jaguarundi cats were spotted in Valdosta GA? My son travels the state a lot in his work,
and says the cat was seen in rural GA??

 

[stonecreek]

Hi stonecreek,
Just spoke with my son & he tells me that Jaguarundi cats were spotted in Valdosta GA? My son travels the state a lot in his work,
and says the cat was seen in rural GA??

I can believe it. I'm nearly sure that I saw giraffes chased by leopards crossing a deserted Farm to Market road in rural West Texas about 2 am after a highly celebratory New Year's Eve.

 

[Bucktote]

I can believe it. I'm nearly sure that I saw giraffes chased by leopards crossing a deserted Farm to Market road in rural West Texas about 2 am after a highly celebratory New Year's Eve.

Stoned creek,
That will do it every time!! All the best, includes JACK DANIALS
B/T

 

[icebear]

I can believe it. I'm nearly sure that I saw giraffes chased by leopards crossing a deserted Farm to Market road in rural West Texas about 2 am after a highly celebratory New Year's Eve.

With all the exotic game ranches in Texas these days, I wouldn't be surprised at the giraffes. The "leopards" are most likely jaguars that crossed illegally from Mexico.

 

[Spaher]

Believe it or not, in Texas there are “exotic” properties advertising “hunts” for kangaroo, bongo & giraffe. Excess zoo species available.
With no concern for spreading animal diseases, parasites or zoonotic diseases. Disgusting…