Took my first shot at the season’s first ground squirrel just a few minutes ago. I’m trying to make a new sheath for my folding knife, went into the powershed for a sheet of Kydex (door was chained open) heard something thundering around in there, and a big bushy-tailed squirrel shot out between my legs and literally headed for the hills. I stepped out and watched it bounce from rock to rock, stopping every so often to see if I was still there. I was, and it kept going.
I’ve done this before: I stood there wishing I had my pistol, when it occurred to me that I was in fact wearing a pistol – just not the one I’d have chosen for the job. Spent a couple of hours in town this morning and was still wearing the Makarov. So I figured what the hell? Drew, thumbed back the hammer and waited for him to stop again. By this time he was a good fifty yards away*. A hit would have been purest luck and I don’t have that much ammo for the Mak, but every shot fired in anger is a shot fired in practice so I let one round fly. And by god I chipped rock close enough to scare him into greater speed, if nothing else. Looks like it’s time for the live trap again.
And speaking of sheaths…
These are the simple ones I made to protect the edges on my new slaughtering knives. Would have been hard to screw these up, but I did manage it the first time.
And this is my current completely failed project. First attempt at a real sheath with a belt attachment and rivets, and WOW does this stuff shrink. I had everything measured out so carefully, but forgot about shrinkage. So now I’ve got to cut a new piece and try again. If I ever get it right, I’ll show you.
I already knew this wasn’t going to work before I put it in the press, but I was working out a different way of clamping the press so things stay put, and wanted to see if that worked. Which it did, so even the failure wasn’t entirely for nothing. But I think I’m going to need more Kydex by the time I start getting this right.
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*and a hearty thanks to those who contributed to that eye surgery a couple of years ago, because I could actually still see him quite clearly at that range…
