Adam Heggenstaller, American Hunter's Executive Editor, is on the scene at the first annual Squirrel Master Classic. The hunt's on, and you can keep up with today's action with the running updates provided below.
On the Board
Five minutes into the hunt and my team already has a squirrel in the bag. I may have pulled the trigger, but TC here did the work, running the gray right up an oak the way you'd expect from a dog ranked at the top by the American Treeing Feist Association.
Callie Ups the Tally
Fourteen-year-old Callie bagged the fourth squirrel for our team with a long shot to the top of a tree. Callie is one of six Alabama 4-H students competing in the Classic.
"It is just awesome to shoot my first squirrel this way," she said. "In my head I was like 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'"
Tale of the Scale
After the official morning weigh-in, Field Editor Jeff Johnston's team is in the lead with 14 squirrels weighing a whopping 17.125 lbs. My team's in second place with nine of them for a total weight of 10.25 lbs. We have some catching up to do during the afternoon hunt, but with a good dog and better shooting, we have a chance.