I placed my crosshairs of the Mark4 M1 Leupold Duplex 4.5 x 15 x 50mm just under his belly where it meets the lighter colored Ontario limestone.
Intriguing indeed. Anyone ever "stun" a gopher or squirrel - by shooting just in front of it? It's often done unintentionally, when a tree/object is hit while the creature lies on it or climbs near it.