What is your ground squirrel rifle and load??????

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  We hear lots of info. about coyote rifles etc...but the lowly ground squirrel offers more shooting in an afternoon than coyotes due in maybe 20 years...In my area, the prairie dog shooting has been gobbled up by the outfitters ..so ground squirrels are taking up the slack..there are quite a few species..we hunt and shoot the richardsons ground squirrel..have shot thousands with the  common .22 LR..but it is really a blast to use bigger rifles and shoot at longer distances..have been using my .22 mag. .222 and 223..at present we are loading ammo for the summer..If you are fortunate enough to shoot ground squirrels what is your favorite calibers and loads...?

[Ethan]

I don't shoot prairie dogs or ground squirrels, but I do shoot groundhogs. I use a couple diffrent guns but mostly a Tikka 595 223. with a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18 on top. For the load I shoot, I shoot 26 grains of Varget, 55 grain Hornady V-max.

[Ladobe]

Tall order WCH for someone who seriously pursued diggers for around 55 years and tree rats for about 40.   I'd be surprised if the number of firearms I've used to do so numbers less than 100, with many of them bought just for that purpose, and quite a few of those wildcats for extreme ranges.   For me it came down to when during my life, so what was available to hunt where I traveled to hunt and in firearms, what I'd be shooting and always at what ranges I'd be shooting them.   Numbers wise the bulk harvested was easily the ground diggers, from the tiny Whitetailed Antelope GS's up to rock chucks, and everything in between.   For many years a favorite was pika in the high country for their fur along with the RC's; I had my prarie dog years, but I hunted GS's all of my hunting life either spot and stock or from a stand doing ADC for landowners.
 
I've used thrown rocks, slingshots, slings, sanres and traps as a young boy; BB & pellet rifles/pistols; all the rimfire calibers and just about any centerfire caliber from the 14"s up in rifles and handguns/specialty handguns; small bore shotguns; small bore traditional muzzle loaders; and long bows.   They were all favorite methods at the time used.  A list would be long of which specific calibers were favorites, and based again on when/where.
 
Preferring longer ranges for the challenge means I used quite a few bigger calibers along the way in earnest, but the 17's changed everything and quickly became my favorites of all time for diggers as they came along for all except the RC's and the longest ranges.   Any of the 17 wildcats, and the 17 rimfires, and they retired all my 22 caliber firearms.   The 17 rimfires even replaced my smaller 17 wildcats for the bulk of the later years I still hunted GS's, and I killed truck loads of varmints and quite a few predators with them.
 
 

[454Puma]

Wyo. Coyote Hunter
 I've used just about every caliber I have on them!  Except my 8X57mm , 454 Casul. So that leaves
22 LR, .223/5.56mm, 30-30, 30-06,  357 mag, 45 LC.  Mostly 22 LR all the rest using cast loads I used the '06 for long shots with either 113gr , or 150 gr cast.

[OLDHandgunner]

Your ground squirrels look simular to our gray & red squirrels here in VT. But our squirrels head for tree cover and yours head for burrows, I guess.
 
I use a Contender 23" heavy barrel in 17HMR with a Burris Mini Target 4x12x on top. This is a very flat shooter & very little noise. And NO reloading. 

[Catfish]

I have never really hunted them, but have taken several chipmunks that were causing problems and have no doubt that Ladobe has just about said all there is to say about it. I would add though, that my vote for the best alround squirrel getter is the 17 AH. They are now putting out the 17 Hornet and that would get my vote for a factory round. With my 17 AH I pushing a 19 gr. bullet at 3,600 fps with 10.4 gr`s of powder. Max. point blank range ( + or - 2 1/2 in.) is abt 290 yrds. The 17 Hornet should be over 250 and I would guess closer to 270.

[Swift One]

I enjoy shooting our 13 stripe ground squirrels we have around here.  I like a 22 mag or a 223 if i really want to mess them up.

[2ndtimer]

Depends on range:
Less than 25 yards  Ruger 22/45 pistol  Win Power Point 40 gr HP
25 to 50 yards      S&W MP15-22  Win Power Point 40 gr HP
50 to 100 or so    Savage 93-17R Tactical  17HMR 17 gr V-Max
beyond 100 yards Remington 700 SPS Varmint .223 Rem Fiocchi 40 gr V-max factory load or any of a number of handloads.  or S&W MP-15 Sport if I have some handloads with old brass I don't mind losing.
If I want to put on an aerial display, I shoot some of the close ones with one of the .223's with the 40 gr V-Max.  At 3650 fps 10 feet from the muzzle out of the Remington's 26" barrel, it really launches them when they are close!

[onegreatshot]

WCH- have you tried the area around Gillette? !0-15 miles south of the city on 50. And nothing wroung with the .22 mag

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

ogs, no haven't hunted much around Gillette...but may go up in the next few weeks to visit some friends, so will stick a couple rifles in for squirrels...thanks...

[tuck2]

The 17 HM2 and 17 HMR RF rifles are for  my 120 and 150 yard  prairie dog pup  shooting. Both should do for shooting ground squirrels. The next step up would be a 17 Fireball rifle.  Hornady has come out with a 17 Hornet cartridge that  produces a little less velocity with to 20 and 25 grain bullets than the Fireball.  Both the groung squirrels and prairie dog pups are small so get a center fire rifle that will shoot 1/2 inch or less 100 yard groups.

[Rock Home Isle]

Wow...Been a few years since I've had the opportunity to go after ground squirrels. I have several places here that I have hunted these little critters. Each of these places has its own topography and terrain features that makes hunting fun and unique.
 
I have one little 100 acre spot that is mostly rolling in its contours, and the draws are choked with Russian Olive and heavy swaying Willows. There is a little irrigation run-off that runs down the center with a series of stock ponds. The cover and contour of this place  allows for great spot and stalk hunting. Those little ground squirrels take on big game proportions on this small corner of land. I take my Ruger 77/.22 lr and have a great time. The land allows for good stalks and ranges run from a few yards out to about 80 yards or so. If I'm feeling lazy I can open the ranges up a bit by taking my Ruger 77/.22 Hornet, and leave the .22 Long Rifle at home. Both firerams shoot very accurately and the hunts are great practise for big game.
 
I have another place that has a huntable population of Ground Squirrels. This is an open rolling rangeland with a mix of sage brush and bunch grass. There are narrow draws and winding ridges on this vast ranchland. The squirrels can see you a long ways off and are quick to dart for cover once they detect your presence. When I hunt this place, I use good quality optics to scan the basin for small groups of the little guys. When I find a cluster my Winchester Model in .223 is with me as I move into a draw or drop behind a ridgeline to close the distance. The shooting is anywhere from 40-50 yards out to 200 yards. Its like an antelope hunt as I close the distance to get a shot before I'm detected. I use the same stalking tactics that I would use when closing the distance on a group of plains big game animals. The goal is to make the shot and not be detected.
 
Great thread by the way. 

[Couger]

Potguts or ground squirrels?  I don't pursue any at the moment, but for close range chores I'd take the 10/22.  Longer range the .223 boltgun.
 
If a rodent town needed eradication (to eliminate broken legs with cows or hoss's), I'd try an evil black .223 in an AR-something! (skrew jimmy dumbo!!    ).