Author Topic: SQUIRREL (Read 2124 times)

mattmillerrx · « **on:** May 04, 2009, 08:17:56 AM »

Anyone hunt early season squirrel? I have not hunt squirrel at all, before. I have a couple of friends that really want to go. I am thinking shotguns will be the way to go with all the leaves in early season. Has anyone had any luck on the public lands? I don't see a lot of squirrel in the areas I hunt but if we have to we can go there. Any other suggestions would be welcome as these guys are new to hunting and would like it to be a good hunt.

securitysix · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2009, 02:27:12 PM »

Squirrel can be taken with shotguns or rimfire rifles. I've only ever squirrel hunted with a shotgun (single-shot .410 gauge) and then only a couple of times. Had to pick quite a bit of shot out of the squirrel and still bit down on a few pieces. If I were to do it again, I would lean towards a .22 LR instead, I think.

Don't know about hunting them on state land, I hunted them on my uncle's place. You might sit out in your normal hunting spot and watch the trees sometime. Squirrels are easy to miss, even if you are looking for them.

mattmillerrx · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2009, 02:39:46 PM »

I plan to use a .22 revolver. I was think I will have these guys go with a shot gun although they both have .22 rifles. After some reading, I think I will tell them what to take based on the type of hunting they want to do. Walking and covering a lot of ground will most likely have them go shotgun. Sitting in one spot for a while and waiting will go with the .22. Neither of them have owned guns before recently and neither have shot very much at all is mostly my thinking for the shotgun for them. I think we will do some talking and see what they wish to use and go from there. Actually, there area I am currently hunting there are virtually no trees, that is why I am thinking of public lands.

GeneRector · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2009, 03:05:35 PM »

Howdy! I had an uncle years ago that was a great hunter and fisherman. He hunted squirrel with a single shot 22 rifle using shorts. He most always came home with a bunch. I went with him and my cousin a few times. He did say once that a shotgun may be the way to go because if you miss with the 22 rifle, you won't likely get another shot. However, he most always used the 22 rifle with 22 short cartridges. I live in Texas and we have plenty of squirrel; however, not many hunters seem interested in squirrel hunting around where I live. Take care and have fun!

torpedoman · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2009, 05:00:29 PM »

hold the squirrel(or bird) in front of a strong light to help locate shot in it usually with a 100 watt bulb you can find every one of them.

mattmillerrx · « **Reply #5 on:** May 05, 2009, 09:27:36 AM »

I did a little more reading today. There seems to be a lot of concern over shooting .22 rimfires into the air. I seems many are using shorts thinking they lose energy faster. If I remember correctly, I read something in one of the gun mags a while back on this very issue. Of course they gave all the safety, stuff of knowing your surrounding and rightfully so but I believe it said that they have so little energy left after going up and coming down over such a long distance that they would not break the skin.

Please correct me if I am wrong. I think I will run it trough one of the ballistic calculators when I get home. I think the distance was at a mile and it calculated the trajectories from a 30 to 45 degree angle.

Of course one should always know what lies behind where you are shooting. I know there are alot of guys using the .22 lr and doing this very thing. I ask what do you think? Does anyone know of that artical?

I got some shorts the other day to play with. If they shoot good maybe I will use them.

securitysix · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2009, 02:42:32 PM »

The distance can be an issue. I fired some subsonics out of a revolver at a possum in a tree once. After going through the possum, they were bouncing off of something about 60 yards away. Of course, they were 60 grain bullets pushed by a .22 short charge (Aguila 60 grain SSS rounds), and going through something, so they didn't have much energy to work with. They also didn't work very well out of that short of a barrel and I wound up getting a shotgun to finish him off.

If you're going to shoot squirrels with a .22, you might consider trying to line up your shot so that a tree trunk is immediately behind the squirrel. That way if it misses or goes all the way through, the tree will catch the bullet. Just a thought.

Specklebelly · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2009, 02:12:24 PM »

I used to hunt tree rats and hated how they are hard to clean. The skin does not want to come off like a rabbit.

Public land is good. Shoot me a PM and I will help you out on locations.

Specklebelly · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2009, 08:21:38 AM »

MM

Did you go?

mattmillerrx · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2009, 12:20:57 PM »

haven't made it out, to many family functions/issues. Maybe next weekend.

Hooker · « **Reply #10 on:** May 26, 2009, 04:37:21 PM »

Hey don't let your muzzle loader gather dust. Loaded light they are the perfect squirrel rifle. 15 grains of powder under a 50 cal patched round ball is plenty to reach them bushy tails and it wont ruin as much meat as a .22lr . Plus it is a lot of fun and challenging.

Pat

Dee · « **Reply #11 on:** May 26, 2009, 04:47:38 PM »

Been huntin tree rats for over 50 years, mostly with a 22 lr until a few years ago. Switched to a Model 92 Winchester clone in 357 magnum. We got lotsa hogs a few claims of mountain lions so it is stoked with 10 rounds of insurance, and 2 light loads for the squirrel.
I light load (VERY LIGHT LOAD) a 38 special with a 158 grain swc, and head shoot'em. Takes'em off the limb better than a croquet mallet, and they don't kick much when they hit the ground.
The load has very little range, (25 yards or so) and sheds velocity very quickly, and you don't have to worry about shooting into the air. It ain't goin far.

FourBee · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2009, 05:13:00 PM »

Hunting Squirrel early in the season is a little tuff, what with all the foliage , chiggers and ticks. I wait until the fall with all the acorns, hickory nuts and wild pecans falling.

Dee · « **Reply #13 on:** May 26, 2009, 05:25:16 PM »

Quote from: FourBee on May 26, 2009, 05:13:00 PM

Hunting Squirrel early in the season is a little tuff, what with all the foliage , chiggers and ticks. I wait until the fall with all the acorns, hickory nuts and wild pecans falling.

That's the way to do FourBee, and down here in Texas, you don't have to worry that time of year about steppin on those friendly little COPPERHEADS!

FourBee · « **Reply #14 on:** May 26, 2009, 05:58:34 PM »

You got that right Dee. I fogot to mention them little adorable hissees. Man; I remember times squirrel hunting they almost made my heart stop.

JPShelton · « **Reply #15 on:** September 07, 2009, 11:53:05 PM »

I hunt early season squirrel on public land here in Cherokee County. I usually do really well.

-JP

FourBee · « **Reply #16 on:** September 08, 2009, 06:15:49 AM »

Hey JP:
Do you hunt with a shotgun that time of year? Which squirrel is most common up there, the Grey or the Fox, or both? The leaves are beginning to drop here in Leflore County. Won't be long now.

Dee · « **Reply #17 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:04:17 PM »

If he's in Cherokee County Texas, he's in east Texas, and he probably has both grays and Fox (red).

FourBee · « **Reply #18 on:** September 08, 2009, 05:36:24 PM »

Cherokee County !

Oops, did I lose my boundries? I was thinking JP was an OKIE. Which is it JP? Are you a Texan or an Okie from up there in Cherokee country?

Dee · « **Reply #19 on:** September 09, 2009, 06:44:21 AM »

Quote from: FourBee on September 08, 2009, 05:36:24 PM

Cherokee County ! Oops, did I lose my boundries? I was thinking JP was an OKIE. Which is it JP? Are you a Texan or an Okie from up there in Cherokee country?

YIKES!

NOPE! I'm the one that screwed up. He's an okie! He's up around Tahlequah Ok. I should know that being Cherokee myself and occasionally going to the Cherokee Headquarters and Heritage Center where family works. He said "county" and I assumed he was an East Texan.

Old Fart · « **Reply #20 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:10:53 PM »

I've always used a 22lr for tree rats. Well over 40 years of hunting them.
It helps if you know the surroundings.
I guess if you trust your shot placement and practice regularly you've not much to worry about.
All mine have been down on my farm or other family members property.
Not much around for miles besides the occassional hunter so I suspect the odds of me dropping a round out of the air on someones head are pretty slim.

FourBee · « **Reply #21 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:32:48 PM »

Quote from: Old Fart on September 10, 2009, 05:10:53 PM

I've always used a 22lr for tree rats. Well over 40 years of hunting them.
It helps if you know the surroundings.
I guess if you trust your shot placement and practice regularly you've not much to worry about.
All mine have been down on my farm or other family members property.
Not much around for miles besides the occassional hunter so I suspect the odds of me dropping a round out of the air on someones head are pretty slim.

Sounds like a winner. I've got to get my rifle out and put a few rounds thru it so's I'll know it's set to do business. Time is drawing nigh. The last few years I've been hearing the hype over sub-sonic's. Being old fashioned it took me awhile to check'em out. They're just the ole target rounds that I've always used, but with a new name.

4B

JPShelton · « **Reply #22 on:** September 10, 2009, 10:36:11 PM »

Quote from: Dee on September 08, 2009, 04:04:17 PM

If he's in Cherokee County Texas, he's in east Texas, and he probably has both grays and Fox (red).

"He" as in "me" is a Cherokee Nation citizen living in Tahlequah, which is the county seat of Cherokee County, Oklahoma.

JPShelton · « **Reply #23 on:** September 10, 2009, 10:46:04 PM »

Quote from: FourBee on September 08, 2009, 05:36:24 PM

Cherokee County ! Oops, did I lose my boundries? I was thinking JP was an OKIE. Which is it JP? Are you a Texan or an Okie from up there in Cherokee country?

The place I hunt the most has a mix of foxes and greys. A little more of the latter than the former. I normally shoot them with a .20 Beeman R-9 pellet rifle and Beeman FTS pellets or with my 20 bore shotgun. Kinda depends on what mood I'm in..... There's some Corps land along the river that I hunt where I've only shot fox squirrels, and the squirrells running around my house are all the fox variety, but they're safely inside the city limits where I can't shoot 'em.

How's the huntin' down in LeFore County?

-JP

FourBee · « **Reply #24 on:** September 10, 2009, 11:37:41 PM »

Hey JP:
The hunting is excellent along Cash Creek which skirts the west and north ends of my 160 acre ranch, seperating me from the remote farm bottoms of the Arkansas river. This area is densely populated with Fox Squirrel because of a cluster of old grand native pecan trees along its banks, but as of last year I was happily surprised to find that Greys have taken up homesteading there too. As for other areas, its kinda hit and miss.

4B