Who squirrel hunts?

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Our squirrel opener is September 1 but my buddy and I usually wait until October or so when it cools off so the dog doesn't get overheated. He will be retiring his squirrel dog this year so it will be a lot of stalking for me after his last hunt of the season. I really enjoyed wandering through the state forest glassing for them and picking them off from afar with my 22lr.
 
Our squirrel opener is September 1 but my buddy and I usually wait until October or so when it cools off so the dog doesn't get overheated. He will be retiring his squirrel dog this year so it will be a lot of stalking for me after his last hunt of the season. I really enjoyed wandering through the state forest glassing for them and picking them off from afar with my 22lr.
i normally wait until oct to, but think i will use the first month of small game to scout the state land i am looking to deer hunt. my dads jack russell will be about 1 year old when season opens sept 1st. like to bring her out and see what she can do.
 
i normally wait until oct to, but think i will use the first month of small game to scout the state land i am looking to deer hunt. my dads jack russell will be about 1 year old when season opens sept 1st. like to bring her out and see what she can do.
Way too hot and thick for me Sept 1. We have a lot of thick woods and between prickers, mosquitos, flies, and heat I would rather stay home.
 
if i have the forethought to remember, i grab some shoprite/walmart bags, a pare of pruners. after i crush there head i snip the feet the head , the tail goes in the game pouch. then cut the skin on the back and pull the hind off. it's very easy to do. squirrel goes in the bag.
 
OHIHUNTER2014: Once a dead squirrel body starts to cool, it seems to glue the hide on. That is why I skin them as soon as I recover them after the shot. I have even noticed a difference in the difficulty of skinning when I have taken several squirrels from one tree and did not recover the first ones shot right away. The last squirrel skins far easier than the first one dropped.
 
When we do it after an hour or so in the game bag we cut the feet, under the tail and step on it and pull. If we cant get it off then it goes on the little gambrel and we use catfish pliers. I think I will start doing it in the field from now on.
 
in the field will get the heat out of the meat faster that makes for better tasting tree rat, how do yo guys eat them?
I always give them to one of the guys I hunt with. I don't usually kill a ton and seeing how it takes several to actually feed a family I just give them to buddies who have a freezer full. My one buddy has a large family and sometimes work cuts his hours. When they do this he gets venison and whatever game I have in the freezer to make it a week or so.
 
Well I am getting ready for bushy tails!! I just ordered a pack of CCI Sub Sonic HP in 22lr. I'm going to install a cheek pad on my rifle here soon and test different ammo. Season opens in about 28 days but I wont hunt them until a frost.
 
Season opened last week here. Went out once and got one. Not bad for not having a clue what I am doing. Buddy got it with a 10-22 while I was carrying a NEF 410. Think I might put a scope on one of my 22s for the later season. What glass do you guys use?
 
Season opened last week here. Went out once and got one. Not bad for not having a clue what I am doing. Buddy got it with a 10-22 while I was carrying a NEF 410. Think I might put a scope on one of my 22s for the later season. What glass do you guys use?
I have a Bushnell Rimfire 3-12. I really like adjustable objective lens. I tried the 3-9-40 and 4 X scopes but I only like headshots so it doesn't make a mess dressing them and threading the needle in the trees I cant do it with cheaper 9 x so I went cheaper 12x lol. This scope is very clear and holds zero pretty well. Watch for it to go on sale because I paid $95 for mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Rimfire-Optics-3-12x40-Riflescope/dp/B00T9N3VAA/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2XJ11253D8H1I&keywords=bushnell+rimfire+scope&qid=1565024173&s=gateway&sprefix=bushnell+rimfor,aps,-1&sr=8-8
 
September 1st opener will be here soon. I am currently outfitting a kydex cheek riser to my Savage Mark II FV and then sighting in with CCI Subsonic HP. I will be hunting a state forest that gets hikers, horseback riding, etc. so I will also try CCI Segmented incase there is a miss they just frag apart. I don't usually do September squirrel hunting but this year I may just for the heck of it and like @troy fairweather check out my old deer hunting grounds on the public land. Last year during December I saw a ton of deer on the public land so maybe this will be a scout/squirrel trip.
 
When I lived in Upstate New York, Binghamton area I hunted squirrels almost every day from September 1st until deer season, third Saturday in November.
I use to shoot the hell out of them with my old Marlin 882 - 22 magnum.
I've shot thousands of them over the forty years plus I hunted them.
If I had to pick one type of animal to hunt it would be squirrels. It is very relaxing being in the woods just before day break to around 9 am.

Early in the season I never hunted around and horse farms, they squirrels alway had grubs in them.

Early September I would hunt in the beechnut groves. Then onto the shagbark hickories and butternuts.

After these were picked over I hunted the oak stands.

Once the cold weather come on I would sit at the edge of the woods bordering corn fields that still had corn standing in them. You would see where they pulled the corn cobs in the tree line.

When I moved from Upstate New York to Washington State my squirrel hunting days were done. In my oppinion Washington State sucks for hunting. They have a wide variety of game animals, but it is expensive to hunt here, very low animal numbers and very low yearly animal kill rates.
This State is over run by large predators. They have really short hunting seasons. Most large game tags are on lotteries.
Just to go waterfowl hunting is clost to a $100,
I can buy a non-resident New York or Pennsylvania small and big game licence for a $100, doe tags for $10.

My grandson I take shooting every weekend fron spring until winter comes turned eigjt June 21st.
I bought us two round trip tickets from Seattle to Ithaca New York for a qeek & a half for the last part of September until October 5th to take himsqurril hunting every day on out trip.
The leaves should be in full color, squirrel hunting should be decent. We will go to Hansford Mills muesum up in East Merideth, Howel Caverns,
The Coal Mine Tour down by Scranton Pennsylvania, we will.do a over night trip up to Old Forge in the Adirondeks and take that train trip if it is still running and there is a logging muesum a little north of Old Forge we will go to.
It will be a fun trip for sure.
 
Random thought. Any reason a guy couldn't make squirrel jerky? Or rabbit for that reason. Seems like a good use for the smaller cuts of meat at least compared to venison.
 
Random thought. Any reason a guy couldn't make squirrel jerky? Or rabbit for that reason. Seems like a good use for the smaller cuts of meat at least compared to venison.
it would work, grinding it up would be easier. only problem i see is most state daily limit is 5 or 6 so not much meat. i may have to try some, cant go wrong with jerky. i like them on the grill with some bbq, dad used to make a nice spaghetti sauce with them.
 
Pick up some rocks to put in your pocket, if the squirrel goes around a tree. Toss a rock behind him, sometimes they will go back around so you can shoot.

Yea, that old trick works pretty good doesn't it? Grandad showed me that one years ago. Sadly, its still far too hot to hunt here but I see the little buggers almost daily down in the wood lot. My friend and I usually go most every weekend from October until rifle season, then from December to February. He has a Cur dog that always wants to hunt, and I'm always ready myself, so it works out well. I usually tote one on my shotguns and he'll carry a .22, but this year I may carry my SA-22 some as it just seems like the perfect squirrel rifle. I also have a Chiappa Double Badger 22/410 that I'm interested to try out, and think it'll be a neat gun for following the dog or just general woods wandering.

Mac
 
I hunt squirrels with my buddy. They don’t always have a lot to them but they make for a nice change up meal if you have good sides to go with them. Even if you don’t get anything it’s always fun the go out in the woods and walk around. They like those dead trees with holes in them where they can hide so keep a special eye on those
 
Well I am 4 days away from opening day of Squirrel/Dove. My hand is healing better than expected and I don't have to wear 4'' of gauze and wrap unless I am sleeping (incase it breaks open). I am going to try a light wrap and shoot my rifle this week and see how it feels. I am trying CCI Sub Sonic HP this year and hoping they shoot well.

I was also informed the other night that my awesome girlfriend wishes to accompany me squirrel hunting and she's already been to Walmart and has camo. I am slightly concerned that she wont like it because she loves animals, but she says she will be fine if we get something. I figured a nice stroll down the logging roads and then sit against a tree and watch would be a nice time. I plan on finding a nice squirrel spot and walking in before daylight and have the sun come up so she can experience that.
 
I squirrel hunt after deer season is over , but not as much as I use too , since I started my first pack of beagles . I rabbit hunt more now than squirrel hunt . I bought a 120 acres of cutover last year and it is surrounded by a state forest on 2 sides . Most of the state forest around here are planted in pines , so there are not many squirrels there . My hunting club woods are full of them though . The first Saturday after deer season ends we have a friendly squirrel hunt competition . Two man team , each puts in $10 dollars and the team with the highest weight wins the money . I haven't won it yet , but most of the time they give me their squirrels and I love squirrel . I do it for fun and the for eating , so I use a .22 rifle . I could kill more with a shotgun . The winners are usually using shotguns .

Imo, there no better hunting on the Planet than with a pack of Beagles. I do hunt squirrels with a High end Pellet rifle, but give them away.
 
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