Squirrel hunting : Shotgun or rifle ?

Both depending on the time of the year. Early season when leaves are on the trees and they are in the leaves cutting nuts the shotgun is good as shots tend to be up and more fleeting. After the leaves and nuts have fallen I switch to the 22LR as the squirrels spend more time on the ground so shots are longer range and its easier to get safe shots.

Shooting a bullet up in the air is not safe.

artillery barrage

Head shots keep you from busting a tooth when eating your Brunswick stew. An accurate .22 is the answer.

Like said above, season makes the difference. Normally when there's leaves take the shotgun, rifle when there they fell. Only take ground shots or if there is wood behind them with the rifle. I have more fun with a 22,

Shooting a bullet up in the air is not safe.

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Yes, you have to choose shots carefully with a 22. But I'm still more likely to hunt with one. I just enjoy the challenge. If my goal were to put as much meat as possible in a pot I'd choose a shotgun. Most any shotgun will do. This is where a 410 is less of a handicap. You can use whatever you have and do fine. If I were buying something dedicated for squirrel it would be a short barreled youth pump in 20 ga that used choke tubes. Or if you have a bigger budget a trim lightweight 20 ga SXS would be a great choice too.

skeeterfogger said:

Shooting a bullet up in the air is not safe.

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This is a question of judgement not safety. Idiots shoot without a safe background.

I think a 20 gauge is nice for squirrel, more power then what's needed but range is good still. Like jmr said a pump and a sxs are great, old single shots do well. Some of my favorite hunting gets you some exercise and do some looking around for deer season.
I use #6 shot of I take a shotgun.

In the early season, when the leaves are on the trees, and the squirrels are feeding in the tree tops I like to use my Black Powder 28 gauge shotgun with #5 shot. In the fall, when the leaves are falling or have fallen, I switch to my .32 flint lock. Only head shots are taken, and if in a tree, there must be a solid back ground. Most of my fall shooting is at squirrels on the ground either looking for or burying nuts. Quite challenging and good practice for deer season.

tercel89 said:

Which is the best to use to get squirrels in your opinion ?

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For shots at positive elevation angle, shotgun.

Shot is harmless falling back to earth; a .22LR bullet is not.

I'd think a .22lr to the head would be pretty good, or if they are in trees a .410 or 20ga would be nice.

I like to use a 16 ga. but also carry a replica 1858 (44 cal) in case a good opportunity presents itself to take one with the pistol. It has on a few occasions.

…and with the 16 ga.

My dad loved to hunt with his Winchester 42 .410.

I like having the best of both options:
My savage 24 in .22lr/.410.

Single action revolver, bolt action 22 for tricky shots, 20ga if there’s still a bunch of crap to shoot around to get a hit. 22 after the leaves fall.

tercel89 said:

I'm in Tennessee , we call it Burgoo. Any type of meat , especially meat cooked on a pit then cooked together with vegetables in a large pot. Yeah buddy ! It's good either name you call it. On a perfect batch , I'll use pork , mutton , chicken and squrril all mixed together with vegetables and tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer for 7 hours. Ends up like a thick soup. SOOOOO good.

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Burgoo is very regional. If your in TN and are calling it Burgoo then I bet you are close to Clarksville. Burgoo is essentially a western Kentucky thing. Not much found above the Ohio, west of the Mississippi, east of bowling green, or south of Nashville.

and if I’m right, can you please mail me some RedTop Burgoo??? If your where I think you are then you know RedTop.

My first firearm was a Savage model 24- 22 lr/20 gauge. Great small game rig. Used the 22 for head shot squirrels & the 20 for flushed grouse and rabbits

I used to use a Savage 24 in .22/410 for squirrels in my youth. I then switched to a .22 handgun. Now I prefer the slow easy approach with a .32 flint lock or a percussion small gauge shotgun in the early season. all of my hunting now is with traditional black powder guns. Age and retirement have helped me to slow down, and a day spent squirrel hunting in the fall woods is savored.

I used to hunt squirrels (in Sango, outside Clarksville). When the trees were leafy, I used a 20 gauge. When the leaves were down, I used my 10-22. I never liked squirrel meat, I used to kill them and give them to an old man down the road who would eat them.

I use both. Like others have said, during the spring/summer, I use a shotgun. My preferred shotgun is my 410 Mossberg 500. Once the leaves fall I grab one of my Savage MkII rifles, either the 22lr or the 17hm2. The 17hm2 is definitely head shots only if you want to eat the tree rats. The 17Gr ballistic tip does a number on them.

I only hunt squirrels late season when deer season is finished, so leaves are down and I prefer a .22LR.

To me the .22LR is more challenging and I'd rather pass on iffy shots. Now IF I was hunting squirrels to survive and needed to take every presentation then I'd probably switch to a .410 or 20GA.

I am like you , I like to eat them , so I use a .22 . I would kill more with a shotgun , mainly because I could hit the running ones . The ones sitting still are not much of a problem for me to hit with a .22 rifle .

red rick said:

I am like you , I like to eat them , so I use a .22 . I would kill more with a shotgun , mainly because I could hit the running ones . The ones sitting still are not much of a problem for me to hit with a .22 rifle .

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I learned to used copper plated shot loaded to fairly high velocity and rarely had a pellet not pass clean though the squirrel. I usually made stew from mine so cutting up the meat I could easily remove the rare pellet that did not pass through.