anyone still hunt and eat squirrels??

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dang. I need to get some acreage or find somewhere to get some. How many acres of woodlot would it take do provide some decent chances at getting some?

Then - how many squirrels would it take to make a decent meal for 4 - figuring in some leftovers?
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You can successfully hunt on a heavily wooded acre, but more land you have, the more opportunities you'll get. If I hear 'em squalling or barking, I'll stalk 'em, great fun.

I actually only own 3 long, skinny acres here, but have permission to hunt squirrel on 27 acres adjoining me. SO, I've got 30 acres to roam. LOTS of small game on 30 acres around here. Heck, lots of deer and hogs, too. The woods here are thick post oak.

The squirrel I shot in that pic was at the back of my own place. I seem to have more squirrel on my place than on the adjoining 27 acres of my two neighbors. I think that is probably because they don't run feeders and I have a feeder out back. They don't hunt anything so don't feed the wildlife. The folks with the 17 acres are absentee land owners, only ever here on the weekends. They just bought the place to get out of Houston on the weekends, I think. I can understand that, I reckon.

As to how many for a meal. it's just me and the wife and 2 will make us a stew in the crock pot. I can eat 1/12 or two fried, myself, but the wife has less of an appetite, one is enough for her. So, if I'm going to fry 'em, I'll need 3. Double that for 4 I reckon.
 
You can successfully hunt on a heavily wooded acre, but more land you have, the more opportunities you'll get. If I hear 'em squalling or barking, I'll stalk 'em, great fun.
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The problem isn't acreage, it's the neighbors. Some people will throw a fit and call the cops if they hear you shooting -- even if it's perfectly legal.

Me, I can shoot a .30-06 and my nearest neighbor can't even hear it.
 
Depends on where you're at, Vern. I have one permanent neighbor that's still building to one side, good fellow. The other permanent neighbor, guy across the road, has about 30 acres, has a gun range out front of his house and shoots all the time. Sundays down here, you can hear gunfire everywhere with people practicing on their personal ranges. This is shooters heaven down here, one reason I moved here. :D I've got a pistol range in my back yard, a 100 yard rifle range on the side. Hell, there's a full auto range up the road toward Hallettsville and they blow up Tannerite all the time there, kinda riles the neighbors. LOL That's about 10 miles, though, doesn't bother me here.

Some folks can't afford a hundred acres. Here, it goes from 5,000 to 10,000 an acre, but we got this place as a HUD repossession for 50K, 5 year old 1700 sq ft home, well, septic, everything. Now, I could move out to Art's part of the world, Terlingua, and probably buy 300 or 400 acres and afford it, but I'm not really into living off the grid and a water well out there could cost me more'n the land. :D

I searched for over a year on www.landsoftexas.com before we found this place. I was really thinkin' Camp Wood area, had a contract on a home in Barksdale contingent on the sale of our home in Corpus, but we didn't sell the home and they wouldn't renew the contract. The home sold 2 weeks later, I considered that a sign that perhaps the Lord didn't want us in Barksdale. :D Here, I have woods and my own shooting range. That's my woods behind the backstop. I shot this pic for a post in the Black Powder forum today. Had we moved to Barksdale, I couldn't have a range, would have to wait until I sell my Calhoun county land and buy 20 or 30 acres up there. I'll probably turn that money around when I get it and pay off this place and be debt free.


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Congratulations on your neighbors. But neighbors can sell out, move, and so on. I prefer to be where the neighbors can't tell what I'm doing.

Of course, I bought my land 45 years ago, for $50 an acre. I had just got back from my second tour in Viet Nam and my wife and I went looking for cheap, remote land. We built a house on it 30 years later.
 
Of course, I bought my land 45 years ago, for $50 an acre.
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Well, there ya go. :D Even west Texas desert is 250-500 an acre now. Not very good squirrel huntin' out there, either, and you need 40 acres just to have a front yard. It's bald desert with nothing, but cactus and creosote bush. The game hangs out in the dry washes and draws.

I remember when I was a kid in the 60s ads in the back of Outdoor Life for land in Idaho for a penny an acre. I would get all excited, but as the ol' man said, probably on top of a mountain with nothing flat enough for a helicopter landing pad. LOL!

There's affordable land up in east Texas, well, sorta affordable compared to Colorado county, probably half the price. I looked up there, found a few interesting places. There's public hunting up there and the squirrel hunting is fantastic, but there are seasons on 'em in most east Texas counties. I didn't wanna move that far from family, either. How's the squirrel hunting in Alaska? :D

BTW, just heard my neighbor fire a shotgun. :D
 
When I was just a little lad, we used to go for Sunday drives, and my grandfather would moan about all the good buys he missed -- "I can remember when you could buy a lot here for $100!"

That taught me a lesson -- if you think land is high now, wait a few years. What you buy now will be a great bargain in a decade, and real money in three or four.
 
I'm up in mass I use a .25 pcp air rifle I soak Em in a water soy sauce and cider vinegar solution over nite then wrap Em in bacon and throw them in the oven pretty tasty tree rat !!
 
Work schedule has kept me from hunting squirrel much in the last couple of years, but I find it great fun. Introduced my now-adult children to hunting chasing squirrels. My favorite squirrel getter is a Savage 24 .22 mag/20 gauge combo. Yes, the .22 mag is overkill for tree rats, but it is very accurate allowing for head shots out to 50 yards. The .22 mag gets the nod for squirrels on the ground, the 20 gauge for treed critters.

Squirrel and broccoli casserole. Yum.
 
this is cool never let the squirrel hunting die! in fact today I picked up a new ruger air magnum in 22 so i'll have to test it out on the squirrels soon!! :)
 
I shoot them off my deck first thing in the morning. Using .22 short and a 21" barrel it's quieter than a pellet gun. Hate those things, they found a way into my house a few winters ago and nested and made a real mess inside the walls and ceilings, so I try to eradicate them as I see them. I get about one a day over at the woodpile.

Eat them, no.
 
Vern Humphrey said:
When I was just a little lad, we used to go for Sunday drives, and my grandfather would moan about all the good buys he missed -- "I can remember when you could buy a lot here for $100!"

That taught me a lesson -- if you think land is high now, wait a few years. What you buy now will be a great bargain in a decade, and real money in three or four.
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Right now the guys are baling hay on 60 acres that my great great grandfather bought for two wagonloads of oats and a set of harness for a mule. It's appraised at $2500 an acre and would likely sell for 4k should we decide to part with it.

Back on topic, we have an employee that would rather eat squirrel or catfish than beef. He claims he would have quit when my Dad retired and turned the farm over to my brother but he would never find another job where the fringe benefits include 21.6 acres of woods to hunt. I would hate to even try to guess how many squirrels he kills in a year's time.
 
Over on Rimfire central (hunting) they have an annual Squirrel hunt, at Shawnee national forest in Illinois, quite an event..... not too late to get in on it, they are all about their rimfires though, shotguns, not so much.
STW
 
My dad lives in the piney woods of east Texas. Grays have pretty much ran the the reds out. He is 5 mi from the nearest town, and has 32 ac. Since he has pecan trees, it's a constant battle on who is going to get them. Right now were having problems with squirrels getting into the peaches. They attack them just like nuts. Shake all they can off and carry 1 off. It's a sight to see a 6oz peach being carried off. These late peaches are weighing 6-10 oz in size. Since it almost weighs as much as they do. Coons are a problem too. Been using some bait and traps for them.

It's nice to be able to walk out the back door and shoot any gun you want at any time. You hear gun shots all the time around here, day or night. Just last night I hung up my polymer ball and had target practice with my 1911 and MKIII.
 
cut into pieces and shaken in a bag with seasoned flour. fryed until browned, remove from pan and make gravy in. replace meat simmer for 15-20 mins.
or simmer down in seasoned water and add egg dumplings.
count on 1-2 squacks per diner depending on size.
I use my AMT .22lr. sometimes 20 ga.
 
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