How many out there hunt squirrel? How many eat them?

[MCgunner]

I never used a dog. I had this part beagle/terrier mutt when I was a kid. He was very enthusiastic, but he didn't have a nose for squat and was rather worthless. I sure liked him as a pet, though.

These days, labs, only dog I'll own anymore being mostly a waterfowler.

 

[lorddal]

yes to both though this year they been a bit scarce around here at least when your lookin for em

 

[rondog]

No, but I'd love to!

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I have to admit that I find squirrel hunting with a .22 to be the most challengeling hunting I've ever done. Now that deer season is nearly over I can concentrate on those little buggers. My son and his friend love to eat them too.

 

[1911 guy]

Hunting, eating and using dogs.

I hunt them, and have used a dog, but my squirrel dog was a labrador that loved to chase and tree the buggers. Unfortunately, Maggie just died 12/21, a few days before Christmas.

I eat 'em, they make good stew. Squirrel gravy over dumplings is good, too.

To ensure no hair on the meat, skin them in running water. A creek, hose or barn sink works. Notice I said barn sink. I tried it in the kitchen once, the wife about had a canary.

Now the trick to hunting them with a dog is to get a dog that actually wants to catch a squirrel. I trained Maggie with skins in a paper bag. Play with the dog and bag, squirrel smell now means fun to them. When the dog trees a squirrel, the tree rat will concentrate on the barking dog. If avoiding the dog, just stand still and the dog will push the squirrel around the tree to you. If chattering at the dog, step back a bit to get out of the squirrels immediate vision, then move to a good shooting location and take aim.

You've got to train your dog to drop things from its mouth on command, to leave a tree even if you haven't shot the squirrel and to stay within about 50 yards of you. There's no point in the dog treeing in the next county. The squirrel will have gotten bored with the dog and tapped the tree be the time you get there.

 

[CSA 357]

If you have never hunted with a good dog then you dont have a clue! My uncle ray had as good of doGs that ever treed, we used to coon hunt all night then squirrel hunt till we got 8! I miss uncle ray and ole rose!..........those were the good ole days! Csa

 

[bad_aim_billy]

used to hunt them all the time whith an airgun (and sometimes a 20 gauge), unfortunately they aren't very common here out west

taste a lot like chicken, imo, which is never a bad thing, unless, of course, one doesn't like to eat chicken

 

[CSA 357]

And yes we ate them, my aunt would cook them , most of the time fryed , the coons we sold , the meat and the hides, those redbones were some good dogs, i dont think i have ever had more fun! And i have hunted all my life, but this was the start, csa

 

[RevNate]

Yes, hunt them. Yes, eat them. If I didn't eat them, I wouldn't kill them.
Just went today, as a matter of fact. It was a special day. I took our 12-year old feist "Chigger" and her up-and-coming protege, 11-week-old "Gonzo," also a treeing feist.
Besides my brother and me, we had my 5-year-old son and my neices, aged 4 and 6. So, essentially, we were training four pups today, counting the kids. Short hunt for the benefit of the kids. Only got three. Slow day. lots of den trees.
I usually hunt with my Left-hand Savage Mk2 22LR. Sweet set-up with a Rifle Basix sear, drilled and tapped receiver (never liked grooves), custom milled Leupold mounts and a Nikon 4x32. It is the squirrel sniping machine. But today since my 5-year-old carried his Red Ryder, I took the 870 20 ga. for a BUG just in case he put one on the run.
Can't wait until we get to do it again.