I want to hunt squirrels after not having a license for almost 30 years.

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DasFriek

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I believe at age 10-12 i had my hunting license and did some hunting with my uncle. We did some coon and fox hunting and rabbit. I did horrible as i don't even remember much if any practice with the shotgun i was using. I owned a .22lr and thats all i ever shot.

This is off track, But ill be back on track in a minute.
Granted i have a squirrel issue at my house and i believe them to be eating my newly planted tomato plants i put in my garden every year, Could be rabbits too.
But i live in a somewhat populated area on the edge of a small town in Ohio.
Im not sure whats legal to do to eradicate these pests. I guess ill have to ask local law enforcement unless someone knows about this?
Ill buy a smoking air pellet gun if i cant use 20gr Super Colibri primer fired .22lr rounds.

Back to hunting.
I don't want to use a shotgun, Ive heard some do.
But here are my guns:
S&W 15/22 .22lr M4 clone which may look odd in the woods.
Savage 93BTV .17HMR
Mossberg 500SPX 12 gauge.

I think the .22lr is best suited for the job, But the style of gun kinda worries me. The .17hmr is accurate enough i could do head shots with ballistic tips or body shots with FMJ/hollow points as they pretty much act the same at this speed. But i dont remember if squirrels will sit still long enough for me to have a non moving shot in the case of head shots.

I also have family who hunt religiously who ill be asking to take me out a few times and give me some tips.
 
assault on the tree critters... you can run but you cannot hide from this .22....

go with any of them but choose the correct load if you go with the 12.... as to the license... what is the issue?
 
The issue is im talking about 2 different places.
One is a squirrel issue at my home and in my garden and i live on the edge of a small town and not sure if firing any gun is legal or safe. Id say safe with Super Colibri primer fired 20gr bullets i have.But id buy a good high powered pellet gun and shoot those rodents from eating my plants if thats my only choice as i don't think there are laws limiting air guns. I have to be careful as i have my CHL license and don't want any firearms infractions.

I need the License to hunt outside my own land im sure, In the woods of course. There is no issue there.

In a week or so im ordering D-Rocks .22 ammo sizer and accuriser which makes wicked hollow points that will expand like nothing else.
But with the .17 i have to be carefull to either use ballistic tips on head shots or HP/FMJ on body shots or i hear they get destroyed with ballistic tipped body shots. Probably best to just use the fmj/hp ammo no matter what.

I don't like the idea of the shotgun and picking out small lead pellets. I remember finding them in the meat as a kid. Not fun to bite into lol

The 15/22 would be fun also,its pretty accurate so far but i have more testing to do with longer ranges. Both rimfires use 3-9x40 scopes so distance and accuracy wont be an issue.
I guess i could take both as iirc you mainly just pick a spot in the woods and sit down and wait for the rodents to poke their bodies out for foraging.
The 15/22 would definitely be fun with follow up shots, That squirrel will think he's on Omaha beach if i miss on the first shot and have to hit him on the move. I also have a side mounted holosight on the side so hitting on the move is a breeze.
There more likely will be no follow ups with the .17hmr unless im lucky.

The shotgun is a tad too easy, I want this to be fun and a bit challenging accuracy wise.
 
use the .22 The .17 is too much! unless you only take head shots ( the way you are susposed to hunt squirrels) And check your local regs. It is likley that even a pellet rifle isa no-no in town. Good hunting!
 
Many towns don't allow even pellet guns to be fired inside the city limits.

If you're outside the city limits, it's not the legality of firing, it's the disturbing of the neighbors. :) .22 Shorts on squirrels in one's yard don't usually bother anybody. Remove window screen, open window just enough for a sight picture, shoot squirrel.

Actual squirrel hunting for squirrel stew? A .22 rimfire or a .410 shotgun works very well.
 
I may be in luck as i live just out side the city limits, But in an incorporated area none the less. I have access to 1/2 the yard and the main trees the rats are living in and i have my bedroom on the second floor for a good view, But a bad angle to shoot any way but down.
I have Super Colibri primer only 20gr ammo: http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catal...iet-ammo/cName/22-long-rifle-ammo-solid-point
It so quiet with a special end i can put on my gun ive actually fired this round in my room into a box of old jeans and my folks down stairs couldn't even here it. Im 39 and no kid so i know about safety also. Even without that add on it sounds like a pellet gun.
It will take a squirrel down no problem. And at 25 yards it should be no problem getting head shots, Once i figure out the drop as these bullets drop fast past 20'
Im still gonna consult the local police who may not have jurisdiction as i think the Sheriff may have that or do both and be sure of any and all laws.

As for the woods hunting i may take both rifles and pick the best for each shot. The .17 has the .22lr on accuracy so far but im working on that with a bullet accuriser and sizer from D-Rock from rimfirecentral as i prefer the higher velocity of non target ammo.
I think if i keep away from the ballistic tips on the .17 ill be ok, It should go right threw head or body shots without expansion or fragmentation.
But a good high velocity 40gr .22lr 1500fps with a special made big hollow point the accuriser makes the .22lr may be hard to beat. It will just expand and not fragment.
Plus with the side mounted holosight i can shoot them on the run which i find hard with a scope and the .17 doesn't have that on it.

All squirrels will be eaten with pleasure and fried like chicken as my family is from WV originally and thats what they are used too. I don't like chicken myself, But it will taste better knowing i shot it. Nothing a little A-1 wont spice up!

Hopefully my cousins can help me with some wooded land to hunt once the season opens.
One thing i forgot, While eradicating these at my house is there a law for hunting out of season? I usually plant my garden May 1st and starting 2 weeks in advance to that may be a good idea IF its no legal issue.
 
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SFAIK, all fish/wildlife agencies have websites with info on game laws and seasons, etc. And, most gunshops and Ace/TrueValue Hardware stores commonly have the annual booklet of laws and regulations.
 
I have found the Agulia Super Extra 36 grain HP's out of a 20" barrel at about 1500 fps, to be very accurate (they are ELY primed),and outright deadly with head shots, one of the best hunting .22 caliber rounds going, they even feed well in most autos.

I have a Savage .22 bolt heavy barrel bolt gun, and sighted the 3X9 Bushnell Sportsman scope that it wears to shoot the CCI shorts. It takes care of the rampaging rogue squirrel population in my garden and bird feeders. If you could hollow point some of those shorts it may be the answer to your covert squirrel hunting situation.
 
Check your laws on trapping? If you're near/in town, a whatchamacallit trap, made from a pole with some wire nooses on it, is completely silent and has no risk of injuring a human, dog, cat, window, etc. The only risk is your neighbors getting freaked out when they see a bunch of dead squirrels hanging from a pole.

But check your laws. Trapping laws can be pretty crazy.
 
As much as I dont like the 17 that is what it was designed for. The light bullet disingrates when it touches something. Lessening ricochets.
 
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