Looking for a reason to hunt squirrels

[Hoffy]

Assuming that you're not going to eat the meat (that's for another post), is there a reason to hunt squirrels, outside of the sport?

Deer and Rabbit: Meat, thinning the herd

Woodchucks: Pest control to keep them from digging everything up

Opossum: Keep them out of the trash cans

Any positive herd management/ecological benefits? Does keeping the population down around the house reduce the snakes around the house?

I have not been hunting in awhile, but just bought a new patch of woods. I would more thoroughly enjoy taking a few squirrels if I could wrap my head around a good reason for it, other than keeping sharp with my .22.

 

[JohnBT]

Fried, with gravy.

Anyway, one answer to your question is MEPPS. But don't shoot them just for the tails it says.

www.mepps.com/squirrel_tail_program/

For all good quality tails we pay the following:

Gray, Fox & Black Squirrel Tails

under 100--16¢ each

over 100--19¢ each

over 500--21¢ each

over 1000--22¢ each



Premium Tails

under 100--20¢ each

over 100--23¢ each

over 500--25¢ each

over 1000--26¢ each



Red Squirrel Tails *

under 100--8¢ each

over 100--9¢ each

over 500--10¢ each

over 1000--11¢ each

*Hair at the base of the tail must be at least 1" long.


Squirrel Tail Care & Handling

Return to Squirrel Tail Recycling Information


NOTE: Mepps is only interested in recycling tails taken from squirrels that have been harvested for the table. We do not advocate taking squirrels strictly for their tails.

It is illegal to sell squirrel tails in the states of CA, ID, and OR.

Sheldons', Inc.
626 Center St.
Antigo, WI 54409-2496

__________________________

See, you're supposed to eat the squirrels. John

 

[ArmedBear]

I've heard that squirrel is better than possum.

And a squirrel killed my sister.

 

[LEVRLOVR]

Well, they are delicious.
Much better table fare than a bland ole' bunny IMO.

But I like pecans too and those little suckers can really make a dent in the pecan and acorn (deer food) crops.

They are a blast to hunt with a .22 lr.

 

[figment]

You've obviously have never had a tree rat in your attic.

If you live in a large neighborhood with houses and trees close together and arial utilities there is no way you'd ever run out of them.

 

[ArmedBear]

My neighbor has a pet squirrel. If I ever hunt them and cook them up, I'll have to keep it on the down-low. As of now, she's been very nice to our dogs, even though they rather enjoy chasing her squirrel...

 

[rcmodel]

Because they were eating the shingles off my house.

Because they chewed a hole in the window screen and ate the peanuts out of the bowl on the living room coffee table while I was at work.

Because they ate more tomato's off my plants last year then I picked myself.

Because they chewed all the yellow light-bulbs off my outside Xmas light strings.

Because they dig up tulip bulbs faster then you can buy & plant them.
Same with new grass seed in the lawn.

I hate the dang little furry tree rats!!!!

rc

 

[t george]

all that and its Funn!!!

 

[ronto]

I Got Some Reasons...

They chew holes in my barn, they eat my tomato crop, they eat the acorns before they fall off the trees for the deer and turkeys, they dig holes in my lawn and they tease my dogs.
I don't go looking for them in the woods, but any tree rat that sets paw on my property gets a load of #6 shot up their breezer and becomes a furry toy for my dogs.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Does keeping the population down around the house reduce the snakes around the house?

Okay,you gonna hafta 'splain that one to me!

 

[ArmedBear]

Snakes eat rodents.

Remove the food source, and the snakes will go looking for food elsewhere.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Never known any snakes to eat squirrels at least not grown ones. I'm sure a few may get eaten over a years time but I seriously doubt it would have any effect on populations.

 

[ArmedBear]

I agree. I just think that was the logic.

Snakes seem to eat burrowing rodents. Ground squirrels, sure, but tree squirrels, not so much.

 

[Hunt480]

When I get the urge for squirrell dumplins, yeah I said it "squirrell dumplins" Nowadays I just step off the porch and blast a few. Besides good target practice with the ole 22 glennfield they are good eatin. Try not to laugh but I been enjoying those squirrell dumplins all my life. Another good reason for squirrell hunting is if you coon hunt, its a great way to train dogs to tree and get used to gun fire. In the past I had some good coon hounds that were great squirrell dogs in daylight. Don't know if some have tried it but it is a absolute blast to hunt with a good squirrell dog.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

sort of revenge for the times when you're hunting and a squirel comes thru and makes you think its a deer

This is from rugerman's thread. Sounds reasonable to me.

 

[cleardiddion]

Huh, didn't know that there was a bounty on the tree rats!
I may have to step up my squirrel hunting, alas the pickings are slim here.

I rather enjoy squirrel all breaded up and fried along with a side of coleslaw.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

We are over run with grey squirrels. Red Fox squirrels are rare but present. I did see a fox/grey squirrel cross once. We have a liberal season here but it overlaps deer season so not hunted like when I was a kid. When I do get a few my wife fries them up with mashed potatos,green(we call'em English peas)peas,bisquits and thickening gravy. As stated above between squirrels and crows it is almost impossible to harvest any pecans.

 

[7.62 Nato]

Find out if anyone you know likes to eat them. You can enjoy the shoot then pass them on. I heard of one guy that passed on anything he wouldn't eat to his dogs.

 

[devildog32713]

Have you EVER had marinated barbaqued squirrel?? It's like a super duper gourmet top-o'-the-line chicken, marinate in ur favorite bb-q sauce, and grill till done, well worth it.

 

[SleazyRider]

Those danged things have built their nests under the hood of my beloved Toyota Camry station wagon on a number of occasions, and have eaten through the ignition wires and electrical wire harnesses twice. Check out the Net for additional horror stories on the damage they do to cars. I tried repellents and traps to no avail.

The solution: my Ruger 10/22. Got 18 of 'em last year and haven't had a problem since.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Dumplings

 

[XxM0nEyMaKeRxX]

do you really need a reason?

 

[Hoffy]

Thanks for the replies!

This site, http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern_gray_squirrel.htm, lists three different snakes as gray squirrel preditors.

Upon your recommendations, I resolve to cook up some gray squirrel this fall...I guess I shouldn't knock what you havn't tried. Also, after years of townhouse living, I had forgotten about the type of shenanigans that rcmodel and others mentioned. Now that I've got my acrage with a house on it, it probably wouldn't have been long until I was reintroduced to them.

To xxmoneymakerxx, I find it's better to have a reason than not. Regularly popping someting just for sport, not eating it or having some control benefit, just isn't how I was taught. I'm not saying that you can't, it's just that I enjoy hunting more when I think these things through.

 

[SleazyRider]

They should have included "CZ-452" in their list of predators.

 

[shaggy430]

I grew up on a farm and one of the local farmers would gobble up squirrels as fast as we could shoot them. We'd give him whatever we didn't want and it saved us from having to clean them.