Squirrel Hunting for Dummies

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WinkingTiger

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So I am looking to get a squirrel hunt in before the season ends at the end of the month. I am new to squirrel hunting and could use a few pointers.

Camo or no camo? (can squirrels see color)
Can I stalk them or would I have more success staying put?

Should I take a head shot with a .22LR or should I go for the body?
What is the max distance that a CB Long can be shot accurately? 20yards?
I intend to eat the meat and possiblly mount the squirrel at a taxidermist.

Thanks for the help
 
Camo isn't necessary,
Walk slowly and keep your eyes open, if you plan on a mount take body shots.
Take a cardboard box and target, pace back and shoot at continual farther distances, to see how far your CB's will shoot with how much drop.
 
I've always had better luck going and sitting somewhere. Especially if you're familiar with the area. I know a few spots on our land where squirrels are EVERYWHERE. I've found that early AM is the best time for them.
 
No cammo needed. Just find a suitable copse of squirrly trees and stand as still as you can, just like a good dog would. Hunt with your ears as well as your eyes. Listen for challenges and answers between the males. Also you may find rival squirrels come in to claim territory after you shoot one. I got six in one morning that way, one after the other, from my bed in the shed.
 
The best way I have found to squirrel hunt is to walk slowly through the woods. Stopping after every couple of steps. Keep doing this until you see a squirrel then sit down or lean against a tree. Squirrels are smart but they also are genetically encoded with a severe case of ADD. They will come back out after a few minutes. After you shoot, move to a new area unless there are more squirrels there.
 
This time of the year mast can be slim pickins, they are going crazy in my front yard over the dogwood berries, watch red and yellow pine too, the cones don't fall from them and the squirrels will climb up and get the seeds out. If you want your squirrel mounted, don't think about eating it, the taxidermist will probably want the whole critter to work with and prefer to skin it his self.
 
Get two Quarters, drill a hole in the top of both. Then put onto a leather shoe lace, cord, or beaded key ring.

Now the lace/cord/beaded key ring needs to be able to hang from weak hand, little finger.
Rub quarters, to draw squirrel out, let these hang from little finger while you shoot.

-No camo, Natural Neutral tones.

-Footwear if setting allows, should be smooth-er soled, like LLBean rubber bottom, leather upper boot, with chain sole.

-Start walking...stop....start again. Interrupted walking if you will.

-I personally prefer iron sighted .22 handguns.
LRN Standard pressure ammo.

.22 rifles, prefer single shot.

Single shot shotguns are too much fun and any gauge is fine, just I get a kick from .410, 28, and sometimes 20, if the season is along with deer and using a 20 ga slug for deer might present itself.

I smoke, and some of the best squirrel hunting is having a smoke, sipping coffee, rubbing them coins, and bushy tails coming around to see what I am doing in jeans, and khaki shirt..."bang"...."plop".
 
i love squirrel hunting!

i figure there are basically 2 ways to hunt: stalk or sit. i use both, but the sit and wait tactic usually yeilds more squirrels during late winter.

during the fall when the leaves are covering the trees, the shots are generally close. for this reason i like using a .410 while crashing (slowly and quitely ;) )thru the woods, because alot of the shots are going to be unexpected. squirrel comes dashing out from behind a tree and runs up somewhere where u cant see him...so the shotty works great for this.

when the leaves are down (like now) i prefer an accurate .22. i also change the way i hunt. i like to pick out a spot where i can see some trees that squirrels are active in and wait. ill wait out that spot for 10-15 minutes before moving to another "stand". if a squirrel does appear, i will attempt to make a head shot if hes in range, or a solid body shot if the range is further than i thought it would be when i set up. after the shot/retrieval, ill sit down and wait another 10 mins or so. squirrels have a short attention span, so u might be able to shoot 3-4 out of the same tree.

camo is unnessecary.
the max range of the cb longs is going to be dependent on u, the shooter and your ability to take game.

take a kid! my brothers and sisters love "squirrily" hunting, and they both have sharp eyes. i have more fun with the 2 of them then i do myself.

hope this helps
 
I hunt with a 22mag. sit/stalk/smoke/sip/sit/spit/stalk/shoot/plop/pick/sit sit/sip/stalk/walk/spit/smoke/shoot/plop...............
dont get any better than this.
 
No better way to spend some time. Never worried about what I wore. Just got my .22 , a box of long rifle and off I went.
Scan the area for those tree rats going about their business, listen for the sound of falling "cuttings" and when you get a shot keep in mind a .22 round can go a long way. Keep safety in the equation.
Squirrel hunting teaches a host of things related to hunting. Learn and enjoy.
 
The most Squirrels I’ve seen at once were in my backyard (city) with 4 pecan trees (looks like a Walt Disney movie). The second largest group was busy robbing corn a deer feeder had released. I see quite a few of them while riding through the woods on one of the 4 wheelers and they seem to come out more just before a weather change. If you get caught playing “around the tree” with one, back up a few steps, get your rifle ready and throw a stick/rock on the other side of the tree. CB’s (fine to 20yards) are a good idea if you are shooting them from trees, even then keep in mind what direction the projectile will be going in the event of a pass through/miss.
 
Get two Quarters, drill a hole in the top of both.
Click to expand...

Never heard that one. So how often do you rub them together and for how long? Is this just basically to play on the curiosity of squirrels?

I really need to do more squirrel hunting. I forgot how much fun it can be and reading this makes me wanna get out there w/my .22.
 
Since this is for "dummys", I offer this as nobody has said it yet. IF you're intending to eat any of the squirrels, DON'T EAT THE RED ONES (pine squirrels). They taste really really bad.
 
Re: Coins

Mentors and Elders did this before I was born in the mid 50's.

Now instead of a quarter (they used to be worth 25 cents back in the day), taking the knock-out disks from a fuse box works.

Just rough it up with a file, just one having a "line" going one way, and the other a "line" going against it.

Dog tags , like in military , or even the expired one for dawg will do this.

Squirrels will get around a tree, just rub and it sounds akin to squirrel carrying on, they come back around to see what that other squirrel is about.

Just every so often, to "turn" a squirrel, or sometimes to let 'em know another squirrel is near and about.

Funny part is, folks do this turkey and deer hunting too.
Turkey and Deer hear squirrels, figure the coast is clear.

We've gone out, not even hunting, smoke, sip coffee on a stump, or tailgate of a truck and have squirrel, deer, turkey come on out and see what was going on.

I mean turkeys , a whole line of 'em, just come on down a trail...
Deer ease out, just walk down the trail with 'em.

Coffee, smoking, no camo ( none of us use it, don't own any) and just for fun, something to do...
 
Ive never had much success with basic calls. Now a high whistle distress call will sometimes get them barking. I like early morning or late afternoons. I usually sit or if it has been raining stalk. If you try stalking with a thick layer of dry leaves on the ground you are not gonna have as much luck. I use .17hm2.
 
LATE SEASON Squirrel Hunting

It's pretty late in the season, a couple of things will be different than hunting them in October-December:

1) Like someone mentioned, the nut crop has already fallen, so they're not as active in terms of running around collecting the fall crop.

2) It's colder at this time of year in many places, so you don't need to go out as early in the morning, as (at least here in maryland where I hunt) the squirrels don't come out right at daybreak; they often wait until the sun has warmed things up a bit.

I went out this past Saturday for the last time this year, got into the woods about 9:30 (still only about 30 degrees outside). Hunted until 2:00, only saw 2 fox squirrels, got both of them. Earlier in the season, I'd have seen 10-15 squirrels in that amount of time where I hunt.

I like still-hunting them with a .22 Magnum.

SM, I'm intrigued about the quarters tip, gonna have to save that one and try it next year!
 
I was reading a March 1973

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN and a book review of a new book was in that issue. The name of the book was SQUIRRELS AND SQUIRREL HUNTING by Bob Gooch. This was supposed to have about everything one would want to know about squirrel hunting. So, knowing how to look for books on the internet I went to a book search site and found a new reprint copy for a little over $8 including shipping. I snapped it up and that was just tonight, the 22 of Feb, so I look forward to getting it. I am 65 and have not hunted squirrels for 25 years but hanker to do so once more. You are probably asking, "Where is he going with this information?" My point is that you should get this book yourself and read it. I also looked on Amazon.com and this book appears to have come out again in 2004 with a new title, same author Bob Gooch of course, so it is for sale on Amazon.com for a reasonable price. I forget the new title but will find the title and make another entry with that information. I always recommend getting a good how-to book when you want to learn about something.
 
The new title is

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SQUIRREL HUNTING by Bob Gooch. Amazon.com has used copies starting at about $9.50 and figure shipping to be about $4.
 
Crockpot...

Hey Eastwood - I got 2 fox squirrels last Saturday, gave them to my buddy as I was hunting his land and he couldn't go due to putting carpet into his new addition to the house (carpet guy was coming over).

I use a .22 WinMag, so minimal meat damage....he dropped them in the crockpot, added a hambone and some juice from a leftover pot of green beans, and cooked for about 4 hours...said it was the best and most tender squirrel he can remember eating.
 
In England Squirels Are vermin. We used to shoot then all year. The best fun was when we had cock pheasant/ beaters day at the end of the pheasant season. To get them moving we shot through the bottom of the drey with a shotgun. The little sods come out like there arses were on fire then the fun started. Its amazing how many cartridges you can go through shooting them as they run through the trees It was not unusual to shoot 30 plus squirrels a day.
 
This discussion brings back a lot of good memories. I sent it to an old friend. We spent many a day squirrel hunting. Thank You to all that contributed to this. Byron
 
High School Friends

Back when I was 16, my family had moved across the county in MD to a different town. After one three day weekend in early October, I got back to school on Tuesday and was getting books out of my locker. I knew the guy whose locker was next to mine hunted, so I casually said "I got three squirrels this weekend. Did you go hunting?" He kinda smiled and said "I got 16."

Made up my mind right there that I needed to befriend him - we became best friends throughout high school, and hunted squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, and quail together. Every opening day for squirrels (in October back then), and rabbits/pheasants/quail (in November), we would take the day off from school and hunt. Always hard to sleep the night before opening day!

Great memories, indeed.
 
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