TimM
Member
Personally I like to hunt with a Mountain Cur and my Ruger MKI. But as you can see my best friends boys like to use a shotgun. If you ever get a chance to hunt with a good squirrel dog you will never want to hunt squirrels any other way.
Squirrel Hunting for Dummies
- Thread starter WinkingTiger
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TexasBen317
Member
when I was young I loved to hunt cottontail and squirrels.. Learned a trick from an old Uncle on Squirrels, they are nosy.. We would see one or hear one, back when I could hear, and stop and sit down at base or a tree. IF the squirrel didn't come looking to see what we were doing, he would flip his gun safety on and off,, making it click click, .. Squirrels would peek out so see what the noise was an pop pop,, we got a squirrel!!
You really need to be able to hear them.. I discovered my hearing was going when I was squirrel hunting and KNEW there were some there,, but couldn't hear them.. had my ears tested soon after,, yep,, damaged..
or get you a good squirrel dog..
btw,, still got that 410 bold action we used for them.
You really need to be able to hear them.. I discovered my hearing was going when I was squirrel hunting and KNEW there were some there,, but couldn't hear them.. had my ears tested soon after,, yep,, damaged..
or get you a good squirrel dog.. btw,, still got that 410 bold action we used for them.
dagger dog
Member
Climb up the nearest tree and act like a nut, was the usual reply from the bunch i ran around with, when i was old enough to be trusted with a firearm.
Hunting tree rats, you can use shotgun 10ga. if you stand waaaay back, or
.22 cb caps if you can stick it up their bum. Some of the old fox squirrels are pretty large for cb caps though.
The .22 long rifle is probably the most used rifle ,handgun round. The head shot is the stopper with the 22 if you want to eat them. To do a mount of a nice Grey or Fox go with solid points at subsonic velocity are the ticket, some where in the upper body cavity.Some use the .22 rimfire magnum. for the Sabre Tooth variety.
Heck if you got the cammo go ahead and wear it, can't hurt. Stalking is fun, them durn rats got some good peepers so like all the others said slooow is the way. Your neck will get sore in the early season woods,rats jumpin' all around the tree tops. Later in the season they are pickin' up falls and can be ambushed on the ground.
A lot of hunters use scatter guns from .410 bore to 12ga most #6 shot
if in tall trees with heavy leaf cover you may go to 5's if you can find them.
Fun is gettin' out to the woods before daylight and finding the hickory tree that you located the week end before ( thats the one that looked like a Mr. Peanut add, all the cut up shells laying around the base) then getting a good 10 min nap waiting for daylight and for those little buggers to wake up and come to breakfast. You'll usually be rewarded with at least one sneakin. through the branches and giving his location away. Then you draw that bead when he stops to sample , and pull her off. Some times it looks like a cartoon version squirrels explode everywhere ( thats the ones you didn't see comin' to eat) thats when the shotgun boys can fill their limit in one tree!
No finer eatin' squirrel and dumplins, fried squirrel biscuts YUM YUM.
The young ones are born in Feb. and are prime frying material by the opening usually Aug. in most places.
The old Fox and Greys have to be parboiled if frying, to tenderize 'em. Usually you can tell when dressing them, if the skin comes off easily(you don't have to use a comealong) you can fry, if not go with the parboil,'till tender roll in you favorite fried chicken flour'n'fixens need plenty of fat to fry 'em in 'cause they're plenty rangey.
The best is if you can get the better half to make some of those big Cathead Dumplins the ones she make for the Chickin' and dumplin's ,milk gravy, drown the squirrels in that
'till they are tender, man that pure Heaven!
Hunting tree rats, you can use shotgun 10ga. if you stand waaaay back, or
.22 cb caps if you can stick it up their bum. Some of the old fox squirrels are pretty large for cb caps though.
The .22 long rifle is probably the most used rifle ,handgun round. The head shot is the stopper with the 22 if you want to eat them. To do a mount of a nice Grey or Fox go with solid points at subsonic velocity are the ticket, some where in the upper body cavity.Some use the .22 rimfire magnum. for the Sabre Tooth variety.
Heck if you got the cammo go ahead and wear it, can't hurt. Stalking is fun, them durn rats got some good peepers so like all the others said slooow is the way. Your neck will get sore in the early season woods,rats jumpin' all around the tree tops. Later in the season they are pickin' up falls and can be ambushed on the ground.
A lot of hunters use scatter guns from .410 bore to 12ga most #6 shot
if in tall trees with heavy leaf cover you may go to 5's if you can find them.
Fun is gettin' out to the woods before daylight and finding the hickory tree that you located the week end before ( thats the one that looked like a Mr. Peanut add, all the cut up shells laying around the base) then getting a good 10 min nap waiting for daylight and for those little buggers to wake up and come to breakfast. You'll usually be rewarded with at least one sneakin. through the branches and giving his location away. Then you draw that bead when he stops to sample , and pull her off. Some times it looks like a cartoon version squirrels explode everywhere ( thats the ones you didn't see comin' to eat) thats when the shotgun boys can fill their limit in one tree!
No finer eatin' squirrel and dumplins, fried squirrel biscuts YUM YUM.
The young ones are born in Feb. and are prime frying material by the opening usually Aug. in most places.
The old Fox and Greys have to be parboiled if frying, to tenderize 'em. Usually you can tell when dressing them, if the skin comes off easily(you don't have to use a comealong) you can fry, if not go with the parboil,'till tender roll in you favorite fried chicken flour'n'fixens need plenty of fat to fry 'em in 'cause they're plenty rangey.
The best is if you can get the better half to make some of those big Cathead Dumplins the ones she make for the Chickin' and dumplin's ,milk gravy, drown the squirrels in that
'till they are tender, man that pure Heaven!
Ive killed 131 in the past 3 years. This year i really focused on Deer hunting and havent hunted as much. Ive only killed 11 so far but still have a week. Grays here are definately more skiddish than fox. Ive had fox squirrels bark at me from 15ft in a tree with me standing under it. A gray would have hauled butt.
Savage Shooter
Member
I walk and sit either way you see something just think how many you see sitting in a deer stand no less than a trillion. I use a .22mag winchester 9422 and take head shot for meat but if you want them for taxidermy take body shots. squirrels are fun to hunt great way to stay in practice between season.
I use a .22mag winchester 9422 and take head shot for meat but if you want them for taxidermy take body shots. squirrels are fun to hunt great way to stay in practice between season.G17Steve
Member
Been hunting Greys since I got a BB gun when I was 12, I hunt them on my property Ill hunt heavily from time to time then let the population build back up. We have Fox Squirrel here in FL but your not "soposed" to hunt them.
Chortdraw
Member
tree rats
My favorite small game to eat!!! I use a 1022 with hollow points and a tech stock and a 3-9 scope and nothing but head shots. Have a squirrel in AZ called an Abert squirrel and it is as large as a fox squirrel and very good eating. Very pretty with a white tail. Can't wait for the next season. Won't be as good this next season because we have had a lot of snow in the high country which is not good for this critter.
My favorite small game to eat!!! I use a 1022 with hollow points and a tech stock and a 3-9 scope and nothing but head shots. Have a squirrel in AZ called an Abert squirrel and it is as large as a fox squirrel and very good eating. Very pretty with a white tail. Can't wait for the next season. Won't be as good this next season because we have had a lot of snow in the high country which is not good for this critter.
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