Hello,
New member here, just found this forum today and I like the looks of it. I was looking for some revolver advice but I love squirrel hunting and couldn't resist posting here.
That said, personally I like to hunt squirrel with a .22 whenever possible. I have used a .22-Hornet a lot but with any rifle anything other than a head shot is bound to mess up the meat.
In my opinion and experience it's quality vs. quantity.
Going for quality of the hunt go with a rimfire. Going for quantity of game go with either a 20 or 12 gauge. Anything less than a 20 guage IMO just won't reach out and get them if they are up in a tree. Especially in early fall with leaves. I like number 6 shot myself, but you can put more lead on target with a 7 and 1/2 (you just end up digging more out
To me there is nothing quite like a cold frosty morning before daylight hearing squirrels starting to move in the trees. Even if you don't get a shot being in that environment is what it is all about for me...
Someone asked how to go about cleaning them and I have hunted with some other guys who used a more "complicated" method, I'll try to explain what my uncle taught me (although it is hard to imagine without pictures.)
What I do is start off by holding the squirrels tail in my left hand with my thumb towards it's tail-hole and it's belling facing out. Make a cut across his hole and down each side of his rear legs, cutting through the bones of his tail and down to the skin on the opposite side. Don't cut his tail off. Then step on the "chunk" of his tail that is left and pull him up by his rear legs. With practice you will be able to pull his skin completely over his body and up to his front "ankles" and neck. You'll learn quickly you have to have a -good- solid foot hold on him, and you have to cut enough at the tail to allow the skin to start pulling over. Too much you will just pull a chunk of skin, to little and the tail will break off under your foot. The older the squirrel and the colder the squirrel the harder it is to do. The rest is pretty simple. Cut the head off, peel the fur off the rear legs and cut at all ankles. Make a cut up the middle of his cavity and remove all guts. (Unless it is a really warm day or i am going to be out a long time i hardly every remove the guts in the woods.) Quarter him up and and as my great-grandmother would say "roll it in flower and fry it in grease."
HTH. Reading this thread already has got me excited for hunting season to roll in here in SW VA.
-Jon
P.S. If you use a 22-Hornet or .17HMR with a ballistic tip, rarely do you have to cut the head of