woodchuck and squirrel

[grafsk8er]

what kind of shots do you guys usually take on these animals? about 98% of my shots on them are head shots. is a body shot any more or less effective? (probably not since the brain gets destroyed). But i was just curious as to where u guys shoot them.

 

[Alphazulu6]

-----> Why do you eat them????

 

[old_22LR]

My usual are body shots. Just because i generally miss head shots.

 

[koja48]

I shoot rockchucks at longer ranges with centerfires (.204 Ruger & .223), so body shots are the norm. .17HMR will cleanly dispatch a ground squirrel with a chest shot, as will a good .22 hollow point.

 

[alucard0822]

depends on range, position and weapon used. My experience hunting woodchucks was at my uncles farm in upstate NY, where they are overpopulated enough to warrant a state bounty. Those critter's holes destroy equipment and injure cattle and there are HUNDREDS practically everywhere. I would sit on a ridge overlooking a field about 1/2 mile wide by 1/4 mile long with a rem 700 varmint (.223) on a bipod. If they were within 200 yds and standing up I would go for a headshot, walking around or too far to tell position and I would go for the middle of the brown lump. In one afternoon my cousin and I got about 20 without having to move.

 

[Alphazulu6]

Just shoot them center mass and be done with it as long as your not eating them It is very popular in some parts of this country to eat Squirrel and other varmints (thats why I asked as its always a headshot if you are going to put that little animal in your mouth later on). HAHAHA Good luck!

 

[grafsk8er]

thanks, i was just curious as to what some of you other guys did

 

[1911 guy]

Different animals, different shots.

I'll take any killing shot on a whistle-pig. Head shot if available, but body shots with a .223 are a done deal, too.

For squirrels, I always try for head shots just because they're easier to skin if they're not tore up.

 

[Bill2k1]

I tend to try for headshots but I make a fair amount of body shots. I try my hardest not to hit em low.

 

[birddog]

I like headshots on squirrels. Any old shot on woodchucks.

A word of caution, .22 hollow points tend to make a mess of a squirrel's head. Oh, they're dead all right, but not very aesthetically pleasing to handle....just something to keep in mind.

(this is coming from a die-hard hunter who has seen it all....and a hollow point's effect on a squirrel head can be rather unpleasant to look at).

 

[grafsk8er]

yea, i know what ur talking about, it's not too pretty.

 

[MCgunner]

I shoot whatever's showin' that's vital. Many times on a squirrel it's just the head pokin' around the tree. I've taken body shots, though. Never even seen a woodchuck.

 

[raginrednek]

tree rats

shoot em wherever and throw away the blown-up parts.

 

[savetheclaypigeons]

with a 12 ga.? haha what parts don't get hit? In the off season the way I keep up with my shooting(don't have a range in an aprox. 1 hr drive) is pulling the ole .177 pellet gun out and sitting in the garage. Soon enough there will be a chipmunk wondering about 20 yards out and will loose the majority of his head.Downed instantly, sometimes the pellet penatrates all the way through

 

[arcticap]

I use a .410 and sometimes only one pellet of #6 shot is enough to kill a grey squirrel, although I'll usually find a few at least.
Once I even shot 2 grey squirrels with one shot.
When shooting at a moving squirrel, especially when it's scurrying through the treetops, where am I supposed to aim?

 

[AStone]

-----> Why do you eat them????

It's obvious to me that
you've never eaten stew made with squirrels
that have been feeding on pecans.

Your loss.

 

[borrowedtime69]

my shootin

i mostly hunt little Red, or Pine Squirrels and the mountain version of the woodchuck, the Marmot. i hunt both in the CO Rockies every year, but i sure miss the big corn fed fox squirrels in SD. i use only CCI mini-mag Hollow Pionts in both pistol and rifle.

Squirrel:
- rifle: 99.9% of the time its head shots. i like to keep as much meat on as possible since theyre so small. i quarter them and cook them as hot wings. ive had some hit in the body out of the rifle that stayed in the tree. a head shot is effective every time.

- pistol: i only shoot squirrel with the pistol within 15 yards. i get head shots about 50% of the time. at the short range i shoot with a pistol most any shot is fatal and quick.

Woodchuck/Marmot:

- rifle: Always headshots as these can be large animals for a .22 LR. i shot one years ago 2X's with a 10-22 and Rem. sub-sonic ammo and it still was able to crawl into the hole. ive never had a minimag headshot move again after it fell immediately.

-pistol: ive only shot one, small marmot with a pistol and it was at very close range. it may not have had a run-in with a human yet cause it tried to get away slowly by walking right in front of me. see pic below. i wouldnt try a marmot outside of ten yrds and i was very sure of bullet placement in the head.

- Eric