Short squirrel hunt

[Texas by God]

Tazman, that is the same method my dad taught us boys and whoever hunted squirrels with us. He's pushing 90 now and can still shuck a squirrel quickly. I do prefer to do it while they are still warm. My wife has never eaten a squirrel in her life but she makes squirrel and dumplings to die for!

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[rking22]

Pretty much the same here. I remove all the appendages, grab a pinch of hide, mid back, and make a cut. Insert fingers and shuck. Generally the shirt comes off before the pants. That’s ok, the hole where the tail came off gives a good finger hold to finish the job. Daddy taught me way back, and they are easier than rabbits to me! Gonna fry some up tomorrow, wife made biscuits already!

[Arisaka99]

The first time I went squirrel hunting (at around 15), I was using an H&R Single Shot 20ga with a MOD barrel. The man that had taken me hunting had taken a long shot while the squirrel was running a blown-down log and only wounded it. He had me circle the root ball, and being inexperienced as I was, I rounded it at about 15 feet. As soon as I saw the squirrel, my shotgun flew to my shoulder and I fired instinctively. As you'd imagine, the 2 3/4" load of #4's at that distance blew the thing in half. That was a PITA to clean..

The last squirrel I shot was my first ever taken with a .22LR. I got a 10/22 for Christmas a few years ago and mounted a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40 on it. I had it (mostly) sighted in and wanted to take a squirrel with it.

So I opened the bedroom window one morning while the my little girl was napping (she sleeps on the other end of the house) and shot it. Ended up grazing the spine and it crawled 10 feet or so by the time I got there. Ended up having to dispatch it with a stick. I hate wounding animals.

I can't wait to take my 4YO daughter out squirrel hunting. She already asks me to cook squirrel for her so she can eat it with ketchup.

[fiberoptik]

Back in the 80’s when I was a teenager I used .22 lr hi velocity rounds. Shot a squirrel in the head and watched it race up the tree to the top, then fall, still running hit the ground and stop . I picked it up, seeing brains , figured it was dead. It came to life in my hand and tried to bite me! I wrung it’s neck like a chicken . Learned to use hollow-points that day! Now I use Paco Kelly’s tool for making hollow-points. Works like a charm!

[rking22]

One day back in high school, I watched a friend put one of those "dead" sauirrels in his hunting vest. Few minutes later the squirrel decided he no longer wanted to be on that vest. I thought I was going to suffocate watching my buddy try to gain some seperation from that really poed squirrel! Still get a laugh just thinking about it. I think I will send him a text and remind him, again

[tazman]

Back in the 80’s when I was a teenager I used .22 lr hi velocity rounds. Shot a squirrel in the head and watched it race up the tree to the top, then fall, still running c hit the ground and stop . I picked it up, seeing brains , figured it was dead. It came to life in my hand and tried to bite me! I wrung it’s neck like a chicken . Learned to use hollow-points that day! Now I use Paco Kelly’s tool for making hollow-points. Works like a charm!

Your point about the hollow points is well taken. You can shoot a squirrel in the head or chest and if it isn't a perfect shot, the squirrel may get away or wake up on you at an inappropriate moment.
Hollow points resolve the problem thoroughly. It is amazing how well they perform.

[TNsailorman]

I was taught never to pick up a squirrel until I had checked it out. Put your foot on the back at the shoulders and push down slightly. Then reach under the squirrel and put your finger around the neck so it cannot bite. Push a finger into its eye and if it is alive, it will usually react. If no reaction then you can take the tail in the other hand and then you can pick it up, but be careful, they can be tough little critters and can bite and scratch with any cat made. As for hollow points, I never used them. Tears up too much meat if you hit the body.

[tazman]

I was taught never to pick up a squirrel until I had checked it out. Put your foot on the back at the shoulders and push down slightly. Then reach under the squirrel and put your finger around the neck so it cannot bite. Push a finger into its eye and if it is alive, it will usually react. If no reaction then you can take the tail in the other hand and then you can pick it up, but be careful, they can be tough little critters and can bite and scratch with any cat made. As for hollow points, I never used them. Tears up too much meat if you hit the body.

Simple answer is don't shoot anything but the head.
I am not trying to be a smart alec with that statement. My father was a real pain about that. He would torment me terribly if I ever brought home a squirrel hit anywhere but the head. I learned to only take that shot.
I still use hollow points even for head shots. Shoot one a bit low with a solid point, you shoot it's jaw off and it may get away and die a slow death. With a hollow point, the other side of it's head is destroyed and it dies instantly.