Squirrel hunting n eating

[Thundarstick]

Funny you'd mention it, but I have canned squirrel in my pantry rite now!

[gunarea]

My how the times have changed.
As pre-teens(1960), my brother and I were contracted by several large ferneries and three different egg farms for pest control. Carcasses could not be left to lay and had to be removed. The cost of our labor was very low but we found head shot squirrels sold 3 for a dollar down to Spring Hill. Fox squirrels were brought home for our table. Ferrell cat removal at the egg farms paid the best. By jr high school, a single shot 22 rifle strapped to a bicycle was no big deal. What we did matter of fact, then, would now lock down a school for the day and require extensive counseling. Back then, 22 shorts were the least expensive. Now they are more costly than 22lr. How did that happen?
Roy

[Murphy]

Some of the best memories of my youth, were days spent hunting squirrels. Most of the time it'd be a a couple of us kids with assorted .22's and usually a shotgun in the mix now and then. It didn't matter to me back then what I was shooting because it was borrowed. My father was a good man but never took up hunting or fishing. That being said, we didn't keep any guns around the house other than a Remington 742 Woods Master he had. His brothers all hunted, and he kept it for deer season when he would get the chance to go to deer camp and be with his brothers. That left me having to borrow whatever I could from relatives or friends to hunt with when it came to squirrels.

Finally, the very first gun I recall buying for myself was a Remington Nylon 66. Light, easy to tote and got the job done. Plus, I got 15 chances at getting that tree rat before he could get away. It was especially helpful and to my advantage because a lot of the time we hunted with dogs. I'm too old to go chasing dogs through woods these days. But I have also acquired .22's that are a whole lot more accurate than I'll ever be. My main one being a Remington 541 Target, enough said about that. I do have a sweet old Model 510 single shot Remington I'm working on to find it's preferred ammunition. This time around, I'll be packing a nice folding something to sit on, wearing snake chaps and toting binoculars. Time changes everything.

Summer is upon us now here in S.E. Oklahoma, and I'm no fan of hot weather, never have been and probably never will be. That, and chasing anything is pretty much out of the question at this time in my life as I turned 65 last December. Next month I'll be turning in my work keys. Free at last to relive some of my youth. I'm making plans already to get back out in those woods and get after ole' Mister Bushy Tail. I've always deer hunted, but never found time to dedicate to just hunting squirrels. I feel like a big kid waiting on Christmas to be honest about it. I've been sharpening knives, etc.

That, and just a couple of days ago I picked up a very nice, clean Zebco 33 from the early 70's. Yep, time to go after some good ole' pan fish and bass as well. But that's a whole nother story.

Oh, and I gotta get a few plugs of good ole' Bull Of The Woods chewing tobacco to go along with the rest of it.

Murphy

[Texas by God]

Fried squirrel was my favorite until my sweet wife made squirrel & dumplings the first time she ever cooked "fancy rat". So Good! I also like to throw cut up squirrel in a big pot of pinto or Great Northern beans.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[GhostHawk]

Grandpa taught me early to walk into a patch of woods (preferably with corn field close)
Find a comfortable spot, and take a 10 min nap. When you wake up don't move. Use your eyes and ears to locate active squirrels. Slowly slowly scan the area.

Then shoulder the rifle and make your shots count. A good sit you could get 3 or more in half an hour.

[bigted]

Man this just keeps gettin betta and betta. Keep em coming folks, my blood is boilin to go squirrel huntin. Weapon is equal temptation between my old scared up 10-22 and my old 45 TC Hawkins muzzleloader.

I even have learned a new call for em ... two old quarters. Can hardly wait to try that one out.

[tazman]

Years ago, I found an old hickory tree just outside the edge of the woods. A single branch from a an old giant mulberry tree ran into it making a super highway for the squirrels to get from the woods to the hickory nuts.
I would creep up to within a few yards of the mulberry tree from the downhill side and set up where I could see the limb going into the hickory tree really well and have a tree to lean the rifle against.
One morning I had a friend with me and we set up side by side and decided to take turns on the squirrels coming out of the tree. We could hear them chewing on the hickory nuts as we waited.
We were both using 22lr rifles.
I took the first one and things got quiet. Soon they started eating again. A few minutes later another came out and my friend shot it. Again things were quiet.
We repeated this scenario for about half an hour before the remaining squirrels got nervous and began leaving the tree. The next few minutes were hectic.
The squirrels were running through the trees and some would not stop right away but always did within a tree or two since they didn't know where we were for sure.
My friend and I were shooting pretty quickly but since we were close we didn't miss that day.
When it was all done, we had 10 squirrels on the ground and the tree was empty.
That was a limit each for us so we went home.
I have never seen that many squirrels in a single tree before or since.
I went back to that spot a couple of years ago. Those trees are still there and I got a couple out of it for old time's sake.

[rking22]

This spring, my T bolt from my youth and breakfast boiling over a budlite stove. Easy to pack and qualifies as a “stove” in fire risk areas. Was a fine morning!

[bigted]

Cool picture. I remember taking an old kettle used for just that use, quart of water and baggie of coffee, several slices of bread and some kitchen match's. Roasted critter, fresh cowboy coffee and dry toast. Meal fit for kings.

[tazman]

Funny how often a simple meal cooked over an open fire outdoors tastes so good.

[bigted]

Funny how often a simple meal cooked over an open fire outdoors tastes so good.

I know your rite! Just plain ol Oscar Myer hotdogs over fire with cowboy coffee is a treat.

Another GREAT meal out doors over an open fire is three or four quail green sticked with salt n pepper or a couple Blue ruffed grouse cooked the same ... with of coarse ... fresh cooked coffee.

I believe it is the open air and wood smoke that does the trick!

[Petander]

Great stories!

Squirrel was the most valuable game over here once.

[onelight]

I love these stories some of my best hunting memories are of squirrel hunting , mainly with 22lr pistols but have taken them with every thing from 380 to 45 colt and also cap n ball pistols , and a little , TC Seneca rifle. Just a good time usually by myself but some times with a friend or my son.
Murphy the nylon 66 brings back memories I never shot any squirrels with mine but I did shoot a bunch of big bull frogs good eatin stuff.
A few weeks ago Gene Sears store in ElReno Ok had 5 or 6 nylon 66 rifles on his rack enjoyed looking at them.

[Murphy]

My old Nylon 66 was like the Glock of .22 semi autos. I haven't a clue how many brick I put through it before I decided it may need a cleaning. I think I had on jam out of 1,000's of rounds through it. Being a brilliant 18 year old, I decided to 'pop the hood' on that rascal. Whoooo boy! 12 hours later, it was back together and clean. Never did that again for another quarter of a century to clean one for a friend. My current one came to me from an estate and was in the factory box. I haven't gotten a good 100 rounds through it yet.

El Reno you say? I know exactly where Gene Sears is. A life long friend of mine lives about a mile from Gene's. He was widowed about 10 years ago and after a proper length of time, got him a mail order bride from China. He brought here down here for a weekend and we went shooting. She fell in love with my Nylon 66. I entertained the thought of gifting her with it as a show of my welcoming her into my circle of family and friends. Thankfully, my loss of temporary sense regained itself and I still have it. I'll have to let my buddy know there may be a few there. I know they're up there in prices these days. But he enjoys spoiling her, never a bad thing.

Murphy

[Steve E]

I remember one summer day I went knocking about when I was about 12 or so with my Winchester 67 with my trusty canteen and some matches, salt & pepper. I shot a Blackbird and dressed it and added some wild onion, wild sweet peas (English peas) and the seasonings and had a right tasty stew. That was the first and only time I ate a Blackbird, wasn't bad either.

Steve...…..

[FergusonTO35]

I enjoy hunting squacks, not so much eating them. Maybe because my grandma absolutely drenched them in grease back in the day!

[bigted]

What a cool post this has turned into! Cant remember when I have read anything so inspiring from you fella's!

Now just need to find ( make ) time to get my lard hinney out and go hunting.

Thanks everyone for this fun and entertaining repast!

[EMC45]

I really enjoy squirrel hunting. More so than deer hunting.

[DickelDawg]

I spent many a happy hour hunting grey and fox squirrels when I lived in Hardin County, TX. Long, long time ago.

[Elroy]

When I was a kid everyone squirrel hunted,and all the cars had the antennas covered with tails.Us kids mounted broken fisfing rods,or CB antennas to our bikes for tails.I was thinking just the other day,after a somewhat humbling experience shooting open sights,about how we used to shoot squirrels off hand,and missed far less than we hit.Our driveway was fairly long,and in the fall my brother and me would hide a 22,and hunt walking to the house after the bus dropped us off..We had couple good spots for red squirrels on our place,and I have raked paths in the woods to walk in to them..My Dad was a good shot,and at the time nobody was concerned with diseased animals,so when he went hunting he would ask us if we wanted the heads,because we sometimes ate the brains.Dad could consistantly head shoot squirrels. I remember how good he was at skinning them .I get a lot of hair on them,LOL..,I seldom even go squirrel hunting now but I wet them down to cut down on the hair .My mother would boil them to get them tender before frying.I always liked them just floured and fried,but she also made them in a gravy as well.