Best Game EVER!

[petroid]

I have stumbled across the best game in the world. The rules are simple. You must sit in a comfy chair in your back yard. You must drink beer. You must shoot squirrels in that big old oak tree with an old iron-sighted pellet gun. And you must have a good time. And guess what! YOU ALWAYS WIN!

[gwpercle]

I've played that game...only I don't shoot the squirrels, if I did I would have to clean and eat them. My Mom, raised during the great depression, would whip my butt for wasting food, in her eyes wasting food was a SIN. Besides, I really don't like cleaning them.
When I started hunting my Daddy had a rule " you don't kill nothing you aren't going to eat". I accidentally shot a big Pileated Woodpecker and he made me bring it home and it went in the gumbo pot with the other small game. After that I was real careful about my target.
Gary

[JeffinNZ]

Not sure I can support shooting (even air rifles) and alcohol.

[Stephen Cohen]

+1 not a good idea.

Not sure I can support shooting (even air rifles) and alcohol.

[petroid]

I always clean and eat them.

[Djones]

I love eating squirrel....greys not fox!

[Beagle333]

But pileated woodpecker is good eatin'! :mrgreen: (or they was.... before they got endangered. Prolly from us eatin' em. :oops:)

[SeabeeMan]

Fox squirrels aren't good eatin'? I've only ever eaten grey's.

I'm going to have to argue the don't shoot what you aren't going to eat on two cases: red squirrels and chipmunks. Destructive little buggers get into everything that isn't sealed shut with expanding foam. It's either the rifle or the rat traps in the pole barn. I trap 3-4 per week trying to come in under the sliding doors.

[BNE]

I can't reccomend mixxing drinking and shooting, but there is something about a squirrel that screams "SHOOT ME!" I was allowed to shoot squirrels, crows and blackbirds growing up because they robbed the garden.

[Lonegun1894]

I don't drink anymore, so I guess I am not qualified for this game, but after having the wiring on my house and truck chewed up by squirrels, and the squirrels helping the neighbors cats ruin everything in my garden, I shoot every squirrel that sets foot on my property. Is not drinking while I do it cheating?

[Bzcraig]

Not sure I can support shooting (even air rifles) and alcohol.

I know I can't support mixing those two anymore than drinking and driving.

[Rufus Krile]

There's a lot to be said for this game... The Irish believe that whiskey is God's gift to man for work. I've worked all my life up to now so, now that I'm retired, I drink. When you see more than one squirrel his chances go up immeasurably so you kinda have to pace yourself. And those neighbors really hate it when you cheat and use the shotgun. (A narrow-minded judgmental crowd, my neighbors....) It cost me $60 today to find out one of the little fuzzy-tailed cheek-stuffers had been hiding acorns in my truck's air cleaner. (Speaking of course of a squirrel... not a neighbor) There will be blood.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I used to have a pigeon problem. I got a Crossmen air pellet pistol. I just pump the danged thing 3 times not 10. My idea is to wound or scare the birds away. If they are wounded badly enough they may die. However they usually fly away and die somewhere else. Not on my roof......there is the beauty of it. They go away to die or they just go away. They associate pain and such with my property and they stay away in droves.

I used to pump the pistol 10 times and with a well placed shot they were DRT. Now I had to go up onto the roof to remove the bodies. Nasty business. One day I missed in purpose and just winged the silly bird. He and his buddies all flew away. I reduced the power and aimed for a wing shot. No more head shots or even body shots. The best is a foot shot. Hard to do but they not only go away they tell their birdy friends about how they suddenly got hurt at my place. The word is spreading.............. Just enuf to break the skin or just give them a massive bruise after the .17 Cal pellet gets thru the thick feathers on the wings. They get the idea..........They do not come back.

[adanymous]

My grandpa plays this same sport, but he does it with a rocking chair and a red ryder bb gun. He's only got the one squirrel you see. So its a catch and release program.

[petroid]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not pounding down a six pack and blasting away. Just relaxing with a cold one in the shade. The squirrels (and chipmunks) have chewed through wiring on my truck as well as filling up the air cleaner and engine compartment with acorns. They're really destructive but both the greys and fox squirrels taste pretty good. I find the greys tender enough but the foxes need to be slow cooked.

[rking22]

Fox squirrels will make tough gravey! Fry the greys, stew the fox :)
I reserve the Tellamore Dew for watching the stew, beer is for bullet casting coolant(me not the pot)

[gpidaho]

Beagle 333 Love the word prolly, up here we redneks say pry means the same thing. LOL GP

[nhrifle]

If your game ever needs a challenge added, check youtube for videos of squrrel launchers. See if you can hit them on the fly!

[Minerat]

squrrel launchers

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are. I like the bunny hugger's comments.

[facetious]

I knew a guy years a go who was doing some thing like that with a new pump up gun in his back yard. said that he was getting kind of disgusted with it because he couldn't hit any thing with it and took a pot shot at a bird on the wing. Well as luck would have it he hit it and it made it a couple of yards over where the neighbors were having some kind of out door get together and landed right in the middle of the dinner table were every one was eating. He said at that point he thought it mite me a good idea to go in side and lay low for a bit till things calmed down .

[petroid]

Holy Cow! I am totally making a catapult! That is some funny stuff right there

[kawasakifreak77]

I've played that game...only I don't shoot the squirrels, if I did I would have to clean and eat them. My Mom, raised during the great depression, would whip my butt for wasting food, in her eyes wasting food was a SIN. Besides, I really don't like cleaning them.
When I started hunting my Daddy had a rule " you don't kill nothing you aren't going to eat". I accidentally shot a big Pileated Woodpecker and he made me bring it home and it went in the gumbo pot with the other small game. After that I was real careful about my target.
Gary

Yup & I'm not that old. I only eat what I shoot aside from vermin or an animal that needs put down.

[Pinsnscrews]

I am not far enough into the rurals to not have that stupid regulation about discharging a firearm in city limits. Squirrels are to scarce around here to be a problem, so instead, I occasionally set up in the shade of the garage, and shoot the winged vermin from my neighbor's roof. The flying rats known hereabouts as "Pigeons". I stop them from landing on his roof, and the miraculously stop crapping on mine...

Now, I know for a fact that they are not safe for eating, so you can excuse me from the plucking and eating phase of the game. As for an adult beverage, I am just as happy playing this game with a nice cold soda, but don't let me stop you from Responsibly enjoying your cold beverage.

[GhostHawk]

Ohhh I grew up playing that game, except squirrels were scarse. Winged rats aka Pigon, or Starlings, sparrows.

Funny beer doesn't throw off my aim so much when I drink it, but try to shoot the day after, and I suck. Shrug
Price you pay right?

[RoyEllis]

I live trap all the pigeons I can find, I know 4 different guys that'll buy every one of 'em $5 each for bird dog training. Is it wrong to sell them into slavery since they're varmints?:bigsmyl2:

[Rufus Krile]

As far as live-trapping the little wretches... it DOES make 'em a lot easier to hit. And pigeons for dog training? They still have events down here called "live bird shoots" with columbary throwers and big money. You stand in the middle of a 100m ring and the guy tries to throw the bird in such a way that you can't hit him. If it falls outside the ring it's a loss. If you really hate pigeons, you owe it to yourself to attend one of these things. There's enough money floating around that the whiskey is free.

[auto5man]

I love eating squirrel....greys not fox!

so the Fox squirrels are not good eating? I've never eaten Fox, and they are very plentiful in AR where I hunt ducks, see them all the time.

[GhostHawk]

Fox squirrels are fine, just cook them long and slow and wet. Fricassee, stew, etc, cook until the meat starts falling off the bones, serve with rice or mashed taters and watch the pot disappear.

Just be a bit cautious about looking through the pot for a head, and sucking the brains out in front of someone not used to such behavior. (Happened to my mom)

FYI Mom was born in New Orleans, moved to texas at an early age, Dad was born in Iowa, moved to North Dakota at an early age.
So I grew up eating NO Creole, West Texas Tex/mex and ND depression food. Life was INTERESTING in our house, and mom and dad re fought the civil war many times.

[DrCaveman]

My grandpa plays this same sport, but he does it with a rocking chair and a red ryder bb gun. He's only got the one squirrel you see. So its a catch and release program.

That is hilarious!

[1911cherry]

I do eat squirrel, and a beer sounds good too......this might be for me

[silverbackotter]

Used to shoot mice in the corn on the porch with my dad.

[Three44s]

I knew a guy years a go who was doing some thing like that with a new pump up gun in his back yard. said that he was getting kind of disgusted with it because he couldn't hit any thing with it and took a pot shot at a bird on the wing. Well as luck would have it he hit it and it made it a couple of yards over where the neighbors were having some kind of out door get together and landed right in the middle of the dinner table were every one was eating. He said at that point he thought it mite me a good idea to go in side and lay low for a bit till things calmed down .


Good grief! I laughed until my sides hurt on that one!!!

Best regards

Three 44s

[Jtarm]

I'm going to have to argue the don't shoot what you aren't going to eat on two cases: red squirrels and chipmunks. Destructive little buggers get into everything that isn't sealed shut with expanding foam.

+1. I had one chew his way into our mobile home out in the country (not our primary residence.). How one little critter could so thoroughly ransack a place is beyond me. I thought someone had broken in.

Add Feral Hogs to that list.

I have more fun watching our Blue Lacy (that's a breed of dog) take care of the squirrels. She is fast, can get her muzzle about 7' in the air on a jump, and can just about climb a tree.

[dogrunner]

Not sure I can support shooting (even air rifles) and alcohol.

Now, that's just because you aren't Irish enough!!

[Rufus Krile]

Squirrels aren't quick. Dobermans are quick. It is always a mistake to underestimate your opposition.

[tigerbight]

+1 Those squirrels have done massive damage to my property purchased a new Gamo silent stalker, No more problems. When I was a kid we had huge Hollyhock flower gardens. We would try to shoot the bees with a BB gun. Boy did mom get mad when her flowers were all shot up.

[petroid]

Got another one!

[ksfowler166]

Now, I know for a fact that they are not safe for eating, so you can excuse me from the plucking and eating phase of the game.
How are pigeons not safe to eat? Check their crop I would bet money that you will find bird seed or corn. Pigeons are eaten all over the world in some of the most upscale restaurants under the name squab.

[daniel lawecki]

My grandmother use to make pigeon soup I remember eating it as a small boy.

[Lonegun1894]

I've eaten plenty of pigeon and am still here. Other than for this, uh, twitch. :) Just kidding. They taste good and they're considered a pest so there's no closed season or bag limit.

[Geezer in NH]

I live trap all the pigeons I can find, I know 4 different guys that'll buy every one of 'em $5 each for bird dog training. Is it wrong to sell them into slavery since they're varmints?:bigsmyl2:Nope Long ago I trapped pigeons in the big city by cage traps, a few hundred a week. Property owners were happy and paid me for the reduction in birds.

I had a contact that paid me $.50 a bird, he sold them to clubs with live pigeon shoots. I made 100-200 a week every summer (cash money) by this. Good money when my pay when newly married was less than a 110 a week.

[pls1911]

Have a new Gamo for squirrel control myself, but am not pleased with the accuracy...about 4" group at 30 feet.
My ancient beat up Benjamin , kid weary, smooth bore, bentsights and all does better than that.

I've tried several brands and types of pellets too.
Maybe it's the sorry little scope that came with it.

[Rufus Krile]

My experience with the Gamo... mine's the .22 gas gun... is just as you described. Tried several different ways of anchoring the scope and had no luck at all. Took the scope off and now just shoot it iron sights and it works wonderfully. No moa rifle, to be sure but it'll take a squirrel every shot at 20-25yds. Don't give up on it... but lose the scope. These springer-type guns in this power range are murder on the scopes and bases.