Trying to get a few squirrels. [Archive]

Blackwater

01-13-2016, 02:49 PM

I know what you speak of. I love squirrel hunting ... and eating them too. A friend brought one of Paco Kelly's flat pointing rigs for filing the points off flat on a visit from Ohio, and I used it to flat point about 100 bullets while he was here. I'd known about these for years, but never bit on getting one because I just didn't understand it. When I got a chance to try them for free with my buddy's tool, though, I jumped at it. The ads for it said it improves accuracy and dramatically increases the killing/stopping effect. I found both claims to be true! It was a surprise to me, and I still don't understand how it makes them more accurate - maybe by shortening the bullet and thereby increasing its stability maybe??? But it has worked better in every .22 I've tried them in. A friend made some for a small group of guys who are all friends, and I got one of my own now, and I'm a BIG fan of flattening the points. I'd never have believed the claims if I hadn't seen it myself, and again, I have no explanation for what those claims are true, but they are. I think the flat point just increases the "whach" or "shock" effect on impact, and they seem to uniformly just fold up like a well-hit dove with a shotgun in easy range. It's amazing to see them at work. Wounding one would requre, from my experience, a fringe hit, I think. I've hit some a little too far back, but if it's in the ribs, they just seem to fold up and fall out and stay anchored. Give some a try and I think you'll become a real believer too. Just don't look to me for any explanations. Some things I had to see to believe, but when seen, belief has to follow. Explanations not so much.

6pt-sika

01-13-2016, 05:19 PM

I wrote an article for "The Fouling Shot" about ten years ago . I had worked up accurate sub sonic loads for a number of lever rifles I had with cast bullets and used them all to take a squirrel or to each . Used a Marlin Model 92 in 32 Long Colt , a Marlin 1894CL in 218 Bee , Marlin 1894CL in 25-20 , Marlin 1894CL in 32-20 , Marlin 1894CCL in 32-20 and a Marlin 1894CB in 357 . Was kinda fun ��

nagantguy

01-13-2016, 05:41 PM

We bunt road runner squirrels like that as well in a very dense oak bordering a swamp and small beaver pound. Found the trick to be sit tight and quite and let them come to you, like stand hunting deer, we look for sigh like acorn cuttings in a large pile and snipe them when they appear. This also works for rabbits as this stand is full of game but to thick thorny and full of dead falls to sneak up on anything. With shorts or even the airgun several can be taken in one sit.

Wolfer

01-13-2016, 06:50 PM

I love to squirrel hunt. My favorite method is spot and stalk. However here at home the brush is too thick to do it very well. Here I stand hunt just like I would for deer.

Me and a buddy went back home during bow season( Shannon co, south central MO.) He was hunting deer and I was hunting squirrels. He killed a doe and I got 11 squirrels.

I recently had 3 squirrels move into my reloading shed. I've been doing battle with them for going on 3 weeks. Haven't killed the first one yet. I'm catching a lot of flack from the family. They can't believe I've let them beat me.
I reply that they may have won the first few battles but they haven't won the war!158048

sorry about the sideways pic. I don't know how to fix it. On this day I took the nest and threw it outside. This really made them mad I guess because the next day everthing on the shelves was on the floor.
I once had a coon take up residence in one of my sheds. I don't believe he was this destructive.

DIRT Farmer

01-13-2016, 07:27 PM

I found that I saw lots of squirrels deer hunting from stands and deer while still hunting squirrels. I finaly cought on.

tdoyka

01-13-2016, 07:39 PM

i used to luv hunting grey squirrels. everybody i used to know wanted a couple/several of greys. i don't like them(don't know why, just don't) so it really wasn't hard to get rid of them. but everyone got a little older and most of them passed away.

i always hunted squirrels with my 22rf with my own flat nose bullets. my flatnose was a drilled piece of wood that left the cartridges round nose stick out. i filed the round into a flat nose. soon there was a thin piece of metal that was placed on the wood. they worked great, flat noses that is.

leeggen

01-13-2016, 10:09 PM

They make a rat and mouse poison bait, it comes in 1 in. sq. and also in 1in sq by 4 in. Just put a few around the room up high so cats and such stay out of it. Won't take long and the squirrels will disappear from the room. Not what one likes to do but sometimes it is a must.
CD

Redd508

01-13-2016, 10:49 PM

I like to camo up and sit at the base of a tree and call them in. FIL and I used to sit for a couple hours and call in our limits. You can get them pretty close if you are patient and still.

Wolfer

01-13-2016, 10:53 PM

Years ago I tried calling squirrels but instead of saying ( come hither) I said run away evidently.

richhodg66

01-13-2016, 11:12 PM

Sitting and waiting for them is the way to go in my experience. Light cast loads in the .22 Hornet are the ticket.

All deer season I have just about had them crawl in my lap. Gonna go back out to my stand now that deer season is over and pick off a few. I have a Savage 24C, .22 LR over 20 gauge I want to try out.

Gofaaast

01-14-2016, 12:03 AM

Hunt in the morning. They are most active then. Also still days are better, but you have to have a large hunting area, because they spook out and go to there nests. I could shoot 5 a day off my back porch for a week and not dent the population much here. I don't feed them, but my oak trees sure do. A little over half here are grey or greys that are black. The rest being fox. There is quite a population of white squirrels in town, but they don't last long out in the wild. I would try early mornings and snipe them, if the area can be hunted that way.

jmoore

01-14-2016, 06:13 AM

A little over half here are grey or greys that are black. The rest being fox....

Fox squirrels are not in my area, but there are some few about an hour south of work in the Oconee Nat'l forest. Have taken maybe 10 of those over several years, some with a muzzleloader. Greys abound, however! Usually use a .22 bolt gun for those. A few with the muzzleloader, but they can be challenging....

I particularly like young squirrels, more tender. But the flavor of any is good, better even than deer meat. Just takes a pile to fill the freezer.

newton

01-14-2016, 09:43 AM

Squirrels do seem more plentiful when your sitting in the deer stand with a deer rifle......

I have recently found that long range squirrel hunting is the ticket.

158080

I recently found a sweet load for my .223 and was plinking with it last night. Had a gong setup at 150 yards I was shooting at, and this guy shows up 10 yards behind it. Never knew it was coming.

What I really like is that over the years I have learned shooting at moving squirrels is a loosing battle. At longer ranges you can observe them for a bit. I find I am less prone to shoot so quickly at least. This is not the first one I have shot out at that distance either. Have to say that a flat shooting 22 cf makes a nice squirrel gun. Jacketed bullets make more of a mess, but I was impressed at what my lead boolit did. Nice round hole in, but did do some expansion or fragmentation before coming out.

w5pv

01-14-2016, 10:53 AM

I always carry a couple of hickory/pecans with me when squirrell hunting you can make the come out of hiding and look at you by scraping on the shells.When hunting for myself I use a 22 rifle and try mostley head shots to keep from shooting hair and other debris through them.This last year I went to scoped 22 these old 74 year old eyes don't see like they should.Shooting moving anything with a 22 you have to give them a lead just like a shotgun.I haven't shot one moving with the scoped rifle though.Don't know if I could get the hang of it or not will have to pratice though.

44man

01-14-2016, 11:28 AM

My problem is the speed they move since food is mostly gone now. Into and over fallen tree tops. To have one stop for more then a second does not happen and with my bad shoulders I can't swing on them anymore.
They are FAST. I did see so many from a deer stand and it is still the best place to hunt from but they are there and GONE right now as the year goes on. They are not feeding in trees and the Osage apples are all gone. They would sit and eat them but the deer ate them all. No acorns or walnuts are left.
I see one coming, get the gun ready and then the bugger is way gone.

Boolseye

01-14-2016, 12:54 PM

Up here in the northeast we just have Grays, as far as hunting goes. Reds are too small.
Theyre pretty territorial and will give themselves away with their quacking.
i hate winging them, so I will chase them down if they're hit, and I usually get them.
Best to get a killing shot first. I use a .223 with light cast loads, single shot TC encore and scope.

Markbo

01-14-2016, 03:55 PM

Ghillie suit. Problem solved.

tdoyka

01-14-2016, 07:33 PM

i always wanted to try a 36 cal flintlock muzzleloader.

crowbuster

01-14-2016, 10:04 PM

Shoot them off the bird feeder 44man. We have a bumper crop of rabbits and skewerls this year

44man

01-15-2016, 12:05 PM

Shoot them off the bird feeder 44man. We have a bumper crop of rabbits and skewerls this year
I can't do it. It would be like killing the deer I almost hand feed. Carol complains about them eating the bird food. I am too soft. I have shot very sick dogs and cats but I still let the grandson do it now. One of my best dogs had a huge open tumor, in pain. I could not look in her eyes.
I can't even have an old, sick dog put away by a vet. Tears come fast.
Sounds funny from a hunter but there is a difference.
Carol hates the squirrels at the feeder but would hate me more for killing them. She does not understand my love for my dog but she has bought over 80 toys for her. Carol buys goodies for my little girl. She does not fool me at all. She says Just a dog.
Us men even though we hunt still love the animals. It gets harder the older we get.
No, I will not shoot them from a bird feeder.
To have a little dog jump on your chest, put her head under your chin and go to sleep you will not understand. My friends love animals. Fair chase.

Blammer

01-15-2016, 07:03 PM

44man

01-15-2016, 07:35 PM

Going tomorrow with the .22 and a friend. I hope one will hold still.

Wolfer

01-15-2016, 07:39 PM

44 man
Most people find this odd but I bet you understand.
Ive Been a hunter all my life. Even though the little woman calls it an obsession and I say it's a passion I have to admit it borders on obsession.

However I've never liked killing things. I can do what needs to be done. I've shot lots of dogs, cats, butchered lots of hogs, wrung a thousand chicken necks, killed lots of game in fair chase and some that wasn't in fair chase.

I tried hunting with a camera. It wasn't real enough for me. I gave it up and went back to packing a gun.

When im hunting I have every intention of killing whatever comes by. However once I know that I can close the deal I often let them walk. If I were to go hunting not planning on shooting something I can't enjoy it.

A a couple years back I was calling predators armed with my 44 spl. I see a coon coming directly towards me. I decide that when he crosses a log about 20 yds in front of me I'll shoot. He crossed the log too fast and got within a few feet of me. There's no challenge in shooting a coon a 6 feet so I just sat there. There was a small sapling right beside him that he climbed once he saw me.

About 10 ft up he would climb out on a limb and try to get in another tree but just couldent make it. He would go back to the main trunk and watch me for awhile. Then he would go back out on the limb and try again. I chuckled at him until it got dark and I left.

For me it's all about the hunt!

jmorris

01-15-2016, 08:00 PM

Put out some food. Dried corn on the cob works well. Then they come to you.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/farm/th_goodrun.mp4 (http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/farm/goodrun.mp4)

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/farm/th_twofer.mp4 (http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/farm/twofer.mp4)

mold maker

01-15-2016, 08:25 PM

Let carol kill the tree rats with her gun. They make great dumplings.

c1skout

01-16-2016, 11:03 PM

Good luck 44man. I've got those same supercharged squirrels around here this time of year. I have better luck in stands of beech it seems...... maybe the food is smaller so they have to look harder? I've been doing most of my squirrel hunting with my Single-six the last few years, but I just built a percussion 32 kit gun so I've been carrying that when I can get out, but haven't even seen a squirrel to shoot at with it yet.

gwpercle

01-17-2016, 03:14 PM

When conditions are like that, I like to go to a likely spot, early in the A.M. take a seat on the ground back up against a tree and sit, wait, motionless as can be and look and listen. some times they come to you , sometimes you can slip to where they are feeding/playing and get a shot. Sometimes a little squirrel call will bring one into range. And at this time of year I use a shot gun. Not sporting but it will help the bag number.
44man is right about getting older and killing, a lot of mornings I have passed up shots because I told myself I didn't feel like cleaning them, but the truth is I was just enjoying their antic's and sitting out there in Gods woodland cathedral, you can get real close to God at those times.
Gary

freebullet

01-17-2016, 04:07 PM

csatrustburg

01-17-2016, 09:52 PM

Wow blammer 06 for tree rats sounds fun 44man you need to get a Kruger with ten inch barrel I missed one the other day for 250 heard they shot just as good as a rifle and everyone knows how you are with a pistol!

richhodg66

01-18-2016, 01:14 PM

use this shoot them at 50yds or more...

yep, 311284 full house loads at about 1850 fps.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2008%20Deer/DSCN7412.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2008%20Deer/DSCN7412.jpg.html)

You sure you're using enough gun?

That 311284 is a great shooter, but it's a freight train. Did you just get bored sitting on a tree stand?

44man

01-18-2016, 03:06 PM

Yeah we get to love animals because we are hunters. A kinship far removed from just killing. Liberals do not understand us. They think we must kill but not so. We do more to protect then anyone ever. Carol and I look out the window at the tree rats and she is angry while I am amazed at what they can do. Hang by one foot and a tail. The wonder of nature. We learn to take failures when we see nothing and if we don't get a shot, so be it. Mamma comes to eat sunflower seeds, I know she has young. I can see her belly.

richhodg66

01-18-2016, 08:25 PM

I got a chance to sit out on my property for a little while this evening, didn't know I had so many squirrels. Once the leaves fell and I saw all the nests, I figured I'd hunt some when deer season was over. The place is 18 acres or so of an old rock quarry that was abandoned 60 years ago, so it's rolling and wooded more than most Kansas farm land would be, lots of cottonwood and hackberry trees.

Nice evening, I saw five, shot at three and killed this one. Rifle is a Stevens 322 in .22 Hornet using cast. I need to get off the bench and practice with this rifle more. The lighter loads with teh WFN bullet I used last season in the Savage 219 are less destructive and seem to kill just as fast. I may just stadardize on that eventually.

158557

44man

01-19-2016, 03:37 PM

it has gone dead cold here and we expect bad snow so I might not get fried squirrel. dang it.

white eagle

01-19-2016, 04:27 PM

haven't hunted squirrel's since i was a kid so,so many years ago
funny thing that love for animals when I was 6-7 years into my deer hunting
journey I had my father say if he saw a trophy buck deer he probably would
look at it and not shoot it he knew then what we are discussing now and I
am beginning to see it as well
funny thing life ain't it

dagger dog

01-19-2016, 05:34 PM

I've had them walk across my feet not even knowing I was there.

You need to find what they are eating and where, then go in before daylight and set your ambush, they are generally on the move at daybreak headed for breakfast, this time of year they'll be scrounging for left over acorns that they bury but they still den in trees and each den could hold more than one especially if they were weaned together, so you can catch them in the branches when they are on the way to the food, they like the morning sun this time of year and you will find more on the eastern slopes where the sun hits early, and on the south facing slopes during the late afternoon. If you have the time and don't mind a little cold you can catch them in the branches on the way back to their dens as the sun goes down below the tops of the trees and it will sillouette them against the sky line.

Get one of those bellows type squirrel calls or learn to bark, either one works well to stop them running or give away their location thinking it's another squirrel trying to move in on their territory.

Vern Humphrey

01-19-2016, 05:55 PM

I found that I saw lots of squirrels deer hunting from stands and deer while still hunting squirrels. I finaly cought on.
I have a Hammond Game Getter for just that purpose.

The Hammond Game Getter looks like a cartridge case, with an off-center primer pocket. The "primer pocket" is actually a .22 RF chamber. In use, you load it with a nail-setting blank and a buckshot in the mouth of the case. Mine is for a .30-06 and shoots about a 1" group at the top of the thick part of the crosshairs at 25 yards.

http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

jmoore

01-20-2016, 04:08 AM

i always wanted to try a 36 cal flintlock muzzleloader.

Not a flinter, but it's about 0.355" bore (That's where it cleaned up reasonably well when I recut the rifling.)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b226/dave4201/Jmoore%20Stuff/Muzzleloaders/DSC01452.jpg

Last thing got with it was a groundhog. A bit greasy, but not bad!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b226/dave4201/Jmoore%20Stuff/Muzzleloaders/Leman%20Squirrel%20Rifle/5e1bec38-2720-499d-b2ff-2c8632e6e1f3_zps7sn2yytk.jpg
:)

Les Staley

01-21-2016, 08:20 PM

Is your hog dipping kettle cracked? There was one on the home place in Michigan where I was raised but had been left upright and rain/snow had filled it up and it cracked when it froze. How do you freshin' up the bore in your rifle? Got a rifling machine?

Markbo

01-22-2016, 01:04 PM

Its funny. I love watching squirrels around my house and wont (cant) shoot them but Lynda swears they are aggressive towards her. I always scoffed at her stories until one day I stepped into the doorway of the garage and saw a big male hanging on the brick not 8 feet from staring her down and barking. She squealed and ran inside so it worked.

Ive had squirrels throw stuff at me from up in trees but I have never had one square up on me like that

44man

01-23-2016, 12:17 PM

We have snow over knee deep and the tree rats are at the bird feeders. They will sink in the snow but got there anyway.

54bore

01-25-2016, 10:33 AM

Bad hunting with no cover, they run, run, run. No way to get a .22 on them. I took the .410 and could not get on one, too fast. Into and over fallen logs.
I finally knocked one off a log and it made it up a tree to drop in a den hole. I hate that so got a ladder and a length of barbed wire but I could not retrieve it. Makes me sick to lose one.

this is something I've always wanted to try, I can remember my grandparent talking about squirrels and squirrel gravy, they grew up on it in North Carolina, we don't have any gray squirrels here in north Idaho to speak of, at least not a bunch of them, I have seen them around the city part of sandoint but that's about it

richhodg66

01-25-2016, 10:12 PM

Went out again last night, set up for about 15 minutes before I started seeing them and by then, not much day light left. Shot at three and connected with these two, both head shots, lights out right there. I think I prefer this 219 over that Stevens 322, very easy to shoot well under field conditions.
159148

44man

01-26-2016, 10:20 AM

From Ohio we had fox squirrels up north and had to drive a long way to find a gray. Fox are easier to get when you find them, grays are crazy, never sit still.
We don't have fox here but the lady down the road trapped one in her house, gave it to me and I released it in my woods but never seen another. I sure do miss them.
Ohio had big shagbark hickory trees and it was fun to track cuttings to a squirrel.
I have a lot of walnut here and don't understand how a gray can remove the husk without getting a brown face!!! Carol stores walnuts in the barn and the little buggers get in and steal them.
We like the nuts, mostly on pumpkin pie but the little buggers leave empty ones behind so when Carol cracks them we get little. I bought a great nut cracker from LEM Products that really cracks them.
They sure eat a lot of sunflower seeds too. Suet cakes go fast, they need fat and reach in with hands to gouge out hunks.
One time I rendered all the fat from a huge deer hoping I could use it in lube but decided it was too hard. I had a huge cake of it and put it out for the birds. In a few days it was all gone but I don't know if the tree rats ate any.

cliff55

01-26-2016, 11:42 AM

i always wanted to try a 36 cal flintlock muzzleloader.

Used a 32 cal. flint hatfield rifle for years.
Wore the barrel out. Bought in 1979

mold maker

01-26-2016, 01:03 PM

I love to watch the birds eat grain from our feeders. I also enjoy antics of the tree rats, but the two don't mix.
I hung the bird feeders just outside the porch windows, and the tree rats tore our screens to shreds.
I removed the screen frames and had some giggles as the rats tried to climb the bare windows.
Then they learned to hang upside down and swing under the gutters to the feeders.
they finally swung the feeder hard enough to crack the storm window.
Then there was stew in the pot, tails to tie flies, and peace on the porch. After eating 7, the rest seemed to learn property rights and avoid the temptation. With the falling leaves I found 9 nests, and still have more than enough tree rats to enjoy.
BTW ours are all grays in the trees and chipmunks on the ground. Often there are 2-5 playing tag around each of several trees.

44man

01-27-2016, 01:45 PM

I don't know, my rats in the yard are like pets. I can't shoot them. Too stinking soft I guess. I refuse to shoot deer in my yard too. They get used to me and my dogs.
Damage would be different but they don't cause any. Carol complains but I know if I shot some, she would gripe. A fine line there.

rking22

01-27-2016, 09:58 PM

I dearly love to hunt the squirrels! I also dearly love to watch them. They are safe arround the house, as are the deer. Shooting them close to the house dosen't satisfy my urge to hunt. Near the house the best cammo would be shorts and a glass of bushmills :)
Given the choice I will go to the woods for a morning of squirrel hunting over most anything, except maybe wild bobwhite. Have fun 44man, lots of us see the world much like you.

marlin39a

01-28-2016, 09:44 AM

I hunt the Alberts Squirrels here in Northern Arizona. Big, meaty guys. I sit and wait. A 32/20 with a light loaded cast to the head does fine. Just 2 give a feast.

DougGuy

01-28-2016, 10:12 AM

Want squirrels? LOL.. Plant tomatoes!

I'm sorry about you not bringing home the barking bacon 44man, it's a lot of work getting in the woods sometiems, but you might just have to dedicate an area for them to hang out where you can get them. Corn feeder for the deer seems to work very well for squirrels, and if you put it a ways from the house that is a legit excuse for either another rifle or a squirrel caliber handgun (with a nice sight on it of course!).. :bigsmyl2:

We garden in our back yard, pretty much grow stuff that is too expensive to buy in the stores or stuff you really cannot buy in the stores like awesome tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peppers they don't sell locally, etc.. We WERE covered up in squirrels. Literally. Can't grow anything here unless you cordon it off and put it inside/under bird netting, or the animals and birds predate everything in your garden. Without netting we wouldn't get ONE single raspberry the birds would get them all, squirrels will bite a quarter sized chunk out of every single tomato on the vine. Anyway I have done all I can do to keep them from getting in our foodsources, I do this so I don't have to kill them outright. I also thinned their numbers considerably with an air rifle and if they get on the bird feeders, I pick them off. Priced decent bird feeders these days? Sheesh! A squirrel will totally ruin one in no time to get at the seed inside.

I used to eat them as a kid but I'm not crazy about them now. This is me doing my part not to have to eradicate every single one that drops over the fence and into the back yard:
(See the chicken wire along the bottom? Yep, something chewed a nice round 6" hole in the thick plastic netting I had along there to keep rabbits out, climbed all over the bell peppers and tore them all to pieces, they were loaded too. Possum?)

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/2014%20Garden/20140507_191924_zpsecfb74ed.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/2014%20Garden/20140507_191924_zpsecfb74ed.jpg.html)

jmorris

01-28-2016, 10:58 AM

I never called squirrels before but picked up a call a few months ago. Can't get them to come out of the woods it in just a few minutes calling I can generally see a few right on the edge in the trees. Likely the same ones though, not shooting them.

44man

01-28-2016, 12:24 PM

I am not against bringing any animal to to you for hunting but animals in my yard are used to us.
Me and my little dog get 10' from deer. I toss them apples and corn.
But damage must be controlled after the work of planting. I understand but our squirrels just eat sunflower seeds. But damage to my house would be dead animals.

Ole Joe Clarke

01-28-2016, 04:54 PM

Some gray squirrels found a way to get in the ceiling where we used to live. I finally had enough. I always keep .38 Spec "snake" loads to carry fishing and such. I carried the .38 loaded with snake loads, and a flashlight up in the ceiling, low and behold, there were two of them. Killed both of them with one shot, never had any more trouble.

gwpercle

01-28-2016, 06:43 PM

A live trap with day old donuts will catch them. I had something chew a hole through our garbage can. Put the trap out thinking I may get a coon. Nope next morning the biggest squirrel I've ever seen was in it. He wasn't happy. I pinned him with the 22 barrel & tanned his hide to make a fuzzy bow grip for my wife.
Ain't that the truth !
I was sitting at a picnic table with roasted peanuts spread out (for the squirrels)and a box of Krispy-Kreme donuts (for me ). A gray squirrel hopped up on the table, checked out the peanuts , then promptly picked up a whole donut, out of the box, jammed it in his mouth and took off ! I would have never believed it , but I watched him do it.
Ever since then I put out stale donuts for the birds or squirrels, whoever gets there first.
Gary

c1skout

01-30-2016, 07:02 PM

I went out today and trudged for 4 hours through shin deep melting snow. Only saw one squirrel (I missed) but did get some close encounters with a few deer.

44man

02-21-2016, 02:55 PM

Our deer seemed to have done OK, been seeing a lot and even very small ones after 40" of snow.
Bird feeders get 7 squirrels lately.
Then the suet cakes out on the tree branches have been raided at night. Something turns them upside down to dump the cakes. One is missing, wire broken, can't find it anywhere. Only tracks are deer so they must stand up and knock the feeders around.
Carol goes through many and many pounds of seed.

W.R.Buchanan

02-21-2016, 04:24 PM

44man: I was taught how to shoot Ground Squirrels when I was 9 years old by my favorite Uncle. he had a dump on the oil lease and it was infested.

We have some Grays here, and some Fox Squirrels but most are ground squirrels which are nothing more than rats with fuzzy tails..

The secret is you absolutely must shoot them in the head. Otherwise they will crawl back into a hole.

Also you must sit still as if they see you they are into the hole. However in a few minutes they are back out,,, As long as you sit still. This was the hardest thing for a hyperactive kid to learn how to do.

The last tidbit is that when you bring your gun up to shoot you must do it slowly and smoothly. No quick or jerky movements. This was the second hardest thing to learn as I always wanted to get on target as fast as I could. Slow movements produced many more hits.

Squirrels have nearly 360 degree vision. Both eyes are located on the sides of the head and will pick up quick movements instantly. They don't seem to react to slow movements.

So it is "sit still, head shots only, and no quick movements."

Take a lawn chair with you and set up and don't move. They will come to you.

I have shot literally thousands of ground squirrels here in CA over my lifetime with my Mauser .22, however now I am using my R1 Air Rifle as it is quiet and nearly as powerful.

My .02

Randy

44man

03-01-2016, 08:37 PM

Carol puts food out for a few cats that found us. She uses those ceramic glass bowls, heavy and slippery. She lost two. I found one on a large rock in the pasture. The other is not to be found.
Now what animal can carry off the dishes? It happens at night.
BIGFOOT? We have coons come to eat but I can't see them taking the dish.

Thumbcocker

03-01-2016, 09:22 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjBRtJHh3oI

Lucky Joe

03-02-2016, 09:27 AM

I recently picked up a Winchester 94 Carbine in .30-30, several years ago I read an article by Paco Kelly, he was using a .30-30 with reduced loads for squirrel. Have to find that article and I would like to try to duplicate that hunt. First though the 94 needs a rear sight and a tang screw. This squirrel was taken last year with my S&W 686 using the Lee copy of the Lyman 358101 74 gr. WC. I have a great affection for that little boolit.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k168/Luckyjoe_01/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/th_333bbec1-6c8e-4e94-a05b-690da4bb312e_zpssesasyyw.jpg (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/Luckyjoe_01/media/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/333bbec1-6c8e-4e94-a05b-690da4bb312e_zpssesasyyw.jpg.html)
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k168/Luckyjoe_01/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/th_GEDC2412_zpsrwkegadx.jpg (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/Luckyjoe_01/media/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/GEDC2412_zpsrwkegadx.jpg.html)
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k168/Luckyjoe_01/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/th_GEDC2812_zpsemxdqyvc.jpg (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/Luckyjoe_01/media/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/GEDC2812_zpsemxdqyvc.jpg.html)

And the rabbit using the same load, Ruger Blackhawk.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k168/Luckyjoe_01/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/th_646d72b7-e248-473c-bbcb-655264105588_zps386ec02b.jpg (http://s88.photobucket.com/user/Luckyjoe_01/media/Lyman%20358101%2074%20gr%20WC/646d72b7-e248-473c-bbcb-655264105588_zps386ec02b.jpg.html)

ghh3rd

03-27-2016, 11:13 PM

44man

03-28-2016, 10:05 AM

All I know is that when I'm up in my climber as the sun comes up the squirrels start climbing all of the trees around me and start making a racket - I wonder, do deer pick up on that warning? I have thought of going up a tree with the intent of just shooting squirrels in the morning, and if a deer came by, icing on the cake!
The tree stand is the best place to hunt squirrels from. They do not bother deer and most noise they make is if one sees a fox or hawk.
Chipmunks will bark and you can follow a fox's movements as the signal goes out.
Deer and fox get along very well too, seen them playing and fox scent will attract deer but deer hate skunk stink like nothing else.
Hunting archery deer I have had a squirrel come down a branch, across my arms and shoulders, then another chasing him would do the same.
The best was a grouse under me drumming, lady came in on a branch and he flew up but she left him dejected. The branches were covered in ice and he slid down frantic and fell, good thing they have wings!

ghh3rd

03-28-2016, 01:32 PM

Funny! I was in the climber once very early in the morning when a small bird landed on the rail and started picking at loose threads on the camo covering. It eventually reached my hand that was resting on the rail, hopped up and started pulling at the hair on the back of my hand. I didn't see a deer that day, but the little bird gave me a nice memory of that hunt.

Markbo

04-18-2016, 03:43 PM

tdoyka

04-19-2016, 11:48 AM

Man. .22 Hornet. .357. .30-30. .30-06.
I never realized how under gunned I am with my little .22 LRs and punier .17 HM2!
Here all this time I thought those squirrels were dead. I better go check the freezer. They must have just been playing opossum! :lol:

pfffffft, that little old 22lr is for little kids!:lol: my 444 marlin with it 275gr ranch dog is where "REAL" men start!!![smilie=l:

44man

04-19-2016, 12:41 PM

You know I have dropped fox right now with a .22 but hit a squirrel the same and lose it. Has anyone ever seen a blood trail from a squirrel?

tdoyka

04-19-2016, 03:16 PM

You know I have dropped fox right now with a .22 but hit a squirrel the same and lose it. Has anyone ever seen a blood trail from a squirrel?

once, only once. i was 16 or 17 y.o. and it was the second season(january) and there was about 12 or 13" of snow. i seen a grey squirrel about 15 yards and it was going up a birch tree. it stopped, so i took my trusty 22lr marlin 25y and looked thru the 4x scope(tasco) and i lined up the shot. the squirrel has it back towards me, so i try to shoot it in the spine/lungs. bang!!! i missed?! load up again, now the squirrel has it left side towards me going up the birch tree.. i lined up to take the lungs out, bang!!! i missed?!?! it goes up some more and then it has its right side to me. i try it again:groner:, i lined up the shot towards its lung, bang!!! i hit it!!! yeah it hit the ground!!! what the h@#l? now the squirrel is jumping towards me thru the snow. all the sudden it stops. so i go over to the grey where it stopped. the squirrel is dead, whew. then i notice the blood going back to the tree. so i pick it up and go over to the tree and i do see the blood. thin streaks of blood are everywhere, i looked at the grey and i noticed every shot (except the 1st one, a little to the left) was a good one. 3 shots, 3 holes, 1 squirrel. there was nothing left of its lungs, but its heart sure did pump itself dry!!! i started making flat nose out of round noses, and i never lost a squirrel again!!!

jazzman251

04-19-2016, 07:24 PM

I have a Ruger #1 in 257 Roberts. Using 5 grains of Unique with an 85 grain cast bullet works just fine for me. Since Red Squirrels are legal all year out here, I'm never at a loss for shooting.

jhalcott

04-19-2016, 07:54 PM

I used a Grossman pump pistol to shoot a few noisy squirrels one year. The camp cook served them for dinner.

EMC45

04-19-2016, 08:31 PM

Squirrels are tough. I shot one the other day at about 20 feet with a .410 3in #6 in the head & it fell, but when my son picked it up it was still in the fight. I had to stomp its head until died. Nearly dug a hole in the ground with all the kicking it did.

jmorris

04-20-2016, 09:15 AM

When I was a kid I shot one with an 8mm mauser, most of the rest of them have been killed with pellet guns and .22's.

jeffkopf

04-20-2016, 10:26 PM

I normally use a pellet gun or a .22 but I saw some video of a .17HMR that was just devastating. It is amazing what a little 17-20gr bullet can do. Just drops squirrels and rabbits in their tracks!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

marlin39a

05-18-2016, 02:26 PM

The Kaibab Forest here in Northern AZ has the Alberts Squirrel. They are a big, meaty, game animal. I drive to my hunting spot with a 32 black powder gun, 22 hornet, and 32-20. Seems the hornet gets the most use. They all get the job done.

44man

05-20-2016, 10:52 AM

Tough critters! I killed many with a sling shot on land of the Cleveland zoo. Good woods above it. I found a .50 caliber lead ball best. Things would shoot clear through a rabbit.
I read about "barking" a squirrel--forget it. I tried and after many shots I had to shoot through a branch to kill it. Full of wood splinters and half the hair shot off. .44 mag. Fox die faster with a .22.
I never lost a fox with a .22 but did with a .22 magnum.
Darn squirrels need a 12 ga or .22 HP.

CastingFool

05-20-2016, 11:10 AM

Years ago, when my eyes were still good, I was squirrel hunting and spotted one hugging the backside of a 2"-3" branch. Tried to make it move by throwing sticks so the noise would make the squirrel think I was on the other side and hopefully move, allowing me to take a shot. Nothing doing, she had read the book. I finally decided to shoot directly at the branch, hoping I could "bark" it. Of course, a 22 lr was not the proper cartridge, but it did make the squirrel run along the branch. I shot at it, thought I missed, and kept shooting. Finally, it was like the squirrel just ran out of steam. it tried to jump to another tree but the jump wasn't quite enough, and missed the tree. The squirrel plopped to the ground and just laid there. When I picked it up, it had 4 holes, right in its belly. I thought I kept missing, so I kept firing. That was the day I decided not to hunt with solids anymore.

Paul D. Heppner

05-20-2016, 07:03 PM

In my younger days I had a nice yellow Lab. A non-slip dog, he would walk all day at heel, no interest in putting birds up. All he wanted to do was retrieve. That was ok because I had a Weimerainer that pointed but didn't retrieve. I always ran them together, best of both worlds. The Lab was the best squirrel hunting partner. I would carry a couple tennis balls in my pocket, spot a squirrel in a tree, move in and throw the ball to the other side and send the Lab. With all his thrashing around looking for the ball the tree rat would come to my side and get popped. Dog would bring the ball back and then go get the squirrel. He loved it and got real good at it. Dang I miss that dog!

Uncle Grinch

05-20-2016, 08:05 PM

I pick those pesky bird feeder thieves off with my 22 loaded with Aquila Calibre rounds. No powder and much quieter than my pellet rifle.

mold maker

11-24-2016, 05:32 PM

This morning after the first measurable rain in over 2 months, there were 7 tree rats having a hi old time playing chase in the yard. Then I spotted a young one that looked to be less than 8 inches nose to tip of tail.
Guess they were having a Thanksgiving game.
Don't forget to say thanks for Trump.

45workhorse

11-24-2016, 09:00 PM

cold1

11-24-2016, 10:37 PM

I have a two man stand. I take my son with me. He has his single shot 22 and colbri rounds, I have my Marlin 1895. Im loaded for deer and he is loaded for squirrel. We have a great time. He gets to shoot more than me but my game is bigger.

BrentD

11-26-2016, 10:39 PM

181507

Yesterda181507us squirrel with my old Winchester.

44man

11-30-2016, 09:21 AM

If you want to see fat squirrels, you should see those at the bird feeder---WOW, they can hardly run.

flyingrhino

11-30-2016, 11:18 AM

25 cal Benjamin Marauder air rifle with Hawke 6-24x50 scope

BrentD

11-30-2016, 12:07 PM

This is the fattest squirrel I've ever seen - by far. And no bird feeders anywhere close.

It was a female.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Squirrels/Fattest%20Squirrel%20A.jpg

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Squirrels/Fattest%20Squirrel%20B.jpg

richhodg66

11-30-2016, 11:10 PM

Nice rifle. What is it exactly?

BrentD

11-30-2016, 11:35 PM

richhodg66, it is a custom built Winchester 1885 Singleshot, aka Low wall, .22 lr. It is built more or less as a "race gun" but also makes a fantastic hunting rifle.

richhodg66

11-30-2016, 11:42 PM

Very nice!

BrentD

11-30-2016, 11:48 PM

Thanks! She is my baby and my first custom rifle. I have a few others now, but that one will always be my favorite and also my most radical.

This is the same gun (in the middle) tricked out for a different purpose.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Winchesters%203.jpg

SSGOldfart

12-01-2016, 12:26 AM

Yes Sir she is a nice one,if you don't mind tell us about the glass she is wearing? Is that a mva?

Traffer

12-01-2016, 08:31 AM

The best way I have found to hunt squirrels is this. (Keep in mind I haven't hunted them in over 30 years though)
12 Gauge full choke #4 shot. And...start running through the woods. Run as fast and as quiet as possible. Learn to aim at the nose. Unless you are in a woods with millions of squirrels, this is the best way to get em... in my sometimes humble opinion.

Traffer

12-01-2016, 08:32 AM

Fat squirrels mean long cold winter.

BrentD

12-01-2016, 08:39 AM

SSGOldfart,
The scope on her in the first photo with the fat squirrel is a 4x Unertl Small Game Scope. I do have an MVA that I use in BPCR competition, but for squirrels, I use this. The MVA has nonclick mounts that are required for competition but are a liability in the field.

In the lower picture, the much larger scope is a Fecker. I believe it is a 30x scope that I have since sold, but it may be one of lower power. Anyway, it is set up with a swiss buttplate and a palm rest for schuetzen shooting in that photo.

The rifle has an original #2 barrel that is 28" long and has been relined with a 17" Lilja barrel, leaving an 11" muzzle chamber where the bullet is essentially out of the barrel and not influenced by any further shakes and tremor from my holding it. The rib under the barrel adds back some of the weight that is missing due to the 11" of 0.625" bore at the end of the muzzle. The hammer is a very short-fall titanium hammer with dual springs running it for an ultra-short lock time. That hammer gets moved around to other rifles, depending on needs and priorities. At the moment it is on the top rifle, my go-to silhouette gun. The .22 also has a full 1" of cast off just because that's what I think feels best.

When I decided I wanted to invest in a custom gun made just the way I wanted it, I was going to build a centerfire rifle. But a much wiser person said to me, "make it a .22. That's a gun you will use the most and enjoy the most." I'm really, really glad that I listed to that, because he was absolutely right. If you are going to have one custom rifle, make it a .22

BrentD

12-01-2016, 08:40 AM

Traffer, that sounds crazy! But I've never tried it. I'm a rifle hunter unless I'm after birds, but that's an interesting idea.

Traffer

12-01-2016, 02:58 PM

Really? Nobody here hunts squirrels with a 12 gauge? I thought it was quite normal when I was young. That is the way we hunted. You get on them before they know what is going on. Just have to be careful...some moms have been known to say, "Timmy don't run with a 12 gauge in your hands"

Traffer, that sounds crazy! But I've never tried it. I'm a rifle hunter unless I'm after birds, but that's an interesting idea.