RotoMetals2WidenersTitan ReloadingRepackbox
MidSouth Shooters SupplyLee PrecisionLoad DataInline Fabrication
Reloading Everything
Page 4 of 7 FirstFirst 1234567 LastLast
Results 61 to 80 of 133

Thread: Thinking of squirrels

  1. #61
    Boolit Master

    dale2242's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    SW Oregon
    Posts
    2,466
    Squirrel hunting isn`t big here in SW Oregon.
    More, by far, get killed on the road than by hunters.
    BTW, I love hunting and eating squirrels.

  2. #62
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Outside Rolla, Missouri
    Posts
    2,170
    Season opened here Saturday but I haven't been, yet. Yesterday was as Texas described, toooooo windy and today promises the same. Maybe a few will show up at the bird feeder........
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

    NRA Benefactor 2008

  3. #63
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    SE WV
    Posts
    6,215
    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    Season opened here Saturday but I haven't been, yet. Yesterday was as Texas described, toooooo windy and today promises the same. Maybe a few will show up at the bird feeder........
    Your season starts in summer? That's odd, it starts in September here. Seems like there would be a lot of orphans created by hunting them now.

  4. #64
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Blackwater, Virginia
    Posts
    710
    We have a spring hunt here in Va. also. I think if I'm correct that skwirls have their young very early in the season & rearing is complete before season opens.

  5. #65
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    580
    As few that get hunted and shot anymore I doubt what we would do will make a dent on the population. From what I've seen squirrels can have their young early or even late in the season. I dressed one with a full womb in later September.

  6. #66
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Outside Rolla, Missouri
    Posts
    2,170
    If it's odd, it's been odd for 75 or more years, except for a couple years they tried an August opening...which didn't work. It's opened the weekend of Memorial Day since before I was born in 1953. Several years ago it was extended to Februar 15th. As a friend of mine observed, "I don't think you can hurt them." Spring litters are already weaned and have been fending for themselves for a few weeks already. I seek those out and leave the oldsters if at all possible.
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

    NRA Benefactor 2008

  7. #67
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Mid-Missouri
    Posts
    72
    Yeah, Missouri is great for squirrel hunters. Very long season.
    I read an article a while ago that stated hunters don’t even come close to putting a dent in the population. Their numbers are controlled naturally by predators.
    Squirrel hunting is for pure sport… and I LOVE it!!!

  8. #68
    Moderator
    Texas by God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    14,334
    My county has "No closed season, no bag limit" like many others in the Cross Timbers region of N. Texas. My ancestors hunted with .22 rifles during the winter and switched to shotguns when the pecan trees had leaves.
    Except Grandad- 12 gauge hammer double all year long.

    Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

  9. #69
    Moderator Emeritus

    Treetop's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    623
    [QUOTE=sharps4590;5393598]Squirrels have been and will remain my favorite game.

    I'm with you sharps4590. I hunt deer and feral hogs for meat. I hunt squirrels for sport and meat.

    Over my lifetime, I've gone through several different types of air rifles and guns. Right now, I'm on a 6 1/2" Ruger BH using NOE 150 gr. full wadcutters in .38 cases, kick. It's very satisfying to roll a fox squirrel out of an oak tree with that old 3 screw Ruger. Treetop
    "Treetop"
    Sgt. USMC
    1968-71

    "Accuracy has a suppressive power all by itself."
    Lt. Gen. George Flynn, USMC

    “The Second Amendment was not written to protect your right to shoot deer.
    It was written to protect your right to shoot tyrants…”
    Judge Andrew Napolitano

  10. #70
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Outside Rolla, Missouri
    Posts
    2,170
    [QUOTE=Treetop;5411441]
    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    Squirrels have been and will remain my favorite game.

    I'm with you sharps4590. I hunt deer and feral hogs for meat. I hunt squirrels for sport and meat.

    Over my lifetime, I've gone through several different types of air rifles and guns. Right now, I'm on a 6 1/2" Ruger BH using NOE 150 gr. full wadcutters in .38 cases, kick. It's very satisfying to roll a fox squirrel out of an oak tree with that old 3 screw Ruger. Treetop
    I've hunted big game from Maine to Arizona and Virginia to Wyoming.....and a lot of states in between. Took a lot of it too! Even during those halcyon years I never missed Missouri's squirrel season opener, even taking leave from the Air Force to come home and hunt it. I don't hit it nearly so hard these days but still take a few every year, like right now. Those young of the year are SO tender!!!

    As with yourself, I've gone through a lot of "squirrel rifles." Only handgun was a Ruger Single Six with I believe a 10 inch barrel. Over most of the last 20 years it's been a 36 cal., Southern Mountain flinter. The last two years it's been a Jeffrey Rook and Rabbit rifle that was originally in 255 Jeffrey. It had been re-chambered to 25-20 WCF when I got it. The bore was a sewer pipe so I had it re-lined and chambered it back to 25-20 WCF. 3 grs. of Trail Boss under a Lyman 75 gr. cast bullet equals the old Jeffrey round and stays well within the strength limits of the old Daw action. Like the 36, better stick to head shots, it's pretty destructive of meat.

    thad, I can count on one hand the number of folks I know who hunt squirrels these days, and have fingers left. Sure wasn't that way 50 years ago but, a lot of things weren't.
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

    NRA Benefactor 2008

  11. #71
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    580

    More Than Thinking

    My son and I took an anticipated excursion to southern Kentucky the last portion of last week to camp and hunt their early small game season. It has been decades since I've hunted bushy tails. The time just seemed right. I took along my T/C Cherokee shooting .32 patched round balls, a 17 HMR for my son, and he also packed a 12 gauge. My memories are from September and October Fox Squirrels in SW Ohio that are making a ruckus burying nuts and eating them up on a limb, which allows for some fine morning still hunting. These little grays down south are much more stealthy in the early part of the year when the only nuts are on the ground and not in the trees. I expected to see the majority of the game on the ground digging up the day's dietary allotment. I was mistaken.

    The trees along south fork of the Cumberland River are tall, much taller than those I'm accustom to, and dense, making the woods dark even in the sunny part of the day. Unlike Fox squirrels, that are inquisitive and quick to scold an intruder of their forest, the greys were found mostly along the river quietly making their way through the tree tops away from our presence. Needless to say the first few forays into the Nat'l Forest were more scouting and learning their ways than actually shooting. These were not as target rich environments as initially suspected, but the quarry was there if we were quiet, slow and patient. The hills are far more steep than we Buckeyes have in this part of the state, as well. At one point we both decided that we only had so much energy between the us that the extremely steep valleys could keep their squirrels. There was enough huffing and puffing to do on the less intense paths. Eventually we dropped a few with the rimfire and scatter gun. I just couldn't connect at the ranges given with the open sighted muzzleloader and the dim light. I'm sure I came close, but the only squirrel that fell was one that wasn't aimed at but at the Boom it was so shocked that it lost it grip and fell to the right of the one I was actually trying to kill.

    We left camp in the dark on the last morning of our hunt, down the path about a mile where we bedded at least one squirrel the evening before. Sure enough, it awoke from the night's slumber and exited the nest tree and perched on a thin limb without noticing my son sitting on a log about 30 yard uphill. I motioned to Saxon that he had the first of the morning coming out to play. It dropped with the satisfying sodden thud that squirrel hunters receive when successful to connect. Before the morning was out we still hunted and still sat along the river quite a way south. My son limited out with 6 and I succumbed to the lure of the rimfire and dropped 2 late in the morning in a fun encounter with multiple animals running nearly non-stop hither and yon, up down and back/forth. That was a fun hunt. Nothing easy about it, but well worth the primitive camp, humidity of the first day, cleaning all the game we did bag and lack of sleep.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Cherokee on Knee.jpg 
Views:	41 
Size:	101.1 KB 
ID:	301213

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Saxon Scouting.jpg 
Views:	43 
Size:	121.0 KB 
ID:	301214

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Morning Hunt with 17 HMR.jpg 
Views:	40 
Size:	100.5 KB 
ID:	301215

  12. #72
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Outside Rolla, Missouri
    Posts
    2,170
    Excellent report Chris!!!! Glad ya'll had a good trip. Camping is about losing sleep, isn't it?.....lol!

    Your comment about the "extremely steep valleys" reminds me what a late friend of mine from NW Arkansas always said, "some mountains are taller than others but, all holler's are deep!"
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

    NRA Benefactor 2008

  13. #73
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Mid-Missouri
    Posts
    72
    Awesome write up ChristopherO!!! Congrats on the success and making memories with your son.
    My boys and I were trying to make plans to start hunting out west, but the recent legislation has put a hamper on our plans. You’ve given me a great idea for travel hunting. Go somewhere new to hunt those bushy tails!!!
    Thanks so much for the great writing.

  14. #74
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Outside Rolla, Missouri
    Posts
    2,170
    I think this evenin, when it cools off, I'm gonna "hunt" some off the front porch, at the bird feeder......
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

    NRA Benefactor 2008

  15. #75
    Moderator


    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Just outside Gun Barrel City, Texas
    Posts
    9,479
    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    I think this evenin, when it cools off, I'm gonna "hunt" some off the front porch, at the bird feeder......
    That's a prime spot for me too.
    It's amazing, the little rascals come right up, and I don't have to get out in the woods with all the ticks and poison ivy.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
    This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  16. #76
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    SE WV
    Posts
    6,215
    You guys are giving me bad ideas. I may have to install some bird feeders here, "for the birds".

  17. #77
    Moderator


    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Just outside Gun Barrel City, Texas
    Posts
    9,479
    Ever dig a hole in a sand pile where the sides keep sliding down and filling the hole back in?
    That's how the squirrels are here.

    Last week there was three robbing the bird feeder.
    My 1967 issue Benjamin pump 'em up .22 single shot took care of them.

    THE NEXT DAY, there was three more new ones.
    By afternoon, there was one.
    Today, there are now two more new ones and we're back to three.
    I guess it's a good thing pellets come in cans of a few hundred.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 06-17-2022 at 06:16 PM.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
    This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  18. #78
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    SE WV
    Posts
    6,215
    That would really supplement my food budget. My pellet rifle is kind of puny for them but the 32 cal flint longrifle would do the trick.

  19. #79
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    212
    Been my experience that the more you hunt them the thicker they get. Hunted them with 22lr through 45/70 loaded with round balls. Right now my favorite now is an Interarms mini mk x in223. With a 60 grain cast loaded 1600 to 1700 fps 75 yard head shots are doable. One year on opening day I drove my truck into a timber got out pulled out my shotgun loaded it then heard a squirrel looked up and stared shooting. Shot my limit standing by my truck. Been hunting that spot for years. Squirrels seemed to be thicker every year.
    Steve

  20. #80
    Boolit Master elmacgyver0's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    1,970
    I am not much of a game eater, but I did like pheasant cooked with a duck with sweet dressing.
    Hunted a lot of rabbits as a kid and sold them to an old guy that bought homemade butter from my mom.
    He used to give .50 cent apiece per cleaned rabbit, he like them better than raised rabbits and was thrilled none of the meat was spoiled with shot as I only took head shots with a rifle.
    It made him happy and kept me in ammo, back then you buy a box of 50 .22 LR for about 50 cents.
    Enough about the past.
    We have a lot of squirrels in our yard, never much bothered about them, their kind of cute.
    Well, they are not so cute now as they ate holes in the bottom of my Coleman canoe, not to mention the holes they made in the garbage and recycle carts.
    They also chewed on the siding of the house, chewed up the PVC base for the air conditioner condenser and even chewed on the aluminum caps on out chain link fence.
    My dog used to catch about one a week, but she has slowed down a bit as she gets older.
    Now it's up to me with a pellet rifle, of course Fofana, my dog assists me.

Page 4 of 7 FirstFirst 1234567 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check