Squirrel Hunting Techniques

[David R]

I used to find a hard woods with a hay field bordering one side. Walk the hayfield, slip into the hardwoods and sit down . Watch the action and shoot what you can. Leave the woods, walk down the hayfield a little and enter the woods again.

Gets many squirrels

David

A rifle scope on a rimfire is the best. I have a weaver 4-16 with adjustable parallax that works awesome for all shots.

[buck460XVR]

One thing I always yell folks new to hunting and fishing.........your best/favorite spot is only that till it becomes someone else's best/favorite spot. If someone else is kind enough to take you somewhere and show you a great place to hunt, don't be "that guy" and wring it dry. In the same token, be aware that anytime you show someone, even your best friend, a good spot you discovered on your own, it probably will not continue to be "your own" for long. Same goes for you, when you find a good spot. Don't burn it out by over hunting it and always be looking for someplace new. One never knows when a landowner will sell that spot or loggers will show up on public land and cut down the only good spot you know of. A successful hunter is always scouting for new areas to enlarge their portfolio. Just like experimenting with new techniques and tools.

[Pahoo]

One thing I always yell folks new to hunting and fishing.........your best/favorite spot is only that till it becomes someone else's best/favorite spot.

Well said and one point that we teach during the ethics portion of our Hunter Safety classes. Even though it's not illegal and permission has been given, When I am invited to hunt with a "friend", I have to respect that it is "his" spot. This respects is a two-way street. …..

Scenario;
Let's say that you have been invited by a landowner to hunt in his woods. You ask him about the rules and respect that he expects from you. So be it. Later you contact the landowner for permission to bring your grandson with you. The land owner says sure. If not handled right, the landowner will be contacting you, complaining about a bunch of guys showing up and you no have "your" best spot. This crap happens all the time……..

The last spot, "my" spot that was lost was because of my Bull-head buddy that ignored this rule. I specifically told him that we only hunt this area, together. Things happened and hated to do so but finally asked him if he had been out there by himself or with others. He said; yes but ?? !!! ….
Well, that was the end of that hunting buddy and almost our friendship.


Be Safe !!!

[Peashooterjoe]

I use Beeman R9s .20/.22 and R10s .22 air rifles, quiet and deadly. Also use BP .32 on late season to give them a chance. Calls are bellows type and tooth and paddle to sound like a squirrel cutting a nut. peashooterjoe

[arcticap]

I haven't shot at many squirrels at all with a .22lr.
Maybe a few, and I was impressed by using a hollow point with a Ruger 10/22.
But I have shot many, many more using a Remington .410 pump.
If a squirrel is moving around in the tree tops, or you have a chance to shoot them where you find them when they’re moving from place to place through the woods,
it's hard to beat the .410, especially for not peppering them with too much shot.
Also when a squirrel is hugging the top side of a tree branch, staying perfectly still and trying to avoid being seen, and all you can locate is a wisp of its
tail hairs blowing in the breeze with the help of a monocular, I'd take a shot at the underside of the branch to get it to move, and then the game is on.
As he'll bound from branch to branch and present himself with multiple moving shots, the .410 is definitely up to the task.
I made my choice a long time ago.
The .410 requires aiming almost like a rifle, can have a 40+ yard reach with a full choke, and doesn't allow very many to get away.
It allows the hunter to storm the location of a chattering squirrel from a distance after using some stealth to get into a closer position, even if it knows that you're coming, as long as its hole isn't in that tree.
Sometimes an Olt bellows type squirrel call can help with that, or can get them to start chattering when there doesn’t seem to be any squirrels out & moving about within a close distance.
And a .410 helps a squirrel hunter to cover a lot of ground, especially on state lands where not all squirrels are out of their nest at the same time.
I've even had squirrels fall and get stuck in the crotch where two branches will intersect up in a tree after being shot out of the tree top.
And sometimes just 2 or 3 well placed shots can dislodge the dead quarry and send it falling to the ground.
Yep, the .410 with 3 inches of #6 shot is good squirrel medicine.
Always make sure that the eyes of what you think is a dead squirrel are open, because if they’re not then the squirrel is only unconscious.
I learned that lesson once after it fell out of the tree tops and then when I went up to bag the critter, it suddenly woke up and bounded away.
Yep, sometimes squirrels lose their balance and fall out of the tree tops too when they’re being shot at.
There have been some moving shots that I’ve been fortunate enough to make with a .410 when they're trying to bound away from me through the tree tops that have even surprised myself.
I’m relatively sure that if a person is willing to give a .410 pump a try then the chances are that they’ll like it.
It promotes a little bit of a different style of squirrel hunting than with a .22lr.
It's a little more of an up close and personal style of hunting, that can involve more action shooting into the tops of the highest trees.
But not always as sometimes they're moving on the ground.
In some places, one needs to be as quiet as possible and tiptoe through the leaves.
At other times, you want to try to move with a few small short series of steps like a squirrel would make, so that any squirrel in the vicinity will think that you’re just another squirrel or a deer.
Some of the best deer scouting that I’ve ever done was while squirrel hunting.
That also helped to teach me to be a better deer hunter too, how to act like your quarry when in the woods.
And such as how to move through the woods and to be aware, to allow you to see the game before it can see you.
That's what it's all about. seeing the game first or reacting before it can get away.
Thanks to Remington for all of the squirrel hunting memories with their .410 pump!
One can only hope that there’s more .410 memories to come.

[David R]

I said earlier I hunted them with an OLD Savage 22-410. I shot one with the shotgun, it fell to the ground. I picked it up by the tail. I did not realize it was still alive. It bit my pant leg just above the knee and would not let go. I switched to 22 rimfire and held the gun with my left hand, pulling on the tail with the other hand shooting the squirrel in the head while it was still hanging on to my pants.

Another time I was using a Savage 17 Heavy barrel laminated stock. Sitting in the woods on a stool, my dad was not well at all. The phone rang. It was my mother. We were chatting. I said "Hold on" I picked off a squirrel running along a log with my 17. I returned to my conversation.

Thanks for the memories

I quit using a shotgun or my combination guns on squirrels when I didn't really need the meat. Just a rimfire rifle with a quality centerfire scope or a scoped pistol, like my High standard Victor or TC contender in 32-20 with light loads. I do the same for frogs.

David

[Drm50]

I use to use a 22/20g Sav early in season when leaves were still on. I got older and detest
eating squirrel that have been taken with a shotgun. Have used rifles for years 22s, 25/20
and 32/20. Always make a few handgun hunts with 22s. Using rifle or pistol you just have to wait longer for a shot. Ruger 77/22 is my serious squirrel gun, with 4x Redfield. I had a
compac 6x on it but didn't like the smaller field of view. Also have my old 10/22 with K3x
that 77 replaced. I also have a 39 Marlin with peep sights that I use late season when leaves drop.

[arcticap]

Here's a couple of partially black phase gray squirrels that I had mounted years ago.
They were shot on public land about 1 mile apart on different days of the week while hunting in another part of the state.

Black phase squirrels are not common here at all although I do have an almost totally black one that currently lives on the edge of my yard.

[Cheapshooter]

What's a good rimfire scope? I have a 10/22 already so I'd just have to stick a scope on it

I have a Simmons 22 MAG on my 10/22 Takedown. Quarter sized 10 shot groups @ 50 yards from a rest. The whole setup holds perfect zero even after having been broken down, and put back together. Including the scope in QD rings. Fills the same hole with another 10 rounds.
https://www.opticsplanet.com/simmons...ith-rings.html

[scottycoyote]

there are some really good squirrel hunting threads over on rimfirecentral.com, you should check them out

[GarandTd]

Squirrel hunting has always been a casual affair for me. Opposite of deer or turkey hunting. I always liked it because I could walk and talk and still have opportunities to bag some game meat. I've heard that squirrels that live amongst pine trees should be avoided as they taste like pine. I don't know that from experience though. I use a 20 gauge pump or single shot, but I've been thinking about trying with a 22. As has already been said, caution must be used as far as what is beyond the squirrel and where it is located. A stray 22 round will pose a bigger threat than some stray shot.

[David R]

Squirrels that hang in pine trees are smaller and red with a white belly. Just a little bigger than a chipmunk. They chase greys away and really do go for the males nust when fighting.

Its a riot to see.

David

Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk

[the possum]

I've heard that squirrels that live amongst pine trees should be avoided as they taste like pine. I don't know that from experience though.

Grandpa always told me to never shoot a squirrel that was eating hedge apples (Osage Orange). He said they'll stink and taste so bad the dogs won't even eat 'em.

[scottycoyote]

Squirrels that hang in pine trees are smaller and red with a white belly. Just a little bigger than a chipmunk. They chase greys away and really do go for the males nust when fighting.

thats actually a different species of squirrel youre talking about, i think the original poster was talking about grey squirrels that spend time in pine trees. Ive heard that too (a squirell you kill out of pines will taste like turpentine/chemical but ive never noticed a difference.)

[David R]

Yes scottycoyote, they are little red "Pine" Squirrels,

David

[unclejack37]

Wow, reading all these post brought back a lot of fond memories of growing up. I haven't hunted squirrels in about 40 years. I see a lot of of them on my farm in SC. I just might have to give em a try this fall.

[7.62 man]

You need camo on & a hat if you have light colored hair. Walk into the woods close to nut trees & sit down. It's best if it is a calm day because you can watch for leaves moving when squirrels jump from branch to branch. Be ready because they are fast if they have been hunted before.
The little .410 can take them out of the trees.

Or you can walk into the woods with a bow (like you are hunting deer)& they almost come down to sit in your lap. That is the way they do me. LOL