Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Floating squirrels

Several years back I was reading an article a guy wrote about squirrel hunting from a boat in Tennesee. Guy really had a way with words that made me really enjoy the story until he said that squirrels that fell in the creek floated. I stopped reading right there.

I've hunted along creeks all my life and have gone out of my way to not shoot one that would fall in the water. Even so, some have and I've never seen a dead one float. What's your experience?

I stalk hunt them along creek banks on some GMA land and have learned they sometimes WILL float right after they hit the water, but you best be gettin' to them in a hurry because they don't float for long!

when i float hunt i dont shoot at them tell they are over land

Depends on how deep and cold the water is. If it's too deep to reach in and find the squirrel, I wont shoot at it, or if its too swift. I've found that shooting them with a shotgun, you stand a better chance of them floating for a few minutes. Seems they immediately sink when shot with a .22. If the water is still warm, who gives a hoot... shuck them clothes and find them with your toes!

I've shucked the clothes and broke ice to find a squirrel. He made a hole in the ice where he went in.

Some times you shoot them over land and they don't fall until they get over water. Yea, some times I don't get them with the first shot.