Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game 22lr for Squirrel

I don't remember where MOG is. If I hunt on our place I have to pick my shots. However, in 20-30 minutes I can be where I wouldn't have to worry about it and I'm in Phelps County, SE of Rolla. As MOG mentioned, lots of Mark Twain Natl. Forest down here and a lot of it is EMPTY!

We used to turkey hunt around Duke. A guy could walk for miles in that country.

Need to get back down there some time.

I don't understand the rational for not allowing hunting squirrels "from above". Explain?

Sort them after they are dead. Fry the young ones and make dumplings with the old ones. miles

My sons have really honed their woods/hunting skills by getting out in the woods for squirrels. That said you won’t find me out there until the temps drop below 90.

Like Ingwe, I am one of those guys that would travel to another state strictly for bushy tails. I am also in that camp that will only go after them with a .22LR.

Having said that, I grew up hunting squirrels in The People's Republik of NJ. It's the most densely populated state in the US. You had to use a shotgun on everything from squirrels and rabbits to deer. It sucked, but it was either that or no hunting at all. Funny thing is they won't let you hunt doves - my other favorite critter to hunt - at all. I moved out of there as soon as I had the chance in my early twenties and never looked back.

I'm in my mid fifties now and maybe that's why to this day I hunt with a .22LR every chance I get. I refuse to pick up a shotgun for anything without feathers and am a .22LR nut. Maybe I'm trying to make up for that wasted youth.

At any rate, I pretty much use subsonics for all my small game hunting. Lately I've been using Eley SS HP's, and find that they are deadly even on the huge jackrabbits they have down here in NM. Hit em right and they go down like they've been struck by lightning. I'm also a big fan of SK and Wolf. With solids, I try to limit myself to head shots though.

I'm retiring soon and plan on doing a lot of fly fishing, dove and squirrel hunting. It's just too bad there aren't a whole lot around here so I'm going to have to do some traveling - but hey, I'm willing. . .

It has something to do with not altering the wildlife. Deer didn't used to look up for predators. Now you have to be 12-15' or higher to escape notice. (This is what I was told by ODNR)

No disrespect, but it would drive me crazy. I had a buddy that was struggling with turkey hunting. He begged me to come turkey hunt his farm with him. He has 350 acres several counties north of me. I heard traffic noises, dogs barking, doors slamming, people voices, tv's blaring and we walked out the one big ridge on the farm listening for gobblers in an hour. We ended up in a pop up blind on the edge of a field. I couldn't wait to get out of that blind, drove me crazy. The entire experience of farm hunting just leaves me cold.

I see deer, turkey, coyotes, bobcats, elk, black bear and plenty of feral hogs where I hunt. I hear elk bugle, coyotes howl and owls hoot. I seldom hear a man made sound. No way in my lifetime can I hunt out all the ground I have available to me. There aren't fences, I walk until I'm tired and need to head back to the truck. It's what I'm used to and anything less has no appeal to me. I say that respectfully, we all have different experiences, preferences and different things available to us.

Well I hate to break it to them but squirrels already "look up" for danger. Hawks being one of their primary predators. . .

Duh...


" Biologists"....

Yeah, I know. Owls too. But it is forbidden here. Wish it wasn't, I counted 15 last time I was in my oldest treestand.

I hate to break it to them but if I wanted to sit in a stand and shoot a squirrel I would be doing just that.

I have never run into a game warden on my land, but I have run into them elsewhere. Do as your conscience and your wallet dictate.

Luckily we don't have a reg like that here in Missouri.

The problem with their regulation is that they say from above.

So does that mean you can only shoot if they are in a tree?? Several instances where you will or could be above a squirrel if you are on the ground.

These lawmakers need a reality check.

Naw, they just want the hunters on the ground. I didn't quote the regs word for word. It says to the effect of "not from an elevated platform".

I get the feeling that this law is in effect more for safety reasons than animal behavior. They're probably concerned with people on stands sending bullets down towards the ground where people may be walking around.

Is it a real concern? I don't know but it makes more sense than altering a squirrel's behavior by shooting at it from above.

Yep...

That's all you need. I miss the squirrel hunting I could do in southern Michigan. Up here there are grey squirrels, but only in town. I don't know why. In the woods all the squirrels are red squirrels. They are tiny and there is no closed season. The squirrels I take are from opportunities while hunting grouse, so they are with a shotgun. If I had a chance at real squirrel hunting I'd be using my CZ452.

I moved from the Soo to NM a little less than two years ago. I used to go down to hunt squirrels with a buddy from Traverse City every year because of the same reason. No grey squirrels other than in town. I did used to shoot the reds on my property. Little destructive bastards were always trying to get into my pole barn.

When I lived in Maine I would keep my Ruger 2245 with a Leupold scope in the dining room by the big picture window overlooking my bird feeders. There were days when I'd kill four or five in a few hours.

Doubful. I can use ANY rifle for squirrels, and I can use my deer rifle from that same stand for deer. Same conditions apply about people.