Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game 2022 Squirrel Season

Anybody squirrel hunting? Post 'em up if you have pictures to share.

Got the first blood with my new pcp this morning. It's a Weihrauch HW100S .22 cal. Shooting the 18.13 grain JSB Heavies at 970 fps, put one of them through this ones brain from around thirty yards.

Beautiful .22 cal Philip!

I bought my 2nd pellet rifle last year. When I bought it, I had no Idea how far pellet rifle technology has come since I bought my first one when I was 9 years old that was 53 years ago. I bought a .177 cal and now wish I had purchased a .22 or .25 cal instead.

I ended up buying 6 around six different types of pellets to find out which brand mine liked. Pellet technology has also come a long way since I was a kid as well

Looks like squirrels are in a world of hurt around you and that beautiful pellet rifle setup of yours~

I'm hunting squirrels as I type this. I'm at 4 now. But only have 3. The first one I shot I haven't found yet. I think it's laying around here somewhere. The afternoon lull has set in. Need 2 more to limit. This was my second one this morning.



Edit:

I ended up staying until 4pm and never did find that first squirrel. I shot him at sunrise and it was dark in the woods. After I hit him he started flopping around like they do, then he collected himself and ran. I saw and heard him run down into a very shallow dry rivine. The I heard him stop. Figured he was dead. Combed the area three times and never did find him.

There's lots of mast on the ground, but still a lot in the trees. The squirrelsbecame active again around 2pm, but they were in the tops of the hickory trees. Didn't see any indication they were up in the oak trees. But you can't see them except a glimpse here or there, and maybe a shaking branch. But the cracked hickory nut pieces were falling down like rain. The trees here are still fully green, and fully dense. The only trees right now with the hint of color are the cypress. Otherwise, it still looks like summer in the woods.

Philip,

Tell us about that fine-looking knife and sheath.

Thanks, RS

Taking my cousins oldest boy in the morning. He got a new 20 gauge and wants to get some blood on it.

I am not a fan of a shotgun for squirrels but figure the kid may as well try his hand at killing.

Still a ton of leaves on and squirrels are traveling between oaks and hickory trees. Hard to get em killed with a 22 but I am managing a few.

Head shot squirrels do not collect themselves.

It's an A. G. Russell Gents Hunter from 1992.

Nice shooting Phil, hope you and the family are doing ok.

Hello JB; we're surviving okay at the moment. Wife is going to have a parathyroidectomy soon that should stop the calciphylaxis problem she's having. I'm getting the immunoglobulin infusions at home now instead of at the hospital.

Did some test shooting with the HW100 and acouple of H&N pellets. Baracuda Match 21.1 grain which shot acceptable groups, not as good as the 18.13 JSBs; and the 18 grain Baracuda Hunter HP, terrible groups, won't be getting more of those. The JSB Heavies are the champ so far. No hunting this morning, it was raining and the wind is blowing this afternoon. I want to get out in the morning.

👍

I will have to have that surgery at some point myself, but the PTH nor calcium levels are not high enough to warrant doing it yet. The sestamibi scans haven't shown any hot parathyroids so far. We have one of the best endocrine surgeons in the country locally.

She will feel like a different person after the surgery, it is an almost immediate reduction in calcium levels. Good luck to her it's a pretty simple procedure for a single parathyroid, beats the old surgery by a mile.

At least you don't have to travel to get the infusions, hope you improve.

Her PTH levels are stupendously high. Surgeon explained the procedure as removing all four then reimplanting a small portion of one in a neck muscle, it should reinstate normal function after a while. It's amazing how something so tiny can have such a large affect.

No hunting again today. Rain storms ended early morning and I have places to go this afternoon.

Get a second opinion if you can, the scan will show the culprit (s). Seldom are all four bad, they usually only remove the one()s) that are showing on the scan (they almost glow in the film), unless all four of hers have adenomas.

👍

You boys playing up the post count with the thumbs, why not put up some squirrel hunting pics? It would be just as easy wouldn't it? I know Rene squirrel hunts from reading his posts. How many here small game hunt but rarely acknowledge it?

Busted two this afternoon with the HW100. Spotted the first from around 30 yards and put a JSB 18 grainer through it's noggin then stood still a few minutes to see if any others were around. Saw nothing and moved around ten yards towards where the first had fallen and a second squirrel hopped into view. Safety off, quick aim and pfffft, number two on the ground. Both young and tender meat, fried squirrel for supper!

I just see one squirrel glOckhead

What, Luther ????

Not content to totally ruin just one forum with your 3rd grade level disruptions ???

Go back to the turkey forum and leave your stench outta the rest of the 'Fire.

Not hard to figure he claims he shot 3 squirrels and only shows 1 squirrel

Actually, I shot four. But reading comprehsion has proven time and again to be your weak point. They're fugging squirrels, Luther. I shot one, didn't recover it, shot another, and it took forever to get the picture upload since I had less than one bar where I was, and didn't take anymore. Golly. So you aren't satisfifed. Go figure.

So who the fugg are you, anyway, to demand anything from anyone? You are constantly challenging people to prove to you what they did on any given day while refusing to do the same. Aren't you the guy that claims to have killed 30 turkeys in one year? With no proof? Aren't you the guy that claims to have killed upwards of 1,000 turkeys, with no proof? You've taken Rick himself to task on this website. You've taken Shrapnel to task. You've taken Yoder to task. You've taken Pullit and Dean Anderson to task. Someone tried to communicate with you about some garbage you were hocking in the classifieds and you told him he was a brainless idiot and whatever trash you were selling wasn't available to him. You've insulted Shaman, the nicest guy anyone could converse with and who is battling cancer, you thought it was a good idea to attack him, too. And if you aren't causing problems in the forums, you're trying to flip your garage sale picks in classified for more than what you bought your trash for.

You see, Luther, no one likes you. You've been banned on just about every other website out there because you're an insufferable, hypocritical prick. For some reason, Rick has decided a shyt stain like you isn't worth banning form this website. But give it time. You're presence here has been like a dog with a diggleberry dragging its shytty ass across a nice carpet. Go back to your troll lair, the Turkey Forum, and limit your lies and malignancy there and try not to fugg up the other forums with your brainless assininity.

And you show one dead squirrel....I'm proud of you probably the first squirrel you ever kilt.

Better get your glasses fixed.....better yet get you some hunting lessons from them Hmongs.

I see you changed what I wrote and then quoted it to me. I actually wrote:


That's to be expected from you. There's no truth in you. You've been caught in so many lies on the turkey forum that its hard to count them.

And you would know about poaching, wouldn't you? Bet you know a few that you could hook me up with, "Mr. 30 Turkeys in one year." Or perhaps you've got some of your own poaching tips you could give.

LOL, you're a piece of work, boy. No wonder you've managed to get banned everywhere else. You haven't been banned here. At least you have no qualms about proving you're a dishonest bum.

All wrapped up in a tidy little nutshell.

Yep.

All wrapped up by two phOney bass'turds.....

I caught a limit of fish this day. Only long armed a pic of 1.

Same. Caught more than a dozen this day, only took a pic of one.

I will say, the warbles aren't as bad as I had feared. So far, only found one on one squirrel. Near my home all of them appear to have warbles. Where I 've been hunting, next to none. I went again yesterday and where I hunt there was a frost overnight. So that should make any warbles out there start dropping. Hopefully it will get the leaves changing, too. Still damned green in the woods with only the tip tops of the trees starting to show some color. I'm heading out to the Blue Ridge today. Hopefully, it will be more fall-like out there.

So that's a trOphy squirrel you got there......

Last time I checked you don't need bars to take pictures.....what'd you do with your 1 squirrel feed it to the coyotes that you also can't kill ?

Lol


I'm your huckle berry....


I never claimed to have killed 1,000 turkeys....I did kill over 30 turkeys in a year spring and fall.


I don't go to garage sales....I did sell a few items I got in package deals at my gun club flea market most I didn't make any money on. Is that any of your business ?


I've been a member of Double Gun forum since 2003....and I believe I have the highest post count over there. Liked by some hated by others.

Only shyt stains I've ran across are bOgus wanna bees like you and Yoder409....didn't you accuse him of shooting turkeys off his patiO ?

No, you're my dingleberry, remember.

And by the way, it's "huckle bearer" not huckleberry, dumbazz.

And you originally posted that you killed "almost" 30 turkeys one year. Now you say more than 30. Here's a tip, if you tell the truth to begin with. You dont have to keep your lies straight.

And by the way, this is the small game forum. Where's yours? Do you even have time to hunt while you're getting the highest post count on a doubles forum, where im sure youre mostly despised? Or are you just dragging your lying ass thru this forum, too?

Come on guys, show us some good hunting pics to look at, we can see fussing any time.

GlockheAd is not a hunter.....he wouldnt make a pimple on a hunters azz.

My 8 year old grandson has killed more squirrels than this idiOt.

Check out his posts....all he does is buy a bunch of guns (then thinks that makes him a gun X'spurt).....talks about hunting with them and never kills anything.

Then looses his mind when he gets cOtched....

Well, good morning, little buddy !!! 🌞

I see you've brought your master's degree in stupidity to THIS forum since you're not whoring any attention over in the turkey forum as of late. Keep upthe good work !!! Spread your wealth of dip-schittedness around for ALL to enjoy. 😉👍

You guys know Yoder409 was paid by the turkey hunting and choke tube industry for two decades....

But it's all tOp secret.

I was.

Not top secret at all.

Everyone who asked me that DIDN'T ask like an azzhole knows ..........

Nwtf water bOy....

Howdy, LFC boy. 8 hours ago when you posted your little tantrum, from behind 5 open pages of gay porn no doubt, I was hunting. You weren't. You were dreaming up more lies to tell. Because being a lying sack of [bleep] is what you do best. You've been caught in so many lies one would have to be an idiot to believe a damned word you write. You tell so many lies, you can't even keep them straight. So, post up proof of your "more than 30 turkeys in one year." You demand everyone prove everything to you. Now step up and give us some proof of your wild azz claims.

BTW, you've accused some of the best turkey call makers in America of not being hunters,too, since they wouldn't bow to your demands, then harassed them to the point you were banished from every turkey hunting and call making site there is.

This is how LFC acts on every forum he's been on, and why he's been banned from most of them. Not to be content getting banned from Old Gobbler, for one, he took his harassment of other call makers to Facebook.

LFC, I really think you need professional help.

Oh, and by the way Frank, when others were fighting with you and I thought maybe people were being mean to you without good cause, I graciously offered to meet you and take you hunting at one of my spots when you came to Virginia. Afterall, you weren't going to be far away, and even offered to buy you a beer afterwards. You turned me down, then you decided spit in my face and attack me. Because that's the kind of person you are. At that point, I realized, people weren't fighting you without good casue. They had very, very good cause.

I know, and it's pretty impressive.

LFC is up. He invaded the thread. His turn to show anything he's killed this season.

Yoder could show the turkeys you said he shot off his patio.....

And that's another LIE. I never said that. If you weren't lying, you'd never have anything to post.

So, I'm waiting. Luther. Where's any small game you shot this year? The title of the thread is "2022 Squirrel Season." Do you have anything to show? Or are you just going to criticize those of us that actually go outside?

He's just gonna run his mouth at a 2nd grade level and disrupt yet another discussion among good and intelligent folks. It's what he does. It's all he's got.

Would someone be so kind as to direct me to the 2022 Squirrel thread? Thanks in advance.

RS

I don't turkey hunt with idiOts...

Appears you don't hunt at all. Post up your 2022 kills, please. You came to this thread. Post them up. Maybe you could get your 8 year old grandson to show you how.

BTW, you and Rengade hooking up anytime soon? I heard tell you wanted to hunt with him. You gonna lie now and say that never happened?

LOL.

The Turkey Forum pariah. What an understatement. You seem to have achieved pariah status all over this forum.

As bad as the Hunters Campfire around here.....

Easier if a person doesn't acknowledge the mosquitoes.

Just pass their remarks and move along.

Have one that follows me around on here with smartazz remarks, I just move along.

Was out and about the creek bottom this morning. Seems that's where the grays are currently hanging. Saw several.

But those stupid red squirrels.............. !!!!!!!! I think that's gonna be priority numero uno when we get deer season over and done with. An extermination campaign on the little boogers.

The first place I ever saw red squirrels was in PA and I remember them being small. We don't have reds around here, though they may live somewhere in Virginia.

Got out for a while this afternoon; heard several barking but my hearing isn't very good so it was hard to tell what direction they were in. Spotted this one at around 35 yards peeking at me and the .22 HW100 drove a JSB

Heavy through it's head for an instant kill.

I like that rifle and the scope. I have a 4-12X40 AO Hawke Airmax on my Diana on a Diana Zero Recoil mount. It's the only scope I've had on that springer that will hold zero.

Nice to see someone killed a squirrel.

I was passing through Clarksville Tn. checking out a farm I'd hunted several times just over the Kentucky border I asked him he wanted to get a cup of coffee.

He said he couldn't meet up that day I'm guessing it was when his wife was sick.

I think I still have the pm you sent me about you thinking he shot his turkeys off his back porch you want me to post it ?

Is that one of the guns you charge with a scuba tank?

I have a Wayne Hendrix knife that looks to.be a match to your knife.

I see you came back into this thread just to disrupt it. But still no pictures of ANYTHING you've killed this year.

As far as the PM, you mean the PM where I wondered if those two turkeys were the ones that were coming to a back door? The one where you responded "probably." Go ahead and post it, AGAIN. You posted it within minutes of me sending it. One of the reasons you can't be trusted. But, nevewrtheless, I also asked Yoder himself about it. So, there's that. So go ahead. You did it once already.

BTW, Renegade is waiting for you in the sockpuppet thread. Not sure from the tone of his reponses to you that he couldn't meet you becaseuu his wife was sick. But if it makes you feel better.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...kpuppet-scumballs-invited-to-participate

Wish we didn't have them here. They're nothing but nasty little pests with no real value.

Please do.

Maybe then you'll remember WHOSE porch the birds were on and how close that was to where I actually hunt. You can't even get the facts INSIDE your lies right.

Why don't you go run down the back of some other forum's leg ?? Good, honest, intelligent people wanna talk here..........

We don't have red squirrels here, but we do have wood rats. They're pretty aggressive. I've seen them chase bigger grey squirrels off bird feeders. But they are good air gun targets.

I like fox squirrel tails.
For everyone one of those tails from this year I probably killed from 3 to 5 grays.

Me and slumlord had a blast going Pol Pot on gray,s out to his place while doing the roof jobs on his Bbq extravaganza area and his barn
" pics or it never happened" threads up in the gen forum from all of that a couple of weeks ago.

I use cheap 2.75" turkey loads on tree rats.
Punch thru canopy sorta schit...
Ain't out their for chow.
They do make good yote bait hung up in trees about 6ft off the ground after deer season.
Bunch of Squirrelcicles in the bottom of the freezer where the ole lady wont see em.
What she dont see wont freak her out sorta thing.
Just to kill the fuuukers in deer hunting areas and property damage schit at slumlords.

This is a totally staged pic too.
Just for photogenic effect, eye candy, and overall subject matter.
Any other benefits of it are just a bonus.
👍👍👍

There used to be some fields over by the railroad tracks that quite a few arrowheads showed up on after plowing every year. Most of that area is now a log yard for Louisiana Pacific's OSB plant.

Replying to LFC, yes, the rifle is a precharged pneumatic Weihrauch HW100S, fills to 200 Bar or 2900 psi. That knife is an A. G. Russell, 6-3/4" oal, about perfect for a small game knife.

#4 is better than #6 is better than #7 1/2. #8, which someone recently recommended, sucks on squirrels if you plan to eat them. At least at reasonable ranges, high velocity #4 will punch through leaves (if there are any left on the trees) and skin and pass through with a few mainly lodging under the skin on the far side. And the ones that may end up in the meat are easy to find. High brass #6 is okay, but go smaller and you're picking shot out the whole night. I only use a shotgun occassionally and only after the foliage is down. Easier to hit them when they are moving through the bare trees, but going deaf is no fun.

I have a light weight SxS 12 gauge and I loaded up some 1 ounce and 1-1/8 ounce of 5's to use in it for small game. 4's and 5's usually always penetrate completely through leaving no pellets in the meat. In a heavier gun than mine 1-1/4 ounces of 4's is a great squirrel and rabbit load. Up to 40 yards the lighter loads of 5's pattern great and kill surprisingly well. Every now and then I'll carry the old Stevens 16 gauge single shot that was my Dad's. The HW100S is new this year so I'll probably use it most of the time.

I have a new 20 gauge Browning BPS that I got last year before spring turkey season and have some #4s and #5s. Our foliage here is still pretty green and the leaves are only now starting to turn. So I'll stick with my .22 for now and switch to the shotgun when the trees are bare.

I grew up squirrel hunting....in the South squirrel hunting is a tradition.

Never knew anyone to shoot #4s at squirrels most shoot #6 and #7.5 shot.

Early season most shoot shotguns when the leaves are on and switch to rifles when the foliage is gone.

Doesn't make much sense to shoot a shotgun when the leaves are off the trees.

I hear they're extremely accurate.

You can use whatever you want, but shot smaller than #6 tends to just make a mess, unless you are shooting them for pest control and not eating. #6 is fine, but #4 usually cleanly penetrates and will knock them out of the crotch of a tree.

As far as hunting with a rifle, I do that most of the time when I hunt, whether there is foliage or not. But hunting squirrels in thick foliage with a shotgun, especially if you are hunting with fine shot in a game load, is pretty much a ticket to a wounded squirrel, if you hit it at all. I know some people do it thinking they can blast through foliage blindly at a squirrel but fine game loads already don't have a heck of a lot of energy on target and even less when they are poking holes through leaves. Rifles are superior to shotguns in thick foliage due to narrower windows and better accuracy. When the foilage is off, and you have much broader windows, it's pretty much just as easy to hit them with a shotgun when they are still, and way easier when they are moving. The only time I've wished for a shotgun when hunting in full foliage is whgen one bounds past me on the ground when I'm on my way in.

Lots of different opinions out there on what's best.

It does not surprise me that you would have it all backwards....

Sometimes when you do it long enough, you realize that there is a better way than what someone recommended in some Field and Stream magazine. You do it your way, I'll do it mine. I don't care to blast blindly through leaves with an underpowered fine shot load in hopes of hitting a squirrel. Again, if its pest control, it works. If you are eating them, nope.

Been a lotta years since I went squirrel hunting with a shotgun. But back then, the best places were stands of very mature hickory and oak. Start to do the Pythagorean theory (remember geometry class ??) on a shot to the top of a 75 foot tree that's 20 yards or more out.......... Now you're looking at a 30+ yard shot and squirrels can tend to cling tightly to life if not hit in the head.

I usually used #5 shot as a good and happy medium.

10Glocks I would never tell a feller how to hunt. If it's legal and makes him happy good on him then. But I've been hunting squirrels for over 50 years in a part of the country where squirrel hunting is a long time honored family tradition and I have never heard anybody use that line of thinking for using a shotgun. Your thoughts are exactly opposite of every squirrel hunter I know, and I know bunch of them.

Here, it is shotguns in the early season when the squirrels are constantly on the move in trees with a lot of cover and shots tend to be close. It's easier to sneak close in the early season with all that leaf cover and squirrels tend to be preoccupied with the early mast crop constantly running around and always on the move. A lot of guys use the .410 or 20 gauge with a load of #4,5,6 and a modified or full choke. Shots at this time of year are moving squirrels and under 30 yards for the most part.

Later when the leaves are down and visibility is much further the rifles take over. Now squirrels are on the ground a lot and shots tend to stretch out there to 40,50 or even longer yardages. They are harder to sneak close to when the cover is gone and the dry fallen leaves are like walking on bags of potato chips. An accurate scoped rimfire rifle makes sniping squirrels with headshots at longer range possible and a very fun game.

I'm at a point in my squirrel hunting that early in the season I either use a .22 handgun like my old S&W K22 or my Ruger Hunter semi auto. Or my very favorite is my old Marlin M39A lever action with a peep sight. That old Marlin just seems "right" in the big timber. Later when the leaves are down, accurate scoped bolt actions or my Ruger 10/22 Custom Shop Competition semi auto gets the duty.

Have fun doing it your way but you are 180 out from anyone I know. Not that that is bad, however it is different than most in my experience.

Thanks for relating your experiences. I've been hunting squirrels for nearly 50 years myself and started out with a shotgun then graduated to a .22 at about 12 or so. I only use a shotgun occassionally but have a new one I will be using this season.

I've read the articles and listened to the justifications and understand the rationale for a shotgun in heavy foliage and if some people prefer it, hey, good for them. I no longer do. I've hunted squirrels both ways and prefer the way I do it now. It has a lot of advantages.

I almost never take a shot at a squirrel I can't see well enough to hit with a .22. I've seen shotgun hunters watch the tops of hickories and oaks for shaking branches, catch a glimpse of a squirrel, then fire into the shaking foilage hoping for a hit. Or I've seen them take shots at scurrying squirrels hoping their shot will penetrate whatever they are shooting through. I've seen a lot of squirrels wounded from poor shooting, or trying to shoot through foilage. Wounding occassionally happens no matter what you use. But shotguns used poorly tend to be worse at it, especially if you're using light loads and fine shot. So I don't hunt them that way. I've never really had a problem waiting until a squirrel is visible and still enough to take with a .22 (thus the reason I almost always hunt with a .22 regardless of the time of year).

When the foliage is down, you have better visibility up high, and more light down low. And squirrels aren't always on the ground at that point. Often times, they do retreat to the trees and they are scurrying along branches. And the shots aren't as hampered by foilage that can suck the energy out of already weak pellets. I've taken countless squirrels from the trees when all the leaves and mast are on the ground.

As far as squirrels on the ground, I'm not sure where you hunt, but there is scarcely a difference here between the forest floor when the foliage up high is full and when it has all fallen. Except for lighting and leaf litter depth, it's virtually the same. Yes, there is an occassional young beech that has green leaves out near the ground that may block a view here or there, or a low holly that has green leaves year round, but for the most part, in mature hardwood stands, the forest floor is equally open regardless of the time of year. And the young beech trees tend to hold their leaves even after they turned brown and often times don't start dropping them until they are getting ready to sprout new foliage. YMMV.

On the ground, I rarely take a shot past 30 yards or so because in many cases, it's hard to see that far - an not because of foliage. It's because the mature trees are often times thick, there are fallen trees, and younger trees just don't make being able to see much further than that possible. When the foliage is on the trees and blocking a lot of light, it can be dark in the woods even at midday. A scoped .22 makes picking off squirrels on the ground easier. When the foliage is off, and there is more light on the ground, nailing them with a shotgun is easier.

The way I have settled on hunting squirrels, a shotgun and rifle are fairly interchangeable. I'm shooting at what I can see well no matter what I use. I'm not shooting at glimpses of squirrels in shaking foliage. If I'm shooting at a moving squirrel, I prefer a shotgun, but I'm only shooting at a moving squirrel I can see well. And I can see them best when the foliage is down. When the foliage is up and I'm hunting dark woods, I want a scope. On the ground, when the wooids are bright, it doesn't much matter since I'm typically not shooting beyond shotgun range with a shotgun or a .22. I've reduced wounding doing it this way, notwithstanding the one I wounded a week or so ago that I didn't find. And I am taking as many, or more, squirrels than I did hunting the old way.

I understand convention and often times when someone hears something that goes against what they've always know there is resistance to it. But I've done it both ways and find no disadvantage to using a shotgun late in the season if you hunt the way that makes it effective. And I've found advntages - a reduction in bad shots being one. In fact, I've known people that didn't own a .22 at all and only hunted with shotgun through the entire season and had no problems limiting. There's plenty of squirrels and it'ss not that hard and can be both enjoyable and very productive. What's that old saying? Don't knock it till you try it.

Acorns are falling right now, squirrels all over the place. Ought to shoot a few.

You are wasting your time telling this guy anything.

Let me ask you this, LFC, and try and keep it on topic.

Just what happens when the leaves fall that makes it such that a shotgun becomes an ineffective weapon for squirrels? Do squirrels only present shots at 50 yards or more when the foliage drops? Do they stop moving so that a shot on a leaping or running squirrel no longer presents itself? Does it suddenly become impossible to sit quietly near a food source and shoot them inside 30 yards? Aren't you able to shoot turkeys inside 30 yards in the fall and winter, or do you require a rifle for 50+ yard shots? Are squirrels harder? Haven't you taken a seat near a hickory tree and shot a squirrel on the ground, gotten up, retrieved it, returned to the same spot you shot it from and waited 10 or 20 minutes and then had squiirels come right back to the same area where you just shot the last one? Haven't you sat quietly in the late fall and winter woods after all the leaves are down and had squirrels rooting around just yards from you? Heck, I've had them root around nearly up to my feet, had them on branches over my tree stand, and had nut-eating wood rats go over my legs. What deer hunter hasn't enjoyed a clueless squirrel rooting around almost within arms reach oblivious to their presence?

And what's wrong with taking precision shots on squirrels up in trees with foliage? Is a hunter only supposed to blast shot into a shaking branch in hopes that something falls out? Are squirrels impossible to see in trees with foilage? Do squirrels never come down to the ground when the foliage is thick? Can you never get a 50 yard shot on a squirrel on the forest floor when the foliage is full in the tree tops?

The whole "shotguns for heavy foliage and rifles for when the trees are bare" is really just Field and Stream philosphy. Many people read and or grow up with it and it becomes gospel. It's a notion that is as traditional as squirrel hunting itself. It might be a good way to introduce little kids with low skill to the sport so they can have an opportunity to take a squirrel or two. But the truth is, both guns still have their respective advantages over the other, as well as their weaknesses, regardless of whether there are leaves on the trees or not. And squirrels don't suddenly become harder to hunt when the leaves drop. I happen think it's actually easier. And the myth that squirrels only present longer shots when the foliage is down is just that, a myth. In some places it might be easier to see far off squirrels when the foliage is down, but it's just as easy to take a seat near a food source, be still, and have them present them selves as close as they do in early season.

Like I said, I've known hunters that didn't even own a .22 and only hunted with shotguns. And they had no more problem limiting with a shotgun in late January than they did in early October.

Hunt as you wish.

Phillip, those red and black handled scissors from Harbor Freight are great for cleaning squirrels. I have the same and use them for the same purpose. They'll snip feet off easily. Sometimes mine bog down a bit on skin when trying to snip off the heads, though. I picked up a pair of Harbor Freight "Quinn" job site scissors, the big ones, that are also great. $11.99. No problem cutting through skin with them.

https://www.harborfreight.com/jobsi...medium=social&utm_campaign=shortener

I bought those particular shears, the Wiss Wezsnips, for the shorter blades. I've used several other game shears over the years and thought that the shorter blades might work better, so far I've been pleased with them. I could get by with just shears but I have plenty of knives and I want to use them too.

What you choose to hunt with is a personal satisfaction thing to me. From a slingshot to a centerfire rifle, there are plenty of weapons that can be used. Whatever is lawful, handiest, suits the area where you're hunting, etc., doesn't matter, show some pictures if you got 'em. I enjoy seeing them and I'm sure a lot of other's do too.

Those Pittsburg stainless snips from Harbor Freight look identical to the Wiss, probably are identical. The etched stainless steel marking is even in the same place. The ends of the plastic grips are shaped slightly differently. Genuine chineh

I've got several pair of those Pittsburg scissors. They are cheap, work, and have a lifetime warranty. There's a HF store pretty close and it's easy enough to just take tool back if it breaks and hand it off and get another. I've left them bloody and they haven't corroded. Good cheap tool for messy jobs. I just discovered the other shears. Hard to beat for the price.

I've been out a couple of times since that photo I posted and will be going out again on Friday. Maybe I will take my BPS 20 gauge. I've got a new supply of #4.

No one said or thought it was an ineffective weapon....a shotgun is a more effective squirrel killer.


Its called common sense.....with the foliage off your shots are clearer.


My first real gun was a Remington single shot Targetmaster .22 with iron sights I was turned loose with it behind our house with it when I was 8 or 9 years old at first I killed more birds and animals than Audubon (not something I'm proud of)....it was a mile and a half to a rail road track to the west of us and 5 or 6 miles to the first gravel road to the south nothing but hardwoods....I kept a tally of the squirrels I killed every year with the tails nailed inside our barn.

I've been a rifleman ever since....it takes more skill to kill a limit of squirrels with a .22 rifle.

Years back every year I used to go on a opening day squirrel hunt at a big WMA on the Mississippi river with bunch guys...I always took my Winchester model 75 Sporter with a 3-9 Leupold AO compact....got my azz dusted every year everyone else shot shotguns. One year I showed up with my shotgun and I dusted their azzes.

There's just something about hunting with a .22....

I didn't get into the woods until just before 8 am. Sun was coming up. It's still plenty green in the woods except for the tree tops. Walking to my spot, I find this girl and another squirrel chasing each other around a beech tree. I tagged her. Tried to get a double on her dancing partner but it took off down the slope behind the tree. So it's the only one I got today. By 9 am it was pretty windy with gusts to 25 mph. It had the trees swaying and creeking pretty good. By noon it was dying down some but the clouds were darkening and by 2 pm it was misting rain so I decided to come home. I did tree another one in the top of a medium sized loblolly pine on the main trail out but couldn't get anything like a clear shot, so it lives another day.

This is the Browning BPS I bought last spring and haven't really had a chance to do anything with yet except pattern it. I was using Winchester Super X 1 oz #4 at 1,220 fps. I shot this squirrel at somewhere between 25 and 30 yards. All pellets passed completely through except two which I found under the skin at the hips. One pellet broke the hind leg between thigh and the foot. No blood shot meat. I'm pleased with these shells. And while this 28" 20 gauge shotgun is loud, it's not ear splitting like my Ithaca 26" 12 gauge.

I refuse to use a shotgun. Have done it many many times before but I don't like the chance of busting a gut in them. Also don't care for the noise.

Had 3 or 4 squirrel hunts so far this fall, killed 1 squirrel, saw a dozen or more each hunt. Had to pass on many due to leaves but once they fall and once most squirrels are sitting around cutting nuts I will get after them again.

Little boogers stay up in the leaves getting nuts straight off the trees instead of having to get on the ground for them.

No doubt I could have killed a half a dozen each trip.

Not knocking a shotgun as it is the most useful and will no doubt get a guy more game in his bag but I have gotten to the point where observing nature has really taken over.

Like my squirrels head shot with a good 22 HP.

They both have their places. But like you, I won't shoot unless I have a clear shot. I refuse to shoot into foliage where I know one is cracking nuts hoping one falls out, or through heavy sticks and sprouts hoping some pellets make it through. And I don't think I shoot at them really any further away with a .22 than I do with a shotgun. Maybe sometimes, but not often. The little things only sit still for a second of two.

IMO, the trick with a shotgun is shot size and keeping ranges reasonable, and shots open. I've used everything from BBs to #8. Anything bigger than #4 will bloodshot meat and anything smaller than #6 just makes a horrenous mess. Good for killing but not good for eating. I like #4 for the reasons above. Out to 30 yards and maybe a little past, for the most part it will just pass through. The only blood shoting will be to thin areas, like the ribs, or just right at the entrance. It will not obliterate a heart or liver like a .22 shot that is a bit off.

All your concerns of shotgunners shooting through leaves and thicker cover in hopes of killing a squirrel and only wounding it instead has nothing to do with the weapon and everything to do with the hunter. That same hunter that doesn't take clear shots with a shotgun won't take clear shots with a .22 either. That hunter will shoot beyond his capabilities with whatever the weapon and will wound game regardless.

Oh, I agree. It's up to the hunter. But I think for the most part most hunters will take a more careful aim with a .22 than with a shotgun. Lots of people just blast into brush with a shotgun. Youtube has many videos of guys pointing shotguns where they think a squirrel is and shooting.

Here's a guy who makes respectable duck hunting videos giving it a go for squirrels. Two shots into thick cover and two wounded and lost squirrels. This is what too many people think a shotgun is for when hunting squirrels. Every squirrel hunter looses a squirrel now and then. But this is just reckless.

Fast forward to 1:57 and 7:28. But I think you're right, some .22 hunters would have taken these shots as well.