Does anyone else sit in their deer stand and shoot squirrels after deer season?
I do and love it. Sitting in a comfortable box stand, thermos of coffee and a propane heater, it’s almost like cheating. Haha
I’ve watched the guys in England set up feeders and blinds just to shoot gray squirrels with their air rifles, I just use a suppressed Rimfire.
I’m actually thinking of buying a Vudoo 22 rifle just for it.

The feeder idea isn't bad...they'll keep coming and coming. Got a guy here in town with a high dollar pellet gun, match pellets and a feeding station exactly 20 yards from his window.67 squirrels at last count...( they are considered an invasive specie here, with no protection.)

I’ve killed 6 at a time, including a full albino at one sitting. It’s something to do w/o the phone ringing and people constantly talking. I love squirrel and dumplings too, haha.
Swap the tails to Mepps for Roostertail spinners.

I kind of like them around because they liven up an otherwise pretty sterile woods. There was a time that I'd go in early and de-squirrel the areas where I deer hunted. Then I realized that being a squirrel is a pretty mundane existence and for them to see a deer coming is probably one of the highlights of their day and they are going to chatter and tell me about it. Squirrels are like an early warning system in my deer woods. Here at home they are welcome to eat all of the tens of thousands of maple seeds before all those seeds turn into maple saplings in the lawn.

Squirrels have been getting a pass from me since I got my crossbow. If I'm in the woods and there's a deer season open, then they're what I'm chasing. Not a huge fan of squirrels as table fare either, so I've sworn off. Wish we had more rabbits about, though. They are definitely worth the trouble!

I have occasionally done it. I have shot three squirrels with a rifle in my whole life. one with a .38/40, a second with a scoped .257 Roberts, and the last one with iron sighted .35 Remington. I believe in using enough gun, LOL!
But rimfire hunting does sound like a lot of fun.

Illegal to hunt them from above, here. But ground blinds work just fine, especially with either acorns or corn nearby.

The squirrels where I deer hunt have been at war with me (or at least my deer stands) for a decade.
Meaning - the Little bastards chew up any wood and foam on my deer stands, and run the tree’s and start barking at me because I am in their way.

I started carrying sub-sonic rounds to protect myself

Illegal to shoot squirrels from a tree stand? What is the purpose of that law?

Turn your cell phone OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eat lots of squirrel. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Probably illegal to shoot tax collectors from a stand too, huh? Who was it that said Strong drink can make you shoot at tax collectors,...…………..and miss? That guy would be red flagged these days but I think he is gone. Lots of the good guys are! Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Years ago, when tree stands first show up - a couple of them were shot during Squirrel season.

Who knows...

does anyone but me sit and use a squirrel call.. I can usually kill my limit in about an hour if I am in a good spot... it is better than walking all over the mountain and scaring the squirrels away ..

Squirrels and woodpeckers entertain me and help me stay alert on stand, along with the flocks of assorted "do-it" birds scratching around in the leaves. I run into squirrel hunters in the parking lot of "my" WMA all the time, but seldom see any with squirrels in hand. I almost always see a bunch when I just sit still for a bit. That's how I used to hunt them, the same way I hunt deer,

Any truth to the rumor that squirrels taste bitter when killed in Winter?

I don't know about them tasting any better when killed in the winter, but I am seriously considering a squirrel safari in the first month of 2020. The farm I deer hunt on, is overrun with big old fox squirrels.

Fixed it up for you.


To the OP though, yes I do. I enjoy sitting and stalking them quite a bit.

I've killed squirrels and coon while deer hunting. I carry this in my pack, break it out when I see a squirrel close by or a coon walking under the stand. It doesn't make enough noise to matter. Well, I guess if there was a deer close by, it may spook'em, but it's pretty quiet. I shoot Rem Subsonic. They don't hit that hard, but do kill.

Last coon I shot was at around 30 yds.out in the food plot, headed toward the box blind. Hit him, he growled and bowed up, giving me a full broadside. I hit him again and he ambled off in the woods to die. Dead coon and I didn't have to drag him out of the food plot, best of both worlds.

DF

Sorry for the delay. I've been too busy to waste much time here.
The purpose is to keep squirrel acting like squirrel. Deer didn't used to look up much, then looked higher and higher. It's learned behavior, and ODNR doesn't want it to affect any more game animals.
Other than a bird or two, squirrels don't have natural predator from above, so it is considered unsporting and unethical. Hence, the rule against doing so.

Whenever I am deer hunting from a stand I usually think I could have killed a limit of squirrels easily today but then when I go back and actually start shooting them they learn pretty quickly to stay away from my tree.

I used to shoot them with my bow while deer hunting. I had bought an old bear black bear round wheel bow and it was so accurate I would head shoot them with blunt tipped arrows. But only out to 20 yards as that bow was so slow you could almost out run the arrow. Wish I would have kept that bow just for small game hunting. I once took a grouse's head right off with a blunt tip at 15 yards. I have it to my nephews son and he killed his first deer with it. His brother is using it for deer this year. That bow has to be 30 years old but still shoots true. Just not very far.

I used to shoot them with my bow while deer hunting. I had bought an old bear black bear round wheel bow and it was so accurate I would head shoot them with blunt tipped arrows. But only out to 20 yards as that bow was so slow you could almost out run the arrow. Wish I would have kept that bow just for small game hunting. I once took a grouse's head right off with a blunt tip at 15 yards. I have it to my nephews son and he killed his first deer with it. His brother is using it for deer this year. That bow has to be 30 years old but still shoots true. Just not very far.

I have tried it on stands where I saw a steady stream of squirrels while deer hunting. Never killed more than a couple when I sat the same spot. I have better luck moving slowly through the woods.

I’ve killed 6 in one sitting with my suppressed rifle from one of my enclosed blinds. It’s kinda cheating but it’s better than being stuck at home. Haha

We've used blinds before. It works fairly well (relative to walking or stalking) as long as the area has sufficient food.

Gonna sit in my pop up ground blind after deer season with the CZ-455 in 22LR and squirrel hunt. Haven't seen any deer yet this season from the blind but the area is crawling with squirrels.

if you just sit still, you won't need a blind.

think imma try this with my 10 yr old son and his CZ 455 scout along with the sparrow threaded on the end saturday morn.
Big Ed

Do it pretty often. Especially when my kids are with me. Suppressed with subsonic and the deer don’t even have a clue. Have shot squirrels with deer within 50 yards. Never even looked my way

............... Thread Update - Spent the afternoon in the blind a couple weeks ago and only saw 2 squirrels that were both out of 22LR range. Perhaps they've changed their routines a bit since November when they were all over the place within 25 yards of the blind. Got until Feb. 28th before the season closes and I might give it another try.

Last year I hunted out of a stand I had never used before.
Come to find out it was a squirrel canoodling area and prime canoodling time.
I have never seen so many squirrels in one area!

Several limits within sight.

I carry a deer/pistol pistol when squirrel hunting and a squirrel pistol when deer hunting. But I don't sit in stands.

Many tasty creatures love a grove of nut trees.

A suppressed 22LR would make October bowhunting more interesting. I'm cheap and impatient so this year I may just opt for some quieter loads and try it anyway.