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What Gun To Use
- Thread Starter HuntingCherokee
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The one that you shot best
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.38 wadcutters.
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- Thread Starter
- #5
Within 30 ft.
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Open irons.
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20 ga.
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I would shoot Iron sights.. but Mortar Maggot has it right.. whatever you shoot best.. One of our rabbits got lose today, just so happened it was butchering day anyhow, but it felt a lot more 'sportsman' like shooting it while it was on the move rather than stuffing it in a box and shooting it.. 
I took the shot at about 25 feet, iron sights, with my Henry lever action .22.
I took the shot at about 25 feet, iron sights, with my Henry lever action .22.
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I tend to look at it like this, if I'm shooting up a tree there better be a good background behind the bushy tail or the .22 is out and the shotgun is in. On the ground the .22 is fine, but I don't relish the thought of flinging even the little deuce-deuce into the horizon. A good spread of #4 or 6 will take them easily out to 40 yards+, and they're easier to obtain than .22's right now. One has to be a pretty bad shot to miss with a two foot wide spread at that range. Running shots? Once again the shotgun reigns supreme. If I were heading out this morning for some squirrel, the 12 gauge would be my 1st consideration, but this morning my dancing partner is my bow and the elk are calling my name.
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+1 on the shotgun if shooting at anything not on the ground.
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I REALLY like this idea, but I would consider a light 20 ga. or some .410 load.I tend to look at it like this, if I'm shooting up a tree there better be a good background behind the bushy tail or the .22 is out and the shotgun is in. On the ground the .22 is fine, but I don't relish the thought of flinging even the little deuce-deuce into the horizon. A good spread of #4 or 6 will take them easily out to 40 yards+, and they're easier to obtain than .22's right now. One has to be a pretty bad shot to miss with a two foot wide spread at that range. Running shots? Once again the shotgun reigns supreme. If I were heading out this morning for some squirrel, the 12 gauge would be my 1st consideration, but this morning my dancing partner is my bow and the elk are calling my name.
I mean, it's just a freakin' squirrel (
)Dean
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Pellet gun
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Looks like the .45-70 is coming out to play. Take that, squirrels!
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That's funny, but I actually saw a squirrel ripped in half by a .30-30.
Went deer hunting with a friend, once.
The friend had never hunted before.
Basically, he got bored and wanted to shoot the gun....so he did.
That was the last time we went deer hunting.
Dean
Went deer hunting with a friend, once.
The friend had never hunted before.
Basically, he got bored and wanted to shoot the gun....so he did.
That was the last time we went deer hunting.
Dean
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I REALLY like this idea, but I would consider a light 20 ga. or some .410 load.
I mean, it's just a freakin' squirrel (
Dean
Get them before they get you!
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Silver Gray Squirrel hunting can be one of the most fun hunts ever. Here in my neck of the woods, the chase occurs in the Filbert orchards (Hazelnuts for the marketing division oriented). Farmers here tell me they write off the entire two exterior rows of Filbert trees on any orchard as a total loss to squirrels. The squirrels actually live in the brush drainages and woods that border the orchards, and conduct "swift insertion raids" into the Filbert orchard to seize the booty, then beat feet to the heavy brush and tall evergreen trees nearby. On the east side of Mt. Hood, and down the Willamette valley, they will be located in the oak groves.
They are very intelligent critters, and become very wary when pressured. Their bag of tricks includes flattening out on a branch to the degree that they become part of it, and almost invisible. They can maintain their position constantly on the opposite side of a tree trunk from an enterprising hunter trying to get a shot. They employ a community warning system of vocals that convey to all their compadres in the raid that it is time to scatter for cover when a hunter is sighted. On an orchard that has not been hunted recently, the first kills will come relatively easy, and for the inexperienced, it is easy to begin to believe this is the proverbial turkey shoot. Once the word gets out to the community of rodentia, kill rates drop off dramatically (even though the population has been barely touched).
As to weaponry, my preferred choice is an accurate scope-sighted .22 Long Rifle, loaded with RELIABLE Hollowpoints. I have discovered that a majority of hollowpoint Long Rifle ammo cannot be trusted to expand every time. CCI Mini Mags are the stalwart in this regard, and happily are quite accurate as well.
Silver Grays are not a diminutive or delicate animal, and can be quite hard to kill. Never pull the trigger unless it is absolutely certain the bullet will impact the head or heart. Failing to adhere to this admonition will repeatedly result in lost wounded squirrels. Later in the season when "the word is out", and a majority of squirrels one is fortunate enough to see are speeding through upper tree branches, I will carry an over-under Savage with a 20ga barrel on the bottom. This is a last resort, as I do not prefer my Squirrel Stroganoff to be seasoned with Number Sixes.
A hunting buddy has gravitated toward the .22 Magnum (and he is a meticulous adherent to proper shot placement). His preference rests on his belief that on a heart/lung shot he is granted a small margin of error by the added power. He will admit the downside of often losing some shoulder meat on the far side. I believe the .17HMR would be entirely too destructive: after all, these little nut-chompers are a delicacy to be savored for every single morsel of tasty fare they provide.
The hunt is pleasant, usually easy traveling along the edge of the orchard, walking very quietly and stopping to listen more often than one might be inclined. Selecting a sturdy Filbert trunk to rest against, a seat on the ground for a half-hour or so can be very productive, as the Gray Ghosts begin to settle down and think all is normal once more in the neighborhood. Of course, camo clothing (and even face-paint or head nets) is very advisable: This hunt should not be discounted as anything less than very serious, and deserving of all effort toward success. A haphazard attempt will quickly result in the hunter knowing (by sound) he is a laughing stock to the local denizens. The squirrel with the visual will announce, "The idiot's right there! Right there!", and then neighbors will acknowledge the message and join the chorus. The hunter may hear six or seven squirrels and be unable to see even one.
Good luck! It's a kick in the butt!
They are very intelligent critters, and become very wary when pressured. Their bag of tricks includes flattening out on a branch to the degree that they become part of it, and almost invisible. They can maintain their position constantly on the opposite side of a tree trunk from an enterprising hunter trying to get a shot. They employ a community warning system of vocals that convey to all their compadres in the raid that it is time to scatter for cover when a hunter is sighted. On an orchard that has not been hunted recently, the first kills will come relatively easy, and for the inexperienced, it is easy to begin to believe this is the proverbial turkey shoot. Once the word gets out to the community of rodentia, kill rates drop off dramatically (even though the population has been barely touched).
As to weaponry, my preferred choice is an accurate scope-sighted .22 Long Rifle, loaded with RELIABLE Hollowpoints. I have discovered that a majority of hollowpoint Long Rifle ammo cannot be trusted to expand every time. CCI Mini Mags are the stalwart in this regard, and happily are quite accurate as well.
Silver Grays are not a diminutive or delicate animal, and can be quite hard to kill. Never pull the trigger unless it is absolutely certain the bullet will impact the head or heart. Failing to adhere to this admonition will repeatedly result in lost wounded squirrels. Later in the season when "the word is out", and a majority of squirrels one is fortunate enough to see are speeding through upper tree branches, I will carry an over-under Savage with a 20ga barrel on the bottom. This is a last resort, as I do not prefer my Squirrel Stroganoff to be seasoned with Number Sixes.
A hunting buddy has gravitated toward the .22 Magnum (and he is a meticulous adherent to proper shot placement). His preference rests on his belief that on a heart/lung shot he is granted a small margin of error by the added power. He will admit the downside of often losing some shoulder meat on the far side. I believe the .17HMR would be entirely too destructive: after all, these little nut-chompers are a delicacy to be savored for every single morsel of tasty fare they provide.
The hunt is pleasant, usually easy traveling along the edge of the orchard, walking very quietly and stopping to listen more often than one might be inclined. Selecting a sturdy Filbert trunk to rest against, a seat on the ground for a half-hour or so can be very productive, as the Gray Ghosts begin to settle down and think all is normal once more in the neighborhood. Of course, camo clothing (and even face-paint or head nets) is very advisable: This hunt should not be discounted as anything less than very serious, and deserving of all effort toward success. A haphazard attempt will quickly result in the hunter knowing (by sound) he is a laughing stock to the local denizens. The squirrel with the visual will announce, "The idiot's right there! Right there!", and then neighbors will acknowledge the message and join the chorus. The hunter may hear six or seven squirrels and be unable to see even one.
Good luck! It's a kick in the butt!
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Spitpatch,
You seem quite well educated in squirrel hunting.
I was just wondering if you had any experience in using the CCI SGB and Velociter loads?
Dean
You seem quite well educated in squirrel hunting.
I was just wondering if you had any experience in using the CCI SGB and Velociter loads?
Dean
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I still say that shooting into the horizon with anything other than a shotgun without a good backstop is bad business. Yes a pellet gun can be used safer than a .22, but I'll not advocate shooting a .22 aloft, as those without the obviously vast hunting experience of Spitpatch may get the wrong idea. That in my humble opinion is not the way those new to squirrel should be led.
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Before you shoot, be sure of your backstop
One of the first rules of shooting.
One of the first rules of shooting.
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Yep. If you are shooting a .22 or any other rifle/pistol, you need to know what is up to 3 miles in the direction you are shooting.
That said, I prefer an accurate .22 pistol, ( High Standard, Buckmark, Colt woodsman, etc.) and position myself to use the tree as the backstop.
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