What Gun To Use

[gunfreak]

If you are shooting a 22 in a grove of trees with limbs in the background the chances of that round making past a mass of branches is very low. Know your background use low velocity rounds or a tube fed which eats 22 shorts like I do.

 

[hermannr]

If you are shooting a 22 in a grove of trees with limbs in the background the chances of that round making past a mass of branches is very low. Know your background use low velocity rounds or a tube fed which eats 22 shorts like I do.

My High Standard Olympic is shoots shorts only, and I have a High Standard Trophy with a Short only conversion kit. The most fun is subsonic .22 suppressed. No need for ear plugs.

 

[AMProducts]

I've dished out a fair amount of punishment to the local squirrel population over the years. I've used .22LR, .17HMR and .223, the .17HMR is by far the most destructive, however it's wound channel is fairly narrow and a gut shot will usually disembowel the squirrel. For .223 I usually use FMJ's or another non-expanding bullet. The main reason for this: the squirrels up on the ranch are very wary of hunters (as spitpatch said) and you're unlikely to get within 100 yards of them which has been a major reason why I usually use the .223.

However, I don't usually eat the squirrels, instead I use them for coyote bait.

 

[Spitpatch]

With reply to concerns and comparisons supplied here, I have not any experience with the SGB or Velocitor loads, but would advise that for meat for the pot, anything more destructive than a standard Long Rifle Hollowpoint (CCI Mini Mag is my preference for reliability and accuracy), would be counterproductive to an upcoming feast, unless the hunter made a severe self-restriction to head shots (and if that is the case, I'd opt for pure accuracy and leave expansion behind).

As to concerns of bullets flying to parts unknown when launched into the blue sky, these are well founded. Most often the stout tree trunk can be employed as a solid backstop. Ideally, one is careful enough on the hunt and stalk to catch Silver Grays on the ground in the Filbert orchard, prior to their mad scramble for the brushline.

As a frequent handgun hunter, I admire any effort to employ a good target .22 pistol toward Silver Grays, but your belly will wish for less admiration and more Stroganoff. One of the reasons my partner opted for the .22 Magnum was extended range. It is not unusual to be able to spot a Gray down a row of Filberts, at or exceeding the 100yard mark. Same logic would apply to any application of .22 Shorts. As stated previously, for continued reliable anchoring of these tough critters, precise shot placement is imperative. Even a mortally wounded Gray will often make it to the blackberry bramble, and therefore not make it to the stewpot. A hungry hunter wants them Dead Right There.

I sincerely hope the contributor here that mentioned using squirrels for coyote bait was NOT referring to Silver Grays. The equivalent would be halibut being used for shark bait.

 

[DeanMk]

Spitpatch,

I was one asking about the different CCI loads, so thanks for your comments.
The SGB was designed for pelt hunters and is basically the standard bullet with with the tip cut off flat.
Working on the theory that flat point bullets have greater shock value than their round nose cousins, I also have read that they tend not to destroy as much meat.
I've never known anyone who used them, so I was just wondering if they were as effective as the writers mentioned, when the loads first became available.
The Velocitor reads like the old .22 WRF load, so basically, you're getting near .22 magnum performance from an LR cartridge.
...also...
Since you hunt your squirrels for meat, I was wondering what you do with that meat, once the squirrels are harvested?
Humorously, I picture your family sitting down to dine on little tiny steaks, but seriously, do you have it made into hamburger? Do you chunk it for stews?...or......maybe this should be its own thread?



Dean

 

[jluck]

Spitpatch,

I was one asking about the different CCI loads, so thanks for your comments.
The SGB was designed for pelt hunters and is basically the standard bullet with with the tip cut off flat.
Working on the theory that flat point bullets have greater shock value than their round nose cousins, I also have read that they tend not to destroy as much meat.
I've never known anyone who used them, so I was just wondering if they were as effective as the writers mentioned, when the loads first became available.
The Velocitor reads like the old .22 WRF load, so basically, you're getting near .22 magnum performance from an LR cartridge.
...also...
Since you hunt your squirrels for meat, I was wondering what you do with that meat, once the squirrels are harvested?
Humorously, I picture your family sitting down to dine on little tiny steaks, but seriously, do you have it made into hamburger? Do you chunk it for stews?...or......maybe this should be its own thread?



Dean

I know question was not to me but....

We have cooked squirrel just like one would cook rabbit or chicken quarters. I love it pan fried. Just quarter and cook.

Oh yea... I still advocate using a 20Ga. shot gun especially if one is looking for efficient hunting and less of the "challenge", I have no problem with either method but like I said I truly cherish the meat so I want as many as I can get.

 

[JayDub]

This thread sure brings back some memories.

I was raised in the Western Wa. but had several occasions to spend some time with relatives in the Ozarks and there I was introduced to squirrel hunting... and it was some of the most fun I've ever had with a firearm. Most everyone I hunted with used iron sighted, bolt action .22's... I remember the Marlins being pretty popular.

The woods back there were comprised mainly of hardwoods, mostly oak with hickory and pecan trees mixed in... squirrel heaven. They had both Fox and Eastern Gray squirrels with the Fox being red in color but also larger and easier targets but they were not as highly regarded as the Grays for table fare.

Hunting with a partner was usually more productive... with one person remaining still and quiet while the other attempted to distract the prey, with the squirrels attention focused on this hunter it will eventually offer the other guy a shot. Some of the "tricks" I remember were to drag a stick up the trunk of a tree that a squirrel was hiding in, they would think something was coming up the tree and would usually break from cover. Also, when you are alone they will often keep you on the opposite side of the tree trunk no matter how many times you attempt to circle around them... find a good sized stick or rock and get your rifle at the ready. Toss the rock or stick on the far side of the tree and get ready to take a shot as the squirrel attempts to flee from this new threat.

My cousins showed me how to skin a squirrel quick with some kind of loop of string and stick rigging but I can't for the life of me remember how it worked. We usually had the squirrels cut up and chicken fried, squirrel and gravy... mmm! But my Uncles favorite dish was squirrel and dumplings and that was mighty tasty also!

Eastern Gray squirrels are a non-native species in Wa. but were introduced to our urban areas years ago and have been slowly migrating into rural Western WA. The last few years we always seem to get a few in our walnut trees each fall... as a non-native, invasive species I see it as my civic duty to dust off my squirrel hunting skills and secure the home front... I definitely don't want them moving into our Barn, shop or home!

 

[Spitpatch]

Silver Gray squirrel makes for exquisite table fare. As Jluck advised, certainly they can be quartered and pan-fried much as one would prepare chicken or more accurately, rabbit. However, just as it is possible to occasionally end up with a snowshoe or cottontail that is a bit tough and stringy (most often an older rabbit), so it is the case with squirrel. If by appearance I know I have taken a couple or more young squirrels, I will intentionally reserve them for the fry pan, as that is the very most direct way to taste the full flavor of a good squirrel. We have also experimented with boning into chunks, dipping in batter, and creating Squirrel Mcnuggets (in a deep frier). MMMMMMMMMM!

More often (and especially when the bag for the day is substantial), I will dress them and bone them, cut into bite-size pieces and do the aforementioned Stroganoff, construct a fine stew, or bake in wild rice (much as is a common recipe for pheasant). The meat is not as pure white as snowshoe rabbit, but neither can it be called a "dark meat". With Silver Grays' almost exclusive diet of fine ripe nuts, the meat absorbs and delivers their pure and tasty choice of nourishment. When cooking the "pheasant style" dish of wild rice and squirrel (floating in a gravy vehicle of Cream of Mushroom soup), I have also included chopped Filberts in the dish: A rare opportunity to simultaneously eat not only the game, but what the game eats!

Preparation from the field is identical to rabbit or game bird: dress and skin at earliest opportunity, rinse well with cold water, and place in a large covered bowl of salt water in the fridge overnight (this draws blood from the meat, and serves to tenderize as well).

 

[DeanMk]

Thanks Spit, sounds like there's a lot of ways one can prepare squirrel.
The cream of mushroom soup and rice dish sounds a little like a variation on something my mother makes from time to time that I call "Swedish Chicken".
It looks like Swedish Meatballs, being a combination of cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix with a little water and large pieces of chicken.
Brown the chicken first, then put in a baking dish containing the mix and bake at around 350 for something like 30 minutes (sorry, just now realizing its been a while since I've made this).
Steamed rice and chopped veggies (preferably grown in your own garden) for a side.
I suppose Squirrel would work quite well as a substitute for the chicken.


Dean

 

[SomeDude]

I have recently a Savage model 24D in .22 lr over 20 gauge. I've heard it described as a perfect squirrel gun. I like the fact I can use shorts in it too. I have zero experience hunting, but I'm wondering: Is there a case for .410 rather than 20 gauge to limit meat destruction?