How Do You Hunt Squirrels?

[just country]

morning, I watch the moon phase. the squirrels will feed on a full moon.

my weenie dog does the tree marking. 80% accurate marking trees with

barking. no problem finding squirrels. Ruger M77/22 magnum, 4x12x40

Redfield 5 star. green tip Remy ammo. all head shots. depend on the weather,

if possible overcast days, dew on the leaves, in morning, sunshine in the

afternoon. cool but no cold and windy. squirrels do not like wind. watching

my dog work is worth the hunt. I use a squirrel bark. squirrels r very nosey.

Lots of fun. squirrels brown gravy with noodles or rice. fry in fish batter

outstanding table fair. THK. Ulightbulbgun)

 

[hunterbob]

I'm sure glad I'm not the only one after the squirrels. I hunt with pistol and rifle only.

Stalk and sit is the only way to go unless someone comes up with a better plan.

I jumped on the .17 HMR bandwagon as soon at they hit the market after many years of .22 hunting. The HMR works great but is now a safe queen.

Then along came the .17 WSM and of course, I had to grab one. The WSM is the FINAL SOLUTION for squirrels. No crawl-off cripples, to say the least. Of course, head shots are a must, especially with the 20gr fodder I use. My rifle is a first generation Savage BMAG and is a great rifle.

I also ambush varmints while squirrel hunting, such as feral animals and coyotes. The WSM has proven very terminal and better than the HMR.

Last but not least, I also always carry my Browning BuckMark .22 for sneakers, the close squirrels that suddenly pop up too close for rifle scope focus.

I used to hunt with a 22 target pistol.... just never liked the idea of shooting squirrels with a 22 hornet in a tree.... didn't have a 17 back then... but whatever goes up comes down , someplace that is.

 

[Old Hickory]

I used to hunt with a 22 target pistol.... just never liked the idea of shooting squirrels with a 22 hornet in a tree.... didn't have a 17 back then... but whatever goes up comes down , someplace that is.

I make sure of a safe and solid background for my tree shots.

An advantage of hunting with .17 rounds is almost 0% chance of the bullet bouncing off the ground or limb and zinging off to who knows where. The frangible bullet is nearly explosive upon contact and leaves not enough bullet to carry any noticeable distance.

Also, obvious reasons for hunting with .17s are greatly extended range, lethality, and accuracy. The .17 WSM has finally filled my needs as far as small game shooting distances and ending any crawl-offs. It also demonstrates excellent killing power of occasional varmints I encounter while small game hunting such as large eastern coyotes and feral animals.

 

[hunterbob]

I make sure of a safe and solid background for my tree shots.

An advantage of hunting with .17 rounds is almost 0% chance of the bullet bouncing off the ground or limb and zinging off to who knows where. The frangible bullet is nearly explosive upon contact and leaves not enough bullet to carry any noticeable distance.

Also, obvious reasons for hunting with .17s are greatly extended range, lethality, and accuracy. The .17 WSM has finally filled my needs as far as small game shooting distances and ending any crawl-offs. It also demonstrates excellent killing power of occasional varmints I encounter while small game hunting such as large eastern coyotes and feral animals.

I got a deer feeder out about 125 yds and I bet that .17 would nail some coons and squirrels...

 

[hunterbob]

I'm not as good as Dad. I once saw him shoot an ol' gray squirrel running up a tree with an open sighted 22. I must've been about ten! I remember it like yesterday (31 now). Unfortunately I don't have the time I once had to shoot. I miss the simplicity of shooting close range with an open sighted 22. I love killin squirrels when they're in them hickories! Tons of fun! I like using a shotgun too.

I never could out shoot my Old Man, but those memories are something I have of mine. I know what you mean, but there weren't many good scopes when I grew up... open sites all the way.... But back in the 80's I have shot squirrels with a Ruger 22 semi auto pistol, (open sites) running up a tree.

My boy is in his 40's now, and reminded me of that, just the other day. He was around 8 or 9 back then. He asked me , what I did with that gun? I said, " I hocked it in a pawn shop for your first deer rifle." lol, I'm fixin to get another one though...

 

[Old Hickory]

I got a deer feeder out about 125 yds and I bet that .17 would nail some coons and squirrels...

It flat out will, and easy pickings at that range, Bob. I have killed critters a lot farther than that, including squirrels.

 

[hunterbob]

It flat out will, and easy pickings at that range, Bob. I have killed critters a lot farther than that, including squirrels.

I never though about that, but , I bet a 22 magnum would work as well. Ya think?

 

[Old Hickory]

I never though about that, but , I bet a 22 magnum would work as well. Ya think?

Might work OK but not so good. .17 shoots much flatter. I sold my .22 Mag because it did not match my .17 rifles as for accuracy. The .22 Mag rifle is a very nice older Winchester 9422M.

Checking .17 HMR and .17 WSM vs .22 Mag charts and videos gives you a pretty good picture why the .17 leaves the .22 Mag in the dust.

 

[hunterbob]

Might work OK but not so good. .17 shoots much flatter. I sold my .22 Mag because it did not match my .17 rifles as for accuracy. The .22 Mag rifle is a very nice older Winchester 9422M.

Checking .17 HMR and .17 WSM vs .22 Mag charts and videos gives you a pretty good picture why the .17 leaves the .22 Mag in the dust.

thanks for the info , old hickory

 

[Old Hickory]

thanks for the info , old hickory

You are most welcome, bob.

What really sold me on hunting with .17 rifles is real world hunting, not just what we read. And I do a lot of hunting. I have talked friends into buying .17 rifles and they are all very happy.

One pal that recently bought a Savage .17 WSM loves it and can hardly pry it from his young son's hands.

 

[Barrelnut]

morning, I watch the moon phase. the squirrels will feed on a full moon.

my weenie dog does the tree marking. 80% accurate marking trees with

barking. no problem finding squirrels. Ruger M77/22 magnum, 4x12x40

Redfield 5 star. green tip Remy ammo. all head shots. depend on the weather,

if possible overcast days, dew on the leaves, in morning, sunshine in the

afternoon. cool but no cold and windy. squirrels do not like wind. watching

my dog work is worth the hunt. I use a squirrel bark. squirrels r very nosey.

Lots of fun. squirrels brown gravy with noodles or rice. fry in fish batter

outstanding table fair. THK. Ulightbulbgun)

Back in the day - I used to hunt squirrels with a good dog also. Often times she would force the squirrel to the side of the tree I was on. I used a single shot 20 gauge.

And squirrel gravy is just wonderful!

 

[Old Hickory]

Back in the day - I used to hunt squirrels with a good dog also. Often times she would force the squirrel to the side of the tree I was on. I used a single shot 20 gauge.

And squirrel gravy is just wonderful!

Yeah on fried squirrel and gravy!

 

[just country]

morning, THK. U for the compliments. I forget 1 piece of equipment

I use in squirrel hunting. a small pair of bionoculars sp. they really come in

handy. 1 major thing that will give a squirrel away is his tail. THK U. lightbulbgun)

not to b disrespectful. the 9422M was not accurate. the 17 cal. ammo will fall by the

wayside as the 22Mag. has been scarce.

 

[Old Hickory]

The Winchester 9422M is certainly a fine rifle but didn't fit my needs for longer range shooting so I passed it along to a collector that was very pleased to have it.

Yes, binocs are certainly an important piece of equipment. I carry a pair and use them often. Using them in place of using your rifle scope to sort out a squirrel or another critter is much less range of motion for an intended target to spot.

I always carry my bellows squirrel caller and sometimes it works. A few weeks ago I called two out of their holes and popped them. Squirrel callers don't produce so often but for some reason work sometimes. I went home with 4 squirrels that day instead of 2. I saw only 5 that day and wasn't afforded a shot at that one. The two I called out of their dens, I was after those two for a long time.