Squirrel Hunting

[HICKMAN]

.17 HMR faster than a .22 and flater shooting. I hunted for years with a .22 and shot alot of squirrels with it, but one I shot with a .17 HMR there was no going back!

thinking about getting one of these myself.

Is ammo hard to find?

 

[spearheadersarge]

Not hard to find, just more expensive!

 

[patience0830]

I have a 10/22. I've always been paranoid about having a scope because sometimes you have to raise, point and shoot as fast as you can. Sometimes you lose your target when you try to spot it through the scope that fast. Does that make sense? Or maybe I'm just paranoid i don't know.

If you're in that big a hurry to kill the little buggers, better take the shotgun.

I use .22shorts for the first couple of weeks. .22 lr and .17 hm2 the rest of the time. I use scopes from 2-8 clear up to 6-20x. AO is a plus. 4X on the pistols. I hunt here and in IL.

 

[mtb1981]

.22Mag or .17. You don't need much mass behind it, just an accurate shot.

 

[Cavman]

ill be shooting my savage 93r17 tonight just to double chech the zero. I cant wait for squirel. Think the weather is even suppossed to cool down a little next week.

 

[dtkw]

Why use firearm to kill squirrels? In my youth days, I just used a .17 air rifle and and it did the job at my mom's backyard. She hated those pesty things that ate her fruits from the fruit trees.

 

[Mackey]

Why use firearm to kill squirrels? In my youth days, I just used a .17 air rifle and and it did the job at my mom's backyard. She hated those pesty things that ate her fruits from the fruit trees.

I'm going to use a scoped Beeman .22 cal air rifle. I'll pluck them out of the trees like apples.

 

[Shootmore]

Shotgun with 6-8 shot would work

 

[shotgun0311]

I use a 10/22 with Williams fire sights works great.

 

[Hookeye]

Shotgun with 6-8 shot would work

I wouldn't go less than #6 shot.

 

[pipman]

We've been to Atterbury a few times and had no luck. We're thinking of going to Morgan-Monroe this weekend. Has anybody been there recently for squirrels? Where is a good place to go? I've never even been to the park before.

 

[jesse485]

I've used a Moss 500 12ga and an NEF 20 single. I think I prefer the 20, since it's easier to carry. I generally use #6 shot, there's just something about hunting with a single shot firearm that is satisfying.

 

[HICKMAN]

went out today and didn't see any. Had a decent bit of wind blowing around us.

 

[rgrimm01]

I started out with a single shot bolt action .22. Got bored with that and went with a single shot 12 gauge. Did not take long to get bored with that(is it even possible to miss?). Ended up using a .22 revolver.

If I hunted squirrels now, I would still use the pistol or get a Henry Golden Boy in .22 and use with the iron sights only(I had one of these in my hands a few weeks ago and it made me wish I still hunted to justify the purchase).

 

[chezuki]

Went out to Morgan-Monroe today and saw probably a dozen taunting us from the tree line and the shoulder on the drive out, and then ZERO once we got out where we could shoot them. As soon as we got back in then jeep, there was a grey perched on a stump about 5 feet off the road chewing on a nut. Had to resist temptation to wax him with the Glock as we passed.

 

[Mr.Lubie]

Went out this evening and saw a few,but no decent shot on them except for this one

 

[Indy_Hunter68]

Go with a rifled, slug gun. Pretend to hunt deer. You'll see no less than 300 squrrels your firts time out.

 

[DBoller]

I got five squirrels today, and could've gotten more if the bag limit was higher.

 

[patience0830]

We've been to Atterbury a few times and had no luck. We're thinking of going to Morgan-Monroe this weekend. Has anybody been there recently for squirrels? Where is a good place to go? I've never even been to the park before.

Just picking nits, but it's a state forest, not a park. We don't usually get to hunt the parks.

If you aren't seeing squirrels this year you aren't being sneaky enough. Get in b4 first light and sit down. Scout for cuttings beforehand if you have time. This w/e I shot 'em in hickory and oak. They've totally ignored the wild cherries in my yard this year. I did see one eatin' a walnut today.

Watch the trees and use your ears. You can hear them cutting, jumping from limb to limb, chasing each other through the leaves and up and down trees, as well as barking at you when they see you. Walk quietly and no more than six or so slow steps at a time. Look more, walk less. Try and stop next to a tree you can use for a rest. In the state forests close to the roads the squirrels see a bunch of shotgun hunters and are pretty educated. Make's it a challenge. Get farther off the road for the less skittish critters. It ain't like deer. You can carry 5 squirrels for a mile and hardly get tired. Take an interested youngster if you find a passel of the rodents and get him/her off to a good start.
Rifles rule! Shoot 'em in the face!

 

[patience0830]

Why use firearm to kill squirrels? .

Because it's legal, it extends my range, and with the .17 mach2 I don't get any crawl offs. Can't say that about a .177 pellet gun. Not that it won't do the job, but I'm shooting from 25 to 80 yds. Not the squirrels off the birdfeeder.