How Do You Hunt Squirrels?

[Len Backus]

How much of a factor is scent and wind direction in your experience?

[wildgameassassin]

none, wind speed can be a factor

[joekidd]

I like to find a good stand of oaks and sit first thing in the morning until about 10 am, then slowly walking to catch squirrels cutting the acorns down and catch them by suprise. I never take anything but a head shot so I don't ruin any of the meat. I shoot a marlin 880sq rifle w/ rifle basiic trigger and a 4-12x 40 leupold scope and the very important 4" sunshade. I very seldom come back with less than my limit. I prefer to take offhand shots for biggame practice, but using a tree for support is usually the norm. It is one of my favorite kinds of hunting. taking a squirrel at 70 yards with a 22rf is like taking a 400 yard shot at a deer!

[Niles Coyote]

Originally Posted by Len Backus

I am watching the weather, planning to go out later this week. Meanwhile...how about a discussion?

1. What time of the day works best for you?
2. Do you sit or do you walk?
3. What shooting position is most common for you?
4. Do you ever use a call?
5. How much difference does weather make?
6. If you see 5 squirrels on an outing, how many come home with you?
7. Does your squirrel gun look as cool as mine?

1. I gennerally see the most durring the first 3 hours of day light and the last 3 hours of the evening.
2. I sit in a known area. If that doesnt pan out I will move through the woods slowly until I see some activity.
3. Hmmm, braced standing (using a tree as support) or a improvised sitting. Ive taken a few using prone with bipod on long range shots in open fields, but those are rare.
4. At times, Ive found that it will gennerally stop a running squirrel in its tracks, but doesnt bring them out on a day when Im not seeing any.
5. I hunt and see them in all weather conditions with the exception of days when the wind is high enough to move the trees. They seem to stay in the nest on those days.
6. I have I high hit probablity so if Im shooting and they are under 60 yards I'll have 5 squirrels with severe head trauma. 60-80 yards 3 to 4 with head trauma (depending on the wind conditions and how well I judged it). To date 85 yards is my current longest one shot, one head hit.
7. Dont see any pics of your set up. I'll snap one of mine asap. But Im using a ruger 77/22 target grey with a bushnell 5-15 mildot w/ external target turrets and Federal 711B match ammo. On that 85 kill (above) it was just after a heavy snow fall and very bright out using the 711b ammo I actually saw the bullet ark out and watched the impact, very cool! I dont think it would have been seen with out the bright white background.

[Slopeshunter]

How do I hunt squirrels?

I don't, I can't. In Alberta squirrels are considered to be fur bearers, and require a trappers license. I know of a guy who years ago went on a bow hunting trip, they weren't having any luck so one day he brought a squirrel back to camp and hung it up on the meat pole as a joke. CO came through camp, not sure if he wrote him a ticket or just gave him a warning, but I don't suspect he did it again.

This was back in the 80's, not sure if the rules have changed since, but that's what they were then.

[stxhunter]

i shoot them with a pellet gun in the back yard

[gremcat]

usually just sit on the porch in upstate new york and shoot them of the hard woods but if I get out in the woods where I hunt You tend to see 5-15 in one area of open hardwoods so you can just kind of walk til you see one and sone they are everywhere.I tend to use a marlin .22 mag but took one with a .22 lr at 65 yds and might use a .223 this year for some prone practice all head and upper body shots that way if you miss it goes under or over them and if you hit they just drop.Too many around to bother taking bad shots just kinda wait until it feels right and if not let them run away and in about 2 mins another one runs by