Old School Squirrels

[antietamgw]

Nice job. I rather hunt squirrels than deer, though deer fill the freezer faster! That caplock looks like a ball. I use a .218 Bee, 25 and .32-20 and some bigger.30's, all loaded down and shooting cast bullets. It's a rare occasion to be able to get a chance at that many squirrels in a day. I envy you!

 

[Michael J. Spangler]

i loved taking out my caplock .56 smooth bore for tree rats.

i gave the smoothbore to my buddy though so now i'm back to my .410 (.22 is not allowed for squirrel in MA)

nothing like going old school on a squirrel hunt. nice job man. i wish the rats around here was half as big as that

 

[patience]

Nice job and cool pix. We have the fox squirrels here but there are more grays. Seems like every fox squirrel I shoot needs to spend time in the pressure cooker just b4 becoming soup. Grays are usually tenderer.

I shot one when I was a youth about 14 while I was out with my younger brother. He was tough as a groundhog. AN OLD ONE! we had to wrap my brother around a 6" sapling when we were trying to skin it 'cause I was dragging him around with it. And then I still had to put a foot against the tree to get enough leverage to pull the hide off. Still wish I had video of THAT.

 

[killahog]

Great pictures I am guessing to kept them on the hoof just for the sake of taking the pictures, but cleaning them is much quicker if it's done as soon as they hit the ground.

 

[BillR]

Have a place I shot squirrels on that was about 2 miles of heavily wooded creek bottom that was full of Walnut trees and where the tree's quit it was cornfields. Nothing to see 3 lb Red's. We had a rule. Head shots only. Used a self built .32 Percussion Kentucky Poor Boy that was one of the most accurate ML Rifles I have ever shot. Cost of building the rifle myself was around $200. Look on my buddies face when I made a 50 yard head shot on a big red sitting on a walnut tree branch eating a nut, PRICELESS.
Ended up moving away from the area and haven't gone down to shoot squirrels for about 10 years and now you have my mouth watering. We had a old log cabin on the place as it was an old family homestead and every fall a couple of us would get together and shoot squirrels on the weekend. Sunday night all the family's would get together and we had a old propane tank that was cut in half. Load it up with wood on Sunday afternoon and burn it down to nothing but hot coals. Put the grate on it and then we had three big deep fry pans about 4"s deep. Fill them about half full of peanut oil then cut up a couple dozen Reds and roll them in flower and cornmeal seasoned and fry them till they float. You would have grease dripping from your chin and a smile a mile wide eating that. Took a beer or two to do the cooking but man what a supper. Dam guy you just about got me in tears missing those days.

 

[BradArnett]

Thanks all for the comments. That is me who started this post. I was a member here since back in '06 but have been off for a long time and couldn't remember my log in info an just created a new account a few days back.

Here's what I was running this winter on tree rats. I LOVE squirrel hunting (grin) I've still got the same 'heeler and he's 11 now so I don't know how many more seasons he has left.

 

[Meat Hunter]

Can you say supersize my tree rats. Great shooting with the smoke poles.

 

[patience]

Thanks all for the comments. That is me who started this post. I was a member here since back in '06 but have been off for a long time and couldn't remember my log in info an just created a new account a few days back.

Here's what I was running this winter on tree rats. I LOVE squirrel hunting (grin) I've still got the same 'heeler and he's 11 now so I don't know how many more seasons he has left.

Great Picture! Can't wait for August 15th. I have a 14" Contender that I plan to use some this yr. Squirrels with a pistol is a real challenge.

 

[BIG1LOST]

My 12 yr. old girl and I just bought 2 chances on a Crocket 2 weeks ago at the annual ""RANGE DAY "" sponsered by the local muzzleloader club.I've been wanting a tree-rat gun for awhile now,but my girl went all slobbery over it!...I guess American Girl dolls ain't gonna cut it no more!!!................................GOOD!!!!!!!!

 

[ironmike]

I use a 32 cal black power it is fun to hunt black powe
I have a54 cal i use on deer all the time have not miss yet.

 

[Damol]

Old thread, but a good one. Glad it has been brought back again.
Has me thinking about trying a .36 cal revolver.
Should be alot of fun.

 

[LoneTraveler]

To me one of the greatest guns for squirrels is a Muzzle Loader. Built a 36 cal. then a 32 cal. better, Then I built No. 8 a 32 cal. with a custom milled 3/4" across the flats. Full length maple stock. Called it "Broom Handle". When I was young and hunted with a 22 rifle my grand father talked about all the squirrels they would shoot out of Chestnut Trees before the blight in about 1920. When I started hunting with a muzzleloader I knew what he meant. Killed my six limit of squirrels 3 different times out of one hickory tree when feeding. The secrets are shoot from the bottom squirrel and move up to the next. Have a tree big enough to stand behind so they do not see all the movement reloading. Had to give up No. 8 when my eyes changed and I could see 3 rear sights could not hit crap using any of the 3. Had to go back to 22 and scope.

 

[outback andy]

Yea squirrel hunting season is over now , just have to wait for September to come around again.

 

[hankh]

Howdy All;

Not truly late to the dance, just joined up a few days ago.
It 's fun reading the whole thread, fun seeing what folks do as a common
strategies and some local twists on the theme.
I never had a partner when I went, not even a dog, so when they would
get on the wrong side of the tree, I'd use a piece of cord (100'), not very
thick and tie it to a bush on one side walk around to a good shooting position,
give the cord a tug or 2, wait for dinner to swing around to my side ... pop.
Easy-pezzy.

hank