Originally Posted by
john1984
I've been hunting with a pellet gun for well over 10 years now,,, I have had to shoot the squirrel more than once to get them to die unfortunately... wounded squirrel goes up the tree, throw my back pack on the other side, squirrel comes on my side , I shoot em again, and get em. Several times a squirrel goes inside the tree in a den,,, I take a big log and beat the trunk very hard, and sometimes the squirrel comes out and I get em. I have had to chase some down unfortunately with the air rifle.
Hey Jake , I see you hunt with a shotgun, how many squirrels have you had to shoot @ more than once ???
If you have a good hit on them, they usually drop out of the tree pretty quick.
But leaf cover, height of tree, distance, etc makes a big difference.
The benefit of a shotgun to me is:
#1 I like shotguns and have/had a bunch of them. I've probably owned 50-75 shotguns. Back when you could get single shots cheap I bought every single shot I could find under $100. Which was a bunch of them lol. One as low as $3. It needed the hammer replaced as it has broken off. $12 from Numrich had it back in service.
#2 I like "small game" hunting. Rabbits, squirrel, grouse, pheasant etc. And often my days will consist of sitting early for squirrel then walking brush rows and field edges for other game. I can carry a shotgun and cover all that.
#3 (And this one may be controversial or make me look bad....) I don't have to wait for a perfect clear shot, as I would with a rifle or air rifle. If the squirrel is partially blocked by leaves, I can probably still get it. As long as I can can verify it's a squirrel and it's a safe shot- I don't need a completely clear head shot.
When a follow up shot is needed... Again it's far easier with a shotgun than trying with a rifle.
Benefits of a rifle are it teaches you patience, waiting on shot angles, accuracy and teaches you to shoot better. I also used to hunt with a .22 allot. To me, sneaking through a block of woods with a .22 is great practice for deer season.
-Jake