Guns for squirrels
 

What is the best gun to use for squirrels?
What kind of load?

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

There is no best gun for squirrel. Or best gun for any game for that matter. It's all in what you prefer. I use a 22. and 12 guage. All depends in the mood I'm in, if I want it to be challenging or just a quick hunt and easy meal. Is this your first time hunting squirrel? If so, try shotgun first, any guage will do. I'm about to go myself. I'll be using my 12 guage today. Don't have much time so this will be a quick and easy hunt, for me that is. Squirrel hunting is my favorite. I don't know why but it just is. I know a lot about squirrels, skills, tactics etc. I stalk them only. You get to see more game and find new areas. Oh yeah, the load....That depends on your gun. Say for my 22. Kimber, It's shoots best with CCI stingers. Buy a few different name brands and try shooting all them. That will tell you what load is best for your gun. Anything else let us know.

Squirrel Master

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RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I hunt squirrels I think forever I can remember. The past few seasons I have been using my Mossberg 835 Ulti Mag 12 guage pump shotgun, with a 28 inch barrel. I am shooting 2 3/4 inch shells out of it, hi power #4's. I have my full choke screwed in it right now, with all the leaves and also my shots are good piece a way sometimes. Everyone ask me why such a heavy load for squirrels. One thing I dont like a cripple, and second it gets out there and reaches for them long shots that other people say you cant make with a shotgun and drops them dead on arrival. Before I got my Mossberg, I have hunted with my Winchester automatic 12 guage, using the same loads with the same effect. I switched to the Mossberg when I started turkey hunting. It came with 4 different chokes, so it is now my all around gun. Any way that what I shoot them with, and another thing, it dont messed them up to bad at all.
Swampchopper

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

.22 with a 4x scope is the way to go. Does not scare other nearby squirrels. You can take longer shots. It does not damage as much meat. And it is more of a challenge. I have used both shotgun and .22 and I am sold on the .22.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I've got a question. Ive been reading everyone posts on here about hunting squirrel. They say when you shoot a shotgun while hunting squirrel in the woods, it scares the other squirrels away. I've come to the conclusion that its maily false. I just got back from squirrel hunting with my 12 guage mossberg 835 u-mag. I got 3 of them, all within 30 minutes, in the same exact area. They didnt run away for an hour or so. As soon as I got in the woods, I heard one barking, faintly, it was windy, he was about 30 yards in front of me, I shot him dead, then no more than 5 mintues later, another one, shot him too, then third one. I even shot 4 times in a row on the second squirrel because he was running. Then I saw one up in the tree, after all them shots, and got him too, with 3 shots. Pretty damn thick in their still. Ive been going thru this all season so far. Sure there are some squirrels that hide for a while or haul ass outa there till things calm down, but its not like they skip the country or somthing. And another thing about not shooting the first squirrel you see, why not? Its no different than what I just mentioned. Just because you shoot doesnt mean your not going to see any more squirrels. If you dont shot on the first squirrels you see, that very well could be the last squirrel or shot you see or have the rest of the day. And yes it has happened to all of us. Including me. Take every shot possible, you see a squirrel, take him out. Dont wait for other squirrel in the area to come out. Their already out, your just not seeing them all at one time. Last month, I had 4 squirrels in the same tree, I shot one of them, killed it, then the other squirrel came down the tree and started barking at me along with another one shortly after. They can care less about how many times you shoot in the woods. They want food. Shooting is not going to keep them from eating. I see this year after year. I know im not the only one seeing this. Do you all agree?

Squirrel Master

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I agree with the Squirrel Master. Very well said.
Swampchopper

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Anyone going to comment on this question?

Squirrel Master

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

any gun you can hit something with will take a tree rat(squirell)some days i take the 22 and give myself a challenge others its the 12 ga pump or semi and a modified with 2 3/4 6 or 7 1/2....or some days i will bust out the ole single shot 20 ga shooting 3 inch mags with copperplated 6's....squirell master i agree...me and my dad hunt within 100yds of eachother moving after ever 30-45 mins moving about 50yds or so...and when one of us shot it usually makes another squirell give itself away! i wounded one once and when my dad shot he cam crawling down the tree so i had to run away from the treee and shot it! i duno how he was in the same tree i was leaning on but it was him....full of copper 6's...within a 500yd range moving as we do we always get about 6-10 together...i dont think shots effect them much...they recieve no pressure at all except us at one spot we hunt(the one i described how we move) and thats the one we hunt alot because its close to home...maybe if htey recieve heavy pressure it might effect them but rat hunting isnt all too big for the most part...

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

i have second thoughts about using the 22 sometimes because if the shot is up a tree then i dont really like throwing 22s up at him for fear that they land on someone, but the chances are so low, the population density per square mile is less the 250 people, but it still pauses me sometimes

propmahn
you can never have too many guns

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I like to use my BL-22 with a Bushnell sportview red dot sight, and Win power points.

You can't eat what you miss!

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I've got a question. Ive been reading everyone posts on here about hunting squirrel. They say when you shoot a shotgun while hunting squirrel in the woods, it scares the other squirrels away. I've come to the conclusion that its maily false. I just got back from squirrel hunting with my 12 guage mossberg 835 u-mag. I got 3 of them, all within 30 minutes, in the same exact area. They didnt run away for an hour or so. As soon as I got in the woods, I heard one barking, faintly, it was windy, he was about 30 yards in front of me, I shot him dead, then no more than 5 mintues later, another one, shot him too, then third one. I even shot 4 times in a row on the second squirrel because he was running. Then I saw one up in the tree, after all them shots, and got him too, with 3 shots. Pretty damn thick in their still. Ive been going thru this all season so far. Sure there are some squirrels that hide for a while or haul ass outa there till things calm down, but its not like they skip the country or somthing. And another thing about not shooting the first squirrel you see, why not? Its no different than what I just mentioned. Just because you shoot doesnt mean your not going to see any more squirrels. If you dont shot on the first squirrels you see, that very well could be the last squirrel or shot you see or have the rest of the day. And yes it has happened to all of us. Including me. Take every shot possible, you see a squirrel, take him out. Dont wait for other squirrel in the area to come out. Their already out, your just not seeing them all at one time. Last month, I had 4 squirrels in the same tree, I shot one of them, killed it, then the other squirrel came down the tree and started barking at me along with another one shortly after. They can care less about how many times you shoot in the woods. They want food. Shooting is not going to keep them from eating. I see this year after year. I know im not the only one seeing this. Do you all agree?

Squirrel Master
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
I agree totally with ya, I would never even think to wait & see if there's more right behind him...I'f i see him he's mine & i wait till the next one comes strolling along....etc!!!

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Like master said in the beginning, there's not 1 certain gun that is best for hunting squirrels, it's mostly what you're in the mood for & your paticular style of enjoyment...
Personally i'd grab the ol marlin 60 (22LR) anytime before i'd use a shotgun for the simple fact i love to snipe them out of trees!!
Also My best bud that i hunt with always have a bet going on when we hunt together, & a nice clean headshot with a 22 is an extra buck not to mention a very nice challenge when the squirrel is at the top of a very tall tree or 100+ yards away!!!!
Definatly makes for great conversation afterwards...

Happy Hunting,
Mark

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I prefer a .22, I hate picking shot out of meat and dang it hurts when you miss a pellet and chomp down.

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RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I can't help you on picking the best gun, as others have
said there is a lot of personal preference as well as
situational demands that make it impossible to determine what
would be the best for you. Having said that I do have a
recommendation as far as ammo goes, if you decide on hunting
with the .22lr. You (as well as any small game hunter) owe
it to yourself to try the Winchester 40gr PP (X22LRPP I
believe). In my humble opinion it offers the best all-round
package, in my Marlin it is more accurrate, lower in price
and just as flat shooting (at my hunting ranges) as the
runner up in my gun, the CCI Mini-Mag. It really takes the
wind out of the squirrels sails without undo meat damage.

Upon reading Rednekhuntr's advice I am glad to see there is
someone else that shares my feelings on the ammo.
Good luck in your pursuit.
Chissel

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

IMHO Ole' Bushytail was custom made for a 22LR. What on it's a matter of preference and how deep one's pockets are. Shoot what gives you the best accuracy as far as ammo and I like a 3x9 scope. Some believe that a 9 power is a little much for a 22LR ,but I tend to disagree when one's trying to hit a target the size of a quarter at 40-50 yards trying to hide in the branches of a tree.
They are some of the best tune-up game for whitetail hunting and time spent in the woods for them pays dividends later on.
I like to hunt them by getting in the woods before first light and find a good confortable place to sit. As dawn comes they'll come out and I'll wait for 5 or 6 to get into range. Most times I can shoot one, then they all start making a racket ,then another and they'll become silent. Then I'll look thru my binoculars to find another, there is always one peeking at you from a niche in a tree someplace. I'll take that one ,pick them up and dress them and move on 150 yards of so and sit and wait again. Even with Blaze orange requirement I wear a camo face net and gloves , I really believe this helps alot, something about the human face. I also use a walking stick to steady my shots and never skyline my target.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I knew there had to be SOMEONE in here that wasn't all for squirrel hutning with shotuns, Ohio hunter is the man, all the way with the Marlin 60 .22LR! When i first started hunting squirrel i used my 20 ga. but later found out that this was much to easy and the squirrles had no chance,its much funner sitting and waiting for them to come up or calling them and plinking them with open sights on a .22



***SHOOT FIRST ASK QUESTIONS LATER***
--Jason

Edited by - jason_j_21 on 10/17/2002 14:07:23

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

As a youngster, I always used a shotgun. However, being a &quot;shooter&quot;, I like to make it as challenging as possible. I have several 22 rifles, all with open sights. I enjoy shooting all of them. My favorites are my BL-22 and an old REM 510 single shot (1938). I may not always drag out my limit, but I sure enjoy the hunts.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

It does not take a cannon to kill a squirrel. If you loke to eat squirrels as well as I do, you don't want them &quot;shot up&quot;. I use a 20 gauge with 2 3/4 high brass 6's until the leaves thin and then I go to a 22 with a 4x scope and use CCI 22 short hollow points. There is no need to use anything larger. I love the 20 gauge single barrel because it is short and light. When you do as much walking as I do you appreciate the light weight and short barrel. I killed 8 Thursday morning in 10 shots. Missed one that was running and had to shoot one twice. The other 7 were kolled in 0ne shot.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Glad to see someone who enjoys squirrel hunting as much as i do jason!
I do however have to disagree with the people who have said a using a shotgun in the early season while the leaves are still on the trees is best...Personally i think it should be the other way around if anything. I can agree it would make it easier to shoot a squirrel with a shotgun while its in a tree but also think it tends to persuade hunters to shoot at a cluster of leaves thats moving (not actually seeing the squirrel) as opposed to gettin a nice clean shot...Just my opinion though...As said before some people enjoy shooting shotguns, others like myself enjoy good clean kills with a 22lr...
If there is anyone in northwest ohio that would like to go hunting sometime let me know!!! [email protected]

Mark

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Has anyone noticed that there posts have dropped? Mine is at 0 right now. Wonder why? <img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>

Squirrel Master

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Squirrel Master,
I thought the sames thing. I was a couple shy of 300 and suddenly dropped to 274. Wierd, huh?

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I use a 1100 12_ga shotgun with 1 1/4 oz of 7 1/2 or a 10/22 with winchester wildcats.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I think I lost 3 or 4 posts maybe. It did this a while back also and I lost about 30. Some ppl lost all of theirs.<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Time to email the moderator I guess.


Squirrel Master

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I like to stalk squirrels with my bolt action 410 shotgun. Once the leaves are all down I'll switch to my henry .22

Guns cause crime, like flies cause garbage.

[Deleted]
 

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RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I go with my good ol' remington 581 .22. Currently i'm using Rem. sub-sonics for ammo. It's cheap, quiet in the woods when shot and is very accurate in my rifle. I very rarely use a shotgun, I just find it more challenging to pick shots out of a tree with a .22 then throwing a bead in the general direction and pulling the trigger. So in the early season, it's extra challenging with all the leaves. But it's still fun and that's all that matters!
&quot;You can't eat what you don't shoot at!&quot;

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

Everyone is talking about shotguns and .22's, but i would like to bring something new to the table. I just began hunting squirrels with the new .17 hornady. Bad to the bone!!!!!

RYAN SMITH

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

.22 Remington Model 33 with open sights. Got 4 today! Shooting CCI Stingers.

RE: Guns for squirrels
 

I replied to this topic and it didn't make it on for some reason. Everyone is talking about .22lr and shotguns. I recently purchased a .17 hmr. It is about 600 to 700 feet per second faster than a 22lr and the accuracy is incredible. A seasoned shooter with a 3x9 scope can easily make a 50 to 60 yard head shot on a squirrel because it is such a flat shooting little gun.

RYAN SMITH