is it a good idea?
 

a friend of mine was wondering when he bowhunted if he could bring along a .22 with him to shoot a squirerel or two when he didint see any deer.
is this a bad idea to shoot squirrels during bow season and will it scare deer aweay from his stand for a while?
thanks

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I wouldn't say so. I've though of bringing along the rifle for coyotes etc....not squirrels, as shooting them all day long certainly would limit the deer I see. But the random coyote or two I see in the stand a season would be nice to have the rifle to take them vs, only the ones I spot at 30yds and give me a shot, which is pretty rare. But lugging a bow and rifle everytime seems like way too much. I'd stick to squirrel hunting on its own, and deer on its own.

I wonder if you cleared the woods of squirrels if that would leave way more forage/acorns for deer? cull the squirrels, cull the coyotes, have quite a deer population I'm guessing.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

allright thanks man

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Check your regs in your state. I'm not sure all states allow this.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I am an avid bow hunter and i would never do such a thing. First of all if he wants to kill some squirrels he could just use his bow, just take some small game broadheads along. Second if he is planning on hunting that spot often he will not have much luck. Deer in that area will avoid that part of the woods all together if he does that often. They may even be so stressed that they up and leave that area all together. I would say that it is a bad idea for sure!

RE: is it a good idea?
 

im pretty sure its illegal in Ohio.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

it is?

dangit

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Up here it is also illegal to carry a firearm while bow hunting. Even if it was legal, I don't think it would be a good idea. You are out there bow hunting for whitetails and that is what you should be concentrating on. Never forget the harvest should always be secondary to the experience. If an individual needs to bring home meat everytime they go out then where they should be going out to is the grocery store.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Even if it is legal it will pretty much insure you won't see any deer with in range of a bow. Either small game hunt or deer, doing both probably won't work out that well. Deer hunting with a bow is all about stealth, popping little critters with a .22 pistol isn't exactly stealthy in my opinion. .22 rifles are not all that loud, but the pistols are.

Paul

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Bad idea, illegal in many states.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

QFT

RE: is it a good idea?
 

QTF?????????

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Illegal in Indiana.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

problt illlegal here tooo.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Well put!

RE: is it a good idea?
 

During my scouting Im always looking for squirrel nests. This maks a huge decision on where Im gonna set up a stand. I dont bring a 22, but Ive been known to bring the pellet gun, or even shoot one with field point.

Im still waiting for some high frequency gadget to keep the birds away. It never fails, If Im hunting any thickets, as soon as the sun rises it sounds like Im in some type of bird sanctuary with them piliging through the very thickets Im huntng.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Illegal to carry a gun during bow season while hunting with a bow here. Patience is my only suggestion. You will be a better deer hunter if you concentrate on them rather than knocking off squirrels to pass the time. Being a good deer hunter requires concentration and patience......with some luck thrown in for good measure.:D

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I'm sure it's illegal in every state. It is for sure in my state. Just keep your .22 in the car or at the camp. If the squirrels are driving you nuts, then put the bow up and go after the bushytails. Sometimes I will bow hunt for a couple of hours, then get down and go to the camp and get my .22, and go to an area where there are plenty of squirrels, but an area I don't bow hunt. I love fried squirrel.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I don't know how you can focus on hunting deer, the game that can appear without sound in an instant and disappear just the same way while looking for squirrel those noisy rats with fluffy tails at the same time. IMO hunt the deer, then if you still want to chase the squirrely little critters, do it after the season when he also won't be screwing up somebody elses hunt with gun shots in the woods. Mature deer are a tough enough to the way it is. Focus on it or forget it.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

My suggestion is to bow hunt deer and focus at the challenge at hand.
Whether it's legal or not, it sounds like a bad idea.

Why introduce gunfire while trying to get a deer in close enough to shoot with a bow?
It just doen't make sense to me.

Don't mix and match.

Kinda like using a rubber worm ona fly rod.

Just my 2 cents.....Good Luck

RE: is it a good idea?
 

im notgonna do it trust me;)

RE: is it a good idea?
 

i know here in pa itsnot legal for sure its actually a pretty big deal from what ive heard cause you figure your prolly not wearing any orange and hunting with no orange is also no legal so he could get cought for more then one fine possibly just my 2 cents be careful no matter what he does be safe. :)

RE: is it a good idea?
 

i think that is a bad idea two becaus if you shoot the spurrils then you are takin a game that helps you spot the deer. when the deer come to your corn pile the squrril will start to fuss a lil bit which gives the deer away to let you no that the deer is near

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Pretty sure that is illegal in IL. And why would you want to kill your chances of getting a deer by taking out a few squirels?

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I know its illegal in Michigan and Pretty sure in Illinois. Ive been known to take a handgun pellet gun and take a few out or at least give them a warning shot in the ass to stay off the feeders (Only Michigan with the feeders) If you keep the end of the barrel inside the blind you cannot hear it outside. I'd say if you want to do anything, use a pellet gun. I know on the slow days when it is raining or crappy weather, ive been known to take a few squirrels out of the population.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

When I was younger I took out my blow gun a couple of times, I did shoot one squirrle, then after all the comotion I never did that again.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

I wouldn't personally do it, but i know guys that carry pistols while bowhunting known high population bear areas.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

i was thinking the same thing

RE: is it a good idea?
 

ROTFL

RE: is it a good idea?
 

omg lmao lololololol

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Illigal in wa too. You cant bring along a pistol if you archery or ML hunt.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

You should keep in mind that in MI a pellet handgun is governed by the same laws as a firearm handgun as far as carrying and transporting. I would check to make sure what you are doing is legal because if you get caught you might end up in a butt load of trouble.

Paul

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Paul, thanks for the heads up. I really don't do it that much anymore and never really carried a pellet gun on me, it just sat in the blind. Now a days, I don't mind the squirrels as much as I did on my earlier years. I play Sodoku when the prime hunting hours are over and getting a little bored so nowthe noises the squirrels make keep me on my toes and looking up every 30 seconds or so. I still don't like those little buggers but I have waved the white flag and learned to live with them. :)

RE: is it a good idea?
 

A low velocity 22 short like a CB makes less noise then a pellet gun. If you have a single shot rifle .22, use those rounds. If my morning is coming to an end and deer aren co-operating I have no problem taking some small game the rest of he morning. squirrells and cotontails make for some fine eating. Better than some old buck thats for sure.

RE: is it a good idea?
 

Sausage bucks! Id rather eat does all year long.