Squirrel Hunting Tips

[soup]

Doesn't sound disgusting... I've always been good at cleaning fish and its never really bothered me. I just didn't know if anything was different between fish and game

[str8shooter]

Originally Posted by roland

Gutting most animals is just like gutting a fish. You flip it over, start at its ass and cut to its throwt. Grab the stuff inside and toss on a bush. Done. Birds are different, you can make a cut between its legs, sideways, on the underside, and hook your finger and dig it out, or wait till you get home and just cut out the breast meat, the latter is what I usually do. This might sound disgusting, but it's a part of hunting.

If you want to cook them "cowboy style" on a spit over an open fire, after doing the above, just gird the neck and feet (i.e. cut a ring around them deep enough to just get through the fir and skin) and then hold the head and pull down the fir. It easily strips right off the body, slips over the feet, and right down to the tail. Then just jam a spit through it neck to butt and roast away. It works for putting them on the grill for us "urban cowboys" just as well.

As a kid I used to try "tanning" the hide with sal and a few household chemicals (pre-internet days obviously) because I'd have a complete pelt and had thoughts of making something cool out of a bunch of them, but always ended up with a stiff, smelly animal hide that mom would never allow in the house.

[RandomTask]

Tip: See a squirrel, aim, pull trigger.
Hunting squirrels is like shooting fish in a barrel.

[Seventy4Blazer]

Originally Posted by RandomTask

...like shooting fish in a barrel.

umm...

i thought mythbusters said that wasnt so easy... but i could be wrong...

[str8shooter]

Originally Posted by str8shooter

It was kinda like shooting fish in a barrel

I didn't say there was water in the barrel

[ccphilly1984]

Originally Posted by str8shooter

I can't believe I forgot to mention the most important tip.

If you want to attract a lot of squirrels. You just go into the woods and act like a nut!

LOL! i do that all the time... how come it doesn't work?

Originally Posted by str8shooter

I didn't say there was water in the barrel

ROTFL!

damn i wish i could add to your rep, but i have to spread it around... add me some rep for the thought, which counts...

anyways... i wish squirel hunting were legal in pa with an air rifle... but if it is on your land, is it considered legal? I mean it is home self defense if the squirel is trying to invade your property? I'd rather hunt squirel with a bb gun because not many pelets like a shotgun and no risk of a stray bullet going a long way like a rifle.

[dogngun]

I have a tip: Find a good, accurate .22 rifle that you can shoot well, nothing too long or too heavy, with iron sights. Get a set of "see-through" mounts for a 1" scope. Mount a 4X deer scope in your .22, sight it in for iron sights at very close range (maybe max of 10 yards), sight the scope in for 30 yards max. Practice with it till you are very good using standard velocity .22 ammo ,whatever shoots best. Don't bother with high velocity or even HP's, cheap solid bullets will be plenty.
Find a good spot to sit in a place that looks "squirrely", bring a few snacks and a bottle of water, stay from early light till late PM to see where they are at what time of day.

Don't take it seriously, have a good time, good hunting.
They are great for stews when you get a few of them.

mark

[Dredly]

the trick is to go into the woods and LOOK like a deer hunter... the little shits will come flocking in to ensure that there is no possible way you could hear a deer move...

then shoot them all!

[Poonie]

Best method I found over the years to hunt squirrels is to still hunt them, just like you would for deer. Much more productive than sitting in a likely spot and waiting them out. Yeah you may see a few while sitting, but I guarantee you will see more if you walk. By walking slowly through the woods, stopping every few feet to listen and look, you will be crossing many more squirrel territories, than by sitting in one spot.

Also, you don't need to be head to toe camo to sneak up on a squirrel either. Back in the day you could do so but now its illegal to wear full camo for squirrels. You want to be seen so it causes them to head for the nearest tree. Most will only go part way up and stop, their inquisitiveness gettin gthe best of them.

A rifle in .22 LR or .17 mach 2 is a good choice. Leave the 12 gauge home unless you are a crappy rifle shot. You don't need a scope but it helps to pick out a squirrel's head in a leafy tree as in the early season. 4X is good. Get one with a good objective lens though. Those BB gun scopes with their little 25mm objectives are a waste. You will spend all your time trying to center the animal in the scope and will lose more than you get.

[soup]

Stupid question.... when hunting squirrel in the WMU 5c which is one of those "special regulation" wmu's can you use a 22lr? or must you use a shotgun like you would for deer etc?