Squirrel Hunting - Shotgun vs. .22

[OldManSchmidt]

If you don't know the area well and are going there for the first time, I'd recommend taking the shotgun just to avoid bullet travel in case of a missed shot. Get to know the area (again in case you have never been there) then jump to the .22 when you are sure there aren't any roads, houses, etc nearby that you won't have to worry about.

This is why my 20 ga. has always been my default squirrel gun.  Back in my younger days, I used to hunt a patch of woods where I could actually see the houses in the distance.  I knew shot wouldn't make it that far, but a bullet certainly would.  The trade off was that I had to remove shot from the squirrels before cooking or risk broken teeth.

[ksdon]

I squirrel hunt that same way I hunt deer .
Find an area they pass through often
sit down and wait . early morning from sun up till around 9 . all thats needed is a good air rifle or a 22 single shot with some shorts.
the gun shot wont really scare them for long  and other squirrels will actually come to see what the noise was.
when deer hunting during squirrle season I tend to use a 50# pistol crossbow with a fishing rig. this allows me to shoot and retrieve the squirrel  from my tree stand.

[4bull]

I shot 109 squirrels from my deck last year , the best shot i had was 83 yards head shot with .22Lr.
Scoped ,the time of day and how far out they are ,i use SSS .22's,shorts ,longs ,or Lr's.
if you have the eyes and the hand a .22 is hard to beat,but you got to call your shots and know where that bullit is going to end up.

[American freak]

Is it possible to hunt squirrel with birdshot from a. 12 gauge.

[4bull]

YES, and you can still miss them ,LOL.
i knew some guys who hunted Quail with  a long bow.

[Call]

I hunt squirrel in a populated area that demands the use of the scatter gun. I must be the greatest squirrel hunter of all time, because none of the “shotgun issues” listed here ever apply to me.

I’ve never shot a squirrel (I use a single-shot 12 ga. with #5 shot) and had it turn into “hamburger”; at most I find ½ dozen pellets in the critter and they are easy to pick out based on the visible entry wounds. In fact, the pellets are usually just under the skin and easy to wedge out with a kitchen knife or fingers.

I’d guess that out of four or five squirrels I get I might miss maybe one pellet that is in the meat.

[joeandmich]

Where I live in Miami it's illegal to discharge a firearm in public. Wouldn't a high powered pellet gun work better to shoot several squirrel's before they know what is going on?

Joe

[jim124816]

It is good in gumbo or stews.  My grandmother boils the heads and picks out the tongue and brain.  It's been years since I have tried the heads but once you get past the yuck factor, it's not bad.  You can fry it like chicken (not my favorite) or roast it.

[jaseemtp]

I grew up in deep south east Texas, where every one went squirrel hunting.  Depending on where you are hunting them would.  Where I hunted there were ALOT of very tall pine trees and since so many people hunted them they would run and rarely would you find them sitting still.  So my weapon of choice would be a shotgun.  Plain and simple, they are running and it is easier to hit them.  Also most of the time you are pointing up in the air, shotgun bbs do not travel as far as a 22 would, helping to minimize the possibility of injuring anyone down range from you.  Just my 2 cents.
Jason

[jim124816]

I grew up in deep south east Texas, where every one went squirrel hunting.

Grandma and Gandad are in Jasper County in south east TX.  I started with a 410 single shot for the same reason; they run when they see you.  It wasn't until we got a Good dog that I transitioned to a 22.  A good dog will get a squirrel to slowly rotate around the trunk In your direction.  The added benefit is that they will usually rotate around the trunk so that a slight miss puts your bullet into the tree and not the sky.

[AmericanExces]

I've used both shotgun and .22 to hunt squirrels. Recently I've been favoring my 10/22, atop which sits a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 scope. I like using a .22 for all the reasons people have been posting, plus there's an added sense of difficulty I get out of making rifle shots on rats.
Back when I hunted with a shotgun I used a cheapo Stevens model 67, 20 gauge; last time I had it out I broke the follower so I obviously won't be using that again. If I were going to take a shotgun out this year (and I still might) I would prefer a 20 gauge. I feel like a 12 throws too much lead at that small a critter. I've also gotten this wild hair about hunting them with a Taurus Judge. Don't think that will happen this year because I don't own a Judge or have one in the budget, but if anyone on here has done such a thing I'd love to hear about results.

[RedBeard84]

gun I would pick 22 over a shotgun any day for same reason people said above. ease of cleaning. Over a gun I would use my bow with a judo tip for pretty much any small game. fast, quiet.

[Deping]

I prefer an open sighted (Browning Lever action) .22 at any time for squirrels. If I'm going to use a shotgun, I prefer a .410 -- usually a single shot NEF pardner -- loaded with 11/16 oz of lead 6s.

[carbon]

This is a great post since me and my wife are looking to try hunting squirrels for the first time after everything thaws. Hunter ed class is in April... thanks for all the great info. Me and my wife look forward to the new experience and hope it will be something we both really enjoy and get hooked on.

The next big question is where do we go that's great for first time hunters. Any suggestions? We're thinking of just state parks. FYI we are based in NYC.

[d3nni5]

check your laws.   overlap of squirrel season with other seasons can force you to the rimfire.

[carbon]

Hmm that is true, I checked the squirrel season but not the gun regulations...will do more homework, thanks for the tip

[InquiringMind]

This is a great post since me and my wife are looking to try hunting squirrels for the first time after everything thaws. Hunter ed class is in April...

carbon - how did it work out? My wife and I are in the exact same situation down in SE PA. We just took the hunter safety course. Neither of us has any experience hunting, but we're itching to get out there for squirrel season.

[Carl]

I prefer to tenderize the meat while cooking,not while shooting...I use a 22.

[strangetanks]

I like my PCP air rifle.  Super quiet, I can often get more than one at a time if they are in the same location.  I almost always take a head shot, body shots often result in big ugly bruises on the meat and messy blood in the body cavity.  When I hunt I just walk and listen.  Go when it's been dry for a while and you can easily hear them foraging in the dry leaves.  I also always look for walnut trees, easy to hear them sitting on a branch chewing through the shells.

[machinisttx]

Is it possible to hunt squirrel with birdshot from a. 12 gauge.

If it ain't, I don't know what killed all those squirrels when I was a kid.  They were awesome pan fried.

We mostly used #6 shot, but #4 or #5 work just as well if not better. Anything smaller(numerically larger) than #6 is not a good choice.  I've used a .22 as well with shorts/longs/long rifles. In my opinion, a .22 with either CB shorts or CB longs is pretty much ideal if the squirrels aren't too shy of people. If they are people shy, then a 12/16/20 gauge that you're fast with is a better choice. .410 works too, but ammo costs so much more and delivers so much less that it's just not worthwhile for adult use.

[date_a_prepper]

Does squirrel meat really taste good? How do you prepare it and cook it?

thanks,

Joe

Flavor is good, but squirrel can be tough, and rubber, if cooked wrong; I've found the best way to prepare them is to sear the meat on both sides, until it's browned to a slight crispiness, then throw into a stew pot or slow cooker with your favorite veggies, and cook low, and slow.

[Carl]

Flavor is good, but squirrel can be tough, and rubber, if cooked wrong; I've found the best way to prepare them is to sear the meat on both sides, until it's browned to a slight crispiness, then throw into a stew pot or slow cooker with your favorite veggies, and cook low, and slow.

I find the meat close in flavor to raccoon and frog with just a tad of nutty flavor added,try not to over-cook the 'tree rat' as it can be tough to chew when cooked too long.Always good with a bit of onion and bell or banana pepper too.

[CountryRootsCityJob]

PS.  If you have red squirrels in the area, I wouldn't bother trying to eat them but population control (my experience is they drive out the grays) is not a bad idea.

I knicked one with my bow last year and I'll second the recommendation to reduce their population based on the annoying factor alone!  That said, I just blew my chances with a gray from my tree stand because I was typing this!  Focus...

[Chris Gilliam]

As much as I love the smell of gunpowder, a .22 or .25 pellet rifle is quiet, cheap to shoot, legal darn near everywhere, and packs plenty of power. I don't squirrel hunt, but I use my Gamo .22 to kill coons, beavers, foxes, and whatever else gets in my traps.

[ZackSurvival]

I would go with .22 to be honest. A shotgun is overpowered for a squirrel hunt. You should try an airgun instead

[Stwood]

You can say that again. 

[CharlesH]

I’ll chime in since the topic is active again:  if it’s on the ground and legal go with the .22.  However, a nice .410 is fun to use when they are in trees.

[Redman]

Any sort of a firearm or air gun is illegal here inside the city limits. Pointy stick are too dangerous here too.

I used to grin them to death but had to quit. Tore up the meat too much. 


 

[Stwood]

I used to grin them to death but had to quit. Tore up the meat too much. 

Maybe we better give that pineapple jam a quick check. 



















 

[Redman]

Maybe we better give that pineapple jam a quick check. 

Didn't make jam, just dehydrated them. Maybe I didn't get them dry enough.