Squirrels.. I learned something today...

Paper · 10-15-2006, 12:15 PM

Don't shoot them in the forehead when they're lined up at you, and looking straight at you..

While wandering around, squirrel hunting this morning I had a male Grey Squirrel make the mistake of stepping up on a stump and stopping.. He was lined up directly at me, and looking at me, when the crosshairs on my ol' Mossberg 151K .22 contacted his forehead..
Crack!! He crumpled right there, with not even so much as a flinch..

Then I saw the bad news.. The bullet caught him right between the eyes, passed through his neck, and out his back, right through the backstraps.. Made a mess of everything before that.. I was shooting Remington Golden Bullets in 40 grain solid points, so I was being as least destructive as I could..
I really don't like wasting meat.. I only shoot what I like to eat, and I love squirrel, and I don't like seeing them go to waste.. This one, pretty much everything from center of the back, forward was in bad shape.. I left the blown apart section there, along with the internals and head for the foxes..
I've been hunting squirrels for 30+ years and have never had this happen before.. Next time, I'll wait for the side shot to the head...

rdnckhnter · 10-15-2006, 12:22 PM

i use a shotgun so i dont have to worry about that

Otter · 10-15-2006, 01:26 PM

As a lad I hunted squirrels with my olde Marlin Model 80 with open sights, I would carry a few small stones in my pocket, when a squirrel would hide on the backside of a tree, I would toss a stone beyond the tree into the dry leaves. Hearing the noise in the leaves the squirrel would come around the tree, flatten against the trunk, hideing from the noise, I would then pop him in the back of the head. Always worked, no mess.

Paper · 10-15-2006, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

As a lad I hunted squirrels with my olde Marlin Model 80 with open sights, I would carry a few small stones in my pocket, when a squirrel would hide on the backside of a tree, I would toss a stone beyond the tree into the dry leaves. Hearing the noise in the leaves the squirrel would come around the tree, flatten against the trunk, hideing from the noise, I would then pop him in the back of the head. Always worked, no mess.

I do the same with walnuts. This was a situation where he was only 30' away and eye level with me.. Like I said, in 30 years of squirrel hunting I'd never had this situation before.

Shotgun for squirrel??

Ok.. I do when it's early in the year and all the leaves are on. Most are off the trees here, so it's .22 time.. I like the occasional chance at a 50-60 yard shot at one sitting on a branch, and actually being able to see and shoot him.. Thump..

MountaineerWVa · 10-15-2006, 02:46 PM

I use a scoped 22 nowadays for squirrel,but when I was a kid I used a old single shot Stevens 16 gauge..Mom would cook the heads,and we would crack the top of the skull with a case knife handle,and eat the brains...My kids think it's gross,..How many of you can remember when people would put squirrel tails on their antennas of their cars..We don't have as many of them big ole red squirrels as we did when I was a kid..I don't know what happened..We are over run with grey..

jerry · 10-15-2006, 02:53 PM

used to hang squirrell tails on my bike

MountaineerWVa · 10-15-2006, 03:01 PM

I did too Jerry,I had an old antenna,or piece of an old broken fishing pole rigged on it,just for tails..

jerry · 10-15-2006, 03:18 PM

LOL,Did ya have baseball cards on the spokes too?

Johnny_Revolver · 10-15-2006, 04:19 PM

Hey, I liked that sound!

jerry · 10-15-2006, 04:40 PM

coolest sound around. well BB's hitting a tin can was at the top of the list too

Otter · 10-15-2006, 04:52 PM

I'm in Westfield, Massachusetts and we have Black Squirrels here, I've seen White Squirrels in Missouri, at home in Vermont we have Red and Grey.

troy2000 · 10-15-2006, 05:00 PM

For some reason, there's no open season for them in most of California's southern counties.

jerry · 10-15-2006, 05:17 PM

Red (Fox) and greys here too. I have a pic of some I hunted at Mt Lemon Az definitely different. Tasted like pine.

My neighbor said he seen black ones in Michigan.

MountaineerWVa · 10-15-2006, 05:52 PM

We are allowed 6 per Day here in West Virginia..I can't tell any taste difference between red and gray,but The reds are so much bigger..A good red will have back legs like a chicken drumstick..Theres not much meat on the grays....

fordruid · 10-15-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny_Revolver

Hey, I liked that sound!

Rogers Hornsby Rookie cards sounded the best!

jerry · 10-15-2006, 05:53 PM

Man,
I don't know how much cash I threw down the drain between spokes and BB gun targets

Troy · 10-15-2006, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

LOL,Did ya have baseball cards on the spokes too?

guilty as charged too.

Zen900 · 10-16-2006, 12:34 AM

I would take my coat off and hang it up on a tree branch and walk around the other side of the tree. Works the same as throwing rocks or walnuts.

Big Dog · 10-16-2006, 08:15 AM

Down here, the main squirrel is the Grey. Good eating!

Our Fox squirrels get BIG. Like a medium sized cat. Not legal to hunt though, as they are scarce and on the endangered list. Too bad, they are also very tasty. I've seen them from light blonde to black, and sometimes two-toned. And yeah, these were SQUIRRELS, not cats. Hehehe.
We don't have the little Red Squirrels - they are more northerly.
In some protected river areas, we do have actual White Squirrels - story is they were brought down from the Carolinas by either a rich landowner for his private preserve, or a rich Chinese lady - depending on the source of the story. Cute critters.
When young, I used a 20 gauge shotgun, and later my 16 gauge 870. Excellent squirrel getters, but I would occasionally bite on a pellet. Now, I use a .22 rifle. My Mossberg 146B is my preferred squirrel gun. But I want to try my Henry lever action this year.

Rookie_Rover · 10-16-2006, 08:27 AM

Big Dog, you'll be surprised how well the Henry will do, even if you don't have it scoped.

10-15-2006, 12:15 PM	#1
Paper One Buwwit Weft Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: IL/WI Border Posts: 990	Squirrels.. I learned something today... Don't shoot them in the forehead when they're lined up at you, and looking straight at you.. While wandering around, squirrel hunting this morning I had a male Grey Squirrel make the mistake of stepping up on a stump and stopping.. He was lined up directly at me, and looking at me, when the crosshairs on my ol' Mossberg 151K .22 contacted his forehead.. Crack!! He crumpled right there, with not even so much as a flinch.. Then I saw the bad news.. The bullet caught him right between the eyes, passed through his neck, and out his back, right through the backstraps.. Made a mess of everything before that.. I was shooting Remington Golden Bullets in 40 grain solid points, so I was being as least destructive as I could.. I really don't like wasting meat.. I only shoot what I like to eat, and I love squirrel, and I don't like seeing them go to waste.. This one, pretty much everything from center of the back, forward was in bad shape.. I left the blown apart section there, along with the internals and head for the foxes.. I've been hunting squirrels for 30+ years and have never had this happen before.. Next time, I'll wait for the side shot to the head...

10-15-2006, 12:22 PM	#2
rdnckhnter Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: pennsylvania and new jersey right on the bored Posts: 182	i use a shotgun so i dont have to worry about that __________________ My long hair dont cover my redneck and u know what im ok with that

10-15-2006, 01:26 PM	#3
Otter Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 955 Images: 6	As a lad I hunted squirrels with my olde Marlin Model 80 with open sights, I would carry a few small stones in my pocket, when a squirrel would hide on the backside of a tree, I would toss a stone beyond the tree into the dry leaves. Hearing the noise in the leaves the squirrel would come around the tree, flatten against the trunk, hideing from the noise, I would then pop him in the back of the head. Always worked, no mess. __________________ Life is too important to be taken seriously.

10-15-2006, 04:52 PM	#11
Otter Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 955 Images: 6	I'm in Westfield, Massachusetts and we have Black Squirrels here, I've seen White Squirrels in Missouri, at home in Vermont we have Red and Grey. __________________ Life is too important to be taken seriously.

10-15-2006, 05:00 PM	#12
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 9,516 Images: 9	No tree squirrel hunting at all in my neck of the woods For some reason, there's no open season for them in most of California's southern counties. __________________ I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting you really believe what you just said. WF Buckley, Jr

10-15-2006, 02:46 PM	#5
MountaineerWVa Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Jackson County, W.Va. Posts: 88 Images: 3	I use a scoped 22 nowadays for squirrel,but when I was a kid I used a old single shot Stevens 16 gauge..Mom would cook the heads,and we would crack the top of the skull with a case knife handle,and eat the brains...My kids think it's gross,..How many of you can remember when people would put squirrel tails on their antennas of their cars..We don't have as many of them big ole red squirrels as we did when I was a kid..I don't know what happened..We are over run with grey..

10-15-2006, 02:53 PM	#6
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,914 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	used to hang squirrell tails on my bike

10-15-2006, 03:01 PM	#7
MountaineerWVa Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Jackson County, W.Va. Posts: 88 Images: 3	I did too Jerry,I had an old antenna,or piece of an old broken fishing pole rigged on it,just for tails..

10-15-2006, 03:18 PM	#8
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,914 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	LOL,Did ya have baseball cards on the spokes too?

10-15-2006, 04:19 PM	#9
Johnny_Revolver Gun Liker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 1,209 Blog Entries: 6	Hey, I liked that sound!

10-15-2006, 04:40 PM	#10
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,914 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	coolest sound around. well BB's hitting a tin can was at the top of the list too

10-15-2006, 05:17 PM	#13
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,914 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	Red (Fox) and greys here too. I have a pic of some I hunted at Mt Lemon Az definitely different. Tasted like pine. My neighbor said he seen black ones in Michigan.

10-15-2006, 05:52 PM	#14
MountaineerWVa Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Jackson County, W.Va. Posts: 88 Images: 3	We are allowed 6 per Day here in West Virginia..I can't tell any taste difference between red and gray,but The reds are so much bigger..A good red will have back legs like a chicken drumstick..Theres not much meat on the grays....

10-15-2006, 05:53 PM	#16
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,914 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	Man, I don't know how much cash I threw down the drain between spokes and BB gun targets

10-16-2006, 12:34 AM	#18
Zen900 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 705	I would take my coat off and hang it up on a tree branch and walk around the other side of the tree. Works the same as throwing rocks or walnuts.

10-16-2006, 08:15 AM	#19
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,228	Down here, the main squirrel is the Grey. Good eating! Our Fox squirrels get BIG. Like a medium sized cat. Not legal to hunt though, as they are scarce and on the endangered list. Too bad, they are also very tasty. I've seen them from light blonde to black, and sometimes two-toned. And yeah, these were SQUIRRELS, not cats. Hehehe. We don't have the little Red Squirrels - they are more northerly. In some protected river areas, we do have actual White Squirrels - story is they were brought down from the Carolinas by either a rich landowner for his private preserve, or a rich Chinese lady - depending on the source of the story. Cute critters. When young, I used a 20 gauge shotgun, and later my 16 gauge 870. Excellent squirrel getters, but I would occasionally bite on a pellet. Now, I use a .22 rifle. My Mossberg 146B is my preferred squirrel gun. But I want to try my Henry lever action this year. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

10-16-2006, 08:27 AM	#20
Rookie_Rover Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: South Western Tennessee. Posts: 300	Big Dog, you'll be surprised how well the Henry will do, even if you don't have it scoped. __________________ Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself – Twain.