Closer

Awwwwwwww yeah:)

Good lord I haven't shot the 22 yet. Might actually take a shotgun this year. Got an old 20 i want to try. Ain't killed a tree rat with a shotgun in probably 8 years

^^^^we refer to that as......breaking out the BIG gun ^^^^

Several years ago I had a Winchester Model 12 in 20 gauge with a full choke barrel. My reloaded shells with 7/8 or 1 ounce of #5 shot was great squirrel medicine. The squirrels usually dropped like a rock at any reasonable shooting distance. And, it was easier to find the larger #5 shot when cleaning the squirrels. Typically I aimed for the head (especially at relatively close ranges) to minimize shot in the meatier parts of the squirrel.

It is difficult to find commercial 20 gauge shells with #5 lead shot. I personally would not use any shot size smaller than #6 on squirrels, regardless of the gauge.

Also, I would suggest shells loaded with typical lead shot rather than some of the "non-toxic" hard shot used in many shells specifically designed for turkey and waterfowl. Your teeth may thank you.

I got a couple of my dad's shotguns after he passed away almost two years ago. I believe I'll take them out a couple times this year. It's the closest I'll ever come again to squirrel hunting with him again.

Used a Benjamin Marauder .25 cal.PCP air rifle last year,killed 70 squirrels with it.I have probably 12-15 really good .22's,but the air gun is great-quiet,cheep to shoot,5 shot groups at 25 yards are usually about the size of a 9mm bullet hole,and most important,IMO much safer than a .22 shot upward.Been squirrel hunting for 45+ years and this is the most fun gun I have used.

I harvested my very first Squirrel with a pellet rifle.

Single shot Stevens .410 was my first squirrel gun . 3" #4 shot is a deadly small game load. Still own the gun today and might just take it Monday morning. h.h.

I use 3.5" Hevi-Shot #6's....out of my 12 gauge Remmy turkey gun. I'm too old to chase 'em.

Just a tad on the heavy side for me.... h.h.

Be careful.....you could knock a tree down with that lineup

That's the set-up I used for the last turkey I took with Gundude along. He asked "bird down"?? My reply...."not sure at the moment".....

I sure do miss my friend. Hard to believe in 4 days it will be 2 years since Keith left us....dayum....

Cedar the last one I killed with a shotgun was with a model 12 20ga my dads step dad gave him when he was 12 or 13 it has a mod choke I believe. Bought some Remington 6s I believe and honestly knocked a few out that weren't recovered and they were close shots. Think I'll use the Winchester 1300 that I got from an uncle that was barely used I'll put the full choke in though

I have harvested more small game using a .410-3" shotgun using #5 shot, then any other gauge. I really like using a rife for Squirrel though.

Squirrels are made for .22's, head shots esp ... nothing like getting near a good Hickory, and poppin' 2 or 3 from the one tree and not waking up the whole woods with a shotgun blast....However, I do use the 12 ga. from time to time, esp after Dove season opens and there is a chance at passing birds also, and when I'm mainly deer scouting before deer opens, as I'm not paying as much attention to the tree tops and cutters as I am just walking and looking for deer sign...with the shotgun shooting 5's and modified choke, I have a better chance at those runners going limb to limb as I spook 'em....

22 all the way for me. Either my savage mark II or a little colt woodsman on my hip.....

Can't wait for Monday. Hope the weather cooperates. I haven't used a shotgun in 5+ yrs. Taking the 10/22. Time for some

FREE RANGE ORGANIC LIMB CHICKENS!!


Mad Dog

Opening day tomorrow morning and the weather forecast is for rain. Most likely wont be going in the morning if it is raining. Good luck to all and be safe. h.h.

Suppose to be nice up here... I'll be out for sure, got to work in the afternoon, but who needs sleep anyways .....

May be raining here in the morning. Sure hope not, been looking forward to opening day for 6 1/2 mos.

Rain or shine... I'll be up at 3am, just like every WORK day!

Priorities BowBo, priorities. Work is there very day, opening day of squirrel season comes just once a year

My Ruger 10/22 is ready to go! Gotta get the boy out first.......good luck fellas;)

If say dawn how many shots in one hole is that

I heard that bo my 4 year old told me today that he wants to shot a squirrel, catch a fish and sleep in the camper all in the same day. Sounds like a good weekend to me

Our opening day may be on hold. My daughter and son in law just got back from Thailand and was headed back to our house today. They were hit by another driver and totaled their car. All are ok thankfully. My mom in WV was an hour away and went to get them and I am in WV now to get them home.

If all goes well we will hit the woods before dark. If not there is plenty is season left.

Sorry to hear that Bean. Had to be a scary call to get, but so fortunate that nobody got hurt. Cars can be replaced!

Glad to hear they are ok bean and there is always tomorrow to go get em

Its raining here anyway , bean.

Glad they're OK. Our daughter totaled her car yesterday. Was hit on passenger side. Like yours, everyone OK.

Must have been the day for accidents

I went 2 for 3...that was all I saw before the rain set in.... so much for the darn forecast ..lol... there was a real heavy fog this AM, I couldnt see 20 yds in front of the truck on the drive down....no wind, heavy fog at sunrise...rain started at 9ish.... had those 2 down by 8am, then nothing...by the time I got back to the truck I was SOAKED !!

Congrats jeff

Popped one after I got back from WV. We got in woods really late but couldn't keep from opening day. 1 was all I seen.

Our Squirrel Season open on the 20th,(Saturday) and not expecting any heavy rain or even a shower according to the forecast. Got only a sprinkle down here in Central Ky yesterday, otherwise been dry for a week so far.

On the board.

New gun and the first squirrel with it........equal happiness. Congrats! h.h.


That is a new gun you bought...right?

Rainy day with fog & some wind, here in Central Kentucky, 8/20/2016. Decided to wait for better weather to begin Squirrel Hunting down here. NOT A GOOD HUNTING DAY FOR SQUIRREL HUNTING!

Rain out today..it is pouring right now....

went yesterday, super hot/humid saw one early, but he scrambled into a next as I was stalking...never saw or heard another ....

Gonna try to get out next weekend.

Suppose to be windy in the mornin but the 4 year old want to go so we goin to go. Probably take the shotgun and make it a quick hunt

hh I'm gonna put a whooping on you this year!!!

Yada..Yada...Yada...Big talk for someone who lost last year.... :p ..., besides Im still waiting on the two Arby's fish sandwiches you owe me.... h.h.

Welcome to my world HH. Wear his lil butt out.

Bean,

Im thinking of spotting him a 5 squirrel lead before I start hunting, havent been yet. If I remember right last year he used the excuse you wouldn't take him hunting.....wonder what it will be this year..???? h.h.

I've gotten pretty good at the .22 shooting

Thats good Luke. Glad to see you are practicing. I consider myself a very good shot but I still miss once in a while.

A friend of mine has two Fiest squirrel dogs and Im looking forward to running them in the late season after the leaves are off. Might take some video and post them in action. h.h.

Walked in the woods this morning, and had to shoot my way out in self defense! Limit in 25 minutes…...

Nice limit and good shooting. h.h.

dont you just love it when those squirrels commit to a bonzi charge ...

Good day.

Good job guys and nice shooting too...!! h.h.

Is it squirrel season, already??

Great job guys!!!! Shooting limits of fox squirrels with a 22 is no easy task;)

When I lived in SW Indiana, I had mainly Fox Squirrels to hunt, very few Grays (If any). I mainly have Grays here where I now live in Central Kentucky. I have found that the Grays are MUCH HARDER to hunt and harvest, then any Fox Squirrel I shot in Indiana. Fox Squirrels are far easier to hunt than Gray Squirrels, especially with a .22 Rifle.

First off, congratulations to anyone who can bag the daily limit of 5 squirrels, whether they are foxes or grays (or a mixture of foxes and grays) with a .22 rimfire rifle.

Generally speaking, I tend to agree with DRS that successfully hunting gray squirrels with a .22 rimfire rifle is more difficult than successfully hunting fox squirrels with the same rifle. Grays make for a somewhat smaller target and they tend to be much more actively moving about than fox squirrels. More times than not about the time you have your sights properly aligned the gray squirrel moves!!

Good goin guys. Only got two this weekend missed more than i want to admit. Yes primarily gray squirrels with a few fox missed one gray three times cause he actually stood still to get crosshairs on him but every time i pulled trigger watched him jump out of scope right when the gun went off

cedarthicket, I bet I have missed more Gray Squirrels than I have bagged this particular hunting season. Foliage this year is thicker than normal here in Ky. and hunting Grays is a real challenge....you finally think you have a decent shot then the Gray Squirrel jumps and that is it! You're only allowed a few seconds to place your cross hairs on the Gray Squirrel and pull the trigger. Fox Squirrels are far simpler to hunt & harvest.

Grew up hunting grays in the hollers and hills of WV. I agree, there is a difference. On rare occasion we got a fix squirrel.

Bean.... that mean they've been Neutered??? LOL

Up here in the N.E. part of Indiana its 99% fox but now we have the black squirrels. For some reason the black squirrels are mainly in the towns and cities. I personally have not seen one in any of the woods I hunt and that is mostly Allen, Wabash and Huntington counties. Plus, Ive only seen a very few grays up here.

Some of these fox squirrels that live in the state parks where they cant be hunted get the size of a small fox. Chain O Lakes State Park has the biggest fox sqirrels Ive ever seen in my life!!.. You'd have to pressure cook them 3-4 hours just to eat the gravy.. h.h. h.h.

The black squirrel occurs as a melanistic subgroup of the eastern gray squirrel and of the fox squirrel.[1] They are common in the Midwestern United States, eastern Canada, and parts of the Northeastern United States and the United Kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel

Grant Co. Woods I hunt have black squirrels starting to take over

the only Black squirrel in the wild Ive seen was a road kill, and it looked like a Grey color phase...there arnt many Grey's in the woods up around here however...they are all in towns....Michigan city/Michiana has quite a few black squirrels...

3 more in the freezer today