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....