Hoosier Squirrel Hunt

[9412765]

Weather and wife permitted a reprieve from work and daddy duties for an evening squirrel hunt with my new squirrel rifle by myself! It was a beautiful, crisp fall evening and I hunted in my street clothes after getting off early from work because of rain. I take my 6 and 3yo boys sometimes, which usually results in seeing no squirrels, but they have fun.

The squirrels were pretty wary, so I only bagged one gluttonous buck squirrel cutting a walnut. He looked like a juvenile racoon at first, he was so big. He was feeding so focused on a limb that I snuck right under him and had to use a pursed lip squeak to get him to turn around for the head shot.

I got busted a couple times from a ways off, which, in my own personal squirrel hunting point system means, the squirrels won that evening. Probably, a change of camo clothes and a little more patience would have helped that.

After fairly extensive experimentation in two US states with squirrel cooking methods, I have settled on stewing as the only reliable method for tenderizing squirrels. At that, it's still unpredictable as to how long it will take to properly "fall off the bone" tenderize them. I've had it take as long as five hours before a fork doesn't just bounce off rubber, to as little as an hour and a half.

All that climbing and scampering they do that makes them so tough also makes them excellently flavored. Interestingly, they have clavicles, which makes getting the shoulders off a little more difficult then 4 legged ruminants or hogs.

I decided to stew mine with some onions, garlic and sweet and spicy peppers in beef stock this time. The next day I fried some potatoes to mix in and it was delish! I was reminded that game meat is so much more flavored than domesticated animals, that you don't need nearly as much to feel satiated.

Brent

 

[BourbonTrail]

We used to make a version of sausage gravy with them or pan fry the legs like chicken. Tough maybe, but tasty.

 

[TroyF]

I love hunting squirrel it's good fun and gets you out to do scouting for deer season, plus they taste good. I like many ways of cooking them, chicken fried and gravy is good or even I'll do them like bbq chicken wings.

I don't have a nice scoped 22lr at the moment, a few nice sighted single shots. I'd like to put one together next year, other then the ruger bolt or cz I'm not sure. A anschutz would be nice.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Learned something new today. Thanks.

 

[Red Leg]

I enjoyed hunting them while growing up, but since moving to Texas, I now view them as a Biblical plague. We are on the banks of the San Gabriel and live among a grove of native pecans. The fox squirrels are so prolific, that they have eaten a wiring harness and emissions line (above the gas tank - it had to be dropped to do the repair) out of of our Range Rover, a tractor wiring harness (twice), attacked the steps to the deck, cut the satellite cable, and blown the main power transformer half a dozen times. We have an inner fence around the house and out buildings that contains about two acres. Cross that wire and a rodent (or armadillo) is considered to have hostile intent. I keep a scoped .22 and 16 Model 12 in the great room. Another .22 sits by the door of the guest house. I have killed hundreds over the last eight years - probably over a thousand. Fortunately, Texas Parks and Wildlife fully supports my defensive struggle. We have a year round season in this part of Texas and no bag limit.

I would like to write lovingly about Brunswick Stew, but I must confess the local Crested Caracara population has named me benefactor of the year without real competition for almost a decade now.

 

[Don Hinton]

Had to look up a crested caracara. Beautiful bird
Don

 

[Red Leg]

Had to look up a crested caracara. Beautiful bird
Don

They are a documented alien that have taken up permanent residence through central and southern Texas. We have a nesting pair almost every year. Lovely bird. From a behavioral perspective, they are more opportunist than a true raptor.

 

[R.M.C.]

Heck yeah those squirrel and chipmunk cause a lot of damage .
I definitely prefer to slow cook those guys.

 

[Forrest Halley]

We are plagued with gray squirrels thanks to our position on a peninsula and the abundance of walnut and pecan trees. I had selected more modern equipment originally, but there was just too much technology distracting me and getting in the way of production. This old rifle seems to lure them in like a siren's song and does well to pick them out of tall trees. This particular cedar has yielded five this year and features quite a few bullet proof branches and hiding spots. I love the puzzle of the angles.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I do not have photos. Our plague is red squirrels, which are small enough to fall short of the threshold for me as far as their yield to warrant the effort to prepare them as a meal. I do use them as trapline bait, or hand them off to friends for the same.

I am a birder. They scare away my birds. I shoot them. A circle of life kinda thing. I'm not quite as high as Red Leg but my kills number in the high hundreds over the past decade. I am at close to 50 this year. Because I live in town, I favor air rifles. They work very well.

 

[9412765]

Got to take my older two boys out this afternoon. I was pretty proud of them, they were a couple of sneaky little Indians. We had to talk about our volume level and unnecessary movements many times! But they did really well for their ages. Two of the squirrels fed toward us and we took one inside of 5 yards unawares-it was very exciting for them. It was a good lesson for them in how close one can get to game if you are quiet and still. On the walk home, my retired neighbor was on his porch and treated them to hot chocolate while we visited and they got to see some of his collection of flintlocks, old toy cannons, pipes, arrowheads, possibles equipment, etc. and hear some of his hunting stories. Very fun afternoon!
-Brent

 

[TroyF]

Got to take my older two boys out this afternoon. I was pretty proud of them, they were a couple of sneaky little Indians. We had to talk about our volume level and unnecessary movements many times! But they did really well for their ages. Two of the squirrels fed toward us and we took one inside of 5 yards unawares-it was very exciting for them. It was a good lesson for them in how close one can get to game if you are quiet and still. On the walk home, my retired neighbor was on his porch and treated them to hot chocolate while we visited and they got to see some of his collection of flintlocks, old toy cannons, pipes, arrowheads, possibles equipment, etc. and hear some of his hunting stories. Very fun afternoon!
-BrentView attachment 434069

Some of my best hunting memories of hunting or just with my dad were when squirrel hunting. Keep on them about the noise and movement, I was the same way but soon they will learn to keep quiet and still to have a good hunt.

Nice foxes I wish we had them in are area but are grays are pretty good size. Some more info on the gun and scope would be nice to.

 

[9412765]

Some of my best hunting memories of hunting or just with my dad were when squirrel hunting. Keep on them about the noise and movement, I was the same way but soon they will learn to keep quiet and still to have a good hunt.

Nice foxes I wish we had them in are area but are grays are pretty good size. Some more info on the gun and scope would be nice to.

Fantastic! I didn't pick up squirrel hunting until I was an adult, but am looking forward to passing on the tradition to my boys and making memories. In some ways, particularly the shot angles, hasty rests and target size/movement, I think squirrel hunting is prob a bigger learning curve than deer hunting from a tree stand.

I'm in north central Indiana, so not as much contiguous woods for the grey's, but when we've hunted the Hoosier NF down southern part of the state, they are pretty predominant there. I like both species and enjoy watching them from the deer stand, until one busts me and won't stop barking!

As far as the rifle, it is a Steyr-Mannlicher Zephyr II in 22LR with a Leupold fixed 4 power (fixed focus set for rimfire distances). I have several other CZ rimfires, telescoped and open sighted, that have served very well as squirrel rifles before this one, and I think this rifle is slightly more accurate. It has a fantastic trigger out of the box and the length of pull, palm swell and general fit when I throw it up to my shoulder is superb-for me. A lefty def could not shoot this rifle though because of the palm swell. The narrow, V-shaped, Schnabel forend is perfect for some of the field positions when using hands in awkward positions to get a rest alongside a tree for shots up into tree tops or otherwise. The scope is growing on me. The reticle is very fine and I typically like a low, fixed power scope with a coarser cross hair, even for big game when distances get a little further. I didn't get to do as much early season squirrel hunting this year, but I have a feeling I will lose the reticle somewhat in tree tops.

 

[Trogon]

I have a CZ 455 ready with CCI Subsonic HP for after deer rifle season. Mix of fox and gray squirrels in Northern Kentucky.

 

[Tra3]

I enjoy squirrel hunting with my bow. If you can arrow a squirrel, you can easily arrow a deer. It is really good practice.
I started my son with squirrel hunting, just as I did as a child.
A few weeks ago I got three squirrels over a weekend of deer hunting. (I keep gallon size ziplock bags in my hunting pack for small game.) I put them in a marinade for five days, then the smoker for about 90 minutes, they were delicious

A serious question: with a .22, I have started using all copper rounds to avoid lead getting in the food. Is anyone concerned with lead in squirrel meat?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Weather and wife permitted a reprieve from work and daddy duties for an evening squirrel hunt with my new squirrel rifle by myself! It was a beautiful, crisp fall evening and I hunted in my street clothes after getting off early from work because of rain. I take my 6 and 3yo boys sometimes, which usually results in seeing no squirrels, but they have fun.

The squirrels were pretty wary, so I only bagged one gluttonous buck squirrel cutting a walnut. He looked like a juvenile racoon at first, he was so big. He was feeding so focused on a limb that I snuck right under him and had to use a pursed lip squeak to get him to turn around for the head shot.

I got busted a couple times from a ways off, which, in my own personal squirrel hunting point system means, the squirrels won that evening. Probably, a change of camo clothes and a little more patience would have helped that.

View attachment 433821

After fairly extensive experimentation in two US states with squirrel cooking methods, I have settled on stewing as the only reliable method for tenderizing squirrels. At that, it's still unpredictable as to how long it will take to properly "fall off the bone" tenderize them. I've had it take as long as five hours before a fork doesn't just bounce off rubber, to as little as an hour and a half.

All that climbing and scampering they do that makes them so tough also makes them excellently flavored. Interestingly, they have clavicles, which makes getting the shoulders off a little more difficult then 4 legged ruminants or hogs.

I decided to stew mine with some onions, garlic and sweet and spicy peppers in beef stock this time. The next day I fried some potatoes to mix in and it was delish! I was reminded that game meat is so much more flavored than domesticated animals, that you don't need nearly as much to feel satiated.

View attachment 433827

Brent

@9412765
Brent maybe you could team up with @Forrest Halley for a,squirrel hunt and cook up mate.
Forrest loves to fire many warning shots (up to 8) before he finally gets his quarry. Unfortunately that would make it an expensive meal as he said you need about 12 of them to make a decent meal.
Dang that would make 96 shots per meal. Maybe Forrest should stick to burger king.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

View attachment 433998View attachment 434000
We are plagued with gray squirrels thanks to our position on a peninsula and the abundance of walnut and pecan trees. I had selected more modern equipment originally, but there was just too much technology distracting me and getting in the way of production. This old rifle seems to lure them in like a siren's song and does well to pick them out of tall trees. This particular cedar has yielded five this year and features quite a few bullet proof branches and hiding spots. I love the puzzle of the angles.

@Forrest Halley
What's happened to your new squirrel gun that takes you 8 shots per animal. Bullet proof branches, odd angles and hiding spots are a polite way of say I can't hit the little buggers.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Got to take my older two boys out this afternoon. I was pretty proud of them, they were a couple of sneaky little Indians. We had to talk about our volume level and unnecessary movements many times! But they did really well for their ages. Two of the squirrels fed toward us and we took one inside of 5 yards unawares-it was very exciting for them. It was a good lesson for them in how close one can get to game if you are quiet and still. On the walk home, my retired neighbor was on his porch and treated them to hot chocolate while we visited and they got to see some of his collection of flintlocks, old toy cannons, pipes, arrowheads, possibles equipment, etc. and hear some of his hunting stories. Very fun afternoon!
-BrentView attachment 434069

@9412765
Brent the young tackers did well maybe they could give @Forrest Halley a few lesson on squirrel hunting.

 

[TroyF]

I'm looking to put together a nicer squirrel rifle for next season, I've got some very good shooting single shoots and my old Rossi 62a is a murder machine. But nothing with a scope, looking for maybe something better then the current cz which from what I've seen aren't shooting like they should. The ruger american rimfires have been great I've owned 5 and all shot very well but ruger really messed up on there wood stocks.

I like the black synthetic stocks but ruger just made the same thing out of wood and it doesn't work plus it looks like a savage axis stock. I want a nice wood stock, maybe I can find a nice used cz 452 but very uncommon around here.

I'll have to look at some of the higher end rifles, any ideas welcome.

 

[Trogon]

I enjoy squirrel hunting with my bow. If you can arrow a squirrel, you can easily arrow a deer. It is really good practice.
I started my son with squirrel hunting, just as I did as a child.
A few weeks ago I got three squirrels over a weekend of deer hunting. (I keep gallon size ziplock bags in my hunting pack for small game.) I put them in a marinade for five days, then the smoker for about 90 minutes, they were delicious

A serious question: with a .22, I have started using all copper rounds to avoid lead getting in the food. Is anyone concerned with lead in squirrel meat?

I've focused on head shots if possible but will use chest shots if the best option. Through the shoulders if so. For me the back and hind legs are the most meat.
I'm trying to avoid the high velocity .22 LR loads and hope the subsonic work well on not shedding lead. I've not tried the lead free loadings so can't comment. I miss the Winchester Dynapoint from the 1980's, was a good squirrel and cottontail rabbit bullet in my opinion. Rimfire ammo quality not as good now.