2024/2025 Squirrel Hunting Thread...........

[Jim K]

Is this a Siamese hickory nut? I saw it this evening shooting a woods walk at the club. Never saw a double nut before.

 

[ETipp]

Is this a Siamese hickory nut? I saw it this evening shooting a woods walk at the club. Never saw a double nut before.View attachment 340653

That’s Interesting, Jim.

Pretty sure I remember seeing one of those years ago in TN. I did a google search on those and was unsuccessful. The only thing I found was “There’s not much information out there about double hickory nuts”.

I did learn that there’s more different types of hickory trees than I thought.

 

[snakebit]

That’s Interesting, Jim.

Pretty sure I remember seeing one of those years ago in TN. I did a google search on those and was unsuccessful. The only thing I found was “There’s not much information out there about double hickory nuts”.

I did learn that there’s more different types of hickory trees than I thought.

I bought some hickory syrup at the farmers market last week. I see why critters like it so much. I always thought it just made good axe handles and smoked meat. There was certain kind of hickory not grandad used to get for Grandma because she liked to eat them.

 

[longcruise]

@ETipp got me searching for hickory information and it was surprising how many different varieties there are. If there are any hickory trees in Colorado they were probably planted.

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/hickories

 

[Gilbert J Taylor]

Id like to collect some data on this game.

For the traditional ML squirrel hunters out there, what is your preferred method of hunting.

Spot and stalk?

Sit and hunt?

Still hunt?

Hunt with squirrel dogs?

Just walk through the woods?


Also, what is your preferred type of traditional ML for squirrel hunting?

Here in the Missouri Ozarks it is a combination of still hunting, spot and stalk, or sit and hunt for me. It all depends upon the time of the year.

End of May through August it is usually sit and watch one of the corn feeders for the deer.

August to early September when they start on the Hickory nuts it is still hunting the hickory groves.

September through mid January when it ends is spot and stalk, especially when the leaves start to come off the trees.

My choice of ML for years until I could afford a rifle was my great, great grandfather’s Northwest Trade Gun, when I was a kid, to using my 50 cal Hawken flint lock with 15 grs of powder in my late teens until my late 30s. My first 32 cal was a Traditions Crockett. I used it for a few years along with the trade gun. I then moved on to a 36 cal Hawken Style flintlock I made form junk parts that I reworked and made right. Finally I was able to buy a 32 cal Frontier Rifle.

The 50 cal is now a 54 cal, and my great, great grandfather’s Trade gun is a wall hanger, though it still shoots great. I bounce back and forth between the 32 and the 36. If I am hunting and camping it is the 36 because the hooked breech makes it easier to clean in the field. For day to day I like the 32 frontier because it weighs 3.5 lbs less than the Hawken and is great for woods walks.

 

[ETipp]

Here in the Missouri Ozarks it is a combination of still hunting, spot and stalk, or sit and hunt for me. It all depends upon the time of the year.

End of May through August it is usually sit and watch one of the corn feeders for the deer.

August to early September when they start on the Hickory nuts it is still hunting the hickory groves.

September through mid January when it ends is spot and stalk, especially when the leaves start to come off the trees.

My choice of ML for years until I could afford a rifle was my great, great grandfather’s Northwest Trade Gun, when I was a kid, to using my 50 cal Hawken flint lock with 15 grs of powder in my late teens until my late 30s. My first 32 cal was a Traditions Crockett. I used it for a few years along with the trade gun. I then moved on to a 36 cal Hawken Style flintlock I made form junk parts that I reworked and made right. Finally I was able to buy a 32 cal Frontier Rifle.

The 50 cal is now a 54 cal, and my great, great grandfather’s Trade gun is a wall hanger, though it still shoots great. I bounce back and forth between the 32 and the 36. If I am hunting and camping it is the 36 because the hooked breech makes it easier to clean in the field. For day to day I like the 32 frontier because it weighs 3.5 lbs less than the Hawken and is great for woods walks.

That’s awesome!

 

[ETipp]

Here in the Missouri Ozarks it is a combination of still hunting, spot and stalk, or sit and hunt for me. It all depends upon the time of the year.

End of May through August it is usually sit and watch one of the corn feeders for the deer.

August to early September when they start on the Hickory nuts it is still hunting the hickory groves.

September through mid January when it ends is spot and stalk, especially when the leaves start to come off the trees.

My choice of ML for years until I could afford a rifle was my great, great grandfather’s Northwest Trade Gun, when I was a kid, to using my 50 cal Hawken flint lock with 15 grs of powder in my late teens until my late 30s. My first 32 cal was a Traditions Crockett. I used it for a few years along with the trade gun. I then moved on to a 36 cal Hawken Style flintlock I made form junk parts that I reworked and made right. Finally I was able to buy a 32 cal Frontier Rifle.

The 50 cal is now a 54 cal, and my great, great grandfather’s Trade gun is a wall hanger, though it still shoots great. I bounce back and forth between the 32 and the 36. If I am hunting and camping it is the 36 because the hooked breech makes it easier to clean in the field. For day to day I like the 32 frontier because it weighs 3.5 lbs less than the Hawken and is great for woods walks.

I seldom remove the barrel on my Crockett for cleaning. Just block off the nipple and fill the barrel with warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes the first time. I do this twice each time then follow-up with cleaning patches and Ballistol. I seal the barrel to stock so no moisture can get down in there.

I do, however, run moist parches with Windex on them after every 1-3 shots. That prevents most fowling from forming.

 

[wpage]

I seldom remove the barrel on my Crockett for cleaning. Just block off the nipple and fill the barrel with warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes the first time. I do this twice each time then follow-up with cleaning patches and Ballistol. I seal the barrel to stock so no moisture can get down in there.

I do, however, run moist parches with Windex on them after every 1-3 shots. That prevents most fowling from forming.

^^^That sound like a plan...^^

 

[yellowhammer]

I seldom remove barrels any more, just the lock.

For my cap locks, I bought nipple adapters from McMaster Carr to fit in the clean out screw holes and use neoprene windshield washer hose from O'Reilly's into a pan of boiling water with couple of squirts of Dawn. Pump wet patches, sucking soapy hot water up an down until you get clean. Then a couple of pumps of boiling water rinse. Be careful, barrel will get HOT. Then dry patches, then lube with Mobil 1, quickly before it flash rusts.

Same with my flinters, but I use that magnet nipple adapter for the touch hole I got from davec2, a member in here (search thread on it)

 

[Banjoman]

BTW, squirrels are cuttin’ walnuts behind the barn this morning

 

[ETipp]

BTW, squirrels are cuttin’ walnuts behind the barn this morning View attachment 341023

Wowser, it’s kind of early for that. Where are you located?

 

[Gilbert J Taylor]

I seldom remove the barrel on my Crockett for cleaning. Just block off the nipple and fill the barrel with warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes the first time. I do this twice each time then follow-up with cleaning patches and Ballistol. I seal the barrel to stock so no moisture can get down in there.

I do, however, run moist parches with Windex on them after every 1-3 shots. That prevents most fowling from forming.

I seldom remove the barrel on my Crockett for cleaning. Just block off the nipple and fill the barrel with warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes the first time. I do this twice each time then follow-up with cleaning patches and Ballistol. I seal the barrel to stock so no moisture can get down in there.

I do, however, run moist parches with Windex on them after every 1-3 shots. That prevents most fowling from forming.

I never pull the barrels on my rifles or smooth bore that are pinned. I plug the touchhole and swab with moose milk and dump until it comes out clean than I dry it and run a Ballistol patch down it. The Hawken type with a hooked breech I remove the barrel and basically use the same process.

As to having to Swab every few shots, I never have to on a hunt and rarely target shooting with my 32 or my 36 cals. My first patch is always a grease patch, followed the rest of the time with spit patches until I am done shooting/hunting and am ready to clean it. My 32 eventually needs to be swabbed between 20 and 25 shots, I don’t know where the 36 needs to be swabbed because I’ve never shot it more than 15 times in a row. The spit patch keeps everything nice, soft and easy to load shot after shot and they all stay under a nickel at 25 yds if I do my part. Now in the humid days of summer I have to wipe out the pan and dry it after each shot especially if it is raining.

With the grease patch first I can keep it loaded for weeks if I don’t see anything to shoot at. My grease is white tail deer tallow rendered down in the hot summer months and bear, or possum grease in the winter, or pure mink grease. Especially down in Texas hog hunting with my 50 cal I use the deer tallow. It holds up well to the Texas heat.

 

[Banjoman]

Wowser, it’s kind of early for that. Where are you located?

East Tennessee, Campbell County

 

[ETipp]

East Tennessee, Campbell County

I’ve not seen any squirrels working on walnuts yet this year in these parts. Season opens this Saturday and I’m not seeing much action here. What little bit I have seen is scattered.

 

[ETipp]

I never pull the barrels on my rifles or smooth bore that are pinned. I plug the touchhole and swab with moose milk and dump until it comes out clean than I dry it and run a Ballistol patch down it. The Hawken type with a hooked breech I remove the barrel and basically use the same process.

As to having to Swab every few shots, I never have to on a hunt and rarely target shooting with my 32 or my 36 cals. My first patch is always a grease patch, followed the rest of the time with spit patches until I am done shooting/hunting and am ready to clean it. My 32 eventually needs to be swabbed between 20 and 25 shots, I don’t know where the 36 needs to be swabbed because I’ve never shot it more than 15 times in a row. The spit patch keeps everything nice, soft and easy to load shot after shot and they all stay under a nickel at 25 yds if I do my part. Now in the humid days of summer I have to wipe out the pan and dry it after each shot especially if it is raining.

With the grease patch first I can keep it loaded for weeks if I don’t see anything to shoot at. My grease is white tail deer tallow rendered down in the hot summer months and bear, or possum grease in the winter, or pure mink grease. Especially down in Texas hog hunting with my 50 cal I use the deer tallow. It holds up well to the Texas heat.

Interesting. Thank you for the input.

For the life of me I cannot make myself use spit patches for hunting. I keep everything exactly the same regardless of weather conditions. TOTW Mink Oil. I do not have to run moist patches down the bore as often as I do (which is usually after every shot, unless I’m in the middle of more action) however, I’ve found that by doing so the ball seats the same every time, every shot. It eliminates any variables. If I miss, it’s my fault.

Also, by using moist patch’s with Windex I have shot over 20 shots and my squirrel rifle had very little crud build up in it when I went to clean it.

Then again, I’m like an ole cow in a pasture. Once I get used to a certain path, its difficult to get me to change.

 

[snakebit]

Interesting. Thank you for the input.

For the life of me I cannot make myself use spit patches for hunting. I keep everything exactly the same regardless of weather conditions. TOTW Mink Oil. I do not have to run moist patches down the bore as often as I do (which is usually after every shot, unless I’m in the middle of more action) however, I’ve found that by doing so the ball seats the same every time, every shot.

Also, by using moist patch’s with Windex I have shot over 20 shots and my squirrel rifle had very little crud build up in it when I went to clean it.

Then again, I’m like an ole cow in a pasture. Once I get used to a certain path, I don’t change.

When I first got my Crockett I wasn't to sure of a starting load, so everything was from scratch. I loaded heavy at first, and she fouled BAD. When I worked the load down to 20 grns, I quickly picked up on that was her sweet spot. Probably not essential to swab every few shots, but I still do. Mostly from old habits more than anything. I think the most I've shots I've taken while in the woods was 9. The nith shot killed the squirrel with a neck shot, and was 2 for the morning, and was enough for supper, so l called it a day. I was using Ballistol and water patches then, before switching to Mink Oil. I'm with you Ed, not sure I can do the spit patch thing.

 

[snakebit]

I’ve not seen any squirrels working on walnuts yet this year in these parts. Season opens this Saturday and I’m not seeing much action here. What little bit I have seen is scattered.

Us PA hunters will be with you in spirit ol buddy. We still have 32 and a wakeup before the black powder smoke leads to hickory smoke.

 

[ETipp]

Us PA hunters will be with you in spirit ol buddy. We still have 32 and a wakeup before the black powder smoke leads to hickory smoke.

Thanks, Tom.

I’m not big on hunting during a weekend and there’s several places I won’t go to. About the only other places I have to hunt that’s private isn’t great squirrel hunting grounds but maybe I can bring one or two out of there.

 

[snakebit]

Thanks, Tom.

I’m not big on hunting during a weekend and there’s several places I won’t go to. About the only other place I have to hunt that’s private isn’t great squirrel hunting grounds but maybe I can bring one or two out of there.

If it's good weather, sometimes I don't mind being an armed hiker. Never know what you're going to see. I know all too well what you mean about state woods on a Saturday. I haven't committed to going myself on the 14th. But at least it will be season! Already got about 5 recipes I want to try.

 

[Jim K]

I have NO competition for squirrel hunting. Saturday here is just another day. I can’t wait!!!

We’ll be waiting for the reports Ed.