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

[Jim K]

I recently saw 2 of the classic Alabama fox squirrels with the black heads and white ears and noses, crossing the road side by side right in front of me, after I crossed North in my truck thru the Tumlin Gap.

View attachment 349740

It's a beautiful coloration variant, is it not? Physically larger than the typical gray, they have a distinctive characteristic plodding gait on the ground.

I saw one meandering through the back of my yard a year or two ago.

That’s as pretty of a squirrel as there is. I had to wipe a little drool off my chin.

 

[ETipp]

The question is, how to you bag one for mounting? A head shot would be a crime.

IMO, and going off of how badly I tear a squirrel to pieces even with a .32 RB, I would say by using a scattergun.

However, a good friend of mine who is a top notch taxidermist contents he would rather repair one big hole than several small holes when mounting a squirrel.

With that said, and I’m not proud of this in the least, I tend to blow squirrels in half with my Crockett. I attribute that to bad vision. I just aim for the center and hope for the best. It’s often blood and guts hanging out.

One week from today, fellas, and my right eye gets repaired to hopefully normal vision. Two weeks later my left eye.

Cha-Cha-Cha!

 

[longcruise]

The question is, how to you bag one for mounting? A head shot would be a crime.

Yeah, I think a subsonic 22 or a pellet to the body would work.

 

[ETipp]

Growing up in "Da UP" we had quite a few of them. Only where there are cone bearing evergreens. We had some extensive maple forests and never seen there.

Much more common here in the west where evergreens are predominant. Also, not red out here but Grey. Don't see them amongst the ponderosa pines though.

In the ponderosa we find the Aberts squirrel which is black and about the size of a fox squirrel. They have funny behaviors. For example, most ponderosa growth is pretty spread out . Often so much that they can't travel from tree to tree so they go on the ground. Most of the time when you spot one they are on the ground and running for a tree. Once they get in the tree they usually go straight to the top and are easily spotted by backing up so the top of the tree is visible. I'm not really willing to shoot them out of the tree top with anything other than a shotgun or pellet gun because that will have a projectile launched far and away in case of a miss.

You forgot the “eh”.

Yep, I spent a lot of time in the UP, eh. They have wonderful bars up there. When we closed down the bars in, I think it was Ironwood, we would walk across the road into Hurley Wisconsin and drink for another hour or so. Loved those college gals up there.

 

[Jim K]

The question is, how to you bag one for mounting? A head shot would be a crime.

As a taxidermist, I prefer a bullet through the lungs. No head shots. Some taxidermists like you to use a shotgun but I’m partial to just sewing up two holes in the chest. With a shotgun you can hit an eyelid, shoot through an ear, nick the tail. You get the picture.

I hope you get one. They’re beautiful animals!!

 

[Jim K]

I’d love an Aberts squirrel too. Another pretty one!

 

[Jim K]

So many squirrels, so little time…….and money

 

[yellowhammer]

As a taxidermist, I prefer a bullet through the lungs. No head shots. Some taxidermists like you to use a shotgun but I’m partial to just sewing up two holes in the chest. With a shotgun you can hit an eyelid, shoot through an ear, nick the tail. You get the picture.

I hope you get one. They’re beautiful animals!!

He told me dont gut it or get it wet. Just bag it and freeze it asap or at least put it on ice.

 

[ETipp]

So many squirrels, so little time…….and money

Yes sir.

 

[snakebit]

[ from: https://www.johndenney.com/foxsquirrel2291 ]

Honorable Mention - 2023 Outdoor Alabama Magazine Photo Of The Year:

View attachment 349746

Good looking little buggers.

 

[snakebit]

As a taxidermist, I prefer a bullet through the lungs. No head shots. Some taxidermists like you to use a shotgun but I’m partial to just sewing up two holes in the chest. With a shotgun you can hit an eyelid, shoot through an ear, nick the tail. You get the picture.

I hope you get one. They’re beautiful animals!!

Methinks ol Ed would be hard to do a mount for. He tends to decapitate them. Wonder how hard it would be to mount a new head on a squirrel

 

[yellowhammer]

Methinks ol Ed would be hard to do a mount for. He tends to decapitate them. Wonder how hard it would be to mount a new head on a squirrel

I.e. it might take 2 squirrels to get 1 good mount. Blow front off one and back off other?

 

[snakebit]

Three stinking Dr. appointments this week are behind me now. Weather looks good for tomorrow. Gonna have my Alpha Sierra Sierra in the woods when day breaks and hopefully get a few more for the supper table. And if my TOTW order gets here like the tracking # says, range time.

 

[snakebit]

I.e. it might take 2 squirrels to get 1 good mount. Blow front off one and back off other?

Yep. Ed's rifle needs a warning label on it. "May cause decapitation".

 

[snakebit]

Yep. Ed's rifle needs a warning label on it. "May cause decapitation".

Will say, head shots make em much easier to clean.

 

[Greg Selner]

I recently saw 2 of the classic Alabama fox squirrels with the black heads and white ears and noses, crossing the road side by side right in front of me, after I crossed North in my truck thru the Tumlin Gap.

View attachment 349740

It's a beautiful coloration variant, is it not? Physically larger than the typical gray, they have a distinctive characteristic plodding gait on the ground.

I saw one meandering through the back of my yard a year or two ago.

That’s an awesome looking squirrel.
Never seen one like that before.

 

[Greg Selner]

I already discussed it with my taxidermist guy - I'm mounting a fox squirrel if I can get one...

Ever since I was a small boy they fascinated me. I think I told this in here before - I cornered a baby one on a limb 50 feet up in a loblolly, and was reaching out to grab him, and he did a swan dive, belly flopped on the ground, and got away. I couldn't have been more than 8-9 years old. He probably would have bit the pee out of me LOL.

 

[Greg Selner]

I already discussed it with my taxidermist guy - I'm mounting a fox squirrel if I can get one...

Ever since I was a small boy they fascinated me. I think I told this in here before - I cornered a baby one on a limb 50 feet up in a loblolly, and was reaching out to grab him, and he did a swan dive, belly flopped on the ground, and got away. I couldn't have been more than 8-9 years old. He probably would have bit the pee out of me LOL.

 

[Greg Selner]

IMO, and going off of how badly I tear a squirrel to pieces even with a .32 RB, I would say by using a scattergun.

However, a good friend of mine who is a top notch taxidermist contents he would rather repair one big hole than several small holes when mounting a squirrel.

With that said, and I’m not proud of this in the least, I tend to blow squirrels in half with my Crockett. I attribute that to bad vision. I just aim for the center and hope for the best. It’s often blood and guts hanging out.

One week from today, fellas, and my right eye gets repaired to hopefully normal vision. Two weeks later my left eye.

Cha-Cha-Cha!

The one I just posted a picture of was shot with a.22 long rifle about 30 years ago.
Still looking great.

 

[Trigger]

I saw allot of them in NC.. fox squirrels

There was one mounted at the shack. They had a fixed up farmers quarters with wood stove there. it was nice.

The squirrel looked real good. with the deer n turkey fans...

They did a turkey fan on Black Walnut.. that looked good.