BARKING A SQUIREL

[sawyer04]

I THINK BARKING IS A WAY TO SHOW OFF TO YOURSELF.
DUTCH

I got to laugh at that Dutch. I agree with ya. You talk of the deer being wounded by poor sportsman, I agree to that also. The problem I have found in this area of Missouri is arrows festered up on the deer that looked healthy and active. I have found arrows and arrow heads in multiple places on the animal.
I am in hopes the allowing of cross bows in Missouri will stop this waste.
If the situation is right, I like to show off myself, but the situation is not always right and I have killed a lot more limbs than squirrels. The little boogers take of like an 88 and down to the next tree they go up, just mosey down and do it ri

 

[30coupe]

...I am in hopes the allowing of cross bows in Missouri will stop this waste.

I seriously doubt that because crossbows have scopes and are super powerful, you know, so you can shoot deer at rifle range...and a lot of idiots will try to. That is often the case with folks who use compounds as well. They think because they can hit a stationary target at 60 yards, a deer will stand around and wait for an arrow to get there from that distance. That and the fear of hitting shoulder bones makes them shoot at the middle of the deer instead of the crease. Get close and put the arrow where it needs to be with a quality fixed blade broadhead and arrows are as deadly as any firearm. Arthritic fingers pushed me into a compound bow for the last three years. I've killed a buck each of those years. Average shot distance 10 2/3 yards. All three fell in sight. Wounded = 0.

Sorry for the rant, but crossbows aren't going to fix anything. For what it's worth, I've seen plenty of wounded deer after shotgun season here as well. You can't fix stupid.

 

[Heelerau]

My late father put 5 .22 bullets in a possums head one evening, it was hanging dead by the tail from a tree branch. It eventually hit the deck, the following day I found it40 off feet from the base of the tree from where it crawled and eventually died. Dad always said they were tough as old boot leather. They sound no different in the US.

 

[hanshi]

Possums are definitely tough little critters. They make good pets (get 'em youngish) and their nearest relative is the kangaroo. I killed them with .22s when I was a teenager, quite easily I might add. I do not and will not kill one now and haven't in over 60 years. If I were to hunt them I'd use the same rifle I use for squirrels.

 

[Dr5x]

I got to laugh at that Dutch. I agree with ya. You talk of the deer being wounded by poor sportsman, I agree to that also. The problem I have found in this area of Missouri is arrows festered up on the deer that looked healthy and active. I have found arrows and arrow heads in multiple places on the animal.
I am in hopes the allowing of cross bows in Missouri will stop this waste.
If the situation is right, I like to show off myself, but the situation is not always right and I have killed a lot more limbs than squirrels. The little boogers take of like an 88 and down to the next tree they go up, just mosey down and do it ri

I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT CROSSBOWS BUT UNDERSTAND THAT WHILE SHORTER RANGE THEY HAVE TERRIFIC PUNCH. YOUR POST INDICATES THAT THE OTHER BOWS LACK PENETRATION. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
DUTCH

 

[kemart17]

Not a squirrel but a groundhog. I hit a rock by the head of a groundhog and you can say that I rocked it.

yep, i rocked a ground hog also, it was unintentional, but i never told my buddy that witnessed it.....lol

 

[Eddie Southgate]

I THINK BARKING IS A WAY TO SHOW OFF TO YOURSELF.
DUTCH

Absolutely .

 

[Brent]

Maybe rabies, but I had lots of aggressive opossum around our land, and that one of my hardest to kill.
Opossums are more reptile then mammal and pretty nasty. I’ve seen them tear in to coons, cats and armadillos. Though dachshunds make short work of them.

Opossums don't get rabies. They are not nasty at all, they just smile funny. They are not made of Kevlar, so they are no harder to kill than any other mammal, maybe easier.

Opossums get a lot of hate for some reason. I give'em a pass. They are one of my favorite critters around my place.

 

[sawyer04]

I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT CROSSBOWS BUT UNDERSTAND THAT WHILE SHORTER RANGE THEY HAVE TERRIFIC PUNCH. YOUR POST INDICATES THAT THE OTHER BOWS LACK PENETRATION. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
DUTCH

No Dutch. I believe they are more accurate for the not so experienced archer. I have no objection to arrow hunting, but feel for the seldom or not so experienced archer the cross bow is easier to control under the adrenalin of excitement, hopefully curtailing the wounding and ruining of game.

 

[30coupe]

No Dutch. I believe they are more accurate for the not so experienced archer. I have no objection to arrow hunting, but feel for the seldom or not so experienced archer the cross bow is easier to control under the adrenalin of excitement, hopefully curtailing the wounding and ruining of game.

A friend of mine, who is a terrible shot with a bow, convinced the DNR that he had a bad shoulder, so he needed a permit for a crossbow. He got the permit, then proceeded to shoot two deer that he never recovered. I found one of them a few days later, but the coyotes didn't leave enough for me to tell where he hit it. We never did find the other one, so maybe it lived, maybe not...coyotes seldom leave much. He should have stuck with a bow, at least he made clean misses with that.

 

[sawyer04]

I seriously doubt that because crossbows have scopes and are super powerful, you know, so you can shoot deer at rifle range...and a lot of idiots will try to

Good point. I have found deer wounded with firearms also. Bow hunting has increased around here. Last year, as far as I know there wasn't any deer in the community found wounded by arrow. Most of the targets here are 30 yards at the most.

 

[sawyer04]

He should have stuck with a bow, at least he made clean misses with that

Let me guess? A true bow hunter, I'd almost guess you could bark a squirrel with a target tip. Joking!!! I never got beyond target stage with a bow, just never trusted myself to kill something, but I gave that target a what for.

 

[30coupe]

Let me guess? A true bow hunter, I'd almost guess you could bark a squirrel with a target tip. Joking!!! I never got beyond target stage with a bow, just never trusted myself to kill something, but I gave that target a what for.

I prefer the G5 small game broadhead, lol! Yes, I'm a bow hunter. I was traditional only until my fingers started giving me fits. I still take the recurve to stands where I know the yardage will be short...under 20 yards. I can't practice with it as much as I'd like, but since I've started carrying the compound, my longest shot has been 12 yards anyway, so I'm not sure it matters.

Killing stuff isn't all about accuracy (probably not the right word); it's about being willing to. Kind of hard to explain, but I know lots of guys who can out shoot me at targets. Some of them just fall apart when there is a live critter involved. I don't. Once I make the decision that I'm going to kill something, I get very calm and just go about my business. I may get the adrenaline shakes after the fact, but not when it matters. Maybe either I have great control over my adrenal glands, or they are malfunctioning and work late, lol!

The problem I have with crossbows, and to a lesser extent, compound bows, is that they are promoted as THE answer. All you have to do is buy one, and you will magically become a great hunter. Take a few shots, mostly hit the bullseye, and go hunting. To quote the old lady in the commercial, "That's not how this works." I shoot enough that the act of shooting is almost automatic. I don't have to think about all the steps involved because I've done them so many times. I decide this is the animal I want, I pick a spot on the critter, and almost as if by magic an arrow appears in that spot. It's kind of hard to explain.

Oddly enough, practicing with a compound has made be a better shot with my recurve or longbow. I haven't quite figured out why, but I suspect it has slowed my shot sequence, so I'm getting a better anchor.

I better knock off this bow talk on a muzzle loading site, lol. I think the basic concept of hunting is the same for both though. I still like head shots though. If I bark one, it won't be on purpose.

 

[Pete G]

Why on earth would I even try to bark a squirrel when I can just shoot it in the head ?

Because that destroys the tongue, jowels and brains, all of which the old timers ate.

 

[Carbon 6]

Because that destroys the tongue, jowels and brains, all of which the old timers ate.

I shot a squirrel in the foot once and killed it dead. If you are accurate enough to "bark" a squirrel you are accurate enough to shoot it where you please.
Did the "old timers" eat squirrel hocks too ?

 

[SDSmlf]

I prefer the G5 small game broadhead, lol! Yes, I'm a bow hunter. I was traditional only until my fingers started giving me fits. I still take the recurve to stands where I know the yardage will be short...under 20 yards. I can't practice with it as much as I'd like, but since I've started carrying the compound, my longest shot has been 12 yards anyway, so I'm not sure it matters.

Killing stuff isn't all about accuracy (probably not the right word); it's about being willing to. Kind of hard to explain, but I know lots of guys who can out shoot me at targets. Some of them just fall apart when there is a live critter involved. I don't. Once I make the decision that I'm going to kill something, I get very calm and just go about my business. I may get the adrenaline shakes after the fact, but not when it matters. Maybe either I have great control over my adrenal glands, or they are malfunctioning and work late, lol!

The problem I have with crossbows, and to a lesser extent, compound bows, is that they are promoted as THE answer. All you have to do is buy one, and you will magically become a great hunter. Take a few shots, mostly hit the bullseye, and go hunting. To quote the old lady in the commercial, "That's not how this works." I shoot enough that the act of shooting is almost automatic. I don't have to think about all the steps involved because I've done them so many times. I decide this is the animal I want, I pick a spot on the critter, and almost as if by magic an arrow appears in that spot. It's kind of hard to explain.

Oddly enough, practicing with a compound has made be a better shot with my recurve or longbow. I haven't quite figured out why, but I suspect it has slowed my shot sequence, so I'm getting a better anchor.

I better knock off this bow talk on a muzzle loading site, lol. I think the basic concept of hunting is the same for both though. I still like head shots though. If I bark one, it won't be on purpose.

I have actually found shooting a crossbow good practice for shooting a flintlock. As crossbows go, the one I have is screaming fast, but that bolt is still in contact with rail for a relatively long time. Any movement or break in your form before it clears, and your shot is off target. You can dryfire a flintlock to work on muscle memory and form, but without that feedback on the target, you may be fooling yourself. You can practice shooting a crossbow in a lot of places you would not dare fire a flintlock, and with measurable feedback from your target on how well you are doing.

And only reason I have a crossbow is because of shoulder issues at times and can’t always draw a bow back. I can archery hunt (bow or crossbow) deer out the back door from early September until New Year’s Day without any of the drama shooting a gun would bring from a few of the neighbors.

 

[rafterob]

Boy, do I feel stoopid. All this time I've been standing at the bottom of the tree barking like a hound dog at the squirrels and not a one has fallen out of the tree.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Boy, do I feel stoopid. All this time I've been standing at the bottom of the tree barking like a hound dog at the squirrels and not a one has fallen out of the tree.

Baying I believe is what hounds do. Barking is what squirrels do to me when stalking. Swearing is what I do to squirrels who bark.

 

[Zonie]

Boy, do I feel stoopid. All this time I've been standing at the bottom of the tree barking like a hound dog at the squirrels and not a one has fallen out of the tree.

I'm surprised it didn't work. Maybe your not giving your barks loud enough or you weren't keeping it up long enough?

Usually a series of good strong barks will knock those squirrels out of the tree. Of course, they aren't really dead. They just passed out from laughing so hard.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm surprised it didn't work. Maybe your not giving your barks loud enough or you weren't keeping it up long enough?

You need taller stilts so that you are closer to the squirrels, and chew some deer dung before you bark so your breath will aid with knocking the squirrels from the tree.

LD