Making the world a better place, one squirrel at a time.

[dhaverstick]

I had laid off squirrel hunting, primarily because my freezer is full of them, but a person can only take so much goading. I was out shooting my longbow Sunday morning and the trees around me were full of bushytails running around doing bushytail things. I resisted temptation as long as I could and then went and loaded up Miss Daisy, my 32 squirrel rifle. I normally don't get her out until later in the season when the squirrels are cutting nuts and sitting still, but I thought that this way I would be giving them a sporting chance. I killed one before I started to melt and called it good.

After that, it seemed like every time I stepped outside there was one piddling around close. I especially noticed a lot of activity in my peach trees where the rodents were helping themselves. I still had a load in Miss Daisy that I needed to get rid of and I figured I might as well put meat in the freezer while doing it. Late yesterday afternoon I decided I had better get my gun unloaded so I went out in the dog yard to see if I could find a peach stealer. When I got to that corner of the yard, I disturbed 4 of them! I knew they weren't too scared so I just waited a bit and one came back to get another peach. As Jerry Clower would say, "The Lord called the poor thing home."

Notice my fancy hunting clothes. As you can see, they are not really needed as my house butts up right against the woods.

I shot him out of that hedge apple tree as he was planning his next heist.

Darren

 

[MountainSmoke]

Nice job Darren, always enjoy hearing about your hunts. Good shooting with that 32!

 

[deermanok]

Good shooting.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

You always have great stories

 

[Bassdog1]

I am down to tree or four in the freezer so got a couple more meals before season.

 

[bushytail]

Nice shooting.

 

[hanshi]

I had laid off squirrel hunting, primarily because my freezer is full of them, but a person can only take so much goading. I was out shooting my longbow Sunday morning and the trees around me were full of bushytails running around doing bushytail things. I resisted temptation as long as I could and then went and loaded up Miss Daisy, my 32 squirrel rifle. I normally don't get her out until later in the season when the squirrels are cutting nuts and sitting still, but I thought that this way I would be giving them a sporting chance. I killed one before I started to melt and called it good.

After that, it seemed like every time I stepped outside there was one piddling around close. I especially noticed a lot of activity in my peach trees where the rodents were helping themselves. I still had a load in Miss Daisy that I needed to get rid of and I figured I might as well put meat in the freezer while doing it. Late yesterday afternoon I decided I had better get my gun unloaded so I went out in the dog yard to see if I could find a peach stealer. When I got to that corner of the yard, I disturbed 4 of them! I knew they weren't too scared so I just waited a bit and one came back to get another peach. As Jerry Clower would say, "The Lord called the poor thing home."

Notice my fancy hunting clothes. As you can see, they are not really needed as my house butts up right against the woods.

I shot him out of that hedge apple tree as he was planning his next heist.

Darren

Darren, a man's gotta do his part, that's for sure.

 

[Christophero]

Sounds like a big Squirrel gravy and biscuit feed is nigh at hand in the Haverstick area. Then the situation would only call for further rodent removal. It's a tough business, but you're the man to tackle the task.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

When I go squirrel hunting, I like to make an entire day of it.

Pack in a carrot, onion, bit of celery, boiler in my haversack. Make a camp, pull out the fire kit & build a fire, let it burn down and then circle camp hunting squirrels. That is always the best tasting squirrel…cooked in camp, over a fire.…even cooked on a stick over the coals…

Shared with a friend or 4, makes it even better…

At the end of the day, field clean the gun…and head home.

It’s more of late fall/early winter type of activity…but very enjoyable.

 

[longcruise]

@Rock Home Isle Hmmm. Reads like you are taking advantage of the pine squirrel population.

Many say they don't eat well but I find them to be tasty enough

 

[Rock Home Isle]

@Rock Home Isle Hmmm. Reads like you are taking advantage of the pine squirrel population.

Many say they don't eat well but I find them to be tasty enough

I like the Fox Squirrels found along the river bottoms. They are pretty sizable, though not overly abundant…once you are outside city limits.

Pine Squirrels do taste fine, I’ve eaten them often. They are so scrawny, you need a bushel basket of them to make a meal.

 

[LSB]

Having lived my entire life in South Dakota, except for a year in Wyoming and 3 1/2 years in St. Louis, I find it interesting that cottontail rabbit and squirrels are not popular game animals here. In fact, I have never known local people to ever hunt squirrels, much less eat them. A few people hunt cottontail rabbits just for something to do in the "off season" but I have not known anyone who really does it regularly for the meat. When I have quizzed my local hunter friends about eating rabbits, many of them will say something like "I tried it once but I wasn't impressed" or "It doesn't taste bad but it is too much work to skin them and the hair gets everywhere on the meat". I personally have never found any local who has actually eaten a squirrel. When I lived in St. Louis all my hunting friends were excited each year anticipating the start of both squirrel and rabbit seasons. Not around here. In South Dakota squirrels and rabbits are considered game animals with lengthy seasons and bag limits but apparently that is primarily considered to be something for the "out of state" hunters coming in to hunt them. A landowner can legally shoot as many rabbits on his/her property as they want year around in South Dakota. Apparently different areas of the country have entirely different ideas regarding "game animals".

 

[dhaverstick]

I like squirrel fine right but I would WAY rather eat rabbit! The problem with rabbit hunting for me is that the season doesn't start until October 15th and I am all focused on bow hunting by then. It also seems that the little rascals do a disappearing act around that time. All summer long, I'll have a yard full of bunnies but when the season opens they are nowhere to be found. I have to satisfy my rabbit craving with tame ones that a friend of mine raises. Not nearly as much fun as getting them yourself but they sure do taste good!

Darren

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I like squirrel fine right but I would WAY rather eat rabbit! The problem with rabbit hunting for me is that the season doesn't start until October 15th and I am all focused on bow hunting by then. It also seems that the little rascals do a disappearing act around that time. All summer long, I'll have a yard full of bunnies but when the season opens they are nowhere to be found. I have to satisfy my rabbit craving with tame ones that a friend of mine raises. Not nearly as much fun as getting them yourself but they sure do taste good!

Darren

I think it’s because your rabbits can read…

There’s the issue, they know when season opens, and they all pack up and go to South Dakota…rumor has it that people in South Dakota….don’t hunt rabbits.

So yeah, there’s that.

 

[Bassdog1]

Squirrel or rabbit I like both. But I get way more pleasure if I can do it with a Black Powder gun. Have shot a few cotton tails still hunting some brushy pastures but its a pretty low success rate hunt compared to Squirrel so I often pick up my little 28 gauge if I am rabbit hungry.

 

[Yewbender]

Hey Darren, the only way you can give them a sporting chance is with a straw and spitball…but even then i think you could get a couple!!! Nice shooting and more good eating!

 

[Ricochet]

Good shootin'!! That is the reason I bought my .40 Kibler! My favorite kind of huntin but it seems the population here has went the way of the dodo. Hopefully they will rebound after some hard late mast killing frosts we've had these last few years! Id sure hate to move again