squirrel hunting caliber?

[redwing]

I have a .32 DGW flinter Tenn. Rifle. The rifle is a very
old Dixie. After working over the lock the little pea
shooter works just fine.
It likes 25 grs. of Swiss, and a little 7f in the pan with
a .15 Oxyoke. We don't have tree rats here but lots of
western cotton tails. They set out on the rocks in the
desert to sun. Great sport for the little flinter.
When I am not shooting "Sod Poodles" with my .220 Swift
I take the little .32 out on the range for some fun
shooting. :redthumb:

 

[shmrck1]

traddawg,
Good deal! Let us know how it shoots.
snake-eyes

 

[Ron LaClair]

Here's quieter way to hunt squirrels

 

[fatboy]

Longhunter you the man !!

 

[Nightwind]

Bow hunting for squirrels; I did that once. That arrow is still stuck up there in that tree. All body parts have long since fallen down.

 

[Dave K]

Use blunts or "Judo" heads. It is pretty good sport and it will test you some. I use head shots so miss is a miss. But a blow to the head and you now have squirrel in the skillet. :winking:

 

Here's quieter way to hunt squirrels

NOW You're just being a show-off, Ron...Nice take, though! I'm just being jealous and petty because I still have a hard time getting them some days with a trade gun and have an even harder time keeping all of my arrows into the space of a round bale!!!

:hatsoff:

However, I will throw in my favortie afternoon of limb-bacon hunting. I've posted this picture before, but it's a favorite.

I got these three in the space of about 15 minutes. I was walking into the woods, dropped off the trail to go to my favorite spot, and shot the first one. I reloaded, walked over to pick him up and spotted the second. I dropped that one, reloaded, picked up the first, walked over and picked up the second. I sat down on a log, happy with my success, started to think about having a pipe when the third hopped up onto a log about 30 yards away. It was a long shot, but I was feeling lucky and it was late in the day anyway, so I took the shot, and Bob's Your Uncle, dinner in the pot. Michigan limit is 5 per day, but I didn't figure on being greedy and was very happy with that sort of success.

 

[leadball]

Yeah, I love the pictures that NWTF Longhunter posts. Some of them look like they could have been taken back in late 18th or early 19th century. The only reason that I know they are modern is that no cameras existed back then and I know he isn't THAT old :kid:

 

[Stumpkiller]

:applause: In 'skins, no less.

For 10 years or so the only way I hunted squirrel and bunny was with a traditional bow. Now I use m/l again too, but no breechloaders (unless I jump a bunny when grouse hunting with my 20 ga. SxS). I found that, for me, the best way was to draw and shoot A.S.A.P. before I had a chance to think about it and spoil the shot. :haha:

For many years (until the cat discovered it) I had a red squirrel tail tied to my back quiver. Took him at 25 yards and it was, by far, the best bow shot I've ever made. He'd been scolding me for 20 minutes during prime deer time and I clipped him clean off his log mid-chirp with a 125 gr Rib-Tec in the chest. For those in the lower woods, red squirrels have a 1" x 4" body.

One hunt I took two squirrels with two blunts in the 15 to 20 yard range with two consecutive shots; one on the ground and his partner who paused in a tree. That memory is as dear to me as any deer trophy, and I can still picture that second shot like it was in slow motion and hear the "pop".

 

[Maestro]

ff:... what CALIBER arrow did you use? :kid:

- actually, I'm enjoying this thread... pretty impressive - squirrel with a traditional bow! :applause: :master:

(This is my first year going from compound to a selfbow. I hope to be good to 20 yds. for deer come October.)

 

Ya have to love squirrel hunting, just lvoe it! I've taken a few, very few, with a bow but not recently. Perhaps this deer archery season I'll give it another shot. Right now I'm still enjoying hunting with the flint 36 too much to break out the bow.

Kudos to you guys who are hunting them with your bows.

Maestro, welcome to bowhunting without training wheels, (and a self bow no less)!!!! You've got plenty of time to be ready.

Vic

 

[Darkhorse]

I've never tried it with a long bow but back in the day I took quite a few with a recurve and flu flu arrows with blunt tips.
When I was growing up in Florida when archery season came in, everything was legal. Just like gun season only you had to use bows and arrows. We always carried a couple of flu flu's in our kwiky kwivers. There were a lot more squirrels than deer back then anyway.
I hope I'm not giving away my age here.

In Georgia squirrels are an underhunted resource. Season starts in August (sweat and swelter) and goes out in March. The limit is, I think, 15 a day. You can hunt with a flintlock and expect several shots a day.
Don't hunt them much anymore though, I never seen one with big antlers.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Darkhorse,

You need to come up here to central Georgia to do your squirrel hunting. I got a 6 pt. and an 8 pt. out or the same nest in a big oak tree last year. :huh: Was going to have them mounted but the cat ate them before I had a chance. :bull: :kid:

 

[Ron LaClair]

Squirrels are easy with a good squirrel gun. Here's the results of just a couple hours with the little .32 flinter.

A bow n arra is a different story. Them little critters is tough skinned and if ya don't make a head shot, yer arra is likly to jus bounce off. This is my special squirrel huntin bow, it pulls 105# an the arra is a 1/2" dowel with a 1,000 gr. broadhead. It really kills them squirrels but it's awful hard on the trees... no :bull: