squirrel vs Deer?

[Birdman]

curious, which do ya like better? and iffen ya had to choose one vs the other, which would it be. I'm going fer squirrel cause around here ya can spend much more time in the woods, easier to carry out, taste just as good in their own way, n in the long run if yer lucky ya end up with just as much meat and ya need the same skill set to get em. Now I like deer hunting too but if I had to choose it's squirrel hands down fer sure. Wish some a the hunting shows on the idiot box would show some squirrel hunting instead of nothing but stuff with big antlers or ducks, would be a pleasent change a pace YMHS Birdman

 

[chance]

I like both. I guess I have got to go with deer. I say this only because I have deer hunted more than squirrel. I really like to squirrel hunt though. I love to hunt everything!!!!

 

[NJ Longbeard]

Birdman, I'm with you on the idiot box. A show on hunting with only traditional black powder hunting would be awesome and a very welcome change to the routine big bucks on big farms with big fences! :rotf: :rotf: As for my hunting preference its all good, but turkey hunting is starting to rival deer hunting as my favorite. However I do plan on hunting squirrel this fall with the new fowler i'm building..... Ed

 

[wattlebuster]

I likem both but I would have to go with deer. Love that homemade jerky :thumbsup:

 

[NJ Longbeard]

Not to mention the grilled backstraps!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I enjoy both, but my vote will go for deer. Just more satisfaction for me in shooting something the size of a deer over a squirrel. Also you need ALOT of squirrels to get as much meat as a deer. NICE bucks are also way more scarce and harder to hunt than a squirrel.
Deer, along with squirrel and waterfowl (waterfowl I don`t hunt with blackpowder) are the three main things I hunt. Squirrel the most as the season is 9/15 thru 3/1 and only about a month for firearm deer (regular firearm & blackpowder).

 

[BrownBear]

For me it's not either/or. Back 40 years ago when I lived in squirrel country I estimate I put in 4 or 5 days of small game hunting for every day of deer hunting. Deer season there was only 3 weeks long while small game including squirrel went for something like 5 months.

The trend holds true up here, though deer season is longer. Even though we have a deer season running Aug 1- Dec 31 and generous bag limits, a guy only needs so many deer. Ptarmigan season runs Aug- Apr and there's no closed season and no bag limit on snowshoe hare. These days I probably put in 10 days on small game for every 1 day with deer.

Come to think of it, I wonder if I actually accumulate more meat in the house from small game than deer. I'm sure it varied a lot from one place and person to another, but I can imagine that a busy frontier farmer ran a trapline for small game every day as part of his chores, but only took deer as they happened his way, rather than making many dedicated hunts. Makes me wonder if they too didn't consumer more small game than venison.

 

[larry wv]

Rather hunt Deer. Rather eat squirrel. Larry

 

[Britsmoothy]

You know I have been hunting deer for weeks now with the musketoon.
All the time I find nice rabbits and squirls and now october is here the odd pheasant too, I'm startin to think of forgeting the deer!

To much like hard work. If everything comes together then fine,,,,,,

B.

 

[roundball]

Only have two small places I hunt and deer / squirrel seasons run concurrently so deer trumps squirrels for me until after I fill my deer tags or deer season closes.

The bad news is that forces me to squirrel hunt late December/January/February after all the leaves are off the trees and the weather is the worst...so its usually more deer than squirrels for me

 

[CoyoteJoe]

"Too much like hard work", I agree. I much prefer small game. With small game I dint' feel compelled to be out in nasty weather, I don't have to wear orange, I'm much more likely to get a shot but am not heart broken if I don't, I don't have to push myself into country that would kill be to drag game back out, I don't spend two days cleaning, packing out, processing and packaging my kill. On the other hand, venison is delicious. I hear people talk about the "gamey" taste but I don't know what that is.

 

[rabjr]

Deer here first and foremost. Anyone experiencing a gamey taste needs to examine just how they are caring for that meat from the moment of the shot to the dinner plate. No gamey taste here. :thumbsup:

 

[hanshi]

there have been times when I did have to choose, sorta. I lean toward deer as that's the only game suitable for my larger than .40 rifles.

 

[gordy]

I would have to go with small game over deer for some of the reasons given by others here. One of my favorite type of small game hunting is with a good beagle for rabbits and tree rats. I,ve had a few "mutt" dogs that were great tree rat dogs.Not much squerill hunting out here but the jacks and javalina population ,supply lots of oppertunity to shoot.I seldom go afield the first few days of deer season because there are just too many trigger happy wannabe deer hunters with buck -fever running around . I really don,t care how many points a rack might scoreon the "boon & crokett" scale I never found antler soup to my liking. As to the TV Hunts , Iteems to me that thease folks spend a lot of money to get antlers.
If I had the money they spend on travel , gear and guides , I,d have a couple of nice custom flinters built. Always wondered why they
'whisper" , the deer pretty much pick up on all the talking they do. This is just my opinion and if that type of hunt flips your switch more power to you.
:thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

And of course, they're not actually "hunting shows" at all...they're "marketing shows".
No telling how many video taped "hunts" are made with certain manufacurer's equipment and then edited to finally end up with one show...I don't waste my time with them as it's not reality...all staged for TV

 

[luieb45]

Deer, no questions asked. Squirrels are one of my favorite small game but deer are in a whole 'nother league.

 

[Robert Egler]

I prefer hunting squirrel, hands down, no question. I also perfer eating squirrel, but it does require a whole lot of them to make a fur-lined coat. :haha:

 

[russecv58]

i'd have to say deer. havent gotten any squirrels with antlers big enough to make a knife handle out of 'em....yet :blah:

 

[Rhett Griffith]

I'm gonna vote for deer, but just because we probably have more deer here than squirrels. It's mostly pasture land and wheat fields here with a few trees here and there. I shoot about 6 squirrels a year out of the treerow behind the house and then I start worrying about wiping them all out! But I sure do love to hunt those little critters with my little boys!