Were Fowlers used on Squirrel?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Were flintlock fowling pieces, specifically American ones, used on small game such as squirrel and rabbit?

The name seems to signify they were intended for use against waterfowl or by extension other birds, but how realistic would it be for them to be used to hunt small game?

Thanks!

 

[64Springer]

Only on flying squirrels.

 

[2 shots]

it is a shotgun [ smoothbore]. can shoot shot or ball. so yes

 

[Shotgunblast]

Everything and anything is taken with fowlers.

 

[oldwood]

When I used to look for relics in the form of old muzzleloaders , and parts of them to reuse, I found a Potzdam, C. War musket of the smooth bore type. The forearm wood was cut back at the rear barrel band. Sure looked like a home made percussion shotgun to me. I also found an old water color of a poorly clothed hunter , with his beagle , and the cut back , repurposed C.W. musket , he was hunting with , was just like the one I had discovered at a flea market. The painter must have had knowledge of such a musket used for small game.???

 

[windini]

Well, I wasn't there, but I'd speculate a hungry woodsman would hunt whatever e could find with whatever gun he had.

So I vote "yes!"

 

[tenngun]

Fowling piece, a fowler is a hunter after birds. Silly to point out I know, but important.
A man who was a fowler was fairly well to do, and his gun reflected that. Most of the colonial guns we classify as colonial fowlers were just all round ‘guns’ smooth, rather light and big enough to past muster for militia duty.
And they shot what ever they needed

 

[2 shots]

Only on flying squirrels.

please do not shoot a flying squirrel if he is hanging out with a moose.

 

[ORBushman]

please do not shoot a flying squirrel if he is hanging out with a moose.

Shoot the moose first and then the flying squirrel. Meat for the season!

 

[tenngun]

Shoot the moose first and then the flying squirrel. Meat for the season!

And have the undying friendship of a tall exotic Russian girl, but watch out for her short friend

 

[JeffG]

Yes. And still are...

 

[Rudyard]

I've used a much rusted restocked West Africa trade gun for squirrels , I used a dram of powder admix of sawdust in it & a half ounce of shot . I shot it one handed Africa style as didn't trust the thin barrel but the strangest thing it had all diminutive ' India pattern' mounts inc an extra pipe even a wrist escution nose cap to its' Elephant & howdah 'stamped flint lock sling swivels too .I think they were' got up' for some Amazon like tribe that existed , might still in Equatorial West Africa Never seen another & it came with a bayonet . none of that is too much related to Squirrels but they reminded me of them this was in the early 60s;. was in UK there are no squirrel's in NZ .
Rudyard

 

[sheriff john]

We see "fowler" used quite a bit by folks to label nearly any smoothbore that isn't a musket. Up until fairly recently, there were no "seasons" nor "limits" on wild game in the U.S.A. People shot whatever they wanted, whenever they chose. Sure "fowlers" killed squirrels (and ducks, geese, turkeys, passenger pigeons, rabbits, deer, ...whatever). If it wasn't eaten by the hunter, game was sold. I surmise more rifles survived b/c shotguns were the workhorse guns, used and abused on every farm in America. Rifles were more specialized, not suited for every day "go shoot something for supper" stuff. Just a thought. I have nothing to back it up, really.

 

[54ball]

We see "fowler" used quite a bit by folks to label nearly any smoothbore that isn't a musket. Up until fairly recently, there were no "seasons" nor "limits" on wild game in the U.S.A. People shot whatever they wanted, whenever they chose. Sure "fowlers" killed squirrels (and ducks, geese, turkeys, passenger pigeons, rabbits, deer, ...whatever). If it wasn't eaten by the hunter, game was sold. I surmise more rifles survived b/c shotguns were the workhorse guns, used and abused on every farm in America. Rifles were more specialized, not suited for every day "go shoot something for supper" stuff. Just a thought. I have nothing to back it up, really.

Really a lot more fowling guns and trade muskets survive than rifles especially in the early period....1780 and before. Then there are buck and ball guns and the so-called smooth rifles.

Really the attrition rate is about even. Surviving examples pretty much match production examples in the opinion of many. You will see this when you go to shows. Lots of smooth bore guns...some very old. Many are in almost shootable condition.

Rifles are scarcer. They just are, again, especially early rifles. Many think that plain rifles are rare. The theory is the plain guns were used up. That's not really the case. Again, the attrition is likely matches the production. There are plenty of plain rifles. They are just not published
There are plenty of Old Smoothbores, but they hide in plain sight like over the mantle at Cracker Barrel.

Think about this with a more modern comparison.
One family treasure paw paw's cheap single barrel as an heirloom.
Another family throws Granddad's pristine Belgian Sweet 16 Browning in the trash.
The attrition even out IMHO.

 

[toot]

a fowler back in the day accounted for a fair amount of tree rats, just as a tree rat is hunted with one today. no different, a shot gun is a shot gun. jmho.