By Jim Dickson | Contributing Writer
Squirrel hunting is an American tradition dating back to the early settlement days when the colonists had reduced the number of big game animals roaming freely.
The vast forests of oak and especially American chestnut provided quantities of food for man and beast unimaginable to people today. The American chestnut was a huge tree, often called the redwood of the East, easily reaching 8 feet in diameter and producing an unfathomable amount of nuts. Early settlers found that if they just removed all the trees except the chestnuts they had a much bigger crop of nuts than if they had planted corn or other crops. People loved to eat the chestnuts and so did all the wildlife. Indeed the American chestnut was the food source that enabled the huge wild game populations of pioneer days.
Needless to say, squirrels were in squirrel heaven with all they could eat and more. Their populations were so immense that people today can hardly imagine it. Feeding a large family by simply squirrel hunting was relatively easy given such an abundance of squirrels and the famous Kentucky squirrel rifle soon became a highly desirable gun to have. At one time Georgia’s famous Stone Mountain was owned by a man who was trying to trade it for a squirrel rifle. I have seen two rifles whose owners turned him down in those days. After all, back then Stone Mountain was just a big rock that you couldn’t grow anything on. In those early years it was considered worthless.
Unfortunately at the dawn of the 20th Century a professor deliberately released the Chinese Chestnut Blight in the American chestnut forest so he could see how it spread, and the results were like the Black Death in medieval Europe. By the 1950’s the American chestnut was mostly just a memory as was the huge wildlife populations that it supported.
Despite the number of squirrels being drastically reduced along with other wildlife populations due to the sudden demise of their main food supply squirrel hunting remains popular today. It is a tangible link with pioneer days and also it is a whole lot of fun. Seasons are long and bag limits generous for the squirrel is a prey animal like the rabbit and just like the rabbit it is a great multiplier.
Today, many states have generous squirrel hunting seasons, which last through the winter. Check your local regulations for details.
You can hunt squirrels any time of day but I like to be in the woods before dawn where I can watch the sun come up and the woods come alive with the day shift. This way I am also in place when the squirrels first appear and I have a chance to see them before they see me. That’s important because squirrels are masters at staying on the opposite side of the tree from you as you traverse the woods.
Wild squirrels are a totally different animal than the semi-tame squirrels of the city and suburbs. They can be quite elusive. You have to pick a spot where they should be and get still and wait them out. They are restless, active creatures that will soon have to have a look see to check if the coast is clear.
You can sometimes get them to show themselves by using a squirrel call such as the one from Burnham Brothers. Oldtimers learned to imitate the barking of a squirrel with their mouth. I remember my Father teaching me to make this noise when I was still a small child.
As for firearms, you can use anything the law allows. If you want to use your deer rifle then you must either take a head shot or “Bark” the squirrel off the tree frontier style. You do this by positioning yourself where you can shoot just under the squirrel knocking that section of tree bark up so violently that it kills the squirrel.
As a squirrel’s vitals are a very small target often perched far away high in the tree tops they can often present a serious marksmanship challenge to the shooter and his rifle. Out of humane respect for the game you should be sure of both your abilities and your rifle’s before using a rifle on them.
A case in point was when I got a Ruger 10/22 for my wife to shoot. Betty wanted to take it squirrel hunting immediately but I test fired it first. With a 2.75X Redfield scope fired from a bench rest it would only shoot 7 inch groups at 50 yards! I had it accurized and then all the groups at 50 yards could be covered by a dime. Never take a gun’s accuracy for granted. Individual guns can surprise you. Once this gun was accurized Betty never missed a shot at a squirrel.
The .22 rifle has taken over the role of the muzzle loading Kentucky squirrel rifle and remains a favorite today. Some people prefer the .22 Short as it can dump more of its energy into the tiny body of the squirrel before exiting than the faster .22LR. There were also many who preferred the .22 Long with its heavier and slower bullet to the .22LR. Still the .22LR gives excellent results and is easier to come by at a lot of places.
All action types have been successfully used on squirrels. Single shots, pumps, lever actions, and semi-autos all work but the semi-auto has the advantage of being able to deliver aimed rapid-fire at a running squirrel that might otherwise escape.
One advantage of the really long barreled .22 is quietness. When the volumetric capacity of the primer and powder gasses is met within the bore while the bullet is still in the barrel the noise disappears and the effect is a very efficient but still legal silencer. It the bullet has no supersonic crack then you may only hear the fall of the hammer.
For a squirrel hunter wanting to get his bag limit this is a very big deal. Squirrel hunters used to invest in silencers before the NFA and those who could not afford a fine Maxim Silencer often used a rubber baby bottle nipple stretched over the muzzle to quieten things down a bit.
All types of pistols have been used on squirrels so you need not get a special pistol for them. Back in the 1950’s a group of men were having trouble hitting a squirrel perched very high in a tree. The Chief of the Fisheries Division of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission was there and took his issue 6-inch barrel .38 Special S&W M&P revolver and dropped the squirrel with one shot to the great embarrassment of the riflemen.
Personally, I like a Stoeger .22 Luger or a 9MM P08 German army issue Luger for squirrel pistols. These have the accuracy for the furthest shots and are easy to hit with.
(Editor’s note: There are many very accurate .22-caliber semi-auto pistols and revolvers which could be good squirrel guns, as they have been used for small game across the country. The Ruger MKI, II, III and IV pistols, Ruger 22/45, Ruger Single-Six, various Smith & Wesson revolvers and semi-auto pistols, Browning Buckmark and vintage Colt Woodsman and Iver Johnson semi-autos would all make the grade.)
Shotguns have always been popular and offer the surest and most humane kill. Qualities that endear them to me for squirrel hunting. The old Nitro Hunter single barrel shogun shown has been killing them for over 100 years, its long full choked barrel resulting in clean kills of squirrels perched in the highest tree tops. Due to their popularity among rural folk from the time they first became available in the 19th Century when the chestnut forests were still intact more squirrels have been killed with the single barrel 12-gauge shotgun than any other type of shotgun.
Even for long shots you don’t need magnum loads. I use 1 ounce of #6 shot over 3 drams of powder in my 12 gauge shells for all game that does not require buckshot and it performs flawlessly for me. Shot patterns determine how effective a killer a shotgun shell load is and this load gives incredibly even patterns.
To skin a squirrel a common way is to cut off the head and feet and then make a circular cut around the middle. You can then pull the skin off the top and the bottom quickly. The tail hairs of squirrels are often used by those who tie flies for fishing.
There are many squirrel recipes. Too many for me to list in fact. Squirrel and dumplings has long been a favorite. Squirrel meat in stews, or simply roast squirrel is classic. Just cook it like any meat.
Squirrels provide fine hunting and fine eating. This tangible link to pioneer days is a most enjoyable one.
