When you say ground squirrels are you talking Chipmonks? I'm not sure but I think they are a protected species. If your talking about the ground squirrels out west then I don't have much experiance with them. Get a good .22 with a nice scope and I would highly reccomend using regular CCI high speed hollow points. No need for the more expensive and louder "stinger" type shells. Get a good "rest"......like a stump or tree and just enjoy being out in the sun. For a good .22 for this kind of work you can't beat a marlin 39a. Just a classic rifle. Have fun! FNMauser

Aw, he speaks of tree rats! JMO, but a lot depends on the local circumstance as far as sight in distance. I think 50 yards is about right, but you really need to know where they'll go at 25 since that's about where you'll shoot most of them. I used to use LR's for squirrel but consider them too powerful for the most part. I don't even use HV shorts anymore. CB shorts or longs, and of late I've found that the BB caps work quite well too. Brain or chest shots for either and they drop pretty quick. Modern production autos will NOT function with anything besides LR's unless you load singly. Claybuster has the right approach, particularly the part about the walnut stained garments. Good luck!

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.Hurricanes.Suck

You guys should have heard my wife scream the first time she came face to carcass with a 1/2 dozen dressed squirrel, she found in the fridge Clay

I was well past drinking age before I shot a squirrel with anything other than a shotgun. One of my best shots was near Ft. Rucker with a 12 Ga., #6. Little rascle snuck up on me and we had a staring contest at about 15 ft. Well, I wasn't sighted in at 100, but a little WAG and I took the top of it's head off. You gotta know your gun, pure and simple. These days I use a .22 and play Pachinko on the way down. Still, you gotta know your gun.

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.Squill.Killer

I had a tree rat in a staring contest at 15ft while Deer hunting with my 54cal Black Powder rifle. I tried for a head shot, but since I was sited in for 100yrds I shot over him. I figured if I went for a body shot there would not have been anything left. I was close enough I bet the powder singed him though.

Sighted in for 100 yds should leave you just about dead on at 15 feet too. Almost exactly.

Brent

Nope it was 1.5 inches high. I looked all over for any sign of a hit squirrel but no hair or blood. Maybe I vaporized him but I think I just missed.



Dan is right I just haven�t shot the 54 enough, but I haven�t given up yet maybe next time.

Thanks to all for the great suggestions.

Hey fellow squirrel hunters,I have a few questions about the fox squirrel which I know nothing about.Are they all that rare?Are they almost always in pines?Do they eat only pines?Do they taste/cook like a grey?I have seen black ones and saw a red one the other day.Which color is the most seen?I have only seen four total in many years hunting but i do not hunt pines hardly ever,the red fox i saw the other day was in pines also.Is it common to get alot of them a season if you hunt pines or will you only see a few if you hunt hard?I have seen a lot of them mounted,so i just figured they were a rare trophy for grey squirrel hunters to collect.There is a hardware/tire store in talbot county,Ga,that has numerous mounts of all colors of rare squirrels lots of albinos and piebald looking odd colored up squirrels,any of you fellow hunters ever see odd colored ones much?Grey is just about the only one i ever see but would love to shoot a jet black one....Anyone got any tips for locateing fox squirrels?Do they frequent the hardwood bottoms and acorns also?Do they mate for life like some animals?...Also can the fox be called up with a regular call?Any good ideas for useing the skins,I know the tails make for some awsome fish catching flies and jigs.I can put a little bit of fur on a spinner hook and get twice the bites as a bare hook spinner.....Also blackpowder hunters what kind of powder charge do you use with a round ball?What caliber rifle?Average yardage for a shot?

BBHunter, you sure do got a lot of questions for a squill hunter!

I'm not going to answer them all, or even most of them, but...

Grey squirrel are NOT native to North America. Fox Squirrel are. The Greys are pushing the Fox out over time, and foxes will certainly wind up extinct in much of the country one day. The Foxes come in many color patterns, from Black to grey, red and gold even. I've seen them all in Georgia over the years. I see most of them near highways, many dead as roadkill, which is a shame. Tend to see more of them is mature pine/hardwood mix if they're alive. Sad thing about the Foxes is that they're a dumb as a brick, and that insures their future. There are tufted varieties in the Everglades all, near 3' in length and quite handsome. Shoot them in Ga. if you like, I think 1/day is the limit. Shoot them in Fla. and I think they put bracelets on you before your arraingment. big NO-NO down here. That about takes care of what I know except that when they hit the ground they make a big "Whump!". And don't be under them when they poop. OH, and if you use a ML, try a round ball .36, around 1,000 fps. .32 Cal ought to work too, or really anything else. Just don't try too much velocity or you'l tear 'em up.

Hope that helps. Most mounts I see of them are sorry attempts. Never have seen a good fox squill mount. Mostly I don't shoot 'em. But I do shoot the grey ones. They're non-native species, and never tried to naturalize and become one of us. Sooooooo, I shoot them whenever I can. I'd use a vulcan cannon if I could figure out how to get it in the woods. I hate tree rats! When I run out of cats, I go lookin for tree rats. SxS 10, 3.5", #6. Gets 'em every time!

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.OnAndOn.AndOnAndOn

Fox squirrels are quite common in the river bottoms of south and east Arkansas. In the White River National Wildlife Refuge, the black color phase is seen and killed in the ratio of about 1 black per 40 or 50 of the red color phase (just my experience). Fox squirrels prefer the more open timber stands, whereas the grays tend to be found in the thickets and dense timber that is covered in lots of vines. In urban areas, I now see gray squirrels more than I used to as a kid. There is something going on that has caused an increase in their population in some urban areas in the state, possibly to the detriment of the fox squirrel population in those areas. In the Ozark Mountains, the gray has always been the dominant species except along creek bottoms where some areas have been cleared for pasture. There, one will find a few fox squirrels.

I have never read anything to indicate that the gray squirrel is not native to North America. Digital, I am curious as to where you found this information. I have been in the wildlife and natural resource management business for about thirty years and in my experience the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensus) has never been referred to as a non-native species. In scientific literature, if a species is not native to the continent, there is some explanation as to how it got here, i.e. nutria were imported from Brazil, etc. I have read volumes on the critters (squirrels) and have also gathered considerable biological data on them and from what I know, both the gray and fox squirrel predate the European settlement of the U.S. Please understand that I am not trying to stir up a stink, but I believe I am posting correct information. I certainly agree with your philosophical position on the non native species as most have become nuisances to say the least.

Took my son out today for the opener and was very happy with his kill of two fox squirrels and one gray - with the .22 I bought him for his birthday a couple of years ago. He is 17 and doesn't hunt unless I take him. He is hooked on the computer like most kids. I mostly used a shotgun when I was that age, except when hunting with a dog or if the animals were extremely abundant. I will admit that I was somewhat of a gamehog when it came to killing the limbrats back in those days. Merganser

Good for your boy Merganser! Good for you, buying the .22. A story as old as Squirrel?

Anyhoo, I cannot quote a souce to my info, and as to stink, we don't mind it one bit here in the cat forum. I've read on several occasions that the greys were introduced by early English settlers, as were a number of bird varieties. Is the English Sparrow of some value I cannot percieve? Why would anybody want to transplant them? The predominance of fox squirrel populations in places I've lived is a thing of the past. This includes Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. They were once quite abundant in the Everglades. Whether it is caused by being displaced by the grey or replaced, I wouldn't know.

Greys aren't doing too well in Yankeetown at the moment, and the gators are pleased. A stray fox squirrel would find a warm welcome at my house, and an ear of corn on the ground.

Welcome aboard! You haven't really lost control of your computer, but it could well happen if you hang around here. We're mostly dedicated to cat whacking, and have some high times now and again. I shant tell people that greys are immigrants any longer. I might tell folks they are suspected of sneaking in, but have not yet been charged.


Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.FairAnd.Balanced

BBHunter, I use a 50 Hawken Caplock on Rabbit,Grouse,Red and Gray Squirrel and if the opportunty arises, California Quail. I will also lay for Gophers but am not much tempted to try to eat them. I use only the PRB and usually 80gr of 2F goex unless being attacked by a wounded rabbit, and will then resort to 140gr of the same powder. derf

When you say "ground sqirrels" i assume your referring to the Richardsons ground Squirrel, which we have always called "gophers"..... wrong also. Some even call them "Prairie dogs", which is a larger and different species. You would never see either one in a tree.
Depends on where you are, i guess But i always like the effect of my 25-06

Man, I heard that! Almost as good as Garric Flied Pu...er, Cat!

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.SquillFill.TheBill

Dan,,were you talking about the rather industrious silver toothed brown squirrel? If so,they can climb rather well Think I learned more about squill today than really nescessary.Red,black,grey,,,,They all taste the same smothered in bbq sauce coming off of the grill Clay

hound, I know why you never see them in a tree. 'cause where they live there ain't many trees in the first place. If there were you'd have to call 'em Forest Dogs, then it would get all forked up, confusing them with foxes and 'yotes and wolves etc. But they'd probably learn to climb trees and grow tails.

Yep, your 25-06 is a winner, I'm a big fan of the 1/4 bore! Gotta say though, there ain't nothing much better'n a Swift if you're into Red Mist.

Did you know that there are idiots out there that actually pay a LOT of money for P. dogs as pets? Japs are wild about them, at least they were awhile back. Hope we haven't exported any plague over there...

Anyhoo, what they's yakking about is squirrels that live up in trees most of the time. Greys and Fox Squirrel mostly. ON the other hand, I used to work with a couple of them but I never saw them climbing trees. I think one of them liked to eat nuts though.

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.SquillsN.HotGrease