First time hunters - squirrel

[HamsterStyle]

Well, to start off, I'm getting really excited. I had a friend offer up a while back to bring my oldest son out to his place and do some squirrel hunting. Well that time has finally come. We are hoping to get out there on black Friday and get a few. Aidan is 8 and I'm 31. Neither of us have ever hunted before. I've been trying to read on IN DNR'S website and I think I have the basic understanding of the rules down. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

A solid orange article of clothing needs to be worn.
Any weapon or ammo is allowable.
I will obtain a regular hunting license, Aidan will obtain the apprentice hunting license.


We will be using .22's. I normally run thunderbolts. I have the best success with them in my guns. Will they be sufficient or should I switch to a hollow point? Is it legal to bait the squirrels to feed on the ground? I am really hoping to be able to set up shop somewhere and essentially let Aidan shoot from a bench of some sort. Are there any other things I need to be aware of?

If we do happen to get any squirrels, can I toss them in a cooler and bring them home or do I need to clean them as we get them? If any of this seems extra ignorant or very newbie-ish, it's because I am.

Thanks in advance.
Tommy.

 

[Chefcook]

I love squirrel hunting always have. I have always found tree lines in-between corn fields to be some of the best squirrel hunting. It is best to have two guys one on each side as you walk along. Squirrels will scoot around the tree to try and hide from you so two guys work out well for this. I have never had much success just sitting somewhere I prefer to stalk through the woods walking as quietly as possible while stopping and listening every 20 or 30 paces. It seems like the only time you find or see a lot of squirrels while sitting still is when your deer hunting...

 

[hammer24]

Thunderbolts will work fine. Make head shots and they won't go anywhere. My guess is your hopes of bench shooting won't happen. More likely you will be shooting steeply up into the trees and using tree trunks to brace on. I had my 7 yr. old practice bracing and resting his gun at a steep upward angle before we went out this year. He'd shot alot but mostly off a bench, so it took a little getting used to bracing hand on rest then gun on hand. I just had him practice in the house on a door jam. It paid off as he got his first bushytail this year! As far as licensing goes make sure you get him the youth apprentice, and yes orange is a must as it is in Deer firearms season.

 

[srad]

Man, squirrel hunting is one of my favorite ways to spend a good and productive day in the woods.

Your thunderbolts will be fine; just about any .22 ammo is appropriate for squirrel, especially if you're sticking with head shots. As long as your rifle 'likes' the ammo & you can hold your shots to about an inch & a quarter at 25 yards you'll be fine.

If you're planning on body shots to the vitals I meplat the solid nose ammo for a bit more punch, but a round nose will do for sure.

After a good hit, especially with a shot to the vitals, let the squirrel lie a bit & expire; skwerls are tough critters & if you walk to em while they're dying they might run off & bury themselves under leaves, under a log, etc. and it can be hard to find em now with leaves on the ground.

Not sure what the DNR regs are about baiting squirrel, but if you are in a good area they're going to be on the ground 75% of the time this time of year anyway. Personally, if it's a large wooded area & not close to any dwellings I prefer to shoot em out of the trees-- they seem to sit still a bit longer in the trees (when not bouncing around).

You don't have to skin/dress them right away, especially this time of year, but if you don't have a clean kill with a head shot or vitals shot and you have a gut shot squirrel, better off cleaning it sooner than later. With cool/cold weather, you won't need to put em in a cooler in the field either.

Read up on some of the best squirrel hunting info you'll ever find, written by some of the greatest guys out there who love the sport, here...
Squirrel Hunters! The Tree Kind! - RimfireCentral.com Forums

Start at page 1 & keep enjoyin... especially the posts by squaks, crow feather, & 22man (he seems to harvest 2000+ squirrels/year)

And here's the best way to skin em, I had to watch the video a dozen times to make sure I got the details down. Tried this method 3-4 times unsuccessfully, but then it 'clicked' and I've been skinning em this way ever since. Takes about 5 minutes to skin & dress em and put em in a plastic bag in my cooler before heading home.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AVwthXgMA[/ame]

If you're sitting still & unnoticed by the squirrels while they're foraging you'll get shots from 5-25 yds all day; would be a good idea to take Aidan to a range and practice at those distances.

Have a great day!!! Much better idea than hunting deals at Best Buy on black Friday

 

[HICKMAN]

if you want to see a ton of squirrels, tell yourself you are going deer huntin...

 

[nate1865]

if you want to see a ton of squirrels, tell yourself you are going deer huntin...

QFT

I saw several dozen squirrels - some 10 feet away - and NO deer on Tuesday.

 

[Noble Sniper]

I had a squirrel stand on my foot while in my blind while I was deer hunting tonight. He just stood there oblivios to the fact that I was right there

 

[3point5]

Not going to be much help to you...but goodluck. There are quite a few people on here from ICS i see.

 

[PistolBob]

I cheat. I use a single shot .410 shotgun for bushytails. I get more meat that way.

 

[Expat]

THis is a fun time of year to just walk through the woods jump shooting squirrels with a shotgun. They are on the ground a lot and they are visible now with all the leaves down.

 

[HamsterStyle]

We only saw three squirrels. We didn't get any shots off because we tried to get a little closer so Aidan may be able to get a shot. He wasn't a big fan of sitting and waiting so we basically just meandered through the woods for a couple hours. We still had a good time
though. We let him dump several mags out of his gun, my 10/22 and my P22. It was a great day and absolutely beautiful weather. I can't wait to go back out and try again. I am also going to try and make it out sans the kid once too so we can just set up shop and wait for the little buggers to come out.