# Vendeta, die squirrels



## alleyyooper (Oct 17, 2019)

Was very over cast as I walked out the door to see if any squirrels were out and about after the rain this morning.


I slipped behind the barn to my deer blind at the edge of the woods with a huge hickory tree at the base of the hill. There are also several big acorn producing Oaks near. When deer hunting from this blind I have squirrels all over the place and even on the porch. *Squirrels have chewed a hole thru the blind recent*, even more reason to take care of the varmints and get some good eaten.


Wasn’t long after I had loaded the 22 mag mag’s full of rounds and the first squirrel appears coming down the hill. It heads to the creek for a drink then jumps on the log bridge to gain access to the hickory nuts on the other side. Once across the bridge it died of lead poisoning, 3 more to go. The next one comes down along the creek on the hickory tree side, grabs a nut and sets up to chew the hull off and lost his brains, two more to go. 


It no sooner stopped twitching when the 4th one comes across the tree limbs till it gets to the hickory tree. Once at the hickory tree it stops, for a rest maybe? When it does it goes into permeant read mode one more to go. Had to wait what I felt like a good 20 minutes for the last one again arriving thru the tree tops. Runs out on a limb grabs a nut that was still hanging, retreated closer to the main trunk and sat up to start chewing . It also was hit in the head and dropped 20 feet thru the branches to the ground.


I am finished for this outting. Michigan allows 5 squirrels and 5 in the fridge or freezer.

I am going to put these in my freezer for a bit then take them to my brother who can’t hunt and really wants some squirrels.

 Al


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## grizz55chev (Oct 17, 2019)

alleyyooper said:


> Was very over cast as I walked out the door to see if any squirrels were out and about after the rain this morning.
> 
> 
> I slipped behind the barn to my deer blind at the edge of the woods with a huge hickory tree at the base of the hill. There are also several big acorn producing Oaks near. When deer hunting from this blind I have squirrels all over the place and even on the porch. *Squirrels have chewed a hole thru the blind recent*, even more reason to take care of the varmints and get some good eaten.
> ...


Squirrel and dumplings, comfort food ( not for the squirrels family though ).


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## Deleted member 117362 (Oct 17, 2019)

I hunted them while in college and a guy studying restaurant management would make a stew up on weekend for a floor dinner. Great cook.


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## sb47 (Oct 17, 2019)

I have to thin the heard every now and then. Took out about a dozen a few weeks ago. Too many houses around here to use .22 LR so I use Aguila colibri's witch makes it a challenge to hit one from any real distance.
I like that there is no sound and the squirrels near by don't know whats going on. I do it all from my front porch.


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## Blue Oaks (Oct 17, 2019)

The past two years I've seen tons of squirrels in my backyard. Funny, this year I have seen 2 since Feb. On a related note, this guy's been hanging around.


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## Yoopermike (Oct 17, 2019)

I hear ya fellow Yooper... I am in a constant state of war when it comes to squirrels around my home. In the woods they are fine, they cross the threshold of the tree line its game on!


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## alleyyooper (Oct 17, 2019)

With a woods full of Hickory and Oak trees, corn fields spitting distance to the north and to the east. I never have a shortage of squirrels except on years with few acorns and hickory nuts and the farmer plants soy beans instead of corn.

 Al


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## Ryan'smilling (Oct 17, 2019)

They chew holes in my sap tubing, so they're not welcome in my woods. I don't own a scoped rifle, so I started with a little .410 bore shotgun. After I missed a couple that were out of range I switched to a 12 gauge. It's overkill, sure, but I'm not in it for sport. Those things got to go.


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## Big Red Oaks 4 me (Oct 17, 2019)

I shoot the little bastards because they make me mad.


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## sb47 (Oct 17, 2019)

I have a zone of about 150 feet from my house that I will sometimes take them out if there starts to be a lot of them.


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## stillhunter (Oct 18, 2019)

I hunt and stalk tree rats w a 4 power scoped, Ruger 10/22. I have 2, Eagle 30 rnd. magazines that snap together. I load subsonics in one and high power in the other. I stalk w the subs loaded for close range, if I spot them further out I pull the mag, eject, and switch to the high speed mag. It is a lot of fun to shoot squirrels running on the ground or in the trees w a semi and plenty of ammo to shoot at will.


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## Ted Jenkins (Oct 18, 2019)

We can not discharge fire arms for any reason here, but squirrels have not been too big of a problem. My 3 yo Sandy has become very adept at squirrel reduction. Then I also set out modified Victor traps. Plenty of buckets with water in them. I tried using my crossbow, but retrieving bolts is a real pain. They get stuck about a foot below grade. Thanks


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## ChoppyChoppy (Oct 19, 2019)

I just leave a trap out for them. They jeep getting in the woodshop and tearing up the place. Between them and the ants sheez! The ants made a hotel in the 6" foam walls of the kiln.


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## CatMan Fetters (Oct 19, 2019)

Got my limit the other day!


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## Polish hammer (Oct 19, 2019)

Like the variety


CatMan Fetters said:


> View attachment 767027
> Got my limit the other day!


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## sb47 (Oct 19, 2019)

One kept coming into the zone today. he pushed his luck a little to far.


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## hayboy (Dec 26, 2019)

My brother trapped about 40 here last summer. Relocated almost all of them.


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## Ryan'smilling (Dec 26, 2019)

stillhunter said:


> I hunt and stalk tree rats w a 4 power scoped, Ruger 10/22. I have 2, Eagle 30 rnd. magazines that snap together. I load subsonics in one and high power in the other. I stalk w the subs loaded for close range, if I spot them further out I pull the mag, eject, and switch to the high speed mag. It is a lot of fun to shoot squirrels running on the ground or in the trees w a semi and plenty of ammo to shoot at will.



I just bought myself a 10/22 a couple of weeks ago. Found a used Sporter at Cabela's with a 4X scope for $200, so I feel like I did alright. Got it home and it's sighted in pretty well. Only taken it to the woods two times for an hour or so each time, but I've taken out 5 or 6 so far, plus a red squirrel up at the shed here. I'm pretty happy with it. Sweet little gun.


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## MechanicMatt (Dec 26, 2019)

I’ve hunted squirrels longer than anything else. Bisquick dumplings and squirrel stew!! My best friend since 4th grade mom made the best when we were little. Shot them with everything from our pellet rifles to our bows to 12ga. Now a days, .410 double barrel or the trusty 10/22

One fell victim to the 06, head shot, but still in as a big mess. I think the only thing I haven’t gotten them with that I’ve had since I was a kid is my .223. 

in February they usually have a tournament over valentines weekend. Local Fired Department sponsors it. So I’m recent years, I try my best to wait till then to shoot them.


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## alleyyooper (Dec 28, 2019)

Nothing like passing your problem off to some one else. If your not going to shoot them leave them be.

I like to wrap squirrel in bacon and bake them, YUM.

I hunt them a lot like deer in fact shoot 80% from one of my deer blinds, Have 3 at the moment that produce.

After the crap of with holding 22LR rimfire ammo and prices scalpers were selling them for I got a *Rugar 22 Hornet and reload with the reduced load data in the Speer # 10 manual.* Works very well and I can keep a huge supply of primers easier than I can the same amount of rim fire ammo.

How ever the powder has been discontinued so need to soon find a different powder to use.

 Al


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## esshup (Dec 28, 2019)

alleyyooper said:


> Nothing like passing your problem off to some one else. If your not going to shoot them leave them be.
> 
> I like to wrap squirrel in bacon and bake them, YUM.
> 
> ...



A buddy (that has since passed away from Leukemia) reloaded .223 using Trail Boss and 60 grain cast bullets. He just dipped the case in the powder until it was full, and seated the bullets. He said it was very quiet and he could watch the bullets fly thru the air if the sun was right. If it was me, I'd want to weigh the powder out though for more consistency.


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## Ryan'smilling (Dec 28, 2019)

Saw a couple of reds playing outside from the bathroom window this morning. Took one out. The other didn't give me a good enough opportunity. Not yet, anyway.


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## John Lyngdal (Dec 28, 2019)

alleyyooper said:


> Nothing like passing your problem off to some one else. If your not going to shoot them leave them be.
> 
> I like to wrap squirrel in bacon and bake them, YUM.
> 
> ...



Like you, I went "off grid" when 22 LR ammo prices went crazy. I started using 2.7 gr. of Trail Boss and a 22 Lee Bator bullet sized to .225" in my Hornet
It's sub-sonic, but he heavier bullet makes up for the lower velocity when it comes to putting game in the pot.
With a carton of primers, a can of powder, and some wheel weights from the tire store, I'd be good for several years.


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## CatMan Fetters (Dec 28, 2019)

My peashooter, Tennessee ridge runner 22LR.


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## alleyyooper (Dec 28, 2019)

When the 22lr ammo got scarce I walked into a sporting goods store and they had shelves sagging full of 22 mag ammo.

Took me about a month to aquire a 22mag by then the 22 Mag ammo was nearly gone too.

 Al


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## stillhunter (Dec 28, 2019)

When I was a kid my grandpa and ma had huge tract of rolling, hardwoods behind their house, more than a thousand acres. A friend of mine lived beside them and we went to school together. We hunted squirrels many times, mostly working together sneaking slowly and spying them in the trees before sneaking up to them. I can't remember all the ones we killed, sometimes a dozen in an morning or afternoon. We would spread out and quietly move through the woods. If one of us saw more than 2 or more we would blow a crow call to tell the other to come to the squirrels. Then we would sneak up to a tree w one or more hiding in it, then one of us would circle the tree to push the squirrels around the tree and the stander would get a shot. We took turns standing and pushing. I remember my buddy got a single shot 12 G. shotgun for xmas and was hunting w it that day. We were 10 yrds away from a tree w one in it and only yrds away from each other. It was Kevins turn to shoot and I pushed the squirrel around the tree by throwing a big branch on the ground on the side of the tree the bushytail was hiding and Kevin shot it as it came around to our side about 50' up the tree. There was a big blast of bark and and dust as the squirrel was blown up in the air about 6' and then fell to the ground. The squirrel was tore up bad, too bad to eat it. Kevin had a pocket full of random shells we got from his brother and my grandpa he accidently put a high brass #4 in the gun..........good times.

We also hunted doves on the train tracks and the powerline that ran beside the track behind grandpas house. Train cars would dribble corn all up and down the tracks and there were birds all up and down the track. We first tried to sneak down the tracks. They would see us and walk away from us. Did you know a dove can walk and eat corn about as fast as a boy trying to get close to them, and after a few hundred yards you realize your not getting any closer. If we did get almost close enough to shoot they would fly away.
Then we got smart. We got some binoculars and used them to see where a good group was. Then sneak down the powerline to where they were, spread out about about 100 yrds, and sneak up to the tracks. The doves could not see us because they were inside the tracks where the corn was and not tall enough to look over them and see us approaching. When they flushed we shot. Many times the first shooter would push them to the other guy as they almost always flew down the tracks and not away from the tracks.......good times.


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## sb47 (Dec 28, 2019)

We use to hunt dove sitting in old empty irrigation ditches around old unused rice fields. They would feed in the active fields to our west and roost in the trees to our east. So they would fly from field to roost and cross our line. The fields where we hunted were over grown so a good bird dog was a must to retrieve most of the birds. We would shoot our limit in short order.
As for squirrels, I'm in the outer suburbs and have more squirrels here the we ever had in the country.


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## alleyyooper (Dec 29, 2019)

I love shooting squirrels.can't really call it huntijng as I set in a deer blind and they come out about 15 minutes later to make a meal for me.


 Al


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