denots
Well-Known Member
A rifle is most definitely a handicap. That's why I chose one, to make it fair for the squirrel.My daddy raised me not to pick on folks that wasn't fit to fend for themselves, so I'll take the high road.
Seriously though, I don't understand why every other small, fast animal gets hunted with a scattergun, but folks are so heck-bent on rifles for squirrels. I can reach out and touch them at 60 yards, which is about as far as I feel comfortable taking a shot at one with a scoped, bolt-action rifle in field conditions. I've shot enough rimfire sillouette matches to know how I stack up against the average Joe in field positions, and I respectfully call BS on all the Daniel Boones out there nailing headshots with pappy's iron sight Sear's special.
Squirrels are not known for sitting still while you find a tree to rest against, estimate trajectory, and verify said trajectory is clear of limbs. A shotgun lets you pop off a round offhand during a brief pause in movement, and doesn't mind if there are a few oak twigs in the way. A shotgunner will get 5 shot opportunities for every one a rifleman gets.
Pellets do not ruin meat on ducks, dove, or quail. Why do they magically do so on squirrels? Unless you dead-center one at close ranges, it's a non-issue. A misplaced rimfire round, on the other hand, will make a mess you don't want in your game vest.
A shotgun is an objectively superior killer in the eastern woodlands. I like my 452. But saying it's a better choice is like saying a recurve is more effective than a crossbow. It just isn't so for 99% of scenarios.
I understand (and enjoy) smack talk, but a rifle is a handicap, and I don't understand handicapping yourself on a squirrel hunt. I like to get out there, ramble around to my heart's content, hit a call, and bounce from squack to squack. When I find one, I aim to kill him quickly and move onto the next one. I like the feeling of a loaded down game vest, and like a good stew or plate of fried quarters even better. I'm usually done and frying them in bacon grease by the time my wife rolls out of bed on a Sunday morning.
Not trying to be difficult, I'm just passionate about it, and get agitated hearing the same old wrong information ad nauseum from people that admittedly haven't squirrel hunted in decades or do it once a year. It's like listening to a guy talk about killing deer off a feeder sitting in his grandaddy's ladderstand. If that's what you like to do, more power to you. But it's not the "best" way to do things.
Anywho, ya'll know I love y'all!
All BS aside I grew up in subdivisions, and would use a pellet rifle to run down any critter in whatever little bit of timber I could find. So I do it out of familiarity more than anything. The only hunting I ever did with my dad was squirrels. So on occasion I'll grab his 16 gauge and smoke a few in his memory.
