# Rifles for squirrel



## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Squirrel season opens up here Sept 1st. How many people who hunt squirrel with a rifle will shoot at an animal in a tree? I've seen it on many outdoor programs but would never do so myself. As far as Im concerned, rifles are only for "grounded" squirrels. The rule of "target and beyond" seems to agree. In my area of NY shooting a rifle up into the air is not a good practice. What's your opinion?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I just line them up so the trunk is behind them, or wait until they are low enough that lots of other limbs are behind them

Plus, I never miss


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Of the few people I know that hunt squirrels their choice of weapon range from pellet guns and 22's to small gauge shotguns. Although there have even been large cal rifles used after a bad day of unlucky deer hunting - reasoning - after all you do have to "unload" those black powder guns somehow..........
Me? I have mostly used a "22" in my small game hunting days, but admit I missed a lot of shots while looking beyond the target........


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Like you said whats in the back ground. Here at home in SE Michigan I have several hundred acres of woods behind my woods that run for over a mile and a half. I shoot squirrels in trees with out worry there some times.
At the deer camp there are about 6000 acres of federal land surrounding our camp so again no worry about a miss . A 22 to me makes a great squirrel rifle.

 Al


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

I use a .22mag, which is overkill. The gun is just too accurate not to use. An absolute tack driver. My other choice is a .410 sxs loaded with 3" mag in 5 shot. It always seems that when I have the rifle the squirrels are dancing across the tops of the oaks and when I have the shotgun their 75 yards away feasting on the ground. If my son or daughters go with me we have both guns and then its a different matter.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> If my son or daughters go with me *we have both guns *and then its a different matter.


If your luck is like mine, those times you don't see anything at all!!


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

.22LR. If you see some squirrels sit and wait. Within ten minutes they will come out to play again. Chose your shot so its safe.


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

I hunt squirrels with a .22 LR and as everyone else has said it is all about choosing your shot. Line it up in a safe direction or with a tree trunk to block it. With squirrels as plentiful as they are around here I am perfectly willing to pass up a bad shot because I know I will get dozens more good ones if I wait five minutes.


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## snake35 (Jan 24, 2011)

I use a .22. My 8 year old uses a .410 Does anyone know why .410 shells are so expensive ?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Does anyone know why .410 shells are so expensive ?


Low demand.

It takes the same amount of equipment and the same time to load them, but relatively few are sold


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Of course not many are sold! They're to darn expensive! If they lowered the price I'd buy more of them.


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2011)

Rifle for squirrels?


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

I use a Stevens favorite-single shot rolling block-.22...so accurate out to 75yds sometimes I think it's me...


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

I use a Marlin bolt action .22LR.

It will shoot less than 1" groups at 100 yards, but is sighted in for 50. At 50, it shoots dime-sized groups. 

I head-shoot my squirrels.


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## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

Gammo 440 hunter .177cal


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

The question is about shooting a rifle up into trees for squirrel. No matter how careful you are a tree trunk in the air is not a safe backstop.


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## flewism (Apr 2, 2007)

I use a 20 gauge with #4 shot when the leaves are still on the trees, some times I use a 22 LR when leaves are off but mostly still use the 20 gauge with #4.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Never ever could see any reason for anything bigger than a .22 short. That was my dad's choice for much of his lifetime and I saw no reason to change to anything bigger. Effective enough that I once shot 27 in one day only because I wanted to beat my previous best of 26! 

Martin


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

I think a lot is determined by distance. In the thickets a 50' shot is a long one. On the edges of the corn fields it might be 75 yards. As I posted before, I have been using a .22 mag because of its accuracy but this year I have a Savage .22 LR that is just as accurate and will be getting a lot of use.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

22 Shorts are great, but there just aren't as many guns made to use them anymore.

22 LR is easier to find, and is usually cheaper now


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Bearfootfarm said:


> 22 Shorts are great, but there just aren't as many guns made to use them anymore.
> 
> 22 LR is easier to find, and is usually cheaper now


I have 2 semi-auto's, two pumps, two bolt action repeaters,and two single shots that handle them just fine. the Marlin Golden 39M that I recently sold also handled them quite well.:icecream:
Oops , also have a third bolt action that shoots them great. Have a coupla semi-autos that won't however(stevens and ruger):nono:


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Remington 550-1 was my favorite tube-feed .22 and maybe 1 in a couple hundred shorts wouldn't eject properly. And that was only after thousands of rounds had gone through it after having been bought used. Nowadays I use a .177 Camo, 1000 fps, in the city. That's 290 fps faster than a CB short and the CBs will also knock down squirrels. 

Martin


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## cur huntin' kid (Apr 15, 2007)

I hunt squirrel with a dog its like **** hunting during the day so squirrels are up the tree. I either use a 20 gauge or a 22. I prefer a shotgun when there are lots of leaves


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I never shoot them in the tree. Neighbors behind me would not like me shooting toward their house. 

I draw them in with sunflower seed on the ground then shoot from the house. The gun is then pointed down so if I do miss there is no chance of the bullet leaving my property. 

At my other property I would shoot them if they were near the ground but only because there is a steep hill (which I own) as a backstop.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

cur huntin' kid said:


> I hunt squirrel with a dog its like **** hunting during the day so squirrels are up the tree. I either use a 20 gauge or a 22. I prefer a shotgun when there are lots of leaves





Paquebot said:


> Never ever could see any reason for anything bigger than a .22 short. That was my dad's choice for much of his lifetime and I saw no reason to change to anything bigger. Effective enough that I once shot 27 in one day only because I wanted to beat my previous best of 26!
> 
> Martin



I'm with Martin on this. For years I have used 22 shorts and make a good head shot using a good scope on my rifle. I've recently switched to a .22 cricket rifle. I bought it for my daughters to use and have purty much comadeered it from them. It's very light weight and I have a Red Dot scope on it. Since I hunt squirrels in shady area's, I have no problem seeing the red dot inside and I have found myself to be highly accurate with the setup. 

As for shooting into tops of tree's. Yep, I do! But out here in Northeast Oklahoma you can still find some hunting grounds with very little housing around. We're not anywhere near as crowded as states back east of the might Mississippi river. There's still a lot of wide open country around here.

Forgot to mention: A good rat terrior will finish the squirrels off when it hits the ground, if there's still any life in the squirrel.


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## gunseller (Feb 20, 2010)

A Srevens Favorite is a falling block. What cal. rifle are you using if a tree is not a good backstop? My favorite rifle cal. for squirrels is a bolt action 223 loaded with cast bullets. I try to have trees behind my target but if I don't I am shooting down hill so there is lots of ground as a back stop.
Steve


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

I shoot them tree rat's with a 22 , iron sites that is around 50 yrs old


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

How far can a .22 LR go when fired at 45 degrees and how much energy does it have when it returns to earth?


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

As I understand, about a mile or so. The energy would decrease as it climbs but increase as it fell So Im not sure. I would not want someone to be on the receiving end of it. I know that people have been killed by falling bullets.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> How far can a .22 LR go when fired at 45 degrees


The optimum angle for the most distance is closer to 30 degrees.
1 1/2 miles is about max


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

J.J., just to let you know. Around here we all like to shoot our rifles up in the air on New Years Eve. We try to angle our shots in hopes the bullets will rain down on the town closes to us. Which happens to be a rivalry town in sports. 

So far no one has gotten killed yet. Maybe next year!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Oldcountryboy said:


> J.J., just to let you know. Around here we all like to shoot our rifles up in the air on New Years Eve. We try to angle our shots in hopes the bullets will rain down on the town closes to us. Which happens to be a rivalry town in sports.
> 
> So far no one has gotten killed yet. Maybe next year!


Before it was illegal to even fire a BB gun in this city, my son and another boy had written permission to shoot pigeons at one of the feed mills. More than once he was noted carrying his air rifle and a bag of dead pigeons. The other boy was even photographed doing that. Anyway, everyone in the neighborhood knew about it and a neighbor discovered a tiny hole in her bathroom window and immediately blamed us. I looked at the hole in the window and then the hole in the screen. When I stuck a grass stem through the holes, it was at about a 45Âº angle downward and from somewhere probably several blocks up the street. It does happen!

Martin


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Oldcountryboy, I sure hope your joking. Why not send the anti-guns nuts a check too?


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

JJ Grandits said:


> Oldcountryboy, I sure hope your joking. Why not send the anti-guns nuts a check too?


:heh::heh: Yep, I'm joking! Sort of!

Actually at one time we were a bunch of crazy idiots out there shooting our guns up in the air at any direction on New Years Eve. We just always thought that the bullets would go way up in the air till it ran out of power and then just fall peacefully to the ground somewhere. Then cuzin Billy Joe went to college and found out in his physic class that however much power it takes the bullet to fly 5 miles up into the air will be how much power it will gain when it hits the ground somewhere. So we realized that the bullet is still deadly when it comes down. Cuz' Billy Joe made us all start shooting toward an inbankment to stop the ammo on New Years Eve. We've been doing it that way ever since. 

But I still take a chance and shoot squirrels out of the tops of tree's. I use .22 shorts and rarely miss.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Well then tell the people in the next town over they owe cousin Billy a big thank you!


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## Qhorseman (Jul 9, 2010)

Does anyone else use a 17 ? I use a 17M2. I really like the thing its a Kimber Pro Varmint.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

A policeman in LA told us that they park under the overpasses on the freeway on New Years Eve around midnight because of all the goofs that shoot up into the air.


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## Kiamichi Kid (Apr 9, 2009)

I'll consider stopping shooting squirrels in a tree with a 22 when folks quit driving drunk/drugged or distracted....


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