Squirrel Hunting

Squirrel hunters fall into three basic categories. The first and most common is the father - son combination of the father using the early September squirrel season to introduce the son as a new hunter to safe hunting practices before advancing onto deer, waterfowl, upland and turkey. This time of year the weather is nice, the squirrels at their yearly peak populations with that spring's kits nearly full grown. This combination of good weather and plenty of action allows for interest retention by the younger hunter.

A large male squirrel harvested by a .22 hornet. Getting a shot beyond 50 yards is hard to find in the woods. Making such a shot refines a hunter's shooting skills that maybe all the difference between success or failure come that deer season.

The second category is the meat hunter typically someone taking a break from running beagles on cottontails. This hunter usually hunts the later winter, early spring season while it is cool for the dogs to run. During this time of year the squirrels are very exposed on the bare branches and it is frequent that a good oak stand will be found on the same properties used for dog work on rabbits.

The third category of squirrel hunter is the precision shooter. This hunter practices the shooting art under the ever changing ranges, angles and views squirrels offer as a means of shooting skills sharpening for later deer season. This hunter is typically found with a field chair, water bottle and a small bore rifle. For these hunters it is the difficulty of the shot, not the squirrels in the bag that is the real reward of hunting.

This chart is provided as a gauge for the small bore squirrel hunter to measure his experience.

Rifle & Range	10	20	30	40	50
22 Short	Marksman	Sharpshooter	Expert
22 LR		Marksman	Sharpshooter	Expert
22 Hornet			Marksman	Sharpshooter	Expert

Squirrel hunting is available in all three states. The Fox Squirrel is the predominate squirrel with a few grays found in isolated areas of Missouri and some blacks found in central and western Kansas. The Fox Squirrel is the largest of the three species and will be found in abundant numbers in most areas have medium to large wood patches. Populations greatly increase around oak stands.

Hunting is by still, dog or walking.

Association squirrel hunting is closed during the week before and during the spring turkey season, Missouri rifle and Iowa's shotgun deer seasons as well as on any property with deer hunting scheduled. Hunters may hunt Kansas during Missouri's and Iowa's gun deer seasons. While some state squirrel hunting seasons open earlier Association squirrel season starts the first of September and runs through to the end of March allowing seven months of squirrel hunting.

Fellow squirrel hunters write:

I know lots of folks that hunt with rim fires and shotguns but in the last few years have gotten people interested in adult air rifles and the great hunting they provide. Initial reasons I hunt exclusively with precision air rifles:

They are extremely quiet. You can buy top quality air guns without any kind of permit in most states and have them sent directly to your house. Match grade quality pellets can be had for less than fifteen dollars for five hundred. Better when sales come around. Pellet ricochet can go at best a few hundred feet but most energy is absorbed by the initial contact so pellets drop harmlessly if a miss occurs. Rim fire bullets can travel over a mile. In today's world, that has become a concern. With a little practice a scoped air gun can keep pellets in a half inch grouping at fifty yards. Air guns can be found from the Wal-Mart level to guns costing thousands. The quality is evident. There are air gun tuners who can improve triggers, actions, and even custom stock makers who offer grade four furniture.

With a home made silent pellet trap, you could shoot right in your own basement without even disturbing the people above you. Literally, that's how quiet many models are. Imagine not having to leave your home to enjoy some shooting!

Air guns can be had in calibers of 177, 20, 22, 25 (becoming common as an option straight off the shelf), 9mm, and 50.

I've spent the last few years hunting squirrel and rabbit, crow and smaller varmints with my air guns out past the fifty-yard mark. It makes you feel so much more confident when you can zip a pellet downrange with the squirrel hardly taking notice and anchor it to the spot. Instead of a bullet flashing through a squirrel, a pellet confers all its energy on impact because of its subsonic speed. Because the pellet lodges in the animal all energy is imparted as "knockdown energy". Even though it’s less energy, all of it gets used [on impact] instead of driving the projectile through the squirrel only to slough that energy off in flight or into a tree.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE rim fires! That new 177 round (same caliber as an air gun pellet) is awesome. I'd love a CZ or Anschutz in that cal. mmmmmmm ; )

RWS (Diana), Beeman, Air Arms, Webley, Career, FX, Daystate, Weihrauch, CZ, Baikal and others all make high grade, full featured sport and match airguns. Styer and Feinwerkbau too but they strictly make the Olympic stuff.

Two stage adjustable triggers, all manner of sights, you name it, you can get it.

You have the option of CO2(best used above 70 degrees), precharged pneumatics (multishots), multi pumpers and my favorite, the single shot break barrels.

If you're interested, check out Straightshooters for any air gun info. They have a great site chock full of detailed information. There's also a magazine out called Air gun Illustrated.

I think the sport of squirrel hunting is as much an art as it is a sport. Its biggest advantage is the long season and the opportunity to hunt squirrels in so many different settings. You can hunt them locally, although semi suburban squirrels tend to be tame (this is probably not a bad place for the new squirrel hunter to start) or out in the country where they certainly become more wary and challenging.

Since squirrels are tough little beasts, its important to wait for the right shot. Few things make me feel worse than trying to track an injured animal, knowing its fighting for its life and looking for the first cover of safety. That's why its so important to know the kill zones of a squirrel.

The first and largest would be the chest shot. From the side, the squirrel's vital area is found right behind its shoulder. You get the heart, lungs, and main pulmonary arteries as your target. With a well placed hit the squirrel will expire quickly and humanely. Minimal damage to the meat, and little if any tracking of the animal.

The shot I like best is where the squirrel takes that straight on look at you and you can line up right on its chest. I've taken many squirrels on this angle. Quick, clean, and pride in knowing that patience paid dividends.

Secondly, the most difficult of the humane kills, the head shot. I feel that this should be reserved for times when all you see is a squirrel's head. The best angles you can hope for are just behind the ears, and directly from the back. A squirrel's brain is small compared to the size of its head. If a squirrel has its back to you, line up your bead right between it ears. Bang! Another squirrel on its way to that great hardwood forest in the sky.

One last point. Shots taken "right between the eyes" are not as neat as the legend suggests. The chances of missing the brain entirely may leave a squirrel with a severe headache but enough sense to take flight. Any injured animal should be considered highly unpredictable. It may mean
another shot just to take the animal and those are hard to come be when the quarry is writhing in pain while trying to get out of harm's way. I believe its better to wait for a better angle than to take this shot. Patience is the key.

Harvey Binder

John Lewis Thomas Squirrel Cleaning Technique

The following is a method my father (John L. Thomas) taught me when I was very young that I still use today at age 51:

This method works easier if you have a friend to help but I have learned to do it alone also.

Take a squirrel by his tail and have a friend hold his rear legs as you hold the tail (squirrel head toward the ground). With the tail in your grasp take your knife and cut into the tail just above where the tail connects to the body above the booty hole on the underside of tail. Slowly cut through the tailbone being careful not to cut the tail off the squirrel! You want to cut through to the skin on the other side of the bone leaving the tail attached by this narrow band of skin holding it to the rest of the hide. With your friend still holding the rear legs and you grasping the tail, skin the tail down the squirrel's back aprox 1-2 inches skinning across and around the sides a little as you go. Next have your friend let go now and take the tail and put it under your foot on the ground and put all your weight on it. Grasp the rear legs tightly and pull upwards until the skin peels off up to the squirrel’s neck (like pulling his shirt off). Next, grab the front legs that are still in the skin and pull them out of the skin up to the feet. Next, let go of the rear legs as you grasp the edge of the hide left on the rear portion that looks like his pants on the belly side and pull it off like pulling his pants off (You should still be standing on the tail at this point). Pull it down to his rear feet. Next, cut the front and rear feet off and your done with the skinning. If you practice this technique and master it you can clean three squirrels to your buddies one consistently! I have proven it over and over many times and have won bucks on those who did not believe this method works. This method will leave little or no hair on the squirrel meat. I have taught my two sons this method and they love it! Also, remember to remove all the squirrel musk glands during cleaning and gutting to prevent a bitter taste. The glands appear as little small grayish balls found on the neck, under front leg arm pits, on belly and hips areas, directly behind rear leg knee joints under the flesh. You must cut into the flesh behind the rear knee all the way to the bone in order to find the gland here. The other glands are easily seen after skinning.

Good Hunting and Eating!

Lewis E. Thomas

Review a Power Point presentation about this cleaning method.