Practical Tips for Hunting Squirrel With a Gun
Hunting squirrel is easy compared to going after other prey due to their abundance and relative predictability. Squirrel meat is also edible, commonly thought to resemble the taste of rabbit, and they make for a fantastic source of protein during a survival situation. They are also an excellent animal for beginners to hunt, as they make for easy targets and give learners an opportunity to develop basic skills. Let’s look at some tips that can be useful for hunting these critters more efficiently.
Know their Habitat
There is an obvious connection between squirrels and trees, and knowing what trees they frequent can help you to locate and target them more effectively. They prefer to spend time around trees that provide food as well as shelter. During the spring and summer, you will see a lot of squirrels around mulberry trees and around oak and hickory trees in the late summer and fall when acorns are abundant. They also like walnut trees along with various pines.
Squirrels also tend to be more active during the early morning and late afternoon hours. Squirrels are also creatures of habit, often traversing the same pathways and hanging around trees that they are familiar with. Squirrels prefer to nest inside caverns of hardwood trees, but they also build nests on branches similar to birds. Spending some time looking at squirrels in your neighborhood as well as local forest can help you to identify patterns of behavior that will make it easier to stalk them. Keep in mind that squirrels are also active all year round, but they are more active during the early spring and late fall as this is the time when their focus is on finding food and looking for mates.
Hunting Techniques
While it may seem like squirrels are everywhere all the time, they are actually more elusive than most people think. Hunting involves a little bit of patience, knowing how to blend into the surrounding scenery and using the right type of gun. Some people prefer to use a shotgun as the pellets cover a wider area and increase the chances of getting a hit. Others like to use a small caliber weapon such as a .22 for a nice, clean shot. I tend to prefer the .22 for the simple reason that it’s much easier to clean the squirrel after the kill as opposed to having to remove numerous pieces of shot from the carcass. Furthermore, shot can penetrate internal organs, which is something that you always want to avoid as fluids can taint the meat.
A couple of suggestions that may help you to establish a good position is to stand against a tree with the sun to your back. This will mask your silhouette and make it more difficult for squirrels to spot you. You also want to hunt squirrel when there is not of wind blowing. It is also easier to differentiate between the sound of the trees blowing in the breeze and the squirrels scurrying about. Less wind can also help to mask your scent, which can cause skittish squirrels to run off. On that note, try and stand upwind so that your smell will be carried in the opposite direction of where you are stalking your prey.
Another good suggestion that someone mentioned is to carry some rocks with you. If a squirrel notices you and runs around the backside of a tree, you can toss the rock in that direction in order to flesh them out.
When shooting, try to aim for the head. This is the most humane way to kill an animal, as they usually succumb to a head wound a lot faster than a hit to the body. A head shot also minimizes the chances of puncturing an organ which can taint the meat as well. It also makes it easier to clean and prepare the squirrel for cooking.
Take a closer look at how to hunt squirrel with a gun. Not only can it be more efficient than setting traps and having to wait for one to get snared, but it is also a humane way to kill them, and you will always end up with the freshest meat possible. It also gives you the opportunity to develop hunting skills, with a little bit of patience and practice, and this is something that can pay big dividends in the field over the course of time.
