Squirrel Hunting

depends on where youre hunting first and foremost. Here in early season, you wouldnt get many shots with anything but a shotgun (i like a 20 with express 5's). Later in the season i like 22lr/17hmr/22pcp air rifle. Im on the lookout for a 17m2, ive been told thats the ultimate squirrel gun. Really doesnt matter what you go, as long as you GO lol, i love squirrel hunting.
 
Tim s, that was a 15 year old article in the NYT, whose primary purpose was likely just to make fun of what is now probably a rare practice even in the South: eating squirrel brains in preference to the meat. The people in question were brain eaters exclusively from the sounds of things.

Most here are advocating head shooting squirrels with rimfires, which pretty much blows all of that possibly prion loaded brain tissue right out of the tree rats ears, making it unavailable for consumption,even were someone so inclined.

Me, I like a suppressed 10/22 or an unsuppressed Anschutz for headshots, and do most of my squirrel hunting either still hunting or shooting them from a ground or tree stand where populations are dense.
 
I had a great uncle who excelled at making a wild game gumbo which included Squirrel heads. He would fish around in that pot until he fond the heads and crack them like nuts to get at the brain. To each his own, though. I like the .17M2 for squirrel hunting late in the season, because I can make long shots with it. Early on I like my NEF 12 gauge single shot with #6 shot. With a rifle I aim just behind the shoulder.
 
Like Scout's great uncle, my grandpa was a big fan of squirrel brains. When he got too old to hunt I was in my late teens and I'd go shoot a few squirrels for grandma to cook. The heads were the first thing that grandpa went for. He'd crack them, and I think he used a spoon to get the brains out. I loved him enough to get squirrels for him, but I was a picky teenager and eating brains was WAY out of my area of interest, and I don't think I ever watched him eat them. I'd look the other way while chewing on my squirrel leg. I'm glad someone brought this up, because it floods me with good memories.
 
Must have been a 'depression era' thing. Nothing going to waste.
As a kid I spent a lot of time with my great uncle also. He was an avid outdoorsman. I have an old pics of him with squirrels tied to a piece of twine. Squirrels are draped around his neck and reach from one foot to the other. He was 6' 7" tall. When my great aunt would fix squirrel for him it would be three whole squirrel on a platter. The squirrels would be skinned,gutted with feet and tails removed.

I used to watch him eat them, brains and all. Course the squirrels were watching too. ;)

Although I never ate the squirrel brains, for Sunday morning breakfasts, he and I ate scrambled eggs and fried calf brains.
 
Isn't it still, Protein ???

Must have been a 'depression era' thing. Nothing going to waste.
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I believe there is some truth in this as we use to hunt a farm that had a lot of coal. The Patriarch's name was Enslym Winfield. He and his family survived by mining and selling coal during these hard times.
They also shot and ate just about anything that walked on there property. .. ;)

At the end of a day's hunt, on his property, he asked us what we did with the heads. We kids looked at each other, a bit perplexed. Anyway, he requested the heads and we were glad to oblige. On a following hunt, he invited us to have a bowl of squirrel head soup. We politely declined as we had just eaten and weren't hungry. .... Right !!! :D

Be Safe !!!
 
Squirrel are tough. You will find out when you start to skin one. Meat wonderful-esp fox squirrel-dont let it dry out.

I have blacks/grays here. They are less than half a fox.
 
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