My goal for this small game season

Right up front I will tell you that these squirrels were not killed with a muzzleloader. I got them with a standard .22. However, the .22 has been retired upon acquisition of my custom Isaac Haines .40 flinter. The picture shows what I call "Pennsylvania's Squirrel Grand Slam", which is to take all four kinds in one day. Pictured are a fox, a black, a red, and 3 grays. I have only done this once in many years of squirrel hunting and am going to put a big push on to do it with my flinter. My question is, how many other parts of the country are there where this is a realistic goal. The grays and reds are fairly easy, the fox more difficult and in a smaller range, and the black wherever you find them in the range of the grays, since they can be born in a litter with grays. I would consider doing this to be as big a thrill and more rare than killing a nice buck with a flinter.

That's a nice mess of viddles you got there... :winking: :haha:

That's a nice mess of viddles you got there... :winking: :haha:

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Everything but the red squirrel. Reds are too stringy. the fox squirrels are the best

A noble goal, I hope you do it. I shot my 1st squirrel when I was 3 with the help of my Dad and a .410 pistol. I remember it well because it busted my lip. I've been a dedicated squirrel hunter ever since. Where I grew up(Mississippi)everyone hunted them and they were wild and we only had grey and fox and in Calif. there were only grey but hardly anyone hunted them so they were easy prey and here in Utah there are none. I really envy you having all those color phases to hunt but I'd settle for any color,
sure miss my squirrel hunting. :boohoo: :boohoo:

I don't have those color phases here in central North Carolina either, but hope to take my first flint lock squirrels this coming season...just the first one will be an accomplishment.

Since deer and squirrel season run at the same time, I'm going to hunt them a few Saturdays in October before the rut starts, using a throttled back .45cal with 40grns Goex FFFg...and if a buck should happen along in the thick stuff I'll be in, I might be able to put a ball in his ear.

But from November on I won't stop deer hunting until tags are filled...if they don't get filled, then the squirrels will get a "bye" until deer season is over

I've only seen two black squirrels locally, grays are everywhere. We get lots of red squirrels (aka pineys and "faerie diddles"). Never seen a 'common' fox squirrel.

Have watched DelMarVa fox squirrels at Blackwater in MD and thought two of them would fill out a gamebag nicely. They're about 3X the body weight of a gray squirrel - but protected, unfortunately.

We get flying squirrels in our birdfeeders. Had one that came every night for a couple weeks a few years back. Not nuch meat on them little cuties.

We get flying squirrels in our birdfeeders. Had one that came every night for a couple weeks a few years back. Not nuch meat on them little cuties.

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if you get alot of them they might cook up a alot like hot wings....get it hot wings :haha:..............bob

I'd eat anything with enough Frank's Sauce on it.

I've had gray squirrel done in a painfully hot chili but my favorite is in a pot pie. Mmmmmm.

But, the best, is done over a small bed of coals (from a fire started by flint & steel, of course) on a green spit with a billy of boiled rice in water dipped from a nearby small creek, and just a dash of salt. Simple pleasures.

My favorite one-squirrel perfect day's hunt.

While growing up over'n West-by-God there was a virtual plague of squirrels, mainly greys, but sadly the numbers are way down now, and spotty. Interestingly, there now seems to be as many fox squirrels as greys, but I pass them up cause they are hard to skin and tough to eat unless you run them thru the pressure cooker. For a number of years I used a real tack-driving .22 (scoped Brno), but that became too mundane and ho hum. Switched to .36 caplock in which I had a hand in building and the first season out I made 18 shots and bagged 14 bushytails and one turkey. That too, became ho hum, so I sold it (now regretted) and this year I will carry a freshly finished .32 flinter. Hopefully, that will bring the pleasure back.

Stump, have to agree with you...a good squirrel potpie is hard to beat. Bet you got the recipe from your better half.