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Squirrel hunters

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I live in SW lower Michigan and we have an abundance of squirrels. I just bought a 32 cal Southern mt. flintlock. Hopefully that will motivate me to start hunting them again by mid Sept.I haven't hunted squirrels since my youth but I can't think of anything more enjoyable to hunt on a beautiful Fall day. No closed season here on reds and there is no shortage of them!
 
I love shooting those squirrels! I have a .40 Rupp long rifle that was made for me by Ron Lickenbill and that swamped Rice barrel is a tack driver. I practice on Skoal can kids which I figure is about the size of a squirrels head. When I bring ‘em home I clean them up and my wife will summer them in a crockpot full of spaghetti sauce and the everybody gets a carcass and spaghetti on the side!! Yum yum.
 
Reds are the native species up here in BC and are protected. The eastern grays are the invasive species and it's open season on them. Nobody hunts them so they're everywhere. That's about to change hehe.
 
These are a few I got a couple of years ago. Some reds/pine squirrels, some grays and a white one with just a touch of gray streaks on him. All taken with my 58 cal/24 ga trade gun.
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I've always cooked them like a venison roast in a lidded roasting pan. Cut into serving size pieces, lay in the pot over a bed of onion rings, add pats of butter and lots of red wine and spices to taste, and cover with more onion rings. Roast in the oven maybe 350 or 400 degrees. Cook until the meat falls off the bones, maybe hour and a half or so. Taste really great, but chew the meat gently - never know when you'll chomp down on a lead shot.
 
I love squirrels and long ago in Ohio I hunted the big fox squirrels with a .36 flint lock. Here we have only gray ones. They never stay still and I won't use a shotgun. I have not shot any for a few years. I go into the woods and hardly see any. I guess they are all in my yard and bird feeders. There was 8 or 9 this morning in my yard. I just can't bring myself to shoot them there. Same as all the deer that come. I go out with my little dog and she sits to watch, deer have come to 10' of us. Many times I have tossed apples to them.
Carol cusses the squirrels because they love sun flower seeds.
 
It has been interesting reading all the posts about squirrels. As a kid growing up in the eastern panhandle of West-by-God, I had a keen passion for hunting them. Every chance I had I would grab my 22lr and head for the woods, which were just several hundred yards behind the house. It is only a slight exageration to say it was almost dangerous to be in the woods in those days. Bushy tails were thick as fleas on a dog's belly. The greys outnumbered the fox squirrels by at least 10 to 1. According to the locals, it is now the reverse. I never liked to shoot the fox variety. They are tough to skin and tough to eat. Of course, a pressure cooker could remedy the latter problem.
Anyhow, the urge to hunt them again grabbed me hard a couple of months ago. I have lived the last 15 years in ole Mexico and most of my guns I sold before making the move. I enjoy Mexico, but I have decided to spend the fall of the years I have remaining back where it all began. And, of course, pursueing the bushy tail will be my main activity. I thought about having a 32 flinter made up, but decided against that. At my age (79) you dont want to commit to what may be a lengthy wait. Someone else may end up taking delivery. So, I called a friend who is a black powder smith and has a shop in southern Pa to see if he had something that would fill the bill. He had no 32's on hand but was starting a project that may interest me. I gave him the green light, and talking with him just this past week, I should soon have what I need. I certainly look forward to spending those fall days back in WVa.
I got a bit long winded here. Sorry.
 
I cut a slit in the hind foot and feed a green stick through the tendon like a stringer off fish.

Another for this method. My grandad used to put the foot through his belt loop and then push a 4" green stick through a slit in the foot. Have always carried them like that as a remembrance of him. Lots of great memories squirrel hunting with grandad.

Doc
 
I take three or four squirrels, quarter them, boil til the meat comes off the bones readily. Remove bones, meat back into pot,take it up to boil then add my dumpling mix. Squirrel and dumplins. Better than chicken I think.
 
Nothing is as good as squirrel but I don't like it fall off the bone. Meat gets stringy. Carol will ruin my squirrel AU Vin by shredding the meat. I don't like shredded pork or chicken either. Even ribs need some BITE but I can tolerate fall off the bone.
 
These are a few I got a couple of years ago. Some reds/pine squirrels, some grays and a white one with just a touch of gray streaks on him. All taken with my 58 cal/24 ga trade gun.View attachment 6667 View attachment 6670 View attachment 6669

Wow... a 58 cal on a Squirrel? That's my deer caliber... I must be missing something? Sounds fun though, walking around with the flint an taking home some squirrel. They're pesky little noise makers during deer season, and I've been tempted to take a few shots at the end of a long, unlucky day deer hunting.
 
Wow... a 58 cal on a Squirrel? That's my deer caliber... I must be missing something? Sounds fun though, walking around with the flint an taking home some squirrel. They're pesky little noise makers during deer season, and I've been tempted to take a few shots at the end of a long, unlucky day deer hunting.

I think the description of the 58 cal is of a smoothbore trade gun. A 24 gauge smooth bore would be quite the useful tool for hunting squirrels.
 
Wow... a 58 cal on a Squirrel? That's my deer caliber... I must be missing something? Sounds fun though, walking around with the flint an taking home some squirrel. They're pesky little noise makers during deer season, and I've been tempted to take a few shots at the end of a long, unlucky day deer hunting.

Pop used to go deer hunting and come back with a pocket full of lil bitty red squirrels (very tender but needed a few per person). He never got a deer God rest his soul! (maybe cuz he was shooting squirel all day? LOL)
 
TXFlyHog, I guess I should have gave a little more info. Yes it is my 58 cal trade gun that makes it a 24 ga shot gun since it's a smooth bore. I normally use no. 6 shot for gray & fox squirrels. I'll mix it half no. 6 & no.5 when fall turkey season comes in. Just in case I see a turkey to shoot. I wanted to mount a pine/red squirrel and used no. 6 shot. It peppered the hide to much. So I used no. 8 shot. That worked a lot better for them. My range is kinda limited. 20 yrds is about my maximum range. I want to get a black squirrel this year. Then I'll have all the species of squirrels and color phrases in PA, (that I know of). .
 
An old squirrel can be tough. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell if I'm eating squirrel or an old boot; they chew about the same.
 

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