First Flintlock Squirrel

[MIOutdoorsman]

I was wondering if a .45 would be too much for a squirrel. I’m such a rifle guy, I hadn’t considered a smoothie...duh, that makes sense too.

 

[smo]

I love small bore rifles myself, but age , dexterity and older eyes have swayed my thinking.
Besides, I can’t ever remember killing a running squirrel but once with a rifle......

And that was by pure accident!

 

[Ajgall]

I’ve known quite a few who hunt with a .45.

 

[Carbon 6]

I was wondering if a .45 would be too much for a squirrel.

I haven't found it to be, but we have big squirrels up here.

 

[Long monday]

I use a .32
Love it. Hunting squirrel is so much fun and relaxing to me.
Though, I tend to only take head shots.
Mostly because that was the first shot I took with the .32 and we could not even find parts to his head. It just vaporized it.
Did the same thing with the next shot, which was on a rabbit.
Is my load to hot?

 

[Carbon 6]

Mostly because that was the first shot I took with the .32 and we could not even find parts to his head. It just vaporized it.

.45 acts like a giant paper punch, just makes a big hole or notch where you hit them. You really have to hit the head square to make it completely disappear. It doesn't do a lot of collateral damage like some guns can.

 

[Kev308]

Nothing beats squirrel hunting. Wether it’s with a flintlock or your trusty old .22 it’s just the best !!!!

 

[Cherrybow]

Congratulations on the accomplishment. Squirrel hunting with a flintlock is on my list for sure.

 

[Critter Getter]

Congrats on your squirrel........I use my .45 flinter and it takes the heads clean off. Hunting with flint is just fun!! Greg

 

[Ajgall]

Squirrels and flintlocks may be my favorite type of hunting closely followed by rabbits with flintlocks of course.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Ok squirrel guys... what caliber flintlock for squirrel if you had to settle on one that you consider ideal?

.40 first than .36

 

[Treestalker]

When I first moved to Arkansas, I had just acquired a .32 cal. flintlock and loved it but i had a young family with needs and I sold it. Of course when I wanted to get another one a few years later, they had become non existent. The .32 is I think about perfect for squirrels; very far off the wind drifts the ball horribly, so it's a fairly close range gun well suited to the woods. A .36 carries up with much more power and wind bucking ability, but the .32 is a fine choice. Years ago, there was a story in Muzzle Blasts by Max Vickery entitled 'Shagbark Squirrels' in which he told about his early morning preparations for a squirrel hunt with his longrifle. If you can find it, it's a great read. He described cutting out patches at the kitchen table using a penny for a template. I'd like to read it again, if somebody finds a copy, please share it.

 

[Thomas.bill92]

This year will be my first hunting squirrels with a smokepole. I picked up a Pedersoli Frontier earlier this year in .36. cant wait to get out in the woods.

 

[Mule333]

I’m building a .40 cal for squirrel and target shooting. I’ve never hunted squirrel, hunted about everything else but not squirrel.

 

[Mule333]

Also, I’ve seen some gooooood recipes for squirrel on this forum. Hopefully, I’ll need a good recipe. The woods close by are full of squirrel.

 

[Bassdog1]

I started squirrel hunting with black powder a couple years back and my 32 Cherokees and Seneca with a 1 in 30 twist will shoot a PRB with a 10-15 grain load very accurately and way more fun then 22 rifle

 

[bushytail]

I’m taking my 58 cal trade gun for squirrels this year But I’ll be using shot which makes it a 24 ga. One nice thing about squirrel hunting is you usually get shooting.

 

[sheriff john]

Float hunting from a jon boat's fun in the summer here. Enjoyed it 50 years ago with my M/L friends. No ticks, no chiggers, no stinging nettles and big ol fox squirrels like to snooze on branches or fool around on the banks. One bud used a flint fowler which was a great choice. Billy and I had no flinters at that time. They're both dead now but I'd sure like to do that again.

 

[French Colonial]

My favorite, squirrel hunting. You can float down the river, sneak through the woods or fall asleep under a big old oak tree and wake up and there they are. It's all good.

And, as some have related earlier, that .32 kills out of all proportion to it's size. Hit them in the head and the .32 lead ball acts like it is a hollowpoint. It always amazed me.

 

[Bassdog1]

I learned really quickly that if I wanted to head shoot squirrels consistently that I had to practice a lot. I limit range to 30 yards and use small targets. Used everything from tennis balls down to ping pong balls. Suspend 2 or three with heavy fishing line from an old heavy metal realtor sign I found makes for a fun target.