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Air rifle squirrel hunting

Started by Woodcutter_Mo, December 30, 2017, 11:45:49 PM

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Woodcutter_Mo

 I was outside splitting some firewood today and seen a squirrel way out in a tree and since I haven't squirrel hunted in quite some time and have been plinking with my pellet gun alot lately, figured I'd try it out on a squirrel. 



It did the trick. That was the only squirrel I seen on my short hunt though.
When I was younger I squirrel hunted all the time, usually with a .22 but alot with a pellet gun also. Brought in 10 squirrels one time that I had gotten with my old crosman pellet gun. I bought this gamo air rifle at an auction earlier this year, figured it would be a cheaper way to target practice. It's pretty darn accurate for what it is. I may start doing some more squirrel hunting with it now.
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ReggieT

Great Shot!
Been looking @ Gammo Whisper or silent versions for a while.
Thought I was going to get one for Christmas...but my wife nabs me a daisy BB pistol that shoots all of 550 FPS!!! ::) :'(

WV Sawmiller

  Fond memories of air gun squirrel hunting. Usually my son was shooter. One pecan grove we hunted in Albany Ga was next to a trailer court. If the squirrel got over the fence into the oaks over the trailers we'd shoot them with son's old pump up (10X) crossman and toss him over the fence to retrieve it.

   In Jacksonville NC I took him one time and he had killed 2 squirrels and I shook a leaf nest that unwound into a big coon. I told him to shoot in the head and he did and it fell and hung motionless on a limb. I climbed up after it and suddenly Sean started yelling "It's alive, it's alive." Evidently he had just knocked it out. I told him to shoot it again and I made like a squirrel and got on the back side of the tree (as best I could). BBs pinged and richocheted around me for several minutes but he only hit the limbs. I told him to stop and get the gun ready in case it jumped out and that I was going to go catch it. Up the tree, out on a limb and just as I reached for him the coon kicked free. Fell about 40-50 feet and as soon as he the ground hit Sean ran up and stuck the gun in his side and shot then both ran off in the brush. "Whack, whack, whack." I yelled "Sean, stop beating that coon with your gun." I heard "Whack, whack, Whack. I'm not beating him with my gun. Whack, Whack, Whack. I'm beating him with a stick. Whack whack whack."

   I finally got down and found an excited 10 y/o boy and a well dead coon. My mom has a picture at home of him holding the coon and his sister holding the 2 squirrels. Both were happy kids.

   I skinned and tanned the coon hide and my wife made hash out of the meat. She took the hide and made him a hat with the face pulled down in front and tail in back.

    Many years later our then teenage son had a pet coon. When it would misbehave he'd point to the hat on the post of his Paul Bunyun style bed and say "That's what happened to the last coon who didn't do what I told him."
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

LaneC

 :D :D :D That is funny, I don't care who ya are :D :D  whack whack whack
Man makes plans and God smiles

sandhills

For anyone who hasn't heard Jerry Clower's "A coon hunting story" I suggest you google it, he could really tell a story.  :)

Woodcutter_Mo

Quote from: ReggieT on December 31, 2017, 02:14:45 AM
Great Shot!
Been looking @ Gammo Whisper or silent versions for a while.
Thought I was going to get one for Christmas...but my wife nabs me a daisy BB pistol that shoots all of 550 FPS!!! ::) :'(

Thanks  :). That's what this is, Gamo Whisper Fusion 1300 fps. I had been wanting to get one for a while and was at an auction and won this one. It is fairly quiet with lead pellets. This is the regular .177 cal version I would like to try the .22 cal varient of this same gun or similar for my next one.
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Woodcutter_Mo

 Here's my old "squirrel buster" Crosman PumpMaster (top). Got it for my birthday or christmas back in the mid 90's. That gun taught me to be a good shot because if I missed the first time, had to give it another 10 pumps for the next shot  :D
And the Gamo on the bottom.

-WoodMizer LT25
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ReggieT

Quote from: Woodcutter_Mo on December 31, 2017, 10:25:36 PM
Quote from: ReggieT on December 31, 2017, 02:14:45 AM
Great Shot!
Been looking @ Gammo Whisper or silent versions for a while.
Thought I was going to get one for Christmas...but my wife nabs me a daisy BB pistol that shoots all of 550 FPS!!! ::) :'(

Thanks  :). That's what this is, Gamo Whisper Fusion 1300 fps. I had been wanting to get one for a while and was at an auction and won this one. It is fairly quiet with lead pellets. This is the regular .177 cal version I would like to try the .22 cal varient of this same gun or similar for my next one.

Looks like I gave her enough goodies for Christmas...so she's giving me the receipt so I return/swap the zip gun back to Academy along with some boot and nab the Gammo Whisper or reasonable facsimile thereof!!!  :P 8)

TKehl

Spent many weekends "squirrel hunting" with my daughter when we lived in the city.  She was probably 10 months old and I would put her in the back pack and go hiking for a few hours on conservation ground.  She'd fall asleep while I hiked and then when she woke up, we'd figure out where we were and head back to the car.

I carried my bolt action pellet pistol that I'd shot with in 4H.  Only really had a shot at one.  I crept up quiet, and my daughter got quiet to.  Had the pistol pumped, bolt closed, safety off, and was about to draw a bead when I heard an excited "blahopanuioa" from my backpack and the prey ran off.   ;)  After that she got real excited about talking to the squirrels.   :D

Got my wife a Crossman Nitro Venom in .22 for Christmas.  She decided she wants to learn to hunt this year, but wasn't comfortable with a .22LR.  As a side note she wanted to start with deer since they were bigger targets, but I talked her into small game as the targets are closer and can be found more often.   :D
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

WV Sawmiller

   When i was stationed in Albany Ga in USMC days sometimes my wife would say "I can't take it any more. I've got to have some peace and quiet. Take the kids and do something with them." If summer we'd run down to Lake Worth on the Flint River half mile away and go fish or look at bird nests or run up in the cattails and catch green frogs to play with or stop on a sandbar and look for mussel shells.

   If it was late winter and a cool sunny day we'd go to my friends pecan grove. He ran the cleaner, he had several deer and fish mounts and pictures in the shop and one day while dropping off a uniform for cleaning I said "I need to find some pecan growers (Very big industry in S. Ga) who will let me hunt squirrels in the their pecan groves." He said "If you want to hunt squirrels meet me at the Pak-a-Sak on hwy 300 at 6:00 pm. That was 1.5 miles from my base housing so I did. He had 2-3 acres of pecans next to a 25-30 acre woodlot and he said "I did not get a pecan off any trees on those first 2 rows. You shoot everything that looks like a squirrel." I did the rest of the time we were there.

   I'd walk though the woods shaking nests in small trees and when we'd come to a large oak my 4 y/o daughter and I would stop and send my 6 y/o son around to the other side. He'd circle kicking dry leaves and shaking bushes and singing and often as not a squirrel would turn the tree to my side and I'd bushwhack it. My daughter would want to carry it (for about 50 yards) then give it back to me to carry.

   I'd come home after 2-3 hours and my wife would have mellowed out after her alone time to read or sew and just relax and all was right with the world.

    One time I was going home for the weekend and for forgot to cash a check so my wife stopped at the cleaner and my wife asked to cash a check for $100-$150. The old lady who owned the place got pretty huffy and "Said we don't cash checks for people." Then her son, Scott came over and said "Mama this is Mrs. Green. Her husband is the guy who shoots the squirrels on our place. The old lady said "Oh that's different" and she immediately cashed the check while she told my wife I needed to come to their home and shoot them there because one came down the chimney and made a big mess in her house and she wanted them all gone. Becky thought it was funny shooting squirrels got me extra rights other customers did not get.

   That tour and the time I spent with the kids there will always remain some of my fondest memories.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

DPatton

As a young farm kid growing up I spent as much time as I possibly could either target shooting or hunting squirrels and cottontails with an old Crossman 22 cal. pump air rifle. Once fall harvesting was done I would spend most of my after school time hunting small game either down in the pasture along the creek on my families farm or on one of several neighbors properties that I had permission on. My family had an old Beagle hound that would accompany me on those hunts and the two of us had some great times together. I was always bringing home and cleaning small game for the table and even though it wasn't her preferred meal my mother would always cook them for us to eat. I was a much better shot back then as I was always had time to shoot and was always practicing.

At the age of 12 I received my first 22 LR for Christmas. I spent nearly every day before and after school in the fall and winter months running a trap line and hunting small game with that Marlin Glenfield model 60. By that age (Bandit) my families pet Beagle was gone and he had been replaced with a Rat Terrier. Now this little dog was a rabbit chasing fool and the two of us understood how to work together to get the job done. We brought home a lot of rabbits and squirrels together. I put a lot of ammunition thru that gun and could shoot that little rifle very well. At age 12 I even harvested my first coyote with that 22 (although it almost cost me several fingers to frost bite in the process).

I still spend as much time possible hunting although it is mostly centered around waterfowling. after reading this post topic I think I may need to breakout the Ruger 10/22 and give a small game hunt a try again.
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ReggieT

Well added a few bucks boot and got it...or pretty close to it!
Reading you guys stories reminds me of my Pops teaching my brother & I how sight in and use a Daisy BB gun in our youth.
All creatures feathered or hooved were fair game, until he caught us blasting our Grandads pigs!
The very thought of that thrashing raises welts today!! lol :'(
Hopefully I can thin out the possum family that has become fond of my woodpile! :snowball: :rifle:


  

Al_Smith

I had a Crossman manual pump air rifle  as a kid but never hunted squirrel with it .Got a few rabbits sitting though .My dad bought me a single shot H and R 22 rifle .The old man knew what he was doing because with only one shot you learn to aim .Got a good many squirrel with it,still have it 58 years later .

Woodcutter_Mo

 Well I hav'nt got out squirrel hunting since I started this thread, but season ends on the Feb 15th so I may go out again in the next couple days. I put a different scope on the pellet gun as the other scope wasn't very clear. I found that the barrel must be bowed a little because I had to shim the scope to get it lined up, but it's back to nailing soda cans at 80yds and walnuts at 40yds so I'll call it good for the average shot at a squirrel.  ;D



-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
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DelawhereJoe

Why stop at squirrel hunting with airguns, take her out for hogs, whitetails, elk and buffalo. Its on my list if I ever hit the lottery.
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Woodcutter_Mo

 I would like to eventually buy a larger bore air rifle​ to do some deer or coyote hunting with. That's certainly on the ol bucket list  :)

There's one called the "Air Force Texan" which is available in several larger calibers.
-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

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