Questions about squirrel hunting!!!!!

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JellyFish

Okay, I bought my hunting license today. It's gray squirrel season right now here in Taxachusetts and I wish to go and bag me some squirrels.

But I have some questions:

1. What's a good knife brand/model for skinning and gutting them?

2. What do you do with the skins after you skin em'? Just toss em? Or is there some other use?

3. What's the best way to carry the skinned squirrel meat while you finish your hunt? Stick em' in a cooler?

4. What's the best way to cook squirrel meat? What does it taste like?

5. Will a .22 rifle work well with squirrels? I will be buying a bigger caliber at some point for sure but I wish to use my .22 for squirrels.

6. How many squirrels should I whack to get enough meat for eating? How much meat do they have on them??

7. How can I tell if the squirrels are diseased? Safe to eat?

8. Please post any other advice you have! All feedback is welcome as I have never hunted before and wish to make sure I am doing everything properly.
 
Hmm...okay, on the mass state gov. site it says you can only kill up to 5 per day. How many does it take to have enough meat to eat?
 
JellyFish,
You are one excited dude! I'm a big fan of squirrel hunting but never seem
to have enough days during the season. I'll throw out some stuff and you can
do google searches for "squirrel hunting" and I'm sure you'll find much more
from better hunters than me.

1 Squirrel + 1 per person is a reasonable amount (2 sq for 1 person, 3 for 2)

What do you have for firearms? .22s and shotguns are both effective squirrel
getters.

Where do you live/plan to hunt? Only zones west of 495 may use .22s .

The most improtant part of squirrel hunting is finding squirrels. This time of year
the ones around here are eating hickory nuts and acorns. Hickories are
a a better bet if you can find them, otherwsie acorns will do. You need to
find an abundant source of food, preferably near some water and look for
the tailings of hungry squirrels on the ground.

Find your spot, get comfy against a tree, and do *nothing* for 15 minutes.
The squirrels will forget about you and come back out.

If you are using a .22 make ABSOLUTELY sure that you use a tree limb or
trunk as a backstop for that bullet.

Squirrels clean easier when they are dead for a shorter period of time, but
I let them sit for at least 10 minutes to let any fleas bail first.

I use a bag of frozen rice as a cooler in my pack to store the ziploc baggies
with squirrel meat. The rice stays pretty cold and does not melt in your
bag.

Any small sharp knife will do. A blade over 4" would be pretty long for this
task.

I'll see if I can find that skinning video, it is a much better technique than
I have used.


F
 
I was going to use a .22. I guess I can't do that in the zones near me though right? I will have to go farther west?

If not a .22 then what do people usually use to kill them? I don't know how to shoot a bow. A bb gun or somethign?
 
Where is that regulation that you can't use a .22 rifle east of 495. I can't seem to find that in the hunting abstract.
 
About shotguns...wouldn't that be...messy? How do you just do a head shot with a shot gun? Do you have to pick the shot out of the squirrel after it's dead?
 
JellyFish said:
Okay, I bought my hunting license today. It's gray squirrel season right now here in Taxachusetts and I wish to go and bag me some squirrels.
Click to expand...

JellyFish said:
I was going to use a .22. I guess I can't do that in the zones near me though right? I will have to go farther west?
Click to expand...

Route 495 is essentially the dividing line: west of it you can use rifles and handguns; east of it is shotguns only (although ISTR someone here saying air rifles were OK in the eastern zones).

One warning: it's not squirrel season yet east of 495. It starts October 14th. West of 495 it started September 11th.
 
Thanks, DR. I noticed that the season hadn't started here yet.

I guess they are afraid that there would be too much range if somebody used a .22 rifle in this area? Geez, I hate living in eastern MA. It sucks.

So I guess I will be driving into another zone then as I don't want to buy a shotgun for this (plus like I said, that seems like a messy way to do this).
 
Yep, shotguns or air rifles only this side of 495. I actually prefer a
shotgun this time of year when the leaves are thick. No real mess,
occasionaly a few pellets to pick out, but not often. The WMA adjoining
the field headquarters in Westboro has some good spots. If you head that
way let me know and I can share a few "honey holes". It's only a week until
squirrel season opens up state-wide.

F
 
I have Ted Nugent's book "Kill It and Grill It" so I'll be using that for guidance on preparing my first squirrel dinner.

0895261642.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
 
There's a state park in Foxboro that I was thinking of going to. But I guess I can't use my .22 in there. Shit. I'd need to buy a shotgun pretty fast then. Any particular make or model to recommend?

Darn. I really wanted to use my .22. I think I will take a ride into another zone just for the hell of it. Any recommendations on spots in other zones that are west of 495 but as close as possible?

firtree said:
Yep, shotguns or air rifles only this side of 495. I actually prefer a
shotgun this time of year when the leaves are thick. No real mess,
occasionaly a few pellets to pick out, but not often. The WMA adjoining
the field headquarters in Westboro has some good spots. If you head that
way let me know and I can share a few "honey holes". It's only a week until
squirrel season opens up state-wide.

F
Click to expand...
 
You can hook up with a usable shotgun for $50-100 if you are only planning
on small game hunting. AFS in N. Attleboro and Roach's always have a collection
of old shotguns for super cheap. There's a savage 20g. single shot at AFS
for $50 or so. Anyway, The Westboro WMA is a good spot. Foxboro state
forest is OK but the bike riders and dog walkers get all googly-eyed when they
see guns.
 
Well Dick's is right down the street so I guess I can check there too for a shotgun if I'm too lazy to drive down to AFS. I don't know what Dick's pricing is.

I gotta get a carry strap for my .22 too. No way to carry it on my shoulder right now.
 
Hunt'in Tree-Rats..

JellyFish,

Perhaps I can offer some assistance..I hunted them some 30+ years ago as a boy, and just recently took it back up...


JellyFish said:
Okay, I bought my hunting license today. It's gray squirrel season right now here in Taxachusetts and I wish to go and bag me some squirrels.

But I have some questions:

1. What's a good knife brand/model for skinning and gutting them?

Small and very sharp is all you need... A swiss army knife works just fine..just keep it sharp..Truth be know, it's all you really need to unzip a deer too, although others will argue with that...

Be forewarned, their hides are relatively tough compared to that of a rabbit..

2. What do you do with the skins after you skin em'? Just toss em? Or is there some other use?

Don't know about the hides.. could google squirrel hide and see where that brings you.. Tails on the other hand, can get you $$ or free Mepps lures..
I have used the hair to tie some effective flys ...

http://www.mepps.com/mepps/information/squirrels/default.asp

3. What's the best way to carry the skinned squirrel meat while you finish your hunt? Stick em' in a cooler?

Meat is meat..get it clean and cool ASAP...cooler is a great idea..

4. What's the best way to cook squirrel meat? What does it taste like?

dunno...bet it tastes like chicken... again google squirrel hunting..I am sure you will find lots of recipies.

5. Will a .22 rifle work well with squirrels? I will be buying a bigger caliber at some point for sure but I wish to use my .22 for squirrels.

Bigger caliber??? This critter weighs a couple of pounds at most... you expecting to stop a charge?.. a .22 is more than enough.. just be aware of the rules and regs in the area you intend to hunt. If you want to do real damage to the local tree-rat population, a 20ga or larger shotgun with #4 shot works really well..shotgun also works on anything from quail to deer.. If you could only own 1 hunting firearm in this state, I recommend a pump or semi-auto shotgun.(12ga if you can handle it...as they work best for deer and turkeys as you diversify your hunting).

As for my squirreling, I favor a small caliber muzzleloader, a .22 pistol, or archery tackle.. Once you find where the squirrels feed, killing them ain't very tough. I intentionally make it tough..

6. How many squirrels should I whack to get enough meat for eating? How much meat do they have on them??

Depends on how hungry you are..and how you prepare them..[laugh]

7. How can I tell if the squirrels are diseased? Safe to eat?

Donno.. contact MDFWELE .. see if they have any reports of mad squirrel..
Seriously, wormy, or mangy critters might not be worth eating..If it don't look too health, it probably ain't ...

8. Please post any other advice you have! All feedback is welcome as I have never hunted before and wish to make sure I am doing everything properly.
Click to expand...

First of all, if you haven't hunted in this state, you need to talk to Mass Division of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement. You need to have taken the basic Hunter's Safety course. And, of course, you need to have the proper license(s).. and a Massachusetts Firearms ID or LTC.. which means you need to talk to your local Police Department, if you don't already have one of those..DO NOT go afield with a firearm without doing all of the above first..

Squirrels are easy.. and not so easy.. depends on how and where you hunt them. They were the first critter my daddy taught me how to hunt back in the early '70's. Tree-rat hunting taught us to walk quietly, listen, and to sit still. Weapon of choice was a bolt-action Mossberg 20ga shotgun, loaded with #4 shot, later a 16ga Winchester model 12 with the same load. Good times...
The lessons we learned on squirrels translated to bigger critters as we got older..

Area of choice, way back before urban sprawl, was the swamps of SE Mass, with its mixture of hardwoods and pines.. I have seen greys in lots of places around the state.. Boston common has lots (don't recommend hunting there though..winos run off with'em .. [wink] ) Get some topographic maps (learn how to use them and a compass.. another free course taught by MDFWELE btw..) and find some semi-swampy areas...water and semi-open areas seem to be favorite areas..

The trick is finding where they hang out..Find their food source and you will find squirrels.. Listen. Often, you will hear the sound of "rain" on a sunny day. Greys are messy eaters, and you can hear the sound of shells raining down on the forest floor as they eat..move slowly, walk slowly, stop a lot, listen for 5 minutes, and move on..look up and down.. tree tops and on the ground.. attenuate your eyes to movement.. don't look for whole squirrels.. watch for movement... then focus on what moved. Listen.. learn the sounds that they make.. look to find the source of the sound..

Make sure you are well within the range of your ability and that of your hunting implement before you attempt to harvest one..be sure you can make a quick, clean and humane kill..

Above all, be safe. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

Have fun..squirrel'in is great fun.. and great training for bigger critters..

Best of luck.
hbennett
 
Just so you know, I have my LTC and have also taken a Basic Hunter's Education course. So no worries there. [grin]
 
Center of mass hits are best.. Head shots are great.. disrupting the central nervous system will definitely do the job.. but is not entirely necessary..the head of a squirrel is also a fairly small target... any solid hit in the chest/lung area will certainly anchor any squirrel ..there isn't too much meat there to damage..22s have been getting the job done for a real long time..shotguns, believe it or not, tend to pepper them with fewer pellets than you might think.

Again, squirrels aren't terribly tough to kill..
 
What do I do if they all join forces against me? Like in the Willy Wonka movie?

Go here and scroll down to the bottom to the video clip called Don't Touch the Squirrel's Nuts.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JellyFish said:
Okay, I bought my hunting license today. It's gray squirrel season right now here in Taxachusetts and I wish to go and bag me some squirrels.

But I have some questions:

1. What's a good knife brand/model for skinning and gutting them?

2. What do you do with the skins after you skin em'? Just toss em? Or is there some other use?

3. What's the best way to carry the skinned squirrel meat while you finish your hunt? Stick em' in a cooler?

4. What's the best way to cook squirrel meat? What does it taste like?

5. Will a .22 rifle work well with squirrels? I will be buying a bigger caliber at some point for sure but I wish to use my .22 for squirrels.

6. How many squirrels should I whack to get enough meat for eating? How much meat do they have on them??

7. How can I tell if the squirrels are diseased? Safe to eat?

8. Please post any other advice you have! All feedback is welcome as I have never hunted before and wish to make sure I am doing everything properly.
Click to expand...

1. Squirrel Hunting & My Ritter Mini Grip M2

2. Nail to the back of the shed? Or at least the tails. Or to a pole.

3. I'd go with the cooler.

4. Squirrel Recipes

5. Yes. They say .17HMR or .17HM2 is even better (head shots only). The first is for longer distances, the second will do the same as the first only not as far away.

6. Not sure and not sure. Let us know what you find out. Beware of bag limits (again, not sure).

7. That was my concern in the other squirrel thread.

8. Check your abstracts. http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwpdf/dfwab06.pdf

more: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwrec.htm
 
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