Rifle Allowed for Red Squirrel?

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firestorm

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According to the abstracts in the zone I'm in rife is NOT allowed for Grey squirrel, but it doesn't specify if I can use a rifle or not for red squirrel which is open season year round. I called masswildlife and got no usable answer. (Suggestion that an air rifle would kill one, but a smallbore rifle would be good too, but no mention of legality or not, just a "Be careful, don't shoot into the air" message) I was wondering if anyone knew one way or the other.
 
Besides shotgun, you can use an air rifle. There are some really nice, accurate ones available. Another plus on using the air rifle is that it's not loud and doesn't scare all the critters away when shot.
 
I'll check the book when I get home, but I remember being confused by that, as I think it doesn't disallow rifles, which would make me think a .22 or .17 would be usable. With a shotgun, what would you use load wise?

BTW, where do you find the reds? I only seem to find greys.
 
Reveille Im aware of the abstracts but my issue is that they say no rifle 10-14 for grey squirrel, they dont say anything in the section for red. Dave if you could find something one way or the other it would be awesome. A shotgun ive been told to use number 6 in a mod choke, I havent tested the spread yet. I was hoping I could use my .22 for it.

As far as finding them I dont now yet, I was looking into it for the first time and im trying to figure out my options for getting them before I go scouting and try to find them. Ill be looking in Miles standish for the most part as its close to home and has a lot of space to play with
 
From page 23 of the abstract regarding shotgun loads:

Shotgun ammunition: except as provided below, no species other than deer, coyote, or waterfowl may be hunted or taken with shot larger than #1 birdshot. Except during the prescribed open season when deer may be hunted lawfully with a shotgun, a person shall not have in his possession a shotgun shell loaded with a rifled slug, single ball, buckshot of any size, or any shot larger than or equal to air rifle shot in any place where birds or mammals may be found except on a skeet, trap, or target range between sunrise and sunset, or except for the hunting of coyotes (a) during the prescribed open season for coyotes with shot not larger than FF; or (b) during the shotgun deer season when coyotes may be hunted with archery or shotgun only—using slugs, buckshot, or shot of any size; or, except as specified in the annual Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations
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The prohibitions for grey squirrels are listed in a section specific to grey squirrels, so those regulations would not apply to any other species, the same as the regulations for wild turkey do not apply to waterfowl.

The only other regulations that should apply to red squirrels are the rest of page 23, and the section describing open season on page 22.

The following species may be taken year-round (except during shotgun deer season) by licensed hunters with no daily or seasonal bag limit: English sparrow, flying squirrel, red squirrel, chipmunk, porcupine, skunk, starling, weasel, woodchuck
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Thats what I figured, I just wanted to double check if I could while im in the process of getting the rifle set up and sighted in. Thats why I wasnt super happy with the wishy washy mass wildlife answer.
 
its funny how these things come up. My friend was asking me the same thing as he goes pellet gunning often. He wants to get his hunting license so he can get some sparrows as they are everywhere in his yard/area. At the moment if it doesnt move for a week they start to nest. His house deck is littered with sparrow nest.
I have used my crosman 1400 from 1967 in 22cal on sqirrels out to 30 yards with 6 pumps and it takes them out fast. Although I prefer closer shots 20yards is a better comfort zone. This old gun after a rebuild is quit strong. I crony'd it not long ago and get 550fps average with 6 pumps. The trigger is ccrap on these, Ive been shooting this gun for a long time and really got used to the trigger. I also find RSW field pellets with the rounded hollow points work well in my rifle. Its funny there is not open season on grey squirrels, I have not seen a red in many many years
 
There is also a section about .22 LR ammunition, for which GOAL has a bill to add .17 rimfire ammunition, and I am about to submit a modification to make it .22 rimfire ammunition, so as to include .22 Magnum.
 
LOL are you serious ?
Your law regulates what caliber you can shoot critters with ?

Life wouldnt go well for me there, as the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I hear the word "allowed" when it comes to excercising a Constitutional right.
 
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If you use a .17 HMR on red's unless it's a head shot, you will have no meat. Unless your just cleaning out your yard from pests. I had a red that was attacking my bird feeders, and setting up shop. Hit em behind the shoulder with my .17 and it pretty much blew him in half.
 
SAS- Hunting is NOT a consitutional right at the federal level, although at least 10 states have it as a protected right in their state Constitutions.

While wild animals and resources are owned by the citizenry, they are held in trust by the Feds, and the States, and they have protected their ability to restrict arms and calibers used for hunting, even draw weights for bows, to protect the herds, and the environment. It's basically to ensure that some SFB tacnerd doesn't unload an ak in full auto at a tree that he thought a squirrel might have been in.

There's also these silly things like ethics, and morality, but you can't rely on a government document to determine those.
 
For finding reds, listen for a quick, high-pitched chatter. They are not easy to shoot, and are quick, jumpy, and smart.
 
davemata said:
Just for reference, if out hunting for dinner, would a scattergun like a 12ga. be preferable to a .22?
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Not too experienced in shooting them for dinner. They were a terror at my parent's house. They loved the black walnut trees in the yard and made a home in the ceilings and walls of the house. I will say you will want a few of them as they are not much bigger than a chipmunk, and love either curl into a nice little ball in the crook of a tree or flatten out against a branch they are on.

If you are good with the .22, a head shot works well. I mostly went with a .22, but also used a bow and a pellet gun.
 
davemata said:
Just for reference, if out hunting for dinner, would a scattergun like a 12ga. be preferable to a .22?
Click to expand...

Being born in Alaska, and out in "no-man's" land for a while (my father was a commercial fisherman for over a decade), we'd eat "damn near anything". Squirrel stew, yes, was on the list of many meals. An old adage used to go “Use .177 for feather and a .22 for fur”.

Head shot...right below the ear. Saves the most meat. If you're not comfortable removing Bugs Bunny's head, aim right below the shoulder.

In any case, almost any HP would do the trick. To polymer-tip or not...that is the question.
 
Aside from my 10/22 that needs to go back to the mothership for repair, that's all I got. Any suggestions on mitigating damage, sans other gun options?
 
Just use a nice quiet pellet rifle for squirrel. Nice head shot right between the ear and the eye. It's only a itty bitty squirrel. No need for overkill here.

kex16b.jpg
 
Yeah, but the whole purpose of me posting this was to find if I can use a .22 (Which I already have and am comfortable with) or if I had to use shotgun. I don't have an air rifle, or at the moment want to spend money on one of those, even though it does seem like an air rifle would be easier and make a little less of a mess.
 
mac1911 said:
Its funny there is not open season on grey squirrels, I have not seen a red in many many years
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I don't see them in my area much either, you're probably more likely to see a black squirrel. But now I've got a red squirrel that came out of nowhere and is living in my back shed... I don't want to kill it and will try to convince him to move out peacefully[rolleyes].
 
Yanici, that looks more like a chipmunk than a squirrel to me. It is hard to tell the scale of it in that photo.
 
joeendris said:
Being born in Alaska, and out in "no-man's" land for a while (my father was a commercial fisherman for over a decade), we'd eat "damn near anything". Squirrel stew, yes, was on the list of many meals. An old adage used to go “Use .177 for feather and a .22 for fur”.

Head shot...right below the ear. Saves the most meat. If you're not comfortable removing Bugs Bunny's head, aim right below the shoulder.

In any case, almost any HP would do the trick. To polymer-tip or not...that is the question.
Click to expand...
I was once enticed to attend a SOF winter survival/seer school while stationed in ROK. Besides the joy of swimming across as un-yet frozen pond in January we got to make Bunny Puppets. We were not allowed to clean the rabbit with any tools but our hands and teeth.
 

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