Pennsylvania Game News - October 2011 - 16

inherent toughness of the quarry, that the hunter must use the right tools to put the quarry in the pot. What’s nice about squirrels is that it is one of the few game animals we have that you can use almost any kind of gun you want. Many squirrels are taken by shotguns, either incidentally to other small game, or by design. Using a shotgun specifically for squirrels is a good choice, particularly with high velocity loads in either 6 or 7½ shot. For new hunters, a shotgun is the way to go, but many experienced hunters enjoy the added challenge of using a rifle or even a handgun. While I have not tried a handgun yet, my Remington 581-S has been a good companion in the field, although I have actually done better on several occasions with my Savage 23D in .22 Hornet. While my Hornet is primarily a varmint rifle, I have used it for squirrels as well as turkeys. I use a reduced load for squirrels, and at 50 yards, using Sierra 45-grain Hornet bullets, it shoots tight groups.

Hunting squirrels with any rifle or handgun starts at the shooting bench, and testing different .22 loads is necessary to ensure the most accurate shooting. Put your time in on the bench, find the right load, and you’ll consistently bag squirrels. An example of that occurred several years ago. I got permission from a friend to hunt at his deer camp for turkeys. We always saw a lot of turkeys during deer season, even scaring a few off their roost above my stand. So, I brewed up some reduced loads, with turkeys in mind, and picked up my buddy, Bryan Davis, and made the trip to Bradford County. When we arrived at the camp, which is in a mixture of woods and farm fields. We pulled into the parking area at daybreak and had a turkey take off into the woods. Well, we had no luck in calling the turkey back, but the squirrels were plentiful and we figured it would be in our best interest to switch gears and take some bushytails. By the end of the day, I had limited out, and Bryan had a few, too. Sure, it would have been nice to take a turkey or two, but a limit of grays always makes for a good day. Squirrels to me represent the essence of hunting. You don’t need a lot of gadgets to hunt them. With that said, one thing that can help is a squirrel call, which is an item I have used in the past. They are usually simple items to use, and the models I have are hand operated. I’ve used mine in the past like many archery hunters use their grunt calls — just to get the game’s attention. If I see a squirrel in the woods that sees me first and hides, I wait a few minutes and then start using the call, making a series of barks. If it responds, I call back until it shows itself again and I can make the shot. By using the call judiciously, I work on the squirrel’s inquisitive nature. Some years squirrel hunting can be very easy and limits seem to happen on nearly every hunt. Other
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Pennsylvania Game News - October 2011

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