The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

In two weeks I'm taking a weekend camping trip with the intention of trying to get a couple of tree rats for the pot. This will be my first hunting trip in 30 years! Let's hope I still know how to do it.

Trying to decide, .22 or 12 gauge? I'm thinking .22 for the challenge.

Tree rats? Squirrels? I have never been squirrel hunting before. I use a pellet gun on chippy munks. I think a 22 would killthem all right but you better hit them in the head if you want to eat any. Good luck.

.22 unless you want to be spittin' out pellets as you eat, have a good trip.

Another vote for the .22, I would think the 12ga would damage too much meat . What .22 rifle do you use to snipe squirrles?

ponycarman wrote:Another vote for the .22, I would think the 12ga would damage too much meat . What .22 rifle do you use to snipe squirrles?

The only one I have, a Marlin 65, .22 it is.

OK, I'm back, I saw a total of two squirrels, neither in a spot I could try for them. However, I still had fun and I picked up a few hints that should help next time I go out.

Are you in the USA? Most states I know of don't allow hunting squirrels until fall.
Now, killing nuisance squirrels, that's different

That said, I always used a shotgun. Most times squirrels are moving or partially behind cover. If you use 7-1/2 or 8 shot when you skin them the pellets will be in the hide, not the squirrel

It's squirrel season in Missouri. Also Groundhog and Coyote season, frog season starts 30 minutes after sundown tonight.

Hmmm...Time fer meat stew it sounds like to me. Ain't not done et none of them thar critters but hey, if it tastes good eat it (also it is bad for you).

I don't know if it works for squirrel but, Lay out a picnic and turn your back and the chipmunks are all over it.

MikeMGB wrote:OK, I'm back, I saw a total of two squirrels, neither in a spot I could try for them. However, I still had fun and I picked up a few hints that should help next time I go out.

Next time get some, "Girl Squirrel", scent or calls. Guys are all the same be they man or beasties.

Longcolt44 wrote:

MikeMGB wrote:OK, I'm back, I saw a total of two squirrels, neither in a spot I could try for them. However, I still had fun and I picked up a few hints that should help next time I go out.

Next time get some, "Girl Squirrel", scent or calls. Guys are all the same be they man or beasties.

Aint that the truth. We're all wired to do the same thing and that's make more of us.

Mike here's another thing to suggest. You need one of these below. Besides her duties around here guarding the place from preditors and alerting me to them she's a hunting dog first. She will tree anything that'll climb and she has no fear reguardless of it's size. She used to tree our cat until I gave her enough hell for it she stopped. She treed a raccoon the other night, big male that was after my chickens and when I shot it and it hit the ground she tackled it grabbing it by the throat to finish it off. She lives to hunt. If she hears a gunshot or like earlier today fireworks she's on it. Ask Fred_G. When we shoot I have to put her in the house because she runs down range to go after what we're shooting at. We shoot a good 400 yards from the house and you can hear her barking the whole time we're shooting. One hell of a hunting dog.

Yep, here in Missouri the tree rat season runs from 5/26/12 till 2/15/13 this time around. Here's what I use on 'em, haven't gone out yet, too dang hot and too many ticks this year.

For nuisance tree rats I use Regular size rat traps with crunchy peanutbutter for bait. Use a wire or fishing line to pull them in and retrieve them quickly if you want to get more. They catch on to the trick pretty fast and avoid them or just move to another area with multiple traps for more scores.

I use my Ruger 10/22 with a cheep Center Point 3x9 power scope. And at home when they are raiding my Mango tree I use my Crosman G1 Extreme .177 pellet rifle also with
Center Point 3x9 scope that came with the gun, and Gamo gold Raptor .117 pellet's at 1200 fps. They don't live to tell on me.

I'm going again on Sunday, a friend has asked me to try and clear his father's 15 acres of squirrels, this could be fun.

Mike wrote:I'm going again on Sunday, a friend has asked me to try and clear his father's 15 acres of squirrels, this could be fun.

Sounds like fun, when I was a kid we would shoot Crows in the corn field and the farmer would pay us per bird.

Sounds like fun, enjoy the tree rat stew

Junk Yard Dog wrote:Sounds like fun, enjoy the tree rat stew

I hear it is better fried.