Was hunting in the backyard with a buddy last season (North Carolina), using a FX Compact Dreamline in .22, all the squirrels went quickly but one. Let me know if you can pick out the one that hid in a drain pipe and took 3 rounds to expire?
Grey Squirrel Tough as 50 Cent
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The single squirrel I have dispatched was the same way. Perfect brain shot at 7ish yards from a 14fpe rifle. Should have been plenty but the dang thing took another two shots to the noggin to stop squeaking. Absolutely sketched me out for future squirrel hunting.
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My first one was like that too, don’t dwell on it, poop happens. Odds are the next ones go quicker, maybe go for a chest shot.
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Great post,
I literally laughed at the header then the pic..
I have always said, i if a squirrel 🐿 was 100 lbs I would never go into the woods because you couldn’t kill it..
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I agree, stuff happens. I keep a few notes on each squirrel I take and review it sometimes to make sure my memory is working. I have two PCPs that are a little under 20 fpe and three that are over 30 fpe. I've taken 20 with the "little guns" and 24 with the more powerful ones. I am pretty confident that the number of squirrels that were not DRT is significantly higher for the little guns. I've looked it up several times and only two of 18 shot with my 32 fpe P35-25 ran at all and the furthest they ran was about 15 feet. They did not make noise, just tried to get away and expired in the process. I had pass through on all but 3. All 4 with my P35-22 were pass through that were DRT. One of the two taken with my 42 fpe 25 caliber Avenger took two shots but might not have needed both. It did not go anywhere.
Placement is the most important variable under our control but I think a little more energy also helps to minimize the "stuff". But I plan to keep using my "little guns". I plan to try hard to make good brain shots with them. Body shots seem to not kill quite as quickly. My dog finished off two I hit with my 19 fpe 177. One was a shoulder shot through the lungs and one was hit in the throat. Both would have expired without her action but the shoulder shot one squeaked when my little dog shook it. Some of them hang onto life pretty fiercely. Same shot with one of the 25s and I think it would have been dead by the time it hit the ground. I know several others were.
Placement is the most important variable under our control but I think a little more energy also helps to minimize the "stuff". But I plan to keep using my "little guns". I plan to try hard to make good brain shots with them. Body shots seem to not kill quite as quickly. My dog finished off two I hit with my 19 fpe 177. One was a shoulder shot through the lungs and one was hit in the throat. Both would have expired without her action but the shoulder shot one squeaked when my little dog shook it. Some of them hang onto life pretty fiercely. Same shot with one of the 25s and I think it would have been dead by the time it hit the ground. I know several others were.
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If a squirrel was to suddenly turn into a dog it would for sure 100% be a malanois. Same type of spaz’dout demeanor, and for sure tough as chit. That’s why they are the canine of choice with law enforcement.
Here is a pic of Azlan, my lady friends “dock certified” malanois. Dock certified meaning it is trained to jump off of a dock into a boat @ 26’.
Her trainer said that dog has to expel a lot of energy and trained her dog to run a figure 8 around two opposing trees on command and will only stop at her command.
Tell me that isn’t just a squirrel turned dog, lol!-
Here is a pic of Azlan, my lady friends “dock certified” malanois. Dock certified meaning it is trained to jump off of a dock into a boat @ 26’.
Her trainer said that dog has to expel a lot of energy and trained her dog to run a figure 8 around two opposing trees on command and will only stop at her command.
Tell me that isn’t just a squirrel turned dog, lol!-
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squirrs are tough critters .. ive literally hit them with all 15 rounds from a .22lr and theyre still going .. ive concluded over time THE most effective stop on a squirrel is a heart shot, the way they move and present themselves headshots arnt very reliable .. so frontal aim below the chin or at the chest pending on angle or side right about the shoulder .. one of the fastest stops on a squirrel, and the easiest to get if you sneak up on them is a shot from the rear side right into the armpit ..drops um like a hammer ..
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Only two of the 18 squirrels that I shot with my 32 fpe 25 caliber ran at all and they were shot in the front of the chest. The pellet stopped under the skin behind a rear leg. The shots went diagonally through the squirrel but probably did not get both lungs. The furthest they went was about 15 feet. It is a deadly shot but dropped them more slowly than head shots and shots that went through at least one shoulder. These two shots were two of the three that did not exit. The other was a double shoulder shot and that squirrel was DRT. All my squirrels have been killed with non expanding pellets.
Some of my head shots do not appear to have hit the brain. One hit about the jaw joint. But when I was using my 32 fpe or higher guns, the squirrels were DRT. In the case of the jaw shot, the head was crushed. The 25 caliber pellet did the job despite my imperfect shot placement. I like these guns because they seem to give me a little margin for my shot placement.
Some of my head shots do not appear to have hit the brain. One hit about the jaw joint. But when I was using my 32 fpe or higher guns, the squirrels were DRT. In the case of the jaw shot, the head was crushed. The 25 caliber pellet did the job despite my imperfect shot placement. I like these guns because they seem to give me a little margin for my shot placement.
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I'd say shot placement is more important than caliber. My R9 in .20 Cal is deadly to squirrels, but you have to hit them in the head.
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You can't stress that enough, shot placement is everything for quick kills. I shoot red squirrels around the yard as we are over run with them and they get into everything in my sheds, shop and garage. I take them with an HW30s, 8 foot pounds using a 7.3g pellet. In the head they don't hardly move. Goes clean through out to 20 plus yards. Body shots and the dog has to finish them. I try for all head shots, if the squirrel is too active I'll wait for a better shot. Once the pellet passes through all those xtra foot pounds are meaningless... Accuracy trumps energy with air rifles. Even with powder burners, shot placement is key.
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My experience (20 squirrels with 25s) is good with none running more than 15 feet and only two ran at all. But all were hit in the head or front half of the body. I don't think using even a powerful 25 with expanding or whatever you think is the best projectile will make up for hitting it in the back half of the body. About half of the squirrels were body shots and almost all of them were DRT. As long as I hit at least one shoulder or the head, they did not run.
But the first 4 with my 32 fpe 22 caliber were all DRT too. I'm not sure if it was one or two of them that were body shots. My 18 fpe Prod kills them fine too but I think I'm seeing quicker death for the squirrels with nearly twice the fpe. But I do not think going up further in fpe would help much. I'm shooting through them. All my squirrels have been taken with non-expanding pellets.
It's logical to think a 25 may kill a little faster and I've seen a couple youtubers that argue that it does. The only difference I think I may see on head shots is if I miss the brain. The 25 or even higher power 22 seems to do enough damage the squirrel still dies very quickly - is DRT. I get instant death with the little Prod and my P35-177 too but only when I hit them right in the brain. That is my goal but I am not 100%.
If I was specifying a PCP for squirrels I would specify a 22 or a 25 caliber with 25-35 fpe. I agree that less fpe will work, it has for me, but I think that it sometimes helps to have a little more. For tree squirrels or other targets within 50 yards, I do not see a need for more fpe than this. (I would not try longer shots because I don't think I could place them well enough) Regardless of power level it is absolutely necessary to find a projectile your gun shoots accurately and practice with it including in positions you will use to hunt. It is very satisfying to pull the trigger and see them drop immediately stone dead. It is not fun to know you hit them and have them start running.
But the first 4 with my 32 fpe 22 caliber were all DRT too. I'm not sure if it was one or two of them that were body shots. My 18 fpe Prod kills them fine too but I think I'm seeing quicker death for the squirrels with nearly twice the fpe. But I do not think going up further in fpe would help much. I'm shooting through them. All my squirrels have been taken with non-expanding pellets.
It's logical to think a 25 may kill a little faster and I've seen a couple youtubers that argue that it does. The only difference I think I may see on head shots is if I miss the brain. The 25 or even higher power 22 seems to do enough damage the squirrel still dies very quickly - is DRT. I get instant death with the little Prod and my P35-177 too but only when I hit them right in the brain. That is my goal but I am not 100%.
If I was specifying a PCP for squirrels I would specify a 22 or a 25 caliber with 25-35 fpe. I agree that less fpe will work, it has for me, but I think that it sometimes helps to have a little more. For tree squirrels or other targets within 50 yards, I do not see a need for more fpe than this. (I would not try longer shots because I don't think I could place them well enough) Regardless of power level it is absolutely necessary to find a projectile your gun shoots accurately and practice with it including in positions you will use to hunt. It is very satisfying to pull the trigger and see them drop immediately stone dead. It is not fun to know you hit them and have them start running.
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They are tough, even a blunt tipped arrow from a 50 lb recurve does not always bring them down.
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I was never a good enough archer to try shooting a squirrel!
But now that I use a crossbow I have been very tempted to shoot one while deer hunting. But with each bolt/broadhead combo costing about $20 I've managed not to try, so far. It might be another story if I had an extra target bolt with me.
I think if something can jump the string enough to evade a hit, it's gonna be a squirrel.
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Love too, except if caught I'd lose my hunting license. I'm not taking that chance.Take your pellet.slinger along
I get enough squirrel anyway.
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