A squirrel in the bag.......

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TiredRooster

TiredRooster

Member
Nov 1, 2018
974
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Alabama, United States
I was finally able to get out this morning and do a little squirrel hunting with the RWS 34. I learned something in the process. I can't take the kind of shots at squirrels with this air rifle that I am accustomed to taking with a .22 LR. I shot 3 squirrels this morning. I'm a bit sick at my stomach over it because I lost the first two. Ya see, I shot them along the rib area and both were solid hits. You could hear the impact. But it didn't kill them right away and they hit the ground and ran. I tried to recover them but couldn't. Shot like that with my .22 LR would have killed them as they hit the ground. So.....I told myself after that, if I get another shot.....head only or not at all. I got another thankfully and was able to make good on a head shot. I was able to put one in the bag. I guess this rifle just doesn't have the ass to make a clean kill unless 1) your lucky or 2) you hit them in the head. Thats ok though if this happens to be true, I don't like it to be easy....that would be boring. If it's head shots only....then head shots we will make. I'm still enjoying the hell outa this air rifle.....just learning and gaining knowledge as I go.

TR

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Thanks for sharing, head shots would be ideal. Surprised they still ran off because you are using RWS Hollowpoints correct?



CA
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Yes. RWS Hollowpoints. The impact made a heck of a "thawopp!" sound. Very solid hit.....they fell out of the tree and hit the ground running. Obviously badly hurt, but I could not find them. Grey squirrels are very tough and I am fully aware of that. But I was just a bit surprised that not one, but two ran on me like that. It happens....but like I said, I will be very careful with shot placement going forward.

BTW....I have some Crossman Premier HP and Premier Pointed pellets on order. Per your rec CA.....Thanks.
 
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Lost animals are part of hunting, but a part of hunting I have never got comfortable with. The only barrel break rifle that I ever owned that seemed to be a real killer , was a Crow magnum, a .25 cal., any .177 I had seemed to cripple as many as I killed. However if I were a better shot that might of not been the case. That is what I love about PCP rifles, I very rarely loose a squirrel & have as much success if not more than when I used a .22. But if you are determined to get close and only take headshots that rifle should be able to do the trick. Just look at all those squirrels that hunters in England kill with 12FPE rifles. I would feel handicapped if I had to hunt with those. 
 
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I suspect your hitting them too far down for your lung shots. I mostly go for heart/lung shots versus head shots with my D34 .22 and an effective heart/lung shot requires hitting them at or just behind the front shoulder. Sometimes they die instantly, sometimes they have a few seconds and can run but not far in my experience. I've taken plenty with heart/lung shots. This latest one I got was from 31 yards 40 feet up a tree. He was dead in just a few seconds. Don't forget that with your .22lr your probably hitting them with 90ftlbs of energy versus 16 with your air gun.

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Lost animals are part of hunting, but a part of hunting I have never got comfortable with. The only barrel break rifle that I ever owned that seemed to be a real killer , was a Crow magnum, a .25 cal., any .177 I had seemed to cripple as many as I killed. However if I were a better shot that might of not been the case. That is what I love about PCP rifles, I very rarely loose a squirrel & have as much success if not more than when I used a .22. But if you are determined to get close and only take headshots that rifle should be able to do the trick. Just look at all those squirrels that hunters in England kill with 12FPE rifles. I would feel handicapped if I had to hunt with those.
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Yeah. It's amazing and humbling to see the marksmanship skill that a lot of those Brits have. Amazingly accurate shots at distance with lower powered rifles.

I really enjoy watching videos of those guys hunt.
 
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I suspect your hitting them too far down for your lung shots. I mostly go for heart/lung shots versus head shots with my D34 .22 and an effective heart/lung shot requires hitting them at or just behind the front shoulder. Sometimes they die instantly, sometimes they have a few seconds and can run but not far in my experience. I've taken plenty with heart/lung shots. This latest one I got was from 31 yards 40 feet up a tree. He was dead in just a few seconds. Don't forget that with your .22lr your probably hitting them with 90ftlbs of energy versus 16 with your air gun.

1543197452_4211920525bfb530ccffc70.27212923_SquirrelInTreeNotch3.jpg
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May have shot them a little too far back. Again, I'm new to hunting with an air rifle. I have always used firearms and this is a whole new ballgame. It's very challenging and shot placement is so much more critical. Like you said, there is a huge difference in the amount of energy between this and a .22LR. I'm learning the rifle though, and will get much more proficient. 
 
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Squirrels are tough critters. If you e skinned one out you’ll see they are a mix of muscle, and more muscle. I hit this dude in the neck- dead square shot to the neck at a distance of 15 yards. He still had the energy to scurry off, but I think he wasn’t paying attention to the slope he was on, and rolled himself into the irrigation ditch behind my house and bought himself a Big Gulp. They are tough critters for sure.
 
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