squirrel shot size?

[marcus]

I am new to hunting and would like to try my luck on small game . The land I use has squirrels, rabbits, and grouse as far as small game goes. I have a rem 20 ga 870   and a rem 12 ga 1100 what size shot would be suggested? Also would it be bad idea to hunt small game in the same general  area i plan on bowhunting deer in a few weeks?

[Issiah]

You might push the deer away from the area you are hunting. Maybe you could leave some of the prime deer areas alone?   I would go with a 7 1/2 for basic small game. I used that same 20 ga. for small game my whole life. anything from 6's-8's should work great. Go with the 6's if you plan on shooting though a lot of brush.  You could even use bigger shot but 6's - 8's  is the norm and will work great.  I was taught to aim for the ear tips when shooting squirrels or rabbits standing still. It's always worked great for me. Alot of times You'll just get a few BB's in the head and won't put a lot of holes in the body...

[marcus]

Thanks for the response I planeed on staying away from the more promising deer areas . I will be hunting a 100 acre chunk of land pretty much alone So my thought was to stay away from my treestands just hunt the other side of the hill really dont want to run the deer off my property.

[BBK]

I have always used copper plated 5's

[Raquettedacker]

              22 longs.    Welcome aboard BBK. What took so long??

[BBK]

I'm not that big in the hunting world.

[Madpuppy]

22 LR, hit em in the head! If you don't have a 22 I would go with 7 1/2-8 in a 12 and 6 in a 20 gauge. As far as Grouse go I have used 4-6 shot in a 12 for Prairie Chickens - Grouse. Dove and small game opens Sat. here, I can't wait! Happy huntin' everyone

[BBK]

22 LR, hit em in the head! If you don't have a 22 I would go with 7 1/2-8 in a 12 and 6 in a 20 gauge. As far as Grouse go I have used 4-6 shot in a 12 for Prairie Chickens - Grouse. Dove and small game opens Sat. here, I can't wait! Happy huntin' everyone

You guys must not have the same squirrels as us. Anything smaller then 6's wont even go through their thick fur, let alone the oak leaves. When does your guys' squirrel season start? Ours starts the 5th and by Nov, they have their thick thick skins.

[Madpuppy]

Squirrel opened Aug 1 in Nebraska, never had a prob knockin em down w 7 1/2's. We got big corn fed reds and blacks here, if ya do like Issaih mentioned and shoot for the eartip you'll get less body damage. I've got sensitive teeth so the less shot I chew up the better

[johndeere540]

Nothing like the fun of the 22 long!

[fiftycal]

I used to use a 22 to get squirrel but I got tired of picking shot out of the meat. My friend turned me on to hunting with a blowgun. I got four foot 50 cal blowgun and have never switched back to anything else for small game. You don't have to worry about ruining any meat and they are surprisingly accurate. The ammo is a lot cheaper too. I use the 4 inch barbed steel needles for the tree rats. You can hit them about anywhere with those and they won't get away.

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.308 Winchester | .50 Desert Eagle | cargo utility trailers | F-350 Super Duty

[stka]

Welcome to the sight Fiftycal. What kind of distance do you get with the blowgun?

[fiftycal]

With a 50 cal I get 40-50 foot with a 625 I can add about 10 feet. Thanks for the welcome.

[stka]

Sounds like fun. To much snow here in NY for rabbit hunting where are you located.

[drobertsinMaryland]

I like a .410 for squirrels.