Abide by the Laws
Please do realize that squirrels are not considered as pests in some states and countries so you must make certain first that it is legal for you to hunt squirrels in the area of your choice. Be familiar with the local laws before you set off for the adventure. Some people make good money for selling squirrel meat and squirrel tails, if you are one of them then you are surely up for a lot of dead squirrels. You will not get away from the law for doing that in a place where squirrel hunting is restricted.
Nevertheless, most states that allow squirrel hunting consider squirrels as game animals so you are not really allowed to hunt without limitations. There will be lag limits and other hunting guidelines, be ready to follow these rules. However, you can declare the squirrel as nuisance and you will be legally allowed to hunt it down even if it is not hunting season. You just have to drive it away from the city limits before you can shoot it since it is highly illegal to discharge a firearm with the city.
Choosing Your Weapon
Your weapon is very important in the success of your hunting adventure. Choose the weapon that you are most comfortable with. Here are some examples:
1. Air Rifle
This is the best weapon to use if you are a beginner. Of course, you need to figure out how to use the air rifle first before set out for the hunt. An air rifle is inexpensive too but it requires good accuracy, thus an air rifle handling training is really important. A .177 daisy pellet is available at Wal-Mart for only $50 each, although some air rifles can cost more than that depending on the brand and the quality.
If it is your first time to buy an air rifle, I suggest that you go for the cheaper one and experiment using that. If you feel that you are already good enough and that a cheap air rifle no longer suits your skills, then buy a new and more expensive one. In your experiments, you will see that pellet placement plays a very significant role in the accuracy of the shots that you make. You will also find out about the disadvantages of an air rifle. Examples of such disadvantages are:
a. It requires impressive shooting skills for it to work well
b. The rifle only has a 25-yard effective range.
The first disadvantage is actually a very big deal. If you are not precise with your shots, you might just wound a squirrel and not kill it with the shot. Any wounded squirrel can still scurry away from you by climbing up trees and hiding behind branches.
2. .22 Calibre Gun
Most squirrel hunters use this firearm in squirrel hunting primarily because of its small size. The size of the bullet that it fires gives a clean shot, something which is important to hunters who hunt squirrels for their meat. It can also be used for long range shooting, unlike the other weapons used in squirrel hunting like the air rifle, the shotgun and the arrow.
The best thing about this firearm is that it is not just designed to make a single shot, giving the hunter a fast chance to make another shot in the event that the first one did fail. On average, hunters who use the .22 calibre get the most kill compared to the other hunters who use other weapons. Nevertheless, like all weapons, the .22 calibre is only as good as the shooter who holds it. Thus, training is still very important if you really want to maximize the capabilities of this firearm. You see, an average squirrel has the size of an 8 oz. soda bottle and your .22 calibre can only hit the target with a .22 inch bullet, so accuracy is really a big deal.
Anyway, to most people that's exactly the reason why they hunt for squirrels, to practice their shooting skills through a "sport" that involves actual "killings". More experienced hunters don't even shoot the squirrel; they shoot branches that will fall directly on top of the squirrel making the squirrel unconscious. That way, they are able to preserve the squirrels skin and meat without any damages from the gun shot.
3. Shotgun
The shotgun is ideal for medium-range shooting. This weapon can release a bullet that measures about a fourth of an inch in diameter or less. The maximum effective shooting range of a shotgun is about 30 yards and because of the size of its bullet, it is almost impossible to miss a squirrel when you are using this gun. This weapon is so effective in knocking down squirrels that even though the shooter will not be able to make a perfect shot, a simple wound coming from a shotgun would still be enough to render the squirrel weak that it can fall off the tree and drop on the ground for an easy pick up.
Most hunters use gauge 7.5, this gauge is enough to kill the squirrel but not to the extent of ruining its meat. You might be interested to know that the shot gun kills the squirrel not because of the pellet or bullet penetration; rather, it is the impact of the pellets that hit the squirrel. The penetration power of the shotgun is only about a few millimetres and is usually stopped just in time when it has penetrated the skin. Thus, the meat of the squirrel is entirely safe. This shot also qualifies as the kindest shot that a hunter can make mainly because it will not prolong the suffering of the squirrel because it results to an instant death.
However, the downside of this weapon is that it is actually harmless outside its effective shooting range, which is only 40 yards. The shells for this weapon are also very expensive and big. Furthermore, the recoil of the gun is too strong that hunters with smaller body built may not be able to induce it long. The shots are also set off with a loud sound that may be enough to warn the other squirrels in the area to move away from you.
