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Small Game Hunting Pictures

58K views 182 replies 24 participants last post by  Filnez 
#1 ·
After seeing nothing for days, I finally got another squirrel. It had rained here in Alabama and the woods were damp and quiet to walk in this afternoon instead of loud crunches with each step. I think I may have found the perfect squirrel load for my shotgun; Winchester Super X 3-1/4 drs. eq. x 1-1/8 ounce of #4 shot (1250 fps). Much less recoil than the typical 1-1/4 ounce at 1,330 fps loads which would be not good in my 6-3/4 pound double. Just right pattern density, with 1-1/8 ounce of them just enough to put 6 pellets through this squirrel at 35 yards instead of brutally grinding on it like heavier loads usually do at shorter ranges, and the #4's are large enough to penetrate through and through leaving no lead in the meat. The only factory loaded 1-1/8 ounce of #4's that I know of! The only other way to get a load like this would be to load them yourself, which I may do later.

First Squirrel of the Season:


Second
 
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#153 ·
Turkinator said:
How do you post pictures off a phone?
If you mean pictures that are just saved on your phone you can't. You have to upload them to a website first. Then you copy the URL or link address. Press the "img" button and paste the address in the middle.
 
#155 ·
After getting skunked yesterday due to the wind I finally caught a break. I made my way down to the river after working in the tobacco patch all day. I sat a while and didn't see anything, but a squirrel was barking across the river, teasing me like he knew I couldn't get to him. Fighting sleep I decided to walk downstream. I go just a few yards and I see a fox squirrel coming down a tree that is growing at an angle over the water. I thought I let it get close enough to the bank but it wasn't. I pulled the trigger too soon and she splashed down into the river. I hurried downstream so I could catch it floating across the shallow shoals but it was nowhere to be seen. Luckily the river was very clear and when I got back to where I shot it I saw it laying on the bottom! I wouldn't have thought it would have sunk that fast. I took off my boots and socks and waded out almost up to my hips in the river and got my squirrel.

She looks old with that grey nose but she didn't skin like an old squirrel. The meat feels like it will be tender. She is soaking in ice water and I am about to go make a small batch of dumplins out of her.

I'm sure that will be a very pretty tail when it dries out.

 
#156 ·
It's awfully quiet around here. Where has everyone gone? Filnez?

Anyway, that fox squirrel made a fine pot of dumplins. Tender meat and plenty of it.

I got this one Thursday evening and it is still soaking in the fridge.



Any of you guys have any luck freezing the meat? I hate to make a mess in the kitchen cooking one squirrel, unless it's a big fox squirrel.
 
#157 ·
I hunted again yesterday and bagged three gray squirrels. Two others, that I should have gotten, gave me the slip.

Joe, I typically freeze my small game after cutting it up and soaking out the blood in salty water. I used to wrap the pieces tightly in clear plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and then with butcher paper, which is a little time consuming, but pretty effective. If you squeeze out most of the air, the meat will keep for a long time with minimal freezer burn. Now I use a GameSaver vacuum sealer, which is faster, works better, and gets almost all of the air out. They work well and aren't too expensive:

http://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealers ... x115488490
 
#158 ·
lossking said:
I hunted again yesterday and bagged three gray squirrels. Two others, that I should have gotten, gave me the slip.

Joe, I typically freeze my small game after cutting it up and soaking out the blood in salty water. I used to wrap the pieces tightly in clear plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and then with butcher paper, which is a little time consuming, but pretty effective. If you squeeze out most of the air, the meat will keep for a long time with minimal freezer burn. Now I use a GameSaver vacuum sealer, which is faster, works better, and gets almost all of the air out. They work well and aren't too expensive:

http://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealers ... x115488490
Thanks for the tips! I've been meaning to get a vacuum sealer for a while. It isn't often that I get more than two or three squirrels at once. They don't seem to stay out too long after sunrise and they don't come back out before almost sunset lately.

I wound up combining my squirrel with some other bits of meat I had in the fridge and made a good pot of chili.
 
#159 ·
Killed one Friday; didn't get out over the weekend, got health issues that can make for some really bad days (CIDP, arthritis, chronic migraines, etc.)and stayed in bed on painkillers most of Saturday and Sunday. This squirrel fell over a barbwire fence and got stuck, thought I was going to have to cut it off of there!
 
#160 ·
Joe, squirrel chili sounds great. I must try it some time.

Filnez, sorry to hear of your health issues. I'm 67 years old, have relatively mild arthritis and suffer with occasional very persistent headaches. I've slowed down, but still manage to hit the woods now and then. Hope you feel better soon and are able to get after them again.
 
#161 ·
lossking said:
Joe, squirrel chili sounds great. I must try it some time.

Filnez, sorry to hear of your health issues. I'm 67 years old, have relatively mild arthritis and suffer with occasional very persistent headaches. I've slowed down, but still manage to hit the woods now and then. Hope you feel better soon and are able to get after them again.
I'm with you boys on the age and aches and pains but the squirrel woods and your favorite gun sometimes can be good medicine.
 
#164 ·
I got one this morning and one this afternoon right before I got a visit from the TN game warden! :shock:





I had never met a game warden in the woods before and I didn't know what to expect. I had just been shooting at squirrels so anyone would have known someone was already in there hunting Here comes this guy through the woods carrying an AR-15 or similar rifle walking slow as if he were hunting. I can't see that he is a warden yet. I just sort of had to pause to contemplate what this guy was doing and how I should react. Then I simply said "howdy" and he replied. He walked a few more steps and told me who he was. As soon as he did I said "Sir I have a concealed hand gun and a permit for it.". "Oh, okay." he replied. He was so casual about his approach yet I felt so awkward. Here I am holding a loaded 12 ga and a XDS .40 and I don't know if I have done something wrong or what. I'm wondering if a stray pellet has somehow hit someone's dog or something. I wanted him to ask me to sit my gun down and ask me where my pistol was. He just asked me questions and I showed him my CWP and my VA hunting license after I asked him if I could reach for my wallet and told him where my pistol was located. I asked if I could unload my shotgun and sit it down too. I didn't want to make a wrong move. He was completely laid back about all that stuff and was trying to make small talk with me but I was so intensely serious about the ordeal that I didn't notice. The guy was great though. After he politely let me know that I might be close to being a little bit too far over into the edge of Tennessee he asked me if I had seen any sign of wild hogs lately, etc. He said he was going to be on his way and I called it a day. I made a big deal out of it for nothing.
 
#166 ·
lossking said:
Sounds like a routine check. I've had them many times. It's no big deal if you're in compliance with the applicable laws.

Congrats on the two bushytails.
I expected it to be more like when you get pulled over. The officer takes precautions to make sure he or she doesn't get shot, doesn't want you reaching for things etc. Are game wardens always relaxed like the one I met?

The TN game warden doesn't typically visit my hunting grounds to check people. You can only access my spot from Virginia roads. The TN line begins at most a quarter mile from the river so only a small part of the land is in TN and it is 'cut off' from the rest of the state by the river. One of the land owners said that they usually come once a year. I imagine they come mostly to check for signs of wild hogs. The TN department of game has been trapping them right across the river from my spot for several years.
 
#167 ·
fishinpolejoe said:
lossking said:
Sounds like a routine check. I've had them many times. It's no big deal if you're in compliance with the applicable laws.

Congrats on the two bushytails.
I expected it to be more like when you get pulled over. The officer takes precautions to make sure he or she doesn't get shot, doesn't want you reaching for things etc. Are game wardens always relaxed like the one I met?
In my experience they are, if they're engaged in a routine check. If they have reason to suspect you of a violation, the tension level is going to be elevated. I stay legal and friendly, and get along fine with them.
 
#169 ·
Filnez said:
Got one squirrel this morning with the Kimber; flushed two rabbits but no chance of a shot at either.
Nice work Filnez!

Rabbit season opened yesterday here. I'm considering giving the squirrels a break this year and focusing on the rabbits as I'm already growing tired of eating the squirrels.
 
#171 ·
Ratdog said:
Harvesting small game in England today.
The morning rain dried up by afternoon and provided some easy and some testing shots.



R.
How big are those? They look huge! Much bigger than the cotton tails around here.
I saw and missed three rabbits yesterday. :oops: They are smart enough to stay under cover of the dense, young cedar trees that are somehow not choked out by the briar vines that dominate them. If not for the paths worn through them by deer and cattle I wouldn't even be able to walk through them.
 
#172 ·
fishinpolejoe said:
Ratdog said:
Harvesting small game in England today.
The morning rain dried up by afternoon and provided some easy and some testing shots.



R.
How big are those? They look huge! Much bigger than the cotton tails around here.
I saw and missed three rabbits yesterday. :oops: They are smart enough to stay under cover of the dense, young cedar trees that are somehow not choked out by the briar vines that dominate them. If not for the paths worn through them by deer and cattle I wouldn't even be able to walk through them.
They are big but closer to the camera lens so a little decieving.
Our rabbits are a little bit bigger than your cotton tails.
I missed a couple yesterday too.
R.
 
#174 ·
I noticed they were closer to the camera. They are still quite large. The biggest cotton tails around here do well to reach the size of an average house cat minus its tail.

What sort of pheasants do you have there? You must be a very skilled shot to be taking game birds with a rifle. We shoot crows with rifles around here but that's about it as far as birds go.
 
#175 ·
fishinpolejoe said:
I noticed they were closer to the camera. They are still quite large. The biggest cotton tails around here do well to reach the size of an average house cat minus its tail.

What sort of pheasants do you have there? You must be a very skilled shot to be taking game birds with a rifle. We shoot crows with rifles around here but that's about it as far as birds go.
Hi, places I can hunt are surrounded by pheasant preserves for private shoots.
I control varmints best I can and some birds wonder on to me due to it being reasonably quiet.
I get all sorts of pheasants, old English ringnecks, blue backs, Japanese greens but this year I believe they are some Polish crosses!
They are quite vocal and wary.

R.
 
#176 ·
Ratdog said:
fishinpolejoe said:
I noticed they were closer to the camera. They are still quite large. The biggest cotton tails around here do well to reach the size of an average house cat minus its tail.

What sort of pheasants do you have there? You must be a very skilled shot to be taking game birds with a rifle. We shoot crows with rifles around here but that's about it as far as birds go.
Hi, places I can hunt are surrounded by pheasant preserves for private shoots.
I control varmints best I can and some birds wonder on to me due to it being reasonably quiet.
I get all sorts of pheasants, old English ringnecks, blue backs, Japanese greens but this year I believe they are some Polish crosses!
They are quite vocal and wary.

R.
I didn't know there were so many varieties. I'm not even sure if it is the same thing but we have what we call grouse here. You can hear them drumming from quite a distance and they will startle you when you flush one. You have to be pretty quick to get a shot.

I haven't eaten one since I was a kid but they are the best bird I've ever eaten. I wish there were more of them around.
 
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