Airguns for squirrels

Well, it's that time of year again. One of my favorites - squirrel season! I have a love-hate relationship with the bushytails. On one hand, I hate them for insisting on making MY house into their house by chewing their way through my beautiful cedar siding and into my attic. There, they set up housekeeping and leave their disease-filled droppings all over the stored belongings.

On the other hand, squirrels are fine quarry in that they are easy to locate and plentiful. This is very important for getting a new hunter his or her first success. With many squirrels available and a season that goes for several weeks, there are many opportunities to spend time in the woods and still be successful nearly every time you go afield. On top of that, squirrels make a fine meal if prepared properly.

I have killed squirrels with shotguns and rifles, even a couple with archery gear. My favorite way of taking squirrels is using an airgun. I don't mean using a BB gun like a well-known lever-action gun that we all have seen. I'm talking about an adult-sized air rifle with enough power to knock a grown squirrel right out of the tree! There are many models and manufacturers that produce fine rifles more than adequate for small-game hunting; I'll save those details for another article.

I will share about mine. I shoot an old Sheridan Blue Streak rifle. I bought it used over 20 years ago, and it still shoots as well as it did the day I bought it. It is so quiet, I can shoot in my backyard without disturbing my neighbors, or I can shoot in my attic without bothering my family! It is a 5mm, which is a .20 caliber gun. The 5mm/.20 is nowhere near as popular as the .177 or .22 calibers, which is a shame in my opinion. The .20 shoots with a flatter trajectory than the .22 with double the energy of the .177 at equal velocities. Pellets are available in all shapes, such as flat wadcutters, round nose, even hollowpoints! I find two pellets work very well in my rifle - the Sheridan cylinder-shaped pellets and the Beeman Crow Magnum hollowpoint. Both have numerous squirrels to their credit, but each pellet must be used differently to achieve best results!

The Sheridan pellet kills with authority because of its accuracy in my gun and its great penetration. Squirrels can be very tenacious and hard to put down. Since the Sheridan pellet kills with penetration, only head shots must be taken when hunting squirrels. Body shots, even with perfect hits, often result in the squirrel making a last dash for its nest high in a tree or some other inaccessible place, resulting in needless loss. A well-placed shot to the animal's head, however, anchors it on the spot and allows the game to be retrieved and not wasted. The Crow Magnum hollowpoint kills with limited penetration and shock, so a hit to a squirrel's chest has never failed to stop a squirrel in its tracks for me.

There is a limit to everything, and the airgun's limit is range. An adult airgun's range for a reliable, humane kill on a squirrel is about 40 yards, maximum. That is under perfect conditions at a still target. Add some breeze, a feeding squirrel or enough cold to make you shiver now and then, and now your range is reduced considerably. I limit my shots to 25 yards or less. That way I know I will make a clean, humane kill on a worthy game animal. Your max range will depend on your shooting skill, equipment and the weather conditions. Only practice and experience will give you your answer.

Which brings me to the primary reason why I hunt with an airgun. It's a scaled-down version of any big game hunting you can think of. Because ranges are so close, you MUST be a hunter, not just a shooter. You have to know your quarry so you can get close to it without sending them into the next county. You have to know your rifle and what it can do, and can't do under various conditions. You have to practice with your rifle so you will know where that tiny pellet will go when you pull the trigger.

So, let's see...airgun hunting for small game requires you shoot a lot more at a LOT less cost than even a .22 rimfire, requires that you become a better hunter, and allows you many days afield each season, even if you harvested a trophy just the other day. Sounds like a great way to spend more time in the woods to me!