Squirrel hunters

[Mike Gibbs]

My favorite sport! Much more relaxing and fun than deer hunting, IMO.  Don't have to be in a treestand at all, much less before daylight. Don't have a big carcass to fool with at the end of the day.  Lots of moving around and lots of shooting action. I use the same 2016's that I use for everything else.  I take tree shots, if he's real close, or there is a backstop like the trunk of the tree.  Use points that don't stick in trees or bury under leaves.  A blunted fieldpoint with a washer behind it works well.  Still, I do lose or bend a shaft sometimes. It's worth it to me.

[ChuckC]

I still use any arrow shaft I have, with three or four 5.5" white or yellow feathers, the point is gound to a stout taper and a nice heavy nut (as in nuts and bolts) screwed on with some glue to keep it in place.  It won't hurt someone on return to the earth but sure seems to knock the skwerls for a loop.  They come down, my tomahawk does the rest.
ChuckC

[Bowwild]

I love to hunt squirrels. This is how I started hunting and nothing reminds me of my deceased Dad (1996) more than squirrel hunting.  While I've killed a few from deer stands, I rarely shoot at them because I don't want to spook an unseen deer or put an scented arrow on the ground where a deer might come.

I do it with rimfire rifles.

However, this discussion is causing me to have some second thoughts about hunting them with my recurve. I like this idea much better than with the compound and sights that I've been using for many decades.  Maybe my return to traditional will add even more excitement to my squirrel hunting?  I do like my arrows and I hate the idea of shooting up into trees (it is safe where I hunt) and loseing the arrow.  In the early squirrel season (starts 3rd Sat of August in KY) they aren't on the ground much. They are in hickory trees and then oaks. By the time I switch to deer season (1st Sat in Sept.) the squirrels aren't yet on the ground.  The ground hunting starts later in October and especially in Decmeber-February.  I think I would hunt them with flu-flu rubber blunted (or maybe the washer/field tip idea for economy)arrows. I know squirrels are tough but I don't want to stick broadheaded arrows in the tree -- this only increases the liklihood I'll lose arrows.

Finally, I learned to skin squirrels from my dad.  It is actually quite easy and quick if you do it his way.  I skin without help withing minutes of killing one. I carry wash cloth in zip lock bag to clean my hands and I put skinned squirrel in larger ziplock bags after cleaning them. This slows me down when hunting and leaves the mess in the woods.

If anyone wants to know "dad's method" send me a PM because I don't want to bore folks with it here. The key is to skin without getting hair on the squirrel - squirrel hair is much more difficult to wash off than rabbit hair is. Step numbrer one is to "pinch" the hair from the space between the anus and the base of the underside of the tail.  This is where the first cut will be. You must keep hair off the knife and off your hands.

[TooManyHobbies]

Originally posted by John Scifres:


You could always buy dowels and make up what used to be called "nutters" around here.  Basically a fletched dowel with a nut screwed onto the end.  Simple and only a couple bucks.  Do a search and you might find something here.

What size dowels for a 50# bow? That looks like the fun way to go. I'd get to make arrows and then trash a bunch, at a reasonable price.

[ChuckC]

be careful with dowels.  Inspect them for run out and be safe.  They work fine, but don't asume each is an arrow in waiting.

5/16 dowels or 3/8 dowels are our main choice.

I have a bunch of 3/8 and they spine all over the place from around 70 to over 100.  Put some big feathers on them and they shoot well enough.

I may try to put some effort into tapering some, but so far don't see the need.  make em, shoot em and see if they work for you.
ChuckC

[TooManyHobbies]

Thanks Chuck, I was wondering about cracks, etc. Don't want a big splinter in/through my hand.