(I first posted this in Ohiosportsman.com)
I went squirrel hunting yesterday with the first gun I ever had...a 20 gauge H&R single shot. My dad got me the gun for christmas in probably 1971..I would have been 10 years old. I absolutely loved that gun. I never sold or traded it. For a few decades, I didn't hunt or shoot....life got in the way. (job, family...etc) But I really picked up hunting again about 7 years ago. And I wanted something more than a single shot. I got an 870 pump...left handed even! And Buds online Guns made a slight price error and I picked up a CZ over/under. (I've wanted an over/under since the early 70's) And of course, a few left handed rifles. (22, 17hmr, 223) But for the H&R single...It's in great condition for a 50 year old gun, but I think a lot of that is because it hasn't been used much since the 80's.
This single action 20 gauge is now 'officially' my 17 year old grandson's gun. But I realized I haven't hunted with it in over 40 years. Heck, I don't know how longs it's been since I've even shot it! So I took it out yesterday. It's light...I'll give it that. Two minutes after entering the woods, I find a squirrel cutting on a nut. I think it's a grey, but after shooting it, it's just a red. Then later, I'm in a place where I can see rather well in all directions for about 50 yards. (little ground cover) And low and behold, there's a huge fox squirrel only about 20 yards from me, sitting up on his hind legs looking right at me. I can't believe I didn't first see it further away. Now when I hunt with a shotgun or 17hmr, I use ear plugs. I'm not providing essential meat/food for the family, so I can afford the extra time and effort to put in ear plugs. (I've probably ruined a portion of my hearing over the decades with the electric guitar, so I want to preserve what I have remaining) My plugs are hanging around my neck. So I slowly move a hand up and start inserting them. I get both in, and the squirrel's still looking at me. As I start slowly raising the gun up, the squirrel decides I'm probably a threat and turns and starts running away. I get one shot off and I miss. And realize I don't have a 2nd shot like my other guns. Personally, I don't see how I missed. Maybe I was so close the pattern hadn't even opened up yet. So with my pride hurt, I sat back down and waited.
Then another big fox squirrel finally came around and I got the squirrel. The squirrel was still alive so 2nd shot was needed. After it was over, I looked at the shooting distance from another angle, and I think it was pushing the limits of a 7/8oz load with a mod choke. Perhaps that's why I needed the 2nd shot.
I don't think I'll keep using the gun on a regular basis, but a few times out per year may be in the cards. It also makes me think of my dad. He passed away 2 years ago, and shooting/hunting was one of our 'together' pastimes.
EDIT: I hunt in northern Delaware county. I don't think I've EVER seen a grey squirrel in the woods. They're all fox. (and some annoying reds which I normally ignore) So when I read about people saying a 12 gauge is too much for squirrel hunting, I don't think they're hunting the huge fox squirrels of central Ohio. So perhaps I'll stick with a 12. But now that the leaves are off, it will be 22 and 17hmr.
2019-11-16_04-08-16 by John Doe, on Flickr
I went squirrel hunting yesterday with the first gun I ever had...a 20 gauge H&R single shot. My dad got me the gun for christmas in probably 1971..I would have been 10 years old. I absolutely loved that gun. I never sold or traded it. For a few decades, I didn't hunt or shoot....life got in the way. (job, family...etc) But I really picked up hunting again about 7 years ago. And I wanted something more than a single shot. I got an 870 pump...left handed even! And Buds online Guns made a slight price error and I picked up a CZ over/under. (I've wanted an over/under since the early 70's) And of course, a few left handed rifles. (22, 17hmr, 223) But for the H&R single...It's in great condition for a 50 year old gun, but I think a lot of that is because it hasn't been used much since the 80's.
This single action 20 gauge is now 'officially' my 17 year old grandson's gun. But I realized I haven't hunted with it in over 40 years. Heck, I don't know how longs it's been since I've even shot it! So I took it out yesterday. It's light...I'll give it that. Two minutes after entering the woods, I find a squirrel cutting on a nut. I think it's a grey, but after shooting it, it's just a red. Then later, I'm in a place where I can see rather well in all directions for about 50 yards. (little ground cover) And low and behold, there's a huge fox squirrel only about 20 yards from me, sitting up on his hind legs looking right at me. I can't believe I didn't first see it further away. Now when I hunt with a shotgun or 17hmr, I use ear plugs. I'm not providing essential meat/food for the family, so I can afford the extra time and effort to put in ear plugs. (I've probably ruined a portion of my hearing over the decades with the electric guitar, so I want to preserve what I have remaining) My plugs are hanging around my neck. So I slowly move a hand up and start inserting them. I get both in, and the squirrel's still looking at me. As I start slowly raising the gun up, the squirrel decides I'm probably a threat and turns and starts running away. I get one shot off and I miss. And realize I don't have a 2nd shot like my other guns. Personally, I don't see how I missed. Maybe I was so close the pattern hadn't even opened up yet. So with my pride hurt, I sat back down and waited.
Then another big fox squirrel finally came around and I got the squirrel. The squirrel was still alive so 2nd shot was needed. After it was over, I looked at the shooting distance from another angle, and I think it was pushing the limits of a 7/8oz load with a mod choke. Perhaps that's why I needed the 2nd shot.
I don't think I'll keep using the gun on a regular basis, but a few times out per year may be in the cards. It also makes me think of my dad. He passed away 2 years ago, and shooting/hunting was one of our 'together' pastimes.
EDIT: I hunt in northern Delaware county. I don't think I've EVER seen a grey squirrel in the woods. They're all fox. (and some annoying reds which I normally ignore) So when I read about people saying a 12 gauge is too much for squirrel hunting, I don't think they're hunting the huge fox squirrels of central Ohio. So perhaps I'll stick with a 12. But now that the leaves are off, it will be 22 and 17hmr.
2019-11-16_04-08-16 by John Doe, on Flickr
