Tree rats
- Thread starter chuckw2
- Start date
What distance do you guys sight in your squirrel guns in for early season when there are a lot of leaves on the trees? In Georgia we start popping tree rats on August 15 and they are very hard to see due to the leaves. I sight in my .22RF at 30 yards, my Hummer is sighted in for 50 yards.
Chuck
Chuck
believe it or not chuck my last squirrel rifle was a remington 5mm rimfire magnum...expensive to shoot even in the seventies..I had it sighted in to hit dead on out to about 100 yds..for the close in shooting I never changed the sights I just knew the distance to hold over..up close the bullet would strike just below the sights..roughly a squirrels head of hold over when shooting under 25 yds..the thick cross hairs in that old 2 x 7 scope would be on the top of the head hold to most squirrel distances...Funny with that gun you HAD to make head shots as it was hollow point ammo only availabe..I think you might do better if you set up some targets about quarter size # them say 25 feet 50 feet 75 feet do some shooting at all distances & then decide how to set your sights..The better you know that set up the better you will do, mike in ct
Tree rat hunting is my second love, whitetails being first. For many many years my old trusty rat gun was a 541-S Remington with a Weaver K8.
When the 17HMR hit the market, well I just hadda try one. Used that for a year then the M2s came out, hadda have one of those too.
The M2 has retired the 541, its now a menber of the "Purty Gun" collection. I'm not a "gotta get my limit" type, so I pick my shots carefully and will wait out a single squirrel till I get the shot I want. The longest measured shot was 126 yards in the knot with the M2. The last two years I've been passing up anything closer than 50 yaeds. On a good outing I might get 3-4.
So if you happen across some nut with 10x50 bios,a rangefinder,owl bag and a HB M2 topped off with a 4-16 in Perry county, Pa, stop and say HI!
Bill , PS....bring coffee!)
When the 17HMR hit the market, well I just hadda try one. Used that for a year then the M2s came out, hadda have one of those too.
The M2 has retired the 541, its now a menber of the "Purty Gun" collection. I'm not a "gotta get my limit" type, so I pick my shots carefully and will wait out a single squirrel till I get the shot I want. The longest measured shot was 126 yards in the knot with the M2. The last two years I've been passing up anything closer than 50 yaeds. On a good outing I might get 3-4.
So if you happen across some nut with 10x50 bios,a rangefinder,owl bag and a HB M2 topped off with a 4-16 in Perry county, Pa, stop and say HI!
Bill , PS....bring coffee!)
Guys,
All this talk of shooting your Squirrels reminds me of when I took my S&W 686+ .357 after our tree pest, the Australian Possum.
I was using 125gr hollowpoints and took a shot at one perched up a tree at night,spotlighting them at night is the only way of shooting them). My mate was standing next to me with said spotlight and I missed but hit the branch. Next thing we know, the branch and possum are sailing towards the ground. Possum and branch hit the ground with a thud, possum looks all dazed and tries to get away but a 2nd 125gr stops its movement forever.
Sure was one of the funniest things I ever saw.
Michael.
,New Zealand)
All this talk of shooting your Squirrels reminds me of when I took my S&W 686+ .357 after our tree pest, the Australian Possum.
I was using 125gr hollowpoints and took a shot at one perched up a tree at night,spotlighting them at night is the only way of shooting them). My mate was standing next to me with said spotlight and I missed but hit the branch. Next thing we know, the branch and possum are sailing towards the ground. Possum and branch hit the ground with a thud, possum looks all dazed and tries to get away but a 2nd 125gr stops its movement forever.
Sure was one of the funniest things I ever saw.
Michael.
,New Zealand)
Took both of my 17 HMR's to the range yesterday to check the zeros for opening day. I have an Anschutz and a Marlin, they both shoot great but the action on the Marlin is the is very rough.
Opening day I plan on sitting in one of several tri-pods that I use for deer hunting to bust the tree-rats.
I hope it cools foo some by the 15'th. It was 102 in middle Georgia yesterday. Ticks are real bad this year as are the timber rattlers.
Chuck
Opening day I plan on sitting in one of several tri-pods that I use for deer hunting to bust the tree-rats.
I hope it cools foo some by the 15'th. It was 102 in middle Georgia yesterday. Ticks are real bad this year as are the timber rattlers.
Chuck
Mike,
My gun club is very close to Dahlonegh, the center of Georgia's gold deposits. There used to be a lot of gold in N. Ga, in fact we had a mint to make gold coins there for many years.
Now it is just a novelty to pan for gold. You always find some, but mostly very small flakes.
I hunt in the middle of the state pretty close to the Alabama line.
I 10 days I will be hunting squirrels....
Chuck
My gun club is very close to Dahlonegh, the center of Georgia's gold deposits. There used to be a lot of gold in N. Ga, in fact we had a mint to make gold coins there for many years.
Now it is just a novelty to pan for gold. You always find some, but mostly very small flakes.
I hunt in the middle of the state pretty close to the Alabama line.
I 10 days I will be hunting squirrels....
Chuck
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