[HenryGold]

I suppose I may be strange but:

Not sure why you want to shoot the little critters at 100 yards. Because you can?
I've always tried to get as close as possible to any game animal. To me that's part of the hunt.
Maybe because I spent too many years with a bow (stick and compound).

I still have fond memories of being arms length of a deer while hiding between hay bales in a field. I bought some of the 'new fangled' carbon 'underwear' and was a crazy fool about scent control. Much to my surprise, it seemed to work.

I've never had too much trouble getting close to squirrel. Tricky sometimes but possible. I used to kill squirrels with my bow from tree stands when I got bored or was about to leave, but I quickly learned not to use broadheads.

You have my respect if you can shoot that well and at that distance with your 22lr.
In the end it's your call.

Good luck!

 

[idahoron]

I use shooting sticks to hunt squirrels and Rock Chucks with my air rifle, and 17HMR. I plan to add my 22lr to the kit this spring. Not all shooting sticks are equal. I love mine.

 

[KYFreePistol]

I’ve hit squirrels a little past 60 yards but I cheated. I used both hands and a tree branch for a rest.

 

[The_HogKiller]

I will be using a CZ452FS shooting some old but very reliable SKHVHP ammo. I know I can shoot in the body the question has to do with taking head shots.At that distance I will use sticks.
Thanks
Doug

Well if you were REALLY good you could do it at 300 yds, standing....www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUtasDhjpI4

Personally, I shake too much at my age to hit diddly at 25 yards.:gun4:

 

[bugeye]

And he did successfully, so far.

To be clear; not in MI where tree rats are considered small game while elk, deer, and bear are big game.

Al the clarifier

Don't you suppose that "small game " might refer to their physical stature??
After all most squirrel hunters kill many more squirrels than they do elk, deer and bear, and to me that elevates them right on up there in importance.

 

[areuuvee]

She claims in the video she is shooting offhand but clearly she is using two shooting bags!!

 

[The_HogKiller]

I use shooting sticks to hunt squirrels and Rock Chucks with my air rifle, and 17HMR. I plan to add my 22lr to the kit this spring. Not all shooting sticks are equal. I love mine.

Which air rifle and at what range?

I've got a Savage A17, gutting ground squirrels at 105 yds with it seated with a stick. About the end of my skill set.

 

[The_HogKiller]

She claims in the video she is shooting offhand but clearly she is using two shooting bags!!

Custom ones at that. At that range I might be in the same country but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Neal71]

The squirrels got a Tip Board runnin' on this one!! LOL!!

 

[Gizzy]

I would never attempt to shoot a squirrel at 100 yards with a .22lr. Inhumane. That’s just too far for hunting unless you are going after groundhogs, which have a head 3-4 times the size. If you cannot get any closer than 100 yards, then you need to find a squirrel hunter who can show you how to get within 15-20 yards. Don’t try it at 100 yards please.

 

[obx22]

Interesting thread, and glad to see it hasn’t degenerated into a “should/shouldn’t” ethics argument.
First, to the OP, no judgements on abilities or what’s possible, I get crotchety with folks telling me what I can’t do, and looking for the “trick” when they see it’s possible.
As for long range, while I’ve been blessed to own a few rifles that are up to the accuracy task, having the ammo to keep me in tune has been the challenge. I’m a competitive shooter who hunts, guess that’s why I’ve never had buck fever, to me the animal is a target and a one shot instant kill the goal. I finally found a CZ452FS, and like all the 452’s, it’s a fine example of how a production gun should shoot. That said, I consider it a short range stalking gun, and it only wears a 2X scope. Not due to accuracy, but due to stock style, it’s made for the hunt in close woods with scrub bushes/vines and thorns. In this swampy mess a true 40 yards is a long shot, that takes time and careful steps to retrieve.
Prepping for the longer shooting would take a lot of practice on golf balls from various field positions, shot with a friend taking turns to keep you both honest. This is how you learn, both in holds and range estimating, all while popping a squirrel head size target.
There is a great satisfaction not just in hitting, but being precise, and for new hunters- that squirrel deserves your best efforts. Take a friend. Squirrel hunting is an experience best shared.
Take care,
warren
(Edited to add): OP, you asked what level of accuracy?
I’d recommend .5MOA or better at that distance as it allows the most amount of variance to still make a solid kill.
It’s no small order, requiring a perfect marriage of ammo and gun, to shooter’s ability.


PS: Phil in Alabama, good to see folks from the old days still posting ��

 

[Technician1]

Interesting thread, and glad to see it hasn't degenerated into a "should/shouldn't" ethics argument.
First, to the OP, no judgements on abilities or what's possible, I get crotchety with folks telling me what I can't do, and looking for the "trick" when they see it's possible.
As for long range, while I've been blessed to own a few rifles that are up to the accuracy task, having the ammo to keep me in tune has been the challenge. I'm a competitive shooter who hunts, guess that's why I've never had buck fever, to me the animal is a target and a one shot instant kill the goal. I finally found a CZ452FS, and like all the 452's, it's a fine example of how a production gun should shoot. That said, I consider it a short range stalking gun, and it only wears a 2X scope. Not due to accuracy, but due to stock style, it's made for the hunt in close woods with scrub bushes/vines and thorns. In this swampy mess a true 40 yards is a long shot, that takes time and careful steps to retrieve.
Prepping for the longer shooting would take a lot of practice on golf balls from various field positions, shot with a friend taking turns to keep you both honest. This is how you learn, both in holds and range estimating, all while popping a squirrel head size target.
There is a great satisfaction not just in hitting, but being precise, and for new hunters- that squirrel deserves your best efforts. Take a friend. Squirrel hunting is an experience best shared.
Take care,
warren
(Edited to add): OP, you asked what level of accuracy?
I'd recommend .5MOA or better at that distance as it allows the most amount of variance to still make a solid kill.
It's no small order, requiring a perfect marriage of ammo and gun, to shooter's ability.

PS: Phil in Alabama, good to see folks from the old days still posting

great post

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vogelsong]

My best was a head shot off hand at 75 yards with my .75 moa 541s. I too used to shoot competitively, and while I don’t hunt squirrels a ton any more… it took me 20 years to pull it off.

 

[Phil in Alabama]

Hey Warren, good to see you're still kicking.

One thing that Warren mentioned that hasn't been mentioned a whole lot in this thread, recovery of your shot game if you can make the shot. That can depend hugely upon where you're hunting. I've had the opportunity to hunt areas where finding squirrels hit at exceptionally long distances was easy, and also places where a hunter didn't dare take a shot past twenty five yards because there was no way in Hades that you could ever find what you killed if your shots connected. A hunter needs to think about all of the concerns mentioned. The place being hunted and the capabilities of the hunter are just as important as the equipment being used. People who read these threads are of widely varying degrees of hunting and shooting skills. I can tell folks from years of personal experiences and learning from mistakes that it is important to keep these things in mind. Just because you can sit at a benchrest and shoot good groups on targets doesn't mean that you're going to be able to shoot that accurately out in the woods. And if your squirrel falls into a creek, a tangle of briars, swamp, vines, hedges, etc., and then you can't even pick out what tree that it was in when you shot it because it was so far away, you should have gotten closer. Sometimes even though you can make the shot you shouldn't, get closer or wait until your intended prey moves to a more favorable location. Sometimes you'll just have bad luck, but you should try to recover what you kill. Use your brain to make the chances more in favor of success.

 

[neangler]

Stick to 25 to 50 yards.

That's responsible and ethical hunting.

Dittos to that.

I missed the biggest deer of my life archery hunting. My sight pins were set at 20, 30, and 40 yards, and I know that deer was around 50 yards. I watched it for 1/2 and hour. It was HUGE and I wanted to shoot, but I passed.

A better archer would have taken the shot, but all I would have done was shot it in the %%%.

 

[Al the Infidel]

Don't you suppose that "small game " might refer to their physical stature??
After all most squirrel hunters kill many more squirrels than they do elk, deer and bear, and to me that elevates them right on up there in importance.

Takes a lot of squirrels to = the meat of one deer and a wee bit more to = an elk no?

Interesting thread, and glad to see it hasn't degenerated into a "should/shouldn't" ethics argument.

Weeell it kinda did, is, but no one blew their stack. :bthumb: I tried to refrain from mentioning the grouse I killed a couple years ago with a 12ga. high brass #6 shot 2 3/4" shell, @ a lasered 96yds. Bud said he kept seeing one in the same place at the end of a 150yd straight stretch 2 track road that would run off or fly before he could get within range while road hunting. When I spotted the bird I drove as close as I could get before it froze with head held high meaning it had spotted me, so I held a couple feet over it and let fly a Hail Mary from my O/U improved barrel.
Road hunting is popular here for the handicapped, or not, and is legal if one doesn't shoot from a vehicle etc. etc.. I've had a permit to hunt from a vehicle for over 40yrs..

PS: Phil in Alabama, good to see folks from the old days still posting ��

Old Phil, I like it.

Back to Marines whacking squirrels at 100yds..

 

[wmrike]

What kind of woods do you guys have that you can get a decent 100 yd. shot? Are you in the woods or in an adjacent field and shooting into the woods?

 

[Phil in Alabama]

I'm just heavily patinated man:

 

[Phil in Alabama]

Furthest shot that I've taken in recent memory has been 75 yards. Here on my own property shots that far are rare as in most directions you simply can't see that far through the trees. Most shots are around 20-35 yards. In the past I have hunted woods where you could get clear views across creek valley's over a hundred yards. Some places in Bankhead Forest 150 yards could be done but I have never had the setup nor the skills to do so. The furthest squirrel that I ever shot was measured 125 yards at a friend's place, done when I had a .17M2 years ago, and I missed the first try, shot went low. We knew the distance because it was the space from fenceline to fenceline plus 75 feet to a pecan tree in a pasture. Practically impossible with a .22LR.

I shot a crow one time with a .22-250 From a little over 300 yards, that was a long shot with a .22, does it count?

 

[neangler]

I agree 100%.
Those who snipe at a living animal at ridiculous distances are just showing off and they don't mention all the cripples that get away to suffer a horrible death.

I agree entirely. A few days ago I saw a youtube video of 10 hunts in which they were shooting 500+ yards on bear, moose, and sheep. They loved slowing it down so you could see the blood spray out of the other side of the animals. (Even at those distances the bullets sometimes when all the way through.) The two guys were whooping it up the whole time. I've been hunting for more than 40 years, and even I thought it was a sick display that proved absolutely nothing.

And our side wonders why there is so much anti-hunting sentiment!