Head or Shoulder for Squirrels?

[BBGunn]

I could right pages on this topic but no one reads long post unless they are personally very interested in the subject matter. So, I'll keep to the point.

From your personal squirrel (ground or tree) hunting experience, do you find yourself going for more head/brain shots or more shoulder/heart lung shots?

Myself, I'm going to waffle a bit on my answer. I take about an equal split between head and shoulder shots. If the squirrel is mostly perpendicular to my shooting position, and the angle not overly steep, I'll always take a shot through the shoulder. But, the shot angle has to afford me pass through both shoulders, not just one! If I can't get both shoulders then I opt for the head shot.

From my long experience shooting ground squirrels with air rifles I have had more squirrels 'anchored' with shoulder shots than with brain shots. Shoulder shots prevent less ground squirrels from making it back down into their holes than do brain shots. That has been my experience, maybe you have experienced differently.

Point of impact on animals is so much more important with pellets than it is with frangible firearm bullets. Aim carefully and execute the shot my friends!


Fired this morning at 6:55. Modified Daystar .22, AEA 18.3gr, 890fps, 38yds, 5-shot groups.

 

[wahoowad]

Always a well-placed head shot

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[Pumacarl]

Head. Always the head. I have blown the entire midsection out of a squirrel with a .22mag or .17hmr, can't remember which gun, but I I remember him not stopping until his own entrails caught on some branches and he still had fight left. If you are off a little on a headshot you either miss or at least knock them out. There's no running at all if you connect. I have seen a few steps taken with a good heart shot too, never seen that with a good headshot. If they are destroying your home though, take whatever shot you can!

 

[Bladebum]

I almost always go for head shots, but more specifically I go for the cns connection if I can. The base of the skull where it meets the neck.

 

[TN_Yankee]

In my squirrel pesting this summer, I've been switching to broadside shoulder (preferred) or frontal chest shots, and have been satisfied with the results. I don't eat them, so am not worried about saving any meat. I think rupturing the heart and/or lungs leads to a rapid drop in blood pressure, and much less chance for disinhibition. For example, the last one was slightly forward of the left shoulder, so it passed through the right shoulder as well; it ran less than 10 yards and stopped cold.

 

[pan60]

I have done head shots as well as vitals and anyone that follows the another EVOL morning thread can see a small portion of what I do and I have beaned the head and had them run a ways and although I prefir a head shot mostly because its the challenge a holder shot will drop them just as easily.
a hit to the vitals and they are down.
as a general rule a vitals shot and the might Rin a few feet butt 99% of the time they just drop.
I would argue if the run and dont die you missed that vital era you MUST hit to drop them
also I will add I have got head shot where pellet ricocheted of there head knock them out and ten min later they jump up and run, not often but I have seen it
theres a lot of reason why the run after they are shot but you hit your target and they die.

 

[BBGunn]

I just got back from a morning out shooting ground squirrels. Where I hunt the squirrels are not highly concentrated in a given area so a lot of walking and glassing is required. If you ever watched any of Dana Webb's ground squirrel vids..., I hunt that same way.

I took the Falcon FN19 this morning. It shoots AEA 15.9gr at 890fps.

The Falcon went 12-shots for 12-kills! All shots were between 34yds and 45yds. Even at only 28fpe the shoulder shot squirrels just tip over on their side with a little hind leg and tail movement and in seconds they are done! The brain shot squirrels are of course just as dead, they just thrash around a lot more and some manage to wriggle enough to 'funnel' back down into their holes!

Head or shoulder..., I love hunting ground squirrels with an air rifle!!!

 

[AlanGray]

Always a well-placed head shot

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This is my preference also.

 

[TN_Yankee]

I’ve often wondered, are ground squirrels much different physically (from a shooting perspective) than typical tree squirrels? We don’t have any of the ground variety here, but we have plenty of other critters (the ‘dillos are coming, the ‘dillos are coming!).

 

[BBGunn]

I’ve often wondered, are ground squirrels much different physically (from a shooting perspective) than typical tree squirrels? We don’t have any of the ground variety here, but we have plenty of other critters (the ‘dillos are coming, the ‘dillos are coming!).

I did a Google search for, "physiological difference between vital organs of ground squirrels and tree squirrels". There is a lot of difference with what some organs do with regard to hibernation, or not. However, I didn't find anything that would suggest vital organs between the two species are any different where pellet placement might be concerned.

Common sense (to me anyway) would suggest that overall body size of various squirrels would have a greater influence on where an airgun hunter might choose for shot placement. I emphasize, 'airgun' because unlike any common firearm cartridge, some airguns may not produce enough projectile energy to shoot through shoulder bones on large squirrels.

If anyone finds anything more on this subject matter please share it here.

 

[FL22]

I personally disagree with the minute of animal mentality and always strive for the most ethical shot possible.

That being said, .177 90-95% for head shots, .22 and .25 I am more willing to make a vitals shot due the larger wound channel. Though the .177 MKIII KOs are great for expansion.

To me this subject has many factors to consider, I’m not going to completely box myself into one particular path, only the result when I pull the trigger.

 

[Danman]

These conversations never get old.
No ground squirrels here, just very fast moving tree squirrels. They only stop when digging in my lawn to plant yet another walnut tree
I aim for shoulders always (.22cal @ 30fpe) and they are goners, better chance of success. An 18 gr will pass all the way through both shoulders and a 15.89 hades will usually be stuck under the fur on opposite shoulder (prefered).
I hear ground squirrels are much tougher....

 

[swopever]

Agree with Danman. I only do pesting. 90% of the time shoulder-through-shoulder. Rarely go for the head since they usually present main part of body. They normally drop without moving other than nerves twitching. Very clean kill.

 

[pan60]

@swopever
Welcome to HAM

 

[Madhatter]

Head n Shoulders? What, does the squirrel have dandruff?

 

[PapaT]

Head n Shoulders? What, does the squirrel have dandruff?

It has been everything I could muster to not respond with "knees and toes, knees and toes."

 

[Madhatter]

But you just did

 

[PapaT]

Whew, glad that's out of the way now!

 

[BBGunn]

I was out all day yesterday hunting/glassing/stalking ground squirrels.

Large majority of shots were in the shoulder. I had two shots where the squirrel was crawling up on a stump but only had it's head and front legs up on the top of the stump leaving it's body hanging down on the side of old tree stump. That gave me a shot right between the shoulder blades through the back and out the sternum. Those shots just 'turned off the switch' and those squirrels were dead before they even hit the ground!

I also had a 'double' through the shoulders! Two squirrels lined-up perfectly and both tipped-over! That hasn't happened very many times over decades of hunting ground squirrels!

 

[b1969g]

I shoot a lot of ground squirrels for my neighbor, who has a walnut orchard. I’ve shot a bunch with 33.5 grain .25 cal hollow points (NSA). It makes a huge difference on the distance. Head shots at 100 yards will drop them and they usually flop around from nerves. The same head shot at 160 yards (which is my furthest clear shot when there leaves on the trees) will usually either knock them out, or cause them to walk backwards for a little bit before running off. Body shots are always impressive with a loud pop, but many times I believe the blood pressure spike knocks them out, and then they regain consciousness just long enough to make it back in their hole. I recently switched to a.22 cal Impact, shooting 40 grain AVS hollow point slugs around 900 fps. Far more of the squirrels make it back to their hole. The bullet impact, from the.22, is not as impressive as the .25 either. A spine shot is will drop them instantly though. I shot a squirrel through both front shoulders recently, and it hopped away like a Kangaroo using only its hind legs. Squirrels are tough!