Okay, I just got off of a Site that was talking about squirrel hunting. Something that puzzled me was the question of whether to use a shotgun or a .22 rifle. Some say that early in the season a shotgun and then late in the season a rifle. The only hunting I've done personally was with a pellet rifle. In which I tracked a squirrel for about 45 min. until he made the mistake of presenting me with a good shot. So I'm Intrested in hearing opinions on this subject as well as any personal stories of hunting squrriels with a .22 . Further more I'm not the type that wants to wait for their prey (take it from quail hunting that I did while growing up). Let me know what you think.

Out here in Idaho our squirrel hunting consists of shooting ground squirrels. There the kind that dig holes like Prairie dogs only there smaller. Our tree squirrels are off limits to shoot here.

We use everything from 22 rimfires to full blown centerfire varmint rifles. I shoot both a 204 Ruger and a 243. When we find colonies there usually will be a bunch, from 20 to numbers in the hundreds. Most of the folks that run cattle are really happy to see these wiped out as they compete for the grass the cattle eat along with digging up the country side. These are not kept or eaten, just shot. They are about coke bottle size when they stand up by a hole. Some places you can spend a day shooting and easily burn up several hundred rounds.

Use whatever you want. Assume you are talking about squirrels in trees....

.22s work very well for sit and wait hunting. Head shots, and don't tear up much meat.

Shotguns work if you're going to be noisy walking through the leaves, jump-shooting them.

Both work but I'd prefer a .22 at this point in time.