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Post by mamaflinter on Jun 29, 2004 10:51:50 GMT -5
Tell me about your favorite and why you picked it.
I've only small game hunted for the squirrel. So with limited hunting experience, I hesitate to answer since I don't know what it's like to hunt for other small game critters.
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Post by Predator II on Jun 29, 2004 11:06:36 GMT -5
I grew up about 200 yards from the Wabash River in Indiana and killed my first small game (a rabbit) with my trusty Red Rider BB gun. I shot his eye out. I love to follow a pack of beagles and hunt rabbits. I also like squirrel hunting very much. Just watching the sun come up in the morning and listening to the woods wake up is a real treat.
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Post by JACKJR60 on Jun 29, 2004 11:36:17 GMT -5
mamaflinter, well I would definitely say rabbits. Started hunting these with my dad in the mid 50s and I'm not sure now if it was the hunting or the memories that make it so special to me. Now if you are to take up rabbit huting here's a suggestion. Soon as you kill one cut off its head and field dress it immediately. I personally believe rabbits have the stinkinest guts of any animal alive if you let them set for very long. Jack
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Post by Douglas Blair on Jun 29, 2004 12:53:47 GMT -5
Like I said in the other thread squirrel is my favorite small game to hunt. But like to eat rabbit better, and do love to hear beagles running them. ;D
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Post by mamaflinter on Jun 29, 2004 19:04:54 GMT -5
Yea if given the choice of rabbit or squirrel, I'll have to choose rabbit. I do LOVE those rabbits. We've got some friends who have some beagles and they have been running them over here next to us. They sure sound like they are having some fun.......
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DaveK
Eight Pointer
Posts: 150
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Post by DaveK on Jun 29, 2004 21:09:37 GMT -5
I sure wish we had enough rabbits here so I wouldn't feel quilty taking the extremely few I see in a years time. I love hunting squirrels with the small bores and my new found fun of taking ground hogs is a ball. We are almost just 2 mos. away from dove season. Last year I used the old SxS 12ga. perc. allot and it was extremely effective. This year I have the 20ga. SxS flint tuned and ready. IMHO you can't ask for more fun than this. Lots of targets and lots of shooting. It is tough at first, but you get on to it after awhile and soon you are amazing your modern gun shooting buddies with the effectiveness of these old cyl. bores.
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Post by roundball on Jun 29, 2004 22:25:07 GMT -5
Been thinking about dove season myself...only 8-9 weekends and we'll be in it... No Sunday hunting in NC, and I don't have a range to shoot at on Sundays either...so Saturdays are it for me, and once Labor Day gets here, then every Saturday is dedicated to some form of hunting until after New Year's day, which means a lot less weekly shooting.
So with only about 8 Saturdays left, I have: 6 for general practice & fun; 1 for final check/zeroing the .45 with squirrel loads; 1 for final check/zeroing the new .58 with deer loads;
Then it's doves, squirrels, and deer in that order... ;D ;D
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Post by JeffinNZ on Jun 30, 2004 0:14:54 GMT -5
Hi all. Hares or I think you folk in the US call them Jack Rabbits. They are real game animals and on the Canterbury Plains and foot hills (Lord of the Rings territory) in the South Island of New Zealand there are hundreds of them and they are real clever. I hunt them with a .223 Rem for long shots and the cap and flint guns for up a bit closer. ....and the meat. Poor mans venison. ;D
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Post by mamaflinter on Jun 30, 2004 7:47:29 GMT -5
Jeff Here in the US there are hares, jack rabbits and plain rabbits. Not sure what the difference is in them, but I'm sure they make for some fun hunting.
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MadIrishJack/PA
Spike
I have a plan to live forever; so far, so good.
Posts: 35
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Post by MadIrishJack/PA on Jun 30, 2004 18:34:55 GMT -5
;DI love huntin' Bugs Bunnys' relatives with beagles a bellowin'. Oh yeah, smoothies a smoking an' all o' us a cussin' up a storm.
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Post by Old George on Jun 30, 2004 19:59:31 GMT -5
;D As far as hunting small game with the flintlock, squirrels are #1. Groundhog hunting with the flintlock also has it's moments. My all time favorite however, is following my English setter around looking for woodcock and grouse, using my modern 28 ga. SxS. A man with a good bird dog is blessed, indeed.
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Post by JACKJR60 on Jul 2, 2004 17:53:42 GMT -5
We have the Cottontail Rabbit, the Jack Rabbit and the Snowshoe Hare as our most common rabbits in the USA with a bunch of variations on these indivual hares. If you do a little research on the Snowshoe you will see it is a very interesting animal. Here's a link to rabbits of the USA. www.beaglesunlimited.net/rabbithunting_hareandrabbithuntinginfo-USA.htmJack
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Post by Roger_Dailey on Jul 4, 2004 10:24:27 GMT -5
Tree rats, my favorite game animal! I like rabbits, but they seem be a little scarce around here.
If we could vote on such things, I'd vote to trade about 3 pounds of deer and turkey for one pound of rabbits and quail. Yes, that's right. I'd rather have about 1.5 dozen rabbits and 2 dozen quail than 1 deer and 1 turkey.
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Post by Loggy on Jul 4, 2004 12:03:16 GMT -5
I would have to say squirrel hunting with a 22.
Loggy
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Post by RBinAR on Jul 4, 2004 13:21:07 GMT -5
;D Man why do you guys ask such tough questions. I have so much fun hunting bushy tails every October I can't stand it. But you do have to look out after ole no shoulders every now and then.
Still hunting swamp rabbits behinds beagles when it's cold in late season is about the only thing in the world I enjoy doing outside when it's less than 32 degrees.
It's tough but I have to go bushy tails ....... er' maybe.
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Post by trent on Jul 5, 2004 21:55:27 GMT -5
My favorite small game hunting is squirrels with a ML, preferably Fox Squirrels. They are fairly plentiful, a bit fidgity, a tough target, and offer opportunities to practice rapid reloading in the field. Close behind would have to be groundhogs, which I don't get to chase much any more, due to the farms I've been hunted are turning into subdivisions. One of my two best shots ever was on a groundhog; a shot through the spine from 75 yards. Killed the back half of that crittter deader than all get-out, but the front half was some serious kind of angry at me when I came up to finish it off!
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Post by Badger on Jul 10, 2004 22:39:49 GMT -5
well i like huntin squirrel pretty good usin my ole 20 ga. ive got quite a few squirrels with it. i killed one fox squirrel that was about 5-6 lbs. it was a big one. let me tell ya the story. i was walking in a small hickory thicket and i heard some squirels cuttin the nuts. well i eased my way in there and seen it runnin on a limb toward me. i raised up my gun and shot. well i hit it but it got caught in another limb. well i put another shell in and shot again. well it fell out and into another limb and i was gettin angry. well i said if you dont fall out this time ill leave ya there. well i put another shell in and shot. out it came and hit the ground still alive. well i took a stick and hit the back of its head and broke its neck. it is still the biggest squirrel ive ever seen. i aint got it mounted yet but i hope to if i do ill send you all pics of how big it is. that squirrel had to be old cuz it had alot of gray on its face. and pretty red color on its body. well i guess i better go BADGER
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Post by OlFlinter on Jul 10, 2004 23:10:48 GMT -5
Badger: That is one fine squirrel story... Now I' ll tell ya one ya want to be sure & remember. I was about 13 & was a squirrel huntin with me ol 16 ga single shot. Man I thought I was Buffalo Bill with that ol gun & I just didn't miss.. (so I thought, anyway) Couldn't afford to cause back then a shotgun shell cost a whole nickel & a nickle was hard to come by. Honestly I seldom had more than 3-4 shells at a time. But anyway, I was huntin at a ol cemetary that was just full of huge beech trees & they make wonderful den trees. Always killed 2-3 ssquirrels every time I went there. So out comes a gray squirrel on a limb & he looks me dead in the eye... and there we sat, jus a eyeballin each other.. neither one of us making a move.... All of s sudden he make a break for it & theer he goes, jumpin from limb to limb & I am dea on him & BLAM ! I nailed him & here he comes to the ground... So I go over & grab his tail, thinkin he is a dead'un... All of a sudden he comes to life & grabs me by the pants leg & is just a grabbin & a chompin clean thru my pants leg on both sides & won't let go ! So I am a pullin on his tail & a yellin at him & dang if I didn't pull his tail clean off, jus skinned it right off !! He lets go & takes off & up the big ol beech tree he goes & goes clear to the top of the tree to a nest & stayed there. Far as I know he is still there... That taught me a good lesson.... Don't pick up nuthin til ya are SURE it is dead..... If he had grabbd my leg or hand or arm he would have really chewed me up, as he was hurt, scared & dangerous, even tho it is just a squirrel... they have Long teeth & they don't hit, they overlap & they can really put a hurt on ya.... From then on, I step on their heads, dead or not, he is dead when I step on his head fer sure. Now if ya shoot a deer, that is a dangerous animal too, as they are hurt, wild & can really hurt ya. When he is down & not moving for SURE, get ya a long stick & get straight behind the deer & scratch his eyeball with the stick. If his eye don't move, he is dead. If it moves at all, Get Away from it.... Them kickin hooves can really hurt ya, as well as horns & etc. Always best to be safe, than sorry..
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Post by OlFlinter on Jul 11, 2004 9:19:54 GMT -5
Fried rabbit or squirrel: Cut up squirrel/rabbit & boil either in a pressure cooker for bout 5 minutes after it starts poppin off. Remove, put flower salt & pepper & squirrel in a brown paper sack (if those are still around ?) & shake them up. Fry the squirrel/rabbit til lightly brown in a cast iron skillet with Crisco. Thats the way grandma did it & it still tasts purdy good to me.
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Post by Douglas Blair on Jul 11, 2004 9:19:58 GMT -5
Boy you guys really bring back memories. ;D
I remember once I went squirrel hunting when I was around 14 and only had a .410. For some reason I had better luck if I only took 7 shells with me so this day was no different. I remember my dad saying "now I want to see 7 squirrels when you get back". It was in late August of the first of September, anyway the squirrels were cutting hickory nuts and they were really going for them. To make a long story short I shot all 7 shells but come back with 8 squirrels. ;D When I shot one squirrel out there was another one on another limb behind him which I didn't see. I thought it was funny when I heard two "thumps" when I shot.
I also remember the look on my Dad's face when he saw the eight squirrels and only heard seven shots. ;D
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DaveK
Eight Pointer
Posts: 150
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Post by DaveK on Jul 11, 2004 9:31:23 GMT -5
Reminds me of the time I was bowhunting for deer and this fox squirrel was passing under my tree stand all morning. Just going back and forth with a new load of nuts. I was ready to stop hunting for the morning and decided next time by, I am going to take him with a blunt. So he comes by and I shoot him in the head with a blunt, climb down from the tree and pick him up. Since arrow went 1/2 way through and buried in the dirt I just picked him up by the arrow, so I wouldn't get any smell of blood on my deer hunting clothes. Well, 1/2 way back to the house the dead squirrel proved to be very much alive and started flipping around that shaft like a trapezz performer! Here, I had just put the blunt under the hide right on top of the skull and knocked him out. So now I am trying to unthread this blunt while he is spinning around. Finally, I get the blunt off and was able to get the squirrel off of the end of the shaft where my boot was waiting for him. I always love the stories of the guys who talk about the mortally wounded deer that they decide to finish by sitting on the deers back and cutting the deers throat. It usually seems to end with a bronco ride and dead deer and a very sore hunter!
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Birddog6
Eight Pointer
"If it Ain't a Smokin' & a Stinkin', it's Merely an Imitation"
Posts: 161
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Post by Birddog6 on Jul 11, 2004 9:48:27 GMT -5
Speaking of such.... that ranks real high with me as one of the dumbest things I have seen guys do deer hunting. I saw a guy almost get killed one time trying that on a big 8 pt buck. We drove the jeep across the field to the deer & he reached down to cut it throat & then deer came up at him & pinned him to the side of the jeep & then dropped dead. Scared the livin bejesus out of us !!
BAD MOVE..... Do NOT cut the deers throat in the field for a few ounces of blood, if even that. Just makes a big mess all over you, the vehicle & a total waste of time & accomplishes nothing but amaking a mess. We are not hangin hogs here & makin blood pudding... Wait til you skin it & hang it & when you cut it's head off it will drain all it is going to drain....
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Post by TOM on Jul 27, 2004 16:16:04 GMT -5
Hands down the best is upland bird hunting with a good dog I love to hunt phesants, Grouse, woodcock and ducks. After that rabbits in the winter time and once the ice is in perch fishing you just can't beat it.
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Post by easydave on Feb 6, 2005 23:02:52 GMT -5
Rabbits with beagles.
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Post by TKO on Feb 7, 2005 11:46:46 GMT -5
Groundhogs/crows at long range with a rifle.
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Post by DannoBoone on Jun 10, 2005 12:41:29 GMT -5
A few have mentioned ground hogs. If they're considered small game, then their close cousins, prairie dogs, could be, too. In another state, at another time, a few of us deer hunters hunted prairie dogs in the summer to sharpen our skills for deer season. Nothing has been more fun than that.
In Iowa, I hunt squirrels with a .17 HMR. 100yd head shots are not all that difficult with the .17, and it's otherwise very relaxing out in the woods. Rabbits would be fun, too, but by season the fox and red tail hawks have taken such a toll on them that I just leave them alone. (Laws have over protected the red tail......there are WAYYYYYYYY too many of them around here!) For the table, I prefer the little cottontail over a squirrel.
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Post by IndianaHunter on Sept 25, 2005 12:26:23 GMT -5
I enjoy squirrel hunting in the early part of September so I can scout for bow and gun season. We also do a bit of rabbit hunting when the snow settles in her in Indiana.
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Post by MasterHunter on Nov 16, 2005 3:51:08 GMT -5
My favorite small game is squirrel. Badger that was a very funny story about the man eater you shot, wish I had that on video. I just wish treerats had more meat on them. I always prefer to shoot their head when possible but never even saw one at 100 yards before.
Thats true about rabbit guts smelling bad and the sooner you get that bad smell from the meat the better it will tayste.
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Post by Richard on Dec 22, 2005 15:18:07 GMT -5
can some 1 tell me if u think hunting with a 17 mach IV is good enough for small game.
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Post by jjw on Dec 26, 2005 20:09:42 GMT -5
Deer is my small game.
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