INDIANA Squirrel Season opens today

[CORVAIR]

Indiana squirrel season opener is today 08/15. Can't hunt today , but I will be out there first thing saturday morning.

Will be using my Savage 17HMR BTVS, using Federal 17gr TNT hollow points. Limit is 5 per day, we'll see how I do.
I could use the 22 LR, but the 17 is way too much fun.

I hope other squirrel hunters have a great sq. season!

[ozark]

Will you be using a dog or still hunting? Unless you confife your shots to head shots there will be no meat for eating. The .17 HMR scrambles them. Enjoy. Ben

[mike3132]

I shot 3 yesterday with my .22 Savage Mark II. I might go again tomorrow morning if I can get out of bed! LOL Mike

[CORVAIR]

Well my squirrel safari was quite successfull. Bag limit is 5 per day and by 9:45a.m. I had 5 squirrels. All of these squirrels were cutting on two pig-nut hickory trees about 75 yards apart and all squirrels were staying in the very tops and running from other trees to get there.

Ozark, This is my second hunt(two seasons ago, first) with the 17hmr and although I try for head-shots only, our Indiana grey squirrels are constant movers. Very difficult to only get head shots. I have found out that you can shoot them through the lung area just behind the front legs. Yes it does pretty much rip their chest open but the rib cage area has little meat anyway. My main meat focus is the rear legs, backstraps and front legs, which I managed to salvage all on this hunt.

I did get two of the five with head shots. ;D

p.s. Dogs are not allowed for squirrels, only rabbits and birds here.

[mike3132]

Corvair,

You can hunt squirrels in Indiana with dogs unless you are hunting some place where they are banned.

I didn't go today but might go in the morning. The ones I shot the other day were real spooky and not cutting much at all. All of them came out of hickory trees. Mike

[ozark]

CORVAIR, Feeding squirrel are customarily moving about while feeding. I have used a squirrel call to temporarily freeze them in place to get stationary head shots. You might try using one and when you want to try a shot imitate the squirrel bark. But like you say a shot through the rib cage doesn't destroy the meat for the table. Full metal jacketed bullets would probably do well here. There is a squirrel caserole dish in the wild game portion that I highly recommend. Might fine eating. When squirrel are plentiful I use only the back and rear legs for the pot. There is little meat on the fore legs and practically none at all on the ribs. Over many years I have enjoyed squirrel hunting with and without dogs. 8 is the daily limit here but I try to limit my take to three fox squirrel because they have more meat and three is all the wife and I will eat and usually some is still to be thrown out. Ben.