I (Andre South) love squirrel hunting. I mean, I really love squirrel hunting. It is a super fun way to put delicious meat on the table, which is what we’re all about here at HKC. Squirrel hunting is a great way to sharpen up your hunting skills or to introduce a new hunter to our world. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it doesn’t require a ton of gear. There are a few things you need to have however, so in this article we’re going to cover the essential squirrel hunting gear.
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Understanding Squirrel Behavior and Habitat
I’m going to assume, because you’re reading this article, that you’re new to squirrel hunting. Running with that assumption, let’s go over some basic squirrel behavior and habitat. Once we’re all familiar with squirrely things, we can talk about gear.
Squirrel behavior
First, understand that there are city squirrels, country squirrels, and deep-woods squirrels. These relate to different “personality” traits, not dissimilar to humans.
City squirrels – They are very comfortable (too comfortable) around humans, they are busy doing things most of the day, and they don’t think too much about survival. Easy targets.
Country squirrels – Humans that get too close make them uncomfortable. They rely on the land and usually do their work in the cool of the morning and in the evening.
Backwoods squirrels – Paranoid and prepared for anything. Their first response is to bug-out to their shelter in the trees, where they have long-term provisions. If you spook one, you will likely never see it again.
Habitat
Here in central Ohio, most of the squirrel opportunities are in smaller wooded plots of about 100 acres or less. I’m going to focus on this habitat because I believe that it presents the best opportunities to hunt squirrels.
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Squirrels are most present where nut-producing trees are found. Oak, hickory, and walnut are common around here and the squirrels are everywhere. Get to know your trees and you’ll be able to hone in on the best places to start hunting.
The same applies for larger tracts of wooded land (backwoods), find the trees and you’ll find the squirrels.
Essential Squirrel Hunting Gear
Now that you know a bit about squirrels, it’s time for the fun part. Squirrel hunting gear.
What gun to use for squirrel hunting
.22 caliber rifles
I’m going to give it away first:
The best tool for killing squirrels is a .22 rifle.
There I said it. I know I’ll receive comments on this from the shotgun folks and that’s fine. If you’re super into shotguns, then by all means use what you like/have. I’ve killed squirrels with both and I think the .22 is more efficient, quieter, and makes me a better hunter overall.
I personally use a Henry .22 lever-action rifle with an inexpensive tru-glo scope. 3-9×32
There are plenty of rifle/scope combos that are probably more accurate, but I think the lever-action is plenty accurate for my needs; and is just plain fun.
Almost any .22 rifle will do, but the tried and true setup, if you’re buying new, would be a Ruger 10/22 with your preferred scope. I know Maykell shoots Vortex rifle scopes and he really likes them. Especially because of Vortex’s unlimited, unconditional, lifetime warranty.
If I were in the market to buy a new scope for my .22, I would buy this one:
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Pump-action or semi-automatic shotgun
Let me dispel a myth that I hear from time to time: you are NOT going to blow a squirrel to smithereens with a 12 gauge shotgun.
12 or 20 gauge both work fine for killing squirrels. End of story.
If you are going the shotgun route, then a basic bird setup will do. I don’t really get hung up on what size shot to use, but if I went to the store and bought some right now, I’d get #6 lead shells.
Keep in mind, with a shotgun you are going to need to be closer than if you had a .22 rifle. You’re probably going to need to get within about 40 yards or so. Just open sights will be fine.
You’re also going to be picking a few lead pellets out of the meat. It’s not really a big deal, just remember to chew softly.
Clothing and other gear
Binoculars
A good pair of binoculars is mandatory. You will see many more squirrels and have a lot better success with binoculars.
I personally use the 10×42 configuration. It gives me far enough reach that’s wide enough to hone in on all kinds of game, not just squirrels.
Do yourself a favor, buy a better pair that you think you’ll need. You don’t have to go all out but you’ll thank yourself when you’re in the field.
Again we’d recommend the Vortex. That warranty is too good to resist.
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What to wear squirrel hunting
Here’s some good news. Squirrels don’t really care about what you’re wearing. You can wear whatever you have that matches the conditions outside. I wouldn’t (and don’t) worry about blending in and buying camo.
Hearing protection
Even if you have a .22, protect your hearing. It’s not cool and doesn’t impress anyone when you don’t protect your ears. I use the little foam ear plugs. I buy a million of them and then throw them in every jacket pocket, bag, center-console I have. I’m rarely without hearing protection.
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Wrap up
Getting the right squirrel hunting gear doesn’t have to be expensive. Use what you have and if you’re going to buy something, buy for the long term. As one might expect, you really only need a place to hunt, a gun, binoculars, and hearing protection to get started. Be patient, safe, and have fun with it. I’m sure you’ll be swimming in squirrel gravy in no time….that sounds gross, you know what I mean. Thanks for reading and be sure to sign up for our email list to get updates on new content. We won’t spam you, promise.
