How Fun New Rimfires and Abundant Bushytails are Fueling a Squirrel Hunting Revival

“The flesh is sweeter, where the creature has some chance for its life; for that reason, I always use a single ball, even if it be at a bird or a squirrel; besides, it saves lead, for, when a body knows how to shoot, one piece of lead is enough for all, except hard-lived animals.” 

– James Fenimore Cooper

EARLY 19TH CENTURY WRITER James Fenimore Cooper, known best for The Last of the Mohicans, captured what many serious modern squirrel hunters understand in their reality. Hunting with a shotgun is great, but hunting squirrels with a .22 takes it to a new level.

In an era when people are looking for new challenges in the outdoors, getting back to the old challenge of squirrel hunting may very well be the solution.

Easy Access

Squirrel hunting is fun, affordable, and very much accessible. Did you know the best squirrel hunting region of Texas, the Pineywoods, has a spring season May 1 to 31 in 51 East Texas Counties?

That’s right, and hunters have an opportunity for some of the finest small game hunting anywhere. Also, it’s in a region of the state with much public land.

Whether it’s the Davy Crockett, Sabine, Angelina or Sam Houston national forest, or a myriad of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department-managed public hunting land, this region is ripe for super spring squirrel hunting.

The Pineywoods is the heart of squirrel hunting in Texas. It’s deep traditions run back to when schools would close the opening day of the fall squirrel season.

But that doesn’t mean great opportunities do not exist elsewhere. Some 157 Texas counties have no season or bag limit on squirrels, so there is always an opportunity to score on some fast-paced action for these fantastic sport animals.

Perfect Game for a .22

Squirrels are super sporty where pressured in the Pineywoods and more open terrain in areas like the Hill Country and Cross Timbers offer shot opportunities beyond shotgun range.

The CZ 457 platform and its numerous models are great for hunters serious about their squirrels. Always one of CZ popular Varmint models, the Pro Varmint has a heavy 16.5-inch barrel threaded 1/2×28 for use with a suppressor or other muzzle device.

Riding in a black-painted, laminate stock, it incorporates features found on much more expensive stocks without pushing the rifle’s price through the roof. The short barrel gives plenty of time for the cartridge to get a full burn while increasing the barrel’s rigidity, resulting in a rifle that drives tacks—quietly.

That means more shots when multiple squirrels are on the scene.

The CZ American Synthetic Suppressor-ready is a variant of the 457 that sports a newly-designed synthetic stock that borrows ergonomics and styling cues from the popular 557 American Synthetic.

That synthetic stock, paired with the 457’s nitride finish, makes the rifle near impervious to the elements. 1/2×28 threads and CZ’s especially tight chamber tolerances make this rifle an ideal suppressor host.

This rifle has 11mm dovetails milled directly into the CNCed billet action for the solid mounting of rails or rings. It also features a cold-hammer-forged barrel, fully adjustable trigger, push-to-fire safety, and an interchangeable barrel system.

The CZ 457 Jaguar is a choice for those who love a long sight radius, the Jaguar pairs crisp iron sights with a 28.6-inch barrel.

The rear tangent sight is easily adjusted for distances from 25 to 200 meters, and the muzzle is threaded 1/2×28 for a suppressor. With a beechwood stock ideal for open sights, it has grip stippling that follows with the Jaguar motif.

The Quarry

Texas is a squirrel-rich state. We have ground squirrels, flying squirrels, and even black squirrels, but the two that hunters pursue most in the state are the fox and gray squirrel.

Fox squirrels are the state’s large tree squirrels.

 

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials said because of their ability to adapt to a wide range of forest habitats, they are Texas’s most common squirrel.

“Their greatest numbers occur in the open upland forest with a mixture of oak and nut trees,” officials said. “Fox squirrels are an important game animal, but their fondness for corn and pecans often cause them to be considered pests by farmers.”

The eastern gray squirrel is a medium-sized brown or gray tree squirrel with inner yellowish-rusty and gray or white-tipped hairs; has lighter underparts and a brushy tail with varying dark hairs tipped white or yellow.

They are a resident of East Texas and, according to TPWD, prefer hardwood forests, river bottoms, and some pine forests interspersed with hardwoods and clearings.

These squirrels are typically active early in the morning and late in the evening, about 30 minutes before sunset. Fox squirrels will be found feeding more during the middle of the day than their smaller cousin, but both typically follow a morning/evening feeding routine.

Most squirrel hunting is in East Texas, so the squirrels tend to be warier, especially in the southeastern and northeastern river bottoms. Fox squirrels in the Central and Western parts of the state aren’t typically just as shy, but learn quickly.

Picking them off with virtually no recoil, precision-shooting .22s can score tasty squirrels for cooking.

Reviving Hunting

Hunting license sales soared in virtually every state, including Texas, during year one of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many sought solace in the woods, and according to numerous wildlife officials, small game hunting, especially squirrel hunting, saw an uptick in interest.

In discussions with people at the highest level of the hunting industry, TF&G has had numerous officials tell us that it is vital to get young kids hooked on small game, mostly squirrels and rabbits.

Expecting an eight-year-old to be able to judge whether a buck is a two or four-year-old or make a 300-yard shot at a pronghorn is putting undue pressure on them.

Taking them out with a .22 in pursuit of squirrels gives them a potentially action-packed adventure that provides quality food and a chance to get confident with a firearm.

For adults, it’s a great way to spend some off-season fun and maybe revive the pure love of hunting they had when their parents took them hunting for the very first time.

 

 

—story by TF&G STAFF

 

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