anybody here shoot squirrels or rabbits with a shotgun? i kind of disagree with people that do this. i'm sure there will be alot

[Reid Jones]

anybody here shoot squirrels or rabbits with a shotgun? i kind of disagree with people that do this. i'm sure there will be alot of you that say yes, but i don't see it to be much of a challenge really. unless the little critters running. seems like the same thing as shooting a pheasant lit in the ditch. shooting squirrels with a shotgun is practically cheating in my opinion.

[FloridaHunter1226]

I do not do it but I do not really have a problem with it. It is just another way of hunting.... different strokes for different folks. Im guessing you do not believe in trapping either?

[shane]

Generally the rabbits and hares I hunt are running...fast. So I use a SxS 20 most of the time. I have an old Winchester slide .22 that I'll use from time to time too.

If using a shotgun is cheating, then let's see you nail a snowshoe flying through the underbrush with a .22.

[bonnier-admin_2]

Depends on the human population around, how remote are you!

[SBell]

I like the challenge a .22 provides for squirrel, but when I go after rabbit I bust out my Browning gold hunter shotgun. I can definitely understand taking a beginner out hunting squirrel or rabbit with a shooting. Like someone else said, different strokes for different folks, it's all hunting.

[007]

Only with a .410 barrel on a T/C Contender. You have to aim it like any other handgun. Otherwise either a .22 LR or a .22 Magnum. I don't like to eat shot.

[jfose140]

I hunt rabbits and squirrels with shotguns. I rarely see rabbits that aren't on the run and when they're sitting I wait until they run. I also think there is no more challenge shooting squirrels with a .22 than a shotgun, especially if the .22 has a scope. I actually have much greater range with the rifle than the shotgun. If you think its cheating, then I guess thats your opinion and you're entitled to it.

[auburn_hunter]

I shoot squirrels for pest control, not food. So in my case, I only care that they are shot humanely (in other words one shot, one kill). If the squirrels are up in the trees, a scoped .22 is best for me. When they are low on the ground, just to be on the safe side since there are other houses within .22 distance, I will use a 20 gauge.

[jlfreeborn]

I hunt with both, but I actually prefer the shotgun. With the .22, you run a bigger risk of just knockin off a leg and sending the squirrel back to die a slow and painful death. With a shotgun, they just fall over dead every time.

[Sharkfin]

Reid, try shooting a rabbit that a beagle is chasing with a .22. If you can do that more power to you! I can't. My theory is stationary=rifle, moving=shotgun, except when the DNR rules say shotgun only like spring turkeys or deer in some states.

[Christian Emter]

I agree with you Reid. They are just to easy to hunt with a shotgun. I like shooting them with a .22. They are more of a challenge that way. Sure a shotgun will put it out of its misery, but I think the squrial wants a little competition before it dies.

[Beekeeper]

Reid,

It is obvious that you do not have any experience with either. I hunt rabbits with a 20 gauge over and under shotgun, my wife uses a 28 gauge over and under. The rabbits we shoot are either flushed from a brush pile or are being moved by my beagles. Rarely do I ever get a shot at a sitting rabbit. To shoot a .22 in such a situation would be dangerous to both my dogs and to those hunting in my party. A .22 is prone to ricochet when shot into hard ground and such an occurance in close company is not welcome. Shot charges do not tend to ricochet in such circumstances and provide an added margin of safety to both dogs and hunters. Maybe if you had actually tried hunting rabbits under such circumstance you would understand the challenge that a cottontail or cane cutter (swamp rabbit) can provide to the hunter.

As for squirrels, I do enjoy hunting them with both rifle (muzzleloader and .22) and shotgun (muzzleloader and modern). In my neck of the woods during early season when the squirrels are cutting green hickory nuts and the canopy is full, a shotgun provides the only reliable way of bagging a limit for dinner. The foliage is so thick that one can't usually get a decent head shot with a rifle. As the canopy thins I generally shift to a rifle.

I will take you to task on a safety issue. Many hunters don't take into consideration the hazard involved with shooting a squirrel off a limb with .22. Typically there will be no back stop for a miss or pass through. In unsettled country this might be a non issue, but if you are in farm country a .22 bullet flying willy-nilly is not something to think lightly of. A shotgun under such circumstances provides effectiveness and safety. Most of my rifle shots are on squirrels on the ground or on a tree trunk. I will also remind you of the range advantage a .22 provides over a shotgun.

Don't under estimate the challenge of stillhunting squirrels with a shotgun. You just might be surprised.

[MB915]

Once again another hunter looking down on other hunters choosen method of hunting. When will this stop and we as hunters unite and be willing to support one another and the various methods of hunting and not be so close minded?

[Colorado boys guide]

pellet gun and ya on the run evan shoty is for lazy people unless its flying use a rifle

[hunt_fish_sleep]

To say that it is easy to shoot a rabbit with a shotgun is easy is sheer blasphemy. Apparently you've never hunted rabbits with Beagles, where everything is running shots. It would be unsafe to use anything but a shotgun in this situation. It is inexperience and ignorance that generates posts like this.