Tennessee's Toughest Limit....

[Rjratliff1975]

My first time ever killing a limit of squirrels was with a 22lr. I killed a few fox squirrels walking fence rows on my way to a small woodlot. At the corner of the woods was a very large hickory and it was raining cuttings and tthe whole tree top was shaking, so I picked me a tree near by it and sat down. After a few mins I saw one gray squirrel came into an opening and I dropped him easily. I sat there and in maybe 20 min I finished off my limit from the 1 tree. I killed 8 grays from that one tree and I know for sure 5-6 more left the tree while I was shooting and a few more were left when I collected my limit. I have never seen anything like that many in 1 tree.

That had to be an exciting hunt! I remember one opening morning about 15 years ago, in a span of about 25 minutes I took 7 grays out of 1 relatively small hickory! To this day that's the most squirrels I have taken from a single tree. I love those hunts when you can get several from just a tree or two.

 

[tickweed]

I've been squirrel hunting since I was 10 years old. Once I went to a 22 I never went back to a shotgun. I don't think it's that hard to kill a limit of squirrels with a 22, but you have to be patient and pick your shots,and as red blood stated, it does make you a much better Hunter,and it also helps your shooting. The key to killing squirrels is having a lot of ground you can move on, and many mornings I will hunt until 11 o'clock, or later. Good luck to all opening day.

 

[William]

When I was a kid in east TN, squirrel hunting is about all we had. And open sight 22s were the only thing we had to hunt with. I don't remember what the limit was back then but I know I filled it on many occasions. We didn't have many deer or turkey competing for the acorns so the squirrels were plentiful.

 

[redblood]

Its thats time again

 

[Andy S.]

Great post, thanks for digging it up RB.

 

[KPH]

Back in the day there was no deer in West Tenn. to hunt. Squirrels was the big thing as a child I remember men taking off from work to go opening day and talking about for a week afterwards.

 

[Omega]

I haven't squirrel hunted here in TN, but in NC, I could easily get my limit in the stand of woods I hunted at, and did many times. Heck, I could probably get my limit in the backyard now since they built a church next to me and knocked down a bunch of trees, seems they all moved to my side. I really need to go out and do some small game hunting, but I hate hunting in the heat, wish it was cooler.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Redblood and I have killed many limits over the years, and several hunting together. Squirrel hunting hones woodsmanship and is a great way to introduce kids to hunting. Redblood is the only one I know that has as much passion or more for squirrel hunting as me.

 

[redblood]

That time of year again…

 

[DeerCamp]

I have never hit my limit. When I was still in school I would try everyday after school and was lucky to kill one. It would take me a week to kill enough to eat. One thing is for sure, I shot at plenty of limits with the ol .22!


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Only way I have gotten a limit is with a really good dog.

 

[Union Co. Boy]

Since I can't get anyone to work on the duck blind I might just go this year myself.

Doubt I have the skill anymore but I just might have to try.

Hardest part for me is actually finding a place to hunt.
Never in my wildest dreams would I think that getting permission to squirrel hunt would be a problem.

Saddest part is, it isn't because anyone hunts there, people have just been ruined by the world we live in and don't trust anyone anymore.

If you're ever in the Union/Claiborne County area, I'd be glad to put you on some good squirrel hunting! I've got a place or two. Lol

 

[Carlos]

One morning, years ago, I killed a limit, all from the same Hickory tree. Eight of them were headsets, I'll never forget it.

 

[GreeneGriz]

My grandpa Blevins passed away in 1977. After retirement he was an avid squirrel hunter. Both with his champion squirrel
Dog and just still
Hunting. My grandmother kept very meticulous records of his almost daily hunting trips the last few years he was alive. In one month, pretty sure it was October, he got his limit 18 days in a row. His old well house was covered in squirrel tails he nailed to the walls. I still have his old Remington 870 16ga. Seen in the dozens of pictures of he and his daily squirrel limits, He also cleaned and eat every squirrel. Squarely brain gravy and all. Lol

 

[TheLBLman]

Hardest part for me is actually finding a place to hunt.

Squirrel hunting has NEVER been better on "public" land as it is today.
Main reason is because there are so few squirrel hunters today.

It's also better than ever in private hardwoods as well, if you have or can get permission.

When I was young, I suspect more people hunted squirrel than any other game species in TN.
Most counties did not have a deer season then, and "small" game was what people most hunted.

Heck, in most of West TN and Middle TN, there simply was no "big" game.
Back then, if someone from West TN wanted to go deer hunting, they most often went to the Cherokee National Forest in East TN.

Opening day of squirrel season was once a bigger deal than opening day of gun deer season is today.
Amazing how times have changed.

 

[Flintlocksforme]

My goal is a 10 limit with a flintlock rifle, barked with dogs treeing them.

 

[PossumSlayer]

Just hoping for at least four this morning for me n Dolly's dinner.

 

[oldmanelrod]

Impressive post. It's been going since 2015. Hard to beat a good day squirrel hunting.

 

[Rancocas]

Lots of fun, but I've never even tried to get the limit. Just get 2 or 3, maybe 4 for a meal is all I want at one time. They're good eating, but I prefer rabbit.
I grew up in a northern state and began hunting at a time when deer were mighty scarce. However, small game abounded. We mainly ran beagles after rabbits. Plenty of pheasants and grouse, too. Squirrels, of course. Good times.
When hunting squirrels one time after an early snow, with .22's, we came upon bear tracks in the snow. We followed that bear for a mile or two and jumped it in a thicket. We looked at our .22's and said: "What are we doing?" We went back to squirrel hunting.