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Wow!

Hey ngashooter, congratulations on an amazingly long shot. I've shot a rabbit with my Savage Mk II at 85 paces, one shot through the heart. But a scoped handgun?! Man, I'm impressed.

But also, what a squirrel! Two things about it are quite different than the fox squirrels we have: he's bigger than any we have shot (or is that a little truck? ;)), but also his cool dark head and grey ears. Man, I like the look of him.

Here in Colorado Springs on the west side of town we will see melanistic fox squirrels. We also have black Abert's along the foothills/front range. So I've never been quite sure what I was seeing. It's good to know they can have a melanistic tendency. The Aberts around here are mostly black, but you do see a few gray ones.

Yeah, I hunt with my Ruger Single Six, iron sights. I've bagged cottontails, our little Rocky Mountain pine squirrels (we call them "pineys" but they should be "spruce squirrels" as they strongly favor spruce and fir trees and cones), and two dusky grouse. But all of my shots have been 10 yards or less. Man!!!

Thanks for sharing that and the photos.
 
I took a really nice fox squirrel Saturday with a single .22lr 38gr hollow point. I have wanted to have one mounted by the taxidermist for years. My hunting property has a large population of both gray and fox squirrels. Most of the foxes have black heads. Full disclosure requires I admit that I was target shooting when the squirrel came out. I was already toppling coke bottles at 100yds with my Charger and it's 6x scope. The giant Fox ran out 20yds in front of my 100yd targets and stood up like a prairie dog to look at me. Having the Charger on a bipod and rear bag made the shot possible. The mount will look great at the hunting camp!
I've never seen such a critter, black head!
 
Squirrel Hunting

Handgun hunting for squirrel is just the skill to hone for deer hunting, and the dogs like to help unlike deer hunting when they stay at the house. Iron sights adds a whole other level of difficulty!
 
Man nice shot. I am wanting to buy a Ruger 22LR Charger for my next gun.
I want to buy one with the new collapsible stock. Pricey right now ! Would you go with a pistol scope or rifle scope ? I am leaning towards rifle scope with a red dot on top or mounted on a 45 degree angle. Use it as both as a pistol or a rifle. What’ say you ? Good idea for me ? Thanks. MD
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
Hey ngashooter, congratulations on an amazingly long shot. I've shot a rabbit with my Savage Mk II at 85 paces, one shot through the heart. But a scoped handgun?! Man, I'm impressed.

But also, what a squirrel! Two things about it are quite different than the fox squirrels we have: he's bigger than any we have shot (or is that a little truck? ;)), but also his cool dark head and grey ears. Man, I like the look of him.

Here in Colorado Springs on the west side of town we will see melanistic fox squirrels. We also have black Abert's along the foothills/front range. So I've never been quite sure what I was seeing. It's good to know they can have a melanistic tendency. The Aberts around here are mostly black, but you do see a few gray ones.

Yeah, I hunt with my Ruger Single Six, iron sights. I've bagged cottontails, our little Rocky Mountain pine squirrels (we call them "pineys" but they should be "spruce squirrels" as they strongly favor spruce and fir trees and cones), and two dusky grouse. But all of my shots have been 10 yards or less. Man!!!

Thanks for sharing that and the photos.
Thanks for the compliments, but the shot was a combination of a very unlucky squirrel and being all set up and zeroed in when it came out. My truck is a Chevy 1500, the squirrel was that big!
 

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Discussion starter · #28 · (Edited)
Man nice shot. I am wanting to buy a Ruger 22LR Charger for my next gun.
I want to buy one with the new collapsible stock. Pricey right now ! Would you go with a pistol scope or rifle scope ? I am leaning towards rifle scope with a red dot on top or mounted on a 45 degree angle. Use it as both as a pistol or a rifle. What’ say you ? Good idea for me ? Thanks. MD
I don't know about any collapsible stock, that would make it an SBR instead of a handgun. I know there are new models that will accept a folding brace without having to purchase a separate adapter. Decide what you want to do with it to determine what optic you need. I had a rifle scope on my Charger initially, but could not get comfortable and steady with the short eye relief since I didn't have a brace. A red dot will be usable both ways, but be sure to get something with a 2moa dot so that the aiming point doesn't completely obscure the small targets typically shot with a .22lr handgun. For my use the variable pistol scope provided the best answer.
 
The fox squirrels I used to see in FL had a black mask like a raccoon. Rabbits and fox squirrels I could take out to 100 yards with a good brace for my 77/22. But it was a real tack driver. Normally at the 50 yd range I could keep 10 shots under a nickel. That's a great shot with a charger.
 
I took a really nice fox squirrel Saturday with a single .22lr 38gr hollow point. I have wanted to have one mounted by the taxidermist for years. My hunting property has a large population of both gray and fox squirrels. Most of the foxes have black heads. Full disclosure requires I admit that I was target shooting when the squirrel came out. I was already toppling coke bottles at 100yds with my Charger and it's 6x scope. The giant Fox ran out 20yds in front of my 100yd targets and stood up like a prairie dog to look at me. Having the Charger on a bipod and rear bag made the shot possible. The mount will look great at the hunting camp!
Who knows, in a thousand more years (if this 'old' world makes it that long), the Black Headed beast could have an 8 pt rack and tusks!
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
I made it to the taxidermist this weekend. I had him mount the squirrel standing upright like when I shot him. Now I just have to figure out what I want him to be holding in his paws. I'm happy to have the mount to remember that incredible day in the woods with my Charger!
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Discussion starter · #35 ·
Just stumbled onto this thread. Wow, never seen a fox squirrel like that here in Ohio. Nice shot and mount.
Thanks! I have been wanting one of these distinctive squirrels for years. Usually I'm carrying a deer rifle or magnum pistol when I see them. Visiting hunters always comment on them upon their first encounter. I would love to find a blonde or black one!
 
here in Northeast Ohio we have true black squirrels ... rumor has it they escaped or released from a local university (Kent State). The city of Kent is known for the black squirrels and they have slowly migrated out. Growing up i never saw one around here now i see them all the time.
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here in Northeast Ohio we have true black squirrels ... rumor has it they escaped or released from a local university (Kent State). The city of Kent is known for the black squirrels and they have slowly migrated out. Growing up i never saw one around here now i see them all the time. View attachment 143597
Funny, I never researched it and also never put much faith in it, but the story around here in Michigan is that W.K. Kellogg liked them so he imported them in to Battle Creek Michigan. If it’s a gene thing, then chances are they have been everywhere all along.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
here in Northeast Ohio we have true black squirrels ... rumor has it they escaped or released from a local university (Kent State). The city of Kent is known for the black squirrels and they have slowly migrated out. Growing up i never saw one around here now i see them all the time. View attachment 143597
Interesting story. Strange things happen when activists turn things loose.
 
Funny, I never researched it and also never put much faith in it, but the story around here in Michigan is that W.K. Kellogg liked them so he imported them in to Battle Creek Michigan. If it’s a gene thing, then chances are they have been everywhere all along.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
brnwlms ... i would say you are correct but with the man upstairs as my witness, as many times i ran the woods as a kid I never saw a black squirrel let alone one while hunting. Seen my first black one when i visited then attended albeit briefly Kent State University when i was about 18 years old ... i'm 57 now ... here is the bumper sticker you can buy in the City of Kent ...
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