Squirrel hunting in BC

Ardent said:
I’d struggle to take up squirrel hunting when there’s grouse, salmon and trout out there.
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Except, they are delicious and seriously fun to hunt... but I may be biased after 4 decades of cruising hardwood ridges with various rimfire rifles over my shoulder... just have to squeeze them in with grouse AND salmon and trout... butbI am referring to grey and fox squirrels, not Douglas and red squirrels.
 
Ardent said:
Maybe we’ll have to give that a try one day, not a “thing” in BC. I love a good excuse to walk with a gun, and largely prefer small game to large on my own time.
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Maybe a combination with grouse/ducks/rainbows... light, fun days in the field.
 
Paul_T said:
The ones you see in the Interior outside of town are certainly native red squirrels. FWIW the grey ones are in Kelowna and have now been seen in Vernon. I saw one of the bastards in a park this spring.

I have not as of yet seen a grey squirrel in the bush in the North Okanagan. Does not mean they are not there......
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Interesting, I didn’t know they were in Vernon. Well there’s hope then, I wish we had grey and black squirrels in my areas. See nothing but the reds around and they don’t have much meat on them, even if they were legal to hunt I wouldn’t bother. You or need 20 of them to make a meal for one lol.

Ardent said:
I’d struggle to take up squirrel hunting when there’s grouse, salmon and trout out there.
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Agreed but after looking through a few pages of squirrel recipes in a book I have, I would love to give it a try at some point.
 
hoytcanon said:
Except, they are delicious and seriously fun to hunt... but I may be biased after 4 decades of cruising hardwood ridges with various rimfire rifles over my shoulder... just have to squeeze them in with grouse AND salmon and trout... butbI am referring to grey and fox squirrels, not Douglas and red squirrels.
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That's kinda what I was thinking. I was hoping I could combine squirrel hunting with grouse hunting to increase the amount of meat making it into the freezer, but between the lack of a season and the size of the quarry I guess that's not happening here...
 
The invasive grays pretty much drove out the local red squirrels ,haven’t shot any grays but I’ve been tempted to,just to help the local red squirrels survive.I know one woman who shoots them,says they’re not bad to eat
 
ratherbefishin said:
The invasive grays pretty much drove out the local red squirrels ,haven’t shot any grays but I’ve been tempted to,just to help the local red squirrels survive.I know one woman who shoots them,says they’re not bad to eat
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Where abouts are you that there grey squirrels in a place you can actually discharge a firearm? I'll come your way, and we can have ourselves a squirrel feast after helping out the native fauna! Lol
 
I’d love to be able to step out into the hardwoods for a stroll sniping grey and fox squirrels. Throw in a bit of cottontail hunting ahead of a good beagle, on the side of grouse and waterfowling and I could keep busy. I enjoy the opportunity and game here in B.C. but there’s some things I’d love to be able to do that we don’t have here.
 
Ardent said:
Maybe we’ll have to give that a try one day, not a “thing” in BC. I love a good excuse to walk with a gun, and largely prefer small game to large on my own time.
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Squirrel hunting is great fun and a good time to scout for deer. Wild (as in not city dwelling) squirrels are wary critters and I basically hunt them the same as deer by sitting at a hotspot or still hunting. It's great practice for stalking, spotting and shooting. Plus they taste delicious.
 
only once I have seen 2 greys in the woods on the Eastern side of Harrison lake.
I don't think fox squirrels made it to BC
but there's plenty of douglas and chipmunks. Curious little buggers :)
 
we've got some awefully big squirrels up here in the cariboo that looking nothing like the picture posted of the douglas. They are 2 or 3 times that size with very large tails. Most are lighter coloured greys and browns. A few years back up on the mound in Clinton those big squirrels were all over the woods as well but not so much in recent years. Never paid much attention to squirrels as game animals but I do get to do a fair bit of columbia ground squirrel shooting on private land around forest grove outside of 100 mile. It's a lot of fun but i've never tried eating one LOL
 
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