What is your favorite small game animal to hunt?

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

What is your favorite small game animal to hunt? For me its hands down Doves. It used to be pheasants but developers have pretty much ruined the pheasnt hunting locally. Doves are always a blast, very tasty... seems most people like to hunt them as well.

2nd runner up for me atm would probably be Grouse or Chukkar, tough to decide between the two.

How about you guys?

-DallanC

shrpshtrjoe

Howdy. Dove ranks right up there always gets the season off, rap them in bacon and broil them mm mm. But i do enjoy to hunt squirrel l hunt with the 22 mag you have to head shoot them the mag can be a little hard on body shots
shrpshtrjoe

300winnie · Rookie Member Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 10

When they can be found relatively easy, I love to shoot Jack rabbits. Fun to shoot, good practice...and you don't have to do anything with them. Razz

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Boy I couldnt believe the size of the squirrels back east you guys get. Reds and Greys... they were HUGE compared to the trash squirrels we have out here in Utah. Utah ones are concidered varmints with no season... and trashy enough I cant imagine anyone eating one. Fun to shoot with the ole 22-250 thou Smile

What do squirrels taste like anyway?

-DallanC

shrpshtrjoe

chicken

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Haha I shoulda guessed that answer.

Btw, I always thought that the reason so many things taste like chicken is that everyone always cook new things the same way, roll it in egg / flour, salt and pepper it then fry it... like chicken.

I'd like to try an eastern squirrel dinner someday.

-DallanC

grimel · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160

They taste like squirrels. They taste good. Bake'm, broil'em, fry'm, and roast'em.

How little are your squirrels? Are you talking ground squirrels/chipmunks?

My favorite (and it's fading fast with land disappearing) is jump shooting rabbits.

calsibley · Super Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 317

There's not much doubt in my case, the ever popular woodchuck is king of the hill. They're great for honing sniper skills. In my area you're doing well to get within 100yds. of them, and there are lots of good 200, 300yd.
shots to be had. Here they're up and about from May to Sept. so the season is rather short compared to down south. You may also get the odd shot at a rabbit or fox in the mix. Yeah, long live old woody. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Knifeboy

This is a funny little thread, I would have to say Dove as well. (for eating)
I will have to say that for just the thrill of shooting its PraireDogs handsdown. They are really small and they usually stand up on the edge of their burrows to give you a beautiful full body shot. I usually shoot them with a .270. Not much left of them if you hit them.

Knifeboy
I'd rather be lucky than good.

tuck2 · Rookie Member Joined: Feb 04, 2005 Posts: 5

The little varmint prairie dog has to be the one I would pick. Got a CZ 452-2EZKM Varmint rifle in the 17 HM2 round yesterday .I,ll mount a Burris 4X-12 X W/ AO mini scope with a the B-Square 11 MM-1 In. scope mount. Could get it set up before Cotten tail rabbit season that ends on 2-28-05 . Squirrel season in over ,so have to wait to this fall , but I,ll get a lot of shooting this spring on prairie dog pups. Most shooting on PD pups will be under 120 Yds with the 17HM2 round. Will use the 17 HMR round for shots out to 180 Yds. I,ll try out the Ruger Varmint rifle with the 204 Ruger round for shots over 180 Yds.

WildHorse · Member Joined: Feb 17, 2005 Posts: 184 Location: Nebraska

Absolutely bar none--the Prairie Dog. I have about 300 acres of them less that 3 miles from my house. I built a small shack from which to shoot them. I have shooting ports on three sides, a small work bench inside if needed, easy chairs to relax in when the dogs start to thin out. An ice chest with cold pop and water, sandwiches and chips, and the whole day to shoot the little buggers. It doesn't get any better than that.

Knifeboy

Sounds like you really got this whole prarie dog thing figured out:).
I wish it were me right now out there shooting them suckers. but I gotta wait a while before they start to show up again.

Knifeboy (I'd rather be lucky than good)

chainsaw

down here in australia its gotta b rabbits they can b found anywhere in the country on all types of terrain at any range and the season is open all year, it dont get any better than that! Laughing

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

What kind of rabbits are they?

-DallanC

chainsaw

hi dallan, over here we have what is commonly known as the Australian wild rabbit and the odd few hares (brown hares i think) rabbits r not natural 2 aust. they were released here durin the intiial settelment by the english to try make it more like home.hence rabbits here r a feral pest that have multiplied to plague proportions ive read a few articles of people shooting up 1200 in 3hrs in some parts of the country.the government has tried a couple of viruses with some sucess but the rabbits r tough little critters.they r a big prob for farmers but great sport 4 shooters and the first shooting experience 4 most aussie children great to eat aswell! Very Happy