If you are looking for a better advantage in the squirrel woods, you should compare (from left to right) the .17M2, the .22LR and the .17HMR. Photo by Mike Bleech

High in the canopy of a hardwood forest, a fat gray squirrel leaps from limb to limb after apparently being pelted by a load of shot. On the other side of the woodlot, another squirrel jumps when a .22 bullet strikes between its feet, and then it scampers up a tree and into a cavity in the trunk. In both cases, the hunter failed because the ammunition was inadequate for the task. And in both cases, using some of the newer developments in ammunition could have easily rectified the problem.

Squirrels are small targets with very tough skin. Shotgun loads that would cleanly kill grouse and other thin-skinned small game will not adequately penetrate squirrels. The deeply arched trajectory of a .22 long rifle bullet often passes under a squirrel at moderate distances, or over it if the rifle is zeroed for longer shots.

NEW SHOTSHELL LOADS
If you hunt squirrels with a shotgun, the biggest mistake you can make is using inadequate loads. But let's face it, very few squirrel hunters pay much attention to their loads other than picking a shot size that often as not is wrong. Many hunters use magnum loads with good intentions, not realizing that these might actually be poor choices. The results are too often wounded game that escapes into the cavity of a tree. Anyone who has field dressed a variety of small game knows how much tougher a squirrel skin is in comparison to most other small game.

Take a look at magnum shotshell loads. The word "magnum" is one of the most misused words in ammunition. What does it mean? Does it mean more powerful? More lethal? Regarding shotshell loads, the term magnum is typically applied to loads with larger than standard shot charges. But this is generally done at the expense of velocity. The greater the weight of the shot, the less velocity it will have at any given powder charge.

Lighter shot charges can be propelled at greater velocities. Newer 12-gauge loads listed as "high velocity" are claimed to have velocities of 1,300 feet per second (fps) to 1,500 fps. For 20 gauge, it's 1,300 fps to 1,350 fps. Shot charges for 12-gauge high-velocity loads typically are 1 1/8 ounces to 1 3/8 ounces, while for 20-gauge loads, most are 1 ounce.

The result of higher velocity on game is better penetration. This translates into clean kills and less wounded game. A really big squirrel can weigh over 2 pounds, which still is quite small. One pellet, if it is large enough, passing through a vital zone will kill cleanly. Too much shot just makes eating the meat difficult. Squirrels are tasty, so don't ruin the meat by tearing it up or filling it with shot. Any standard factory-hunting load contains a lot of shot.

Hitting squirrels is not difficult if you hit them right with the first shot. Not that we all don't miss sometimes, of course. But the most common reason we sometimes miss is because the first shot at a still squirrel failed to produce a clean kill, thus resulting in the squirrel scampering off through high tree limbs. A squirrel running full-out, bouncing from limb to limb, becomes a more difficult target.

Pay attention to velocity, not the shot charge. Any perceived shortcoming in the number of shot should be compensated for by choking. Screw in the full choke tube, or improved-modified, when you hunt squirrels. But do this only after patterning your loads on paper to determine whether this tube actually produces the tightest and consistently densest patterns.

Larger shot maintains velocity better than smaller shot; therefore, it penetrates better at longer distances. Larger shot also makes a larger wound channel. Clearly larger shot -- No. 4 or No. 5, ideally -- are best for squirrels. Get any of the high-velocity loads using No. 4 or No. 5 shot and you will be on top of the game.

COMPARING RIMFIRES
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge has long been the top choice of squirrel hunters who use rifles, challenged only by the .22 Winchester Magnum. No doubt both are great. But you can do considerably better since the advent of .17 rimfire cartridges.

The .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire was the first of these on the scene. It is a necked-down .22WM case. The .17 Mach 2 came next. It is a necked-down .22 Stinger, which is slightly longer than a standard .22LR.