Squirrels Alah Charlie

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

When I was a boy I had a JC Higgins Tenite stocked .410 S X S. My Dad owned and ran a big country store. He sold shells and cartridges, and I'd use the 11/16 oz. 3 inch loads for squirrels, in size 6. I killed a lot of squirrels and rabbits with that little gun, and sold the squirrels for $.25 each. I know it was illegal to sell game, but I did. The shells cost me $.12 apiece, at the time, AIR. if I had to shoot twice I broke even ....... not good.

One CHRISTmas I asked for a .22 rifle. I was given a new Remington Nylon 11, a bolt action, clip fed gun. I could get .22 ammo from Dad for not much over a penny apiece. I reasoned that I was going to get rich market hunting squirrels, rabbits, and an occasional 'coon. I abandoned the .410 for the .22, and never looked back. Never did get rich market hunting, however ............

The lady my grandparents worked for kept race horses and fighting cocks . She also paid a bounty on hawks and groundhogs . My grandfather supplemented his income killing hawks and groundhogs . This was in the 50’s and 60’s , she paid $5.00 for a Hawk and if memory serves $3.50 for groundhog tails . At the same time or county paid a $0.50 bounty on hawks . So my grandfather would turn his hawks in to the person at the farm that handled that part of it then cut the heads off and take them to the county clerk . All he ever used were a couple 22 Hornets and a Remington Model 722 in 222 REM I still have .