--- MINIMUM AIRGUN ENERGY REQUIRED ---
You will need a minimum down-range energy of 3 ft/lbs to take out a squirrel with a head shot. 
This tranlates to a velocity of 415 fps in .177 and 300 fps in .22 caliber at the pellet's 
point of impact.  Use Pellant's ballistic software to find the maximum hunting distance for
your airgun. Be aware that the published velocities for most airguns are obtained by
using the lightest pellets available and the heavier pellets retain their energy better.

Another simple method to determine down-range energy is the ivory soap test. A .177 domed
or pointed pellet takes 2 ft/lbs for each inch of penetration in Ivory soap. A .22 domed 
or pointed uses 2.5 ft/lbs for each inch. Wadcutter pellets require more energy and should 
not be used in the less powerful airguns.

A domed pellet is usually the best choice for hunting. It retains it's energy longer and 
penetrates further than a wadcutter or hollow-point and is more accurate than the pointed pellets.

See this discussion for information on the best caliber size for hunting.
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=79537&messageid=1007215572
Most people prefer the .22 caliber. Personally, I think a .177 at 18 ft/lbs works great 
for squirrels. I think a magnum airgun in either caliber will allow you to take head or chest 
shots with a quick kill.

The heart and lung kill area is really no larger than the head shot. I do believe that many hunters including
myself at times get intimidated by the smaller size of the head shot target size and shy away.
Simply put, if you can hit the small area that will assure a solid heart lung shot, you can hit
them in the head. The vital target area is really about the same size. This takes some mental
dicipline at times. But if you can get over this mental block of picking the body area because it
is larger, and go consistenly for head shots, both your kill ratio, to wound ratio will go way up.
The simple fact is, that although the body shot affords a larger piece of animal, only a small
area will afford a quick painless kill. Misplaced body shots will result in a wounded often lost
animal. And the last advantage is no damaged or wasted meat by choosing the head shot.

--- HABITAT AND OTHER INFORMATION ---
The Grey Squirrel's habitat is woodland with oak and hickory trees, glades, parks, and lawns. 
It nests in holes in trees and buildings or builds leaf nests in tree branches.
They are found along the west coast and the eastern half of the United States.

Grey squirrels are active year-round and arboreal; they cannot live in a treeless 
environment. They are up and moving before sun-rise and are the most active after sun-up.

Their population peaks every five years.

Their tracks look a lot like a rabbit's except the tracks of a squirrel are more bunched.

During warm weather the botfly larva burrows under the skin showing as a large bump (warble)
and a bloody breathing hole. These can be removed with the skin and do not affect the meat.

Eating the brains is suspected of causing a fatal disease much like mad cow disease.

--- BAITING AND DIET ---
Bait - Hazelnuts are the perfect bait for Grey Squirrels. Also good is 
corn-on-the-cob, sunflower seeds, and suet (all bird feeder foods).
Shelled nuts will keep them at the bait station (they will run away and bury unshelled nuts).

Diet consists of insects, fungi, seeds, berries, fruit, vegetables, nuts, 
and the cambium layer of tree bark, as well as the eggs and chicks of many birds. 
They bury acorns and other nuts - but before they cache the nuts, they bite out the 
base which prevents the nut/seed from germinating. 

Squirrels must have a source of water and are seldom found far from it, but will also
drink maple sap.


--- HOW TO HUNT ---
Squirrel are sensitive to movement and noise so you are advised to start your hunt before 
sun-up and you should hunt alone. If you see or hear other hunters, go in the opposite 
direction. You should also wear camoflage.

There are two ways to hunt squirrel, stalk them or still-hunt using a blind or camo
and waiting for them to come to you. 

Find good hardwood forests of oak or hickory and listen for their cutting of nuts,
then stalk and shoot them. It is best to follow the 5 step rule - take five noise-less steps, 
listen for a minute and look around then take five more steps, etc. When you spot
a squirrel, slowly inch the air rifle up into a position to where you can take a shot.

A squirrel will run to the far side of a tree when disturbed.
Throwing a rock or tying a string to a bush on the other side is a good way to force them
around to your side of the tree. You have to shot fast as they quickly figure out where
the real danger is!

They will also climb to the top of the tree and lay flat on a limb until the disturbance 
has gone. Hunters with large caliber flintlocks used to shoot the bottom of the branch
under the squirrel's heart and stun or kill the squirrel with the shock wave. 
This is called "barking".

If you know the woods and know where the animals frequent, you can go there and sit in 
a blind or camo and just wait for them to come to you. Squirrels are susceptible to calls 
and a good squeaker call will work wonders. The  lohman and mr. squirrel calls work
well. So will clicking 2 coins together. You can also walk up and down the corn rows 
as you hunt for rabbits, crows, and pheasant. They will be up in the stalk eating the corn.
 

DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Because they aren't going after big game, many squirrel hunters are
careless about their garb. That's a mistake. Squirrels aren't as wary as deer
and turkeys, but they're not dopes, either. Wear camouflage or earth-tone
clothing that doesn't advertise your presence.

Top off your squirrel-hunting ensemble with a camouflage head net. Besides hiding your face, 
it will keep pesky mosquitoes and gnats off your face, minimizing swatting and other unnecessary
movement that could alert squirrels to your presence.

HUNT EARLY OR LATE
September weather can still be warm enough to limit squirrels' activity. The urge 
to gorge on abundant nuts will keep them out all day in cool or overcast weather, 
but on warm, sunny days they may lay up from 10 a.m. until nearly dark. All things 
being equal, it's best to hunt around dawn and dusk.

Be in the woods an hour before the squirrels come out and find a spot with a good view of
surrounding terrain. You'll have a ringside seat when the action starts. 

STOP!
If slipping through the woods in search of squirrels is your style, never move more than 
50 feet without pausing. This is far enough to allow you to detect activity at the edge 
of your hearing and vision without undue risk of being detected yourself.

Like rabbits, squirrels often hold tight when a predator is near. Their nerves have limits, 
though. Stand still long enough, and one may panic and bolt from the opposite side of a 
tree trunk within spitting distance. 

LOOK!
Scan the ground for evidence of squirrel feeding as you hunt. Knowing what's currently 
on the bushytail buffet will make it easier to find them.

Most of the time, you should be looking up. Leaf movement that doesn't match the 
prevailing breeze can betray squirrels that are foraging for buds and succulent nuts 
too high in the tree to be visible. But if you know they're there, you can be waiting 
for them when they move back down a branch to move to a new location.
 As the temperature begins to rise toward midmorning, squirrels with full bellies find 
horizontal branches and tree forks where they can loaf, digest and watch for predators. 
This is the time to scan horizontal branches and tree forks with your scope. If you are 
hunting with a shotgun or a rifle with iron sights, bring binoculars to help spot these 
loafers. 

LISTEN!
The light patter that bits of nutshell make as they fall on dry leaves beneath a feeding squirrel
sounds like light rainfall. Other audible tip-offs include the telling sound of a squirrel's incisors on
walnut or hickory nutshells. You should also listen for the fingernail-clipping sound a squirrel makes
as it picks off bits of acorn shell. Learn to isolate these sounds from the background noise of the
forest, and you'll increase your take of squirrels.

HONE YOUR STALKING SKILLS
Closer shots translate into more squirrels in the bag. Furthermore, the skills learned on squirrels in
September often pay dividends later with deer and other game.

Practice stalking by walking in slow motion. Touch the ground first with the ball of your foot to feel
for twigs and only then lowering your heel. Break the cadence of your walk with irregular pauses.
Match your footsteps to the moments of your quarry, or wait to move when some other sound (like
the drumming of a woodpecker) will muffle your own noise. 

KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Early-season squirrel hunting doesn't follow the familiar patterns of late autumn. The wider variety of
foods available at this time of year can make squirrels hard to find, if you have a closed mind.

If you think pine stands are squirrel deserts, think again. When the fruits are green and tender,
bushytails will spend entire days in the tops of pine trees, stripping cone after cone and gorging on the
piquant seeds inside. Other "soft mast," such as wild fruits and berries, also vie for squirrels'
attention right now.

You may not think of pine stands as prime squirrel hunting spots, but they can be in the right season
when the cones are green and tender and the nuts haven't come on yet. There's no time like the
present to enjoy early-season bushytails. 

SQUIRREL CALLS
Curious bushytails just can't seem to resist checking out any calls made by other squirrels or by
hunters making squirrel noises. That's why the woodssavvy hunters looking to fill a game bag and a
large pot of squirrel stew can rely on one valuable tool - a squirrel call.

Squirrels are gregarious creatures by nature, and will respond easily to the sounds of other squirrels
in the area. Often it is a social thing, or the fact that the dinner bell has rung with a ripe crop of
acorns, beech or other favored food source. Some hunters believe that squirrels will respond to a
call out of anger, if they think another squirrel is invading their territory. This may be true in some
cases and may be an important tip to consider.

There are a number of game call manufacturers that produce squirrel calls, all of which are effective.
For the most part, the popular squirrel calls are the plunger-type varieties that imitate barks and
chatters of feeding bushytails. Also available are the blow-through squirrel calls that sound
something like a whistle (to imitate the distress call of a young squirrel).

While squirrels are not exactly savvy creatures, they do seem to know when a call is bogus or not -
and the sound of a baby squirrel sometime holds little merit once the season progresses. This is not
to say that squirrels absolutely will not be attracted to a blow-through distress call of a baby
squirrel, but it is my experience, and that of others, that it will alarm the resident squirrels into
hiding instead of presenting themselves as targets for hunters later in the season. Some squirrel
hunters swear by the blow-through calls, but I don't recommend them all of the time, for all
situations.

The plunger-type squirrel calls are simple to use. Just cup the end of the call in one hand and tap
the plunger with the fingers of your other hand. I always start off with two or three sharp taps on
the plunger - then follow up with a rapid tapping motion as I open and close the cupped hand. To be
sure, not all squirrel sounds can be imitated with a plunger-type squirrel call, but you can practice
mocking several sounds produced by the squirrels that bark and chatter in the trees around you.

Much like using a turkey call to lure in a gobbler, using a squirrel call does not have to be an exact
science -just close enough to give a somewhat realistic imitation.

Naturally, like in any squirrel hunting situation, the hunter should remain as still and as quiet as
possible. Squirrel hunters should move slowly into a hardwood stand of trees, or any other area
where squirrels feed, such as beside a corn field. Choose a good location to take up a stand, a place
with a good view of the woodlands and where open tree tops are visible.

Watch closely for squirrel activity. Usually, your approach into the woods will alert the squirrels, and
they will hide in the trees until the threat appears to pass through their feeding area. This is when
calling techniques are so valuable, acting as an all-is-clear beacon to other squirrels.

If the woods appear to be safe from predators, the squirrels will resume feeding - and begin
presenting themselves as easy targets to hunters. If a squirrel thinks all is well and the other
squirrels are back out seeking mast crops and other food sources, they'll be back to work shortly.
Confidence, and curiosity, will play a valuable role for the hunter at this point. Being able to lure
squirrels out to feed and gather food will spell success for the hunter.

Making the woodlands sound safe is the trick - and this is where more than just store-bought
squirrel calls fool the squirrels into feeling a false sense of security.

In addition to using a plunger-type squirrel call, there is one other technique to try in the woods on
your next squirrel hunt. Believe it or not, a pocketful of pebbles such as driveway gravel will attract
squirrels surprisingly well.

By tossing small stones onto the dry leaves, the squirrels believe other bushytails are back out
feeding in the treetops, dropping acorns and other mast crops from the high limbs. The noise of the
stones hitting the leaf-covered ground is a proven method of attracting attention from the squirrels
that think their friends are back to work in the trees. Skipping stones across the dry leaves also
produces the illusion of squirrels scampering across the ground in search of food. Throw in a few
barks and chatters on your call, and you'll be surprised how squirrels will suddenly appear as easy -
and often - targets.

I have a whistle call that when you suck air through it makes a high pitch noise imitating a young 
squirel's distress noise. At the same time you grab a low branch or a very young tree and bang it 
up and down on the ground. The thrashing noise makes the squirels think that a youngster was 
snatched by a Hawk and they go nuts.

Whenever possible when hunting wear cotton clothing, avoid nylon materials(noisy like cordoroy pants in
fifth grade). Next check out where you're going to hunt preseason, get your prey used to seeing you. Initially
when hunting season opens, your prey won't be as skiddish. Carry a dozen or so stones in a pocket(explain
soon). Clean gun up previous to hunt in/out and sight gun in after cleaning bore (approx. 15-20 shots) a
day or so before, not the same day. Okay, it's morning you've got jeans, leather boots, and shirts(layer
and you'll be more comfortable than a bulky jacket and a t-shirt). Put the pellets that you sighted the gun
with in a clean container and then your pocket. Next collect a dozen or more stones 3/4" in diameter,
when you get a squirrel in a "hold down" up a tree you'll put the sun at your back and wait about 60-90
seconds and you'll throw one stone on the opposite side of the tree(lob it so you'll have time to shoulder
your rifle, if it is scopped use lowest magnification at first). If that stone doesn't work leave the gun
shouldered and scope the tree over without moving your feet(dry leaves and twigs make noise, that's a
bad thing). You're in a waiting game so be patient. In another minute throw another stone. Walk up to the
tree trunk and quietly peek your head around the tree and scope it out. Their pretty smart and very
skiddish, but I can say that 99% of the squirrels that I've stalked I've killed. The only time I've used calls
or scents is for deer(bow hunting). HTH