# squirrel hunting with a crosman nightstalker



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

i have just bought a crosman nightstalker. its a real nice little gun. i know it isnt a power house like my daisy winchester .177 break barrel at 1200 fps, but its fun to shoot. i was luckily able to drop a full grown grey squirrel at 20 yards. i used one shot using a light weight gamo master point. if use light weight pellets, should it work out a majority of the time like that, or was that just a lucky shot?


----------



## crossmanmanman (Sep 9, 2006)

majoprity if you place a nice head or boiler room shot. and if you ar failry close like 40 yeards


----------



## Brower (Mar 10, 2006)

ahh no 40 yards is way way to far for that gun

if you can shoot accuratly, keep em within 10-17 yards at the most 20yards
and strictly headshots


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

well what about my daisy winchester 1000x break barrel in .177. i can easily take a squirrel out at 25-30 yards accuratley. what would be the limit i should even atempt to waste pellets opn?


----------



## Brower (Mar 10, 2006)

id probly say 20 yards max. because its advertised as 1000 fps but the and the energy of the pellet decreases dramaticly in long range so you wouldnt want to wound the animal when you can end them in one shot with highest power possible

understand?


----------



## Cleankill47 (Jan 19, 2006)

Well put, Brower.

Sniper 911, 20 yards should be about as far as you go with a .177. If you're using heavy pellets, maybe 30 yards, tops. Some people can go farther, but I wouldn't risk it with a break-barrel.

Longer shots are best achieved with a PreCharged Pneumatic air rifle; they are specifically designed for hunting, with the right amount of power to do the job out past 30-40 yards. (The downside, with the particular PCP rifle I want, is that it costs about 500-600 dollars)


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

with an 8.9 grain pellet, at 35 yards it still hits with 14.6 foot punds, that is more than enough to drop a squirrel isn't it?


----------



## Brower (Mar 10, 2006)

thanks cleankill 47

well you cant trust any of the info the it says in the manual or on the box/website, because you need to remember that they are using the lightest possible pellet none of which could kill anything

so i would keep it 20 and under, end of story!


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

i got that info my self. i shot steel plated electronic weighter. i tilted it on its side an i shot the plate and it recorded 14.6 foot pounds of force


----------



## Cleankill47 (Jan 19, 2006)

An electronic scale measures in pounds, not pound-feet. One foot-pound is the measure of the amount of force it takes to move a one-pound weight one foot in distance; one pound is just that, one pound in weight, as dictated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

Of course, if the measuring device you have is actually configured to display force measurements, then what you have is correct, and what I said didn't apply to you.

Sniper 911, after carefully considering it, if you really feel that you are using enough force to take a squirrel, go right ahead and try. That's what I did, when I was twelve years old, using my Daisy Powerline 856 pump-pneumatic (which, to this day, I still have and use sometimes) and the shot was taken at about eleven yards. (I kind of credit the distance of that shot to the fact that the squirrels who lived around me had never seen a gun before then. However, they've wisened up a bit since then)

Go give it a try at 12-20 yards first, or just as close as you can get. If it works, after a few squirrels, go ahead and push the distance back a bit, say 25 yards or so. You'll find out pretty quick how far away you have to be for your gun to lose most of its power. After that, you'll know exactly how close you need to be. (With the right pellets, my Gamo Shadow will make accurate, killing shots at 30-45 yards, but I don't like the chances of a miss or injuring shot at that distance, especially since squirrels move a lot, and quickly. Like I have said before, and will say many times in the future, I like to get as close as possible before I take the shot. It adds to the challenge and the thrill of the chase.)

(I prefer to get as close as I possibly can. If you are completely still, patient, and have good camouflage, you can take shots as close as three feet. Just be sure to adjust your sights accordingly. The first time I got to take a shot that close, I actually shot almost three full inches over his head, but at least it was a clean miss)


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

thanks for the info. the scale is one of the ones that shows how hard you punch.i just put a steel plate on the censor instead of the pad. and the farthest shot i have done was with iron sights at 40 yards, i was able to hit a piny squirrel in the head and a through and through shot. i usually have to take 20-35 yard shots. these squirrels are too skidish. do you have any good ideas on maybe stalking or atleast ambushing. that would greatly help. thank you


----------



## Brower (Mar 10, 2006)

another think you can do is take apple juice jugs(i found to be the toughest) and fill with water, then set them out at different distances to see when you lose alot of your power. then you should know how far you can take KILL shot on a squirrel


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

wow, thats a good idea cant believe i didnt think of it. thanks


----------



## Cleankill47 (Jan 19, 2006)

Sniper 911, if you made a clean-through headshot at 40 yards, then I wouldn't worry much about distance. Just keep the shots inside of your comfortable range, and you'll do fine.

As for stalking, you won't need much to start with, most people started out with just blue jeans and a flannel shirt (try to use red flannel, for some reason it helps break up your outline more). Of course, there's always store-bought camo. Exactly what type depends on where you live, just pick something that will blend in with where you will be hunting.

While stalking, you'll want to have your gun cocked and loaded before you get too far into your hunting area. I don't know about your gun, but my Gamo Shadow makes a bit of noise when I break open the barrel to load it, so I make sure to at least have it cocked before I go into the woods.

Next, you'll want to look at your hunting area from a little ways away. Look for activity (moving branches, squirrels jumping, etc.) and listen for any barking, that usually makes it easy to find at least one. Walk slowly up to where you're planning to hunt, watching the whole time for action, sometimes you'll get a shot right as you enter the area.

When you're in the area, take two or three steps, then stop and listen. If they've seen you, they'll sit for a second and wait to see what you're doing. Look at the crooks of branches, the bases of trees, anywhere that looks like somewhere a squirrel would be. If you don't see or hear a single thing, take two or three more steps, and so on and so forth.

Ambush is a bit easier, and it's the preferred method for a lot of people when you know where the squirrels' main food source is:

Early in the morning, just get in your jeans & flannel or camo, go out to where you know the squirrels eat, sit your butt on the ground with your back against a tree, and wait. And wait. And... Wait. It works, but if you're one of those types of people who needs or tends to move a lot, it would probably be better to start with the stalking method first. And there's no reason you can't do one and then the other in the same morning/afternoon/evening.

Now go have fun, and good luck.

:sniper:


----------



## Sniper_911 (Apr 1, 2006)

yeah i found a real nice ambush method, ill si tin my kitchen with the window open. it works and i can even get some eats.


----------

