Guns

As the saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” But for gun hunters, the better saying may be “Different chokes for different folks.”

In other words, most hunters have varying tastes when it comes to what gun to shoot during a particular trip into the outdoors.

Take squirrel hunting, for instance. A number of factors may come into play when considering which gun to select — location, time of year, hunting with dogs or without. Those are just a few things that Mississippi squirrel hunters Mark Morrison and Jeffrey Wood take into account when they are in the field. Both hunt almost exclusively with dogs.

“My buddies and I use shotguns most all of the season,” Morrison said. “Most of us use 20-gauges with extra-full turkey chokes on them and shells loaded with No. 6 shot. Later in the season, once the leaves have fallen, I like for one in our hunting party to have a scoped .22 rifle, as there’s no sense in blasting away at a squirrel so long as it’s sitting still in the tree upon our arrival. However, with barking dogs beneath them, most squirrels, especially on public ground, are very agitated when you arrive at the tree.

“Thus, the pulling of a vine or shaking of a bush will cause them to bolt, and then a shotgun is about the only means of harvesting them before they get away.”

Wood employs similar tactics when he’s hunting, but opts for a shotgun with a little more power.

“I shoot a 12-gauge Super X3 Winchester shotgun on public land,” Wood said. “I use high brass No. 4 shot. I like to take one shot and go on about my business. I don’t want a war going on out there when I’m trying to train dogs, especially some of the young dogs I have now.”

Wood has a camp within the Delta National Forest, and when he’s there he uses 3-inch magnum Hevi-Shot. Like Morrison, Wood uses a .22 rifle with a scoped, custom-made carbon fiber barrel.

“You can pick them off really good with that,” Wood explained.

Wood also uses a .22 Browning pistol with a 14-inch Olympic Bull barrel with a Nikon scope. That gun is used for more precise shots, as well, when a squirrel is clearly visible.