[aigel]

NFW does a .22 lr not finish off a squirrel if you hit it anywhere center mass. Think about it. It penetrates the entire animal. It is like you getting shot right through with a cannon ball. My bet is that they are having death twitches there for you on your deck. Something as squirrely as a squirrel doesn't just fall over dead like a sack of rice. It is not fun to watch indeed, but they are essentially dead when the brain starts firing randomly. And when you kill something, always remind yourself how that animal would die otherwise? None die of old age in bed, surrounded by their families. They all go out in some ugly way, usually eaten by a predator the latest when they are getting long in the tooth. I'd rather get shot ...

Last but not least. I have seen squirrel populations, just like rabbit populations, get really really dense and then crash. Probably due to disease. So you may just have to do this for this year and next year it may be a whole different story.

You know, squirrel gumbo is pretty good. Just sayin ...

G