Smallest squirrel I've shot

[JimD]

I got a very little female squirrel a few minutes ago.  It was a clean brain shot at about 20 yards.  The squirrel was on the ground.  It flipped a few times as brain shot squirrels tend to.  The surprising thing was it only weighed 4 ounces on my fish scale!  I've never weighed one at less than 9 ounces before.  Most are closer to 15 ounces.  This one must have been very young.  I've never weighted a chipmunk before but I wonder if a big one wouldn't weigh this much.  I debated cleaning it but decided I might as well.  Skin came off noticably easier.

Sorry the picture is not better.  It was getting dark so I took the picture inside as I was getting ready to clean her. 

[ranchibi]

Jim, nice shot!

[JimD]

Thanks Randall.

[dk1677]

Nice shot Jim! Got a young one today but not that small

[JimD]

Thanks Dave.

[Smaug2]

Nice shooting. Was she worth cleaning? maybe just save from the armpits down; not enough meat on her shoulders to justify keeping anything else, I think...

[brewbear]

Nice shot! Wasn't the pellet bigger than the squirrel?

[only1harry]

Good shooting!  It looks like the squirrels breed twice a year in SC, so he was probably from the early fall litter. 

[Wayne52]

Great shot Jim !!!

[JimD]

Thanks guys.  The pellet was bigger than it's head but a 25 caliber pellet going in between the eye and the ear and out the same location on the other side prevented any suffering.  It was dark enough and she was little enough I was not sure it was a squirrel until I got the scope on it.  My dog was completely sure but she gives false alarms sometimes. 

I got a little meat off her and put it in the freezer with another far larger one.  I take the legs and the back portion of the back.  I did the same with her but it is only useful with others, by itself it would be a very meager meal. 

I was pleased with the shot, I haven't made a brain shot that clean in awhile.  Usually the squirrel is sitting at an angle and it goes into the neck or even shoulder coming out.  I think I also missed this squirrel several days earlier.  The hold felt good so I stepped off the distance and found out it was about 18 yards.  The scope is so high on my P35 it shoots almost 1/2 inch low at 18 yards.  So I held a little high on her this time and the pellet went where I wanted.  Half an inch by itself shouldn't cause a miss but combined with a really little squirrel and a little wobble from me, it did.