How to retrieve ground squirrels after kill??

[Thach2264]

For those of you hunting ground squirrels, how do you retrieve them after you kill them if they fall into the holes?

I’ve been hunting them at an avocado farm and sometimes they just hang right in front of their holes. After it got shot at, they will do their dances and 30/40% happen to do their dance of death and fall into their holes. If I still see them afterwards I ll reach in and get them out. sometimes the holes is too deep or have turns and can’t see turn anymore. 

 

[L.Leon]

Long handled grabbers work really well if you have to retrieve them... The ones you can't reach? Will get eaten by their kin.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Not a good idea to reach into an animal’s den with your hands. 

 

[JimNM]

Makes me wonder why you need to recover them? I usually see the same 60-75% fall back into the hole. There are enough topsiders for me to study w/o going to far to recover them.

In the areas I shoot, snakes are always a threat and fleas are not much fun either. As mentioned, The "grabber" mechanical arm would work to keep your hands away from unpleasant things.

 

[Thach2264]

I like to retrieve them because if I don’t, at night the coyotes will come and make bigger holes to retrieve them. Also, I do not want the farm owner to say I’m the reason the holes get bigger. I like to have s good relationship with the farm owner or keep my free hunting place. 


and I do eat them or give them away to friends that like to eat them. Ground squirrels meat is a little less tougher than tree squirrels.

 

[qball]

Be careful with any ground dwelling rodents as they are known to carry fleas that could carry the plague, there are few confirmed cases every year here in California. Retrieve with a long grabber and leave them out for the cleanup crew. 

 

[L.Leon]

He said he eats them, so the OP is definitely getting eating close. So that said, long handled grabbers or go bare handed.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I like to retrieve them because if I don’t, at night the coyotes will come and make bigger holes to retrieve them. Also, I do not want the farm owner to say I’m the reason the holes get bigger. I like to have s good relationship with the farm owner or keep my free hunting place. 


and I do eat them or give them away to friends that like to eat them. Ground squirrels meat is a little less tougher than tree squirrels.

You’re the first person I’ve heard of eating ground squirrels. Are you concerned about being bitten when reach in into a burrow with your hand? I still think using a tool to retrieve them is safer. Something like this 

 

[ScottEnglish]

Bring in Marley

 

[Thach2264]

I only reach in to get them if I see them, dead not moving at all of course. If I don’t see them, I wont put my hand in blindly searching for it. 


I got bitten by a squirrel before when I was young….when I try to catch it with my bare hand. Never again I would catch or grab if the squirrels is not completely dead. 

 

[Thach2264]

I’ll get the tool from now on and thanks for all those safety/diseases information. 

 

[Ezana4CE]

I only reach in to get them if I see them, dead not moving at all of course. If I don’t see them, I wont put my hand in blindly searching for it. 


I got bitten by a squirrel before when I was young….when I try to catch it with my bare hand. Never again I would catch or grab if the squirrels is not completely dead. 

It’s the other squirrels living in the burrow that I would be concerned about trying to bite me. Be careful and happy hunting. 

 

[dizzums]

id work on picking your shot ...

 

[Norcal]

I'd have to be starving to death to resort to eating nasty mangy Ground Squirrels... 

 

[JakeRico]

I use a toilet auger to retrieve groundhogs, it has a large Pivoting wire screw on the end to grab hold of anything. Should work the same for ground squirrels

 

[MosesM]

I do the opposite. I will stuff a dead groundhog back down into his hole, using a stick or my shooting tripod to get his as deep as possible and will sometimes stuff some sticks or leaves down on top of it. I do this to prevent raptors from eating the carcass and getting poisoned by any lead remaining in the carcass. More an issue with my powder burners than my air rifles though.

Moses in PA

 

[JakeRico]

I do the opposite. I will stuff a dead groundhog back down into his hole, using a stick or my shooting tripod to get his as deep as possible and will sometimes stuff some sticks or leaves down on top of it. I do this to prevent raptors from eating the carcass and getting poisoned by any lead remaining in the carcass. More an issue with my powder burners than my air rifles though.

Moses in PA

I use the auger to confirm a fatal shot. Then it’s back in the hole for the same reasons you described.

 

[qball]

He said he eats them, so the OP is definitely getting eating close. So that said, long handled grabbers or go bare handed

.

excellent point there……..I’ll pass on the eating part.

 

[rcarlisle]

If one must retrieve a rodent from a den, Jack Russel Terriers...

 

[N2 Shooter]

and I do eat them...

Really?

Nothing taste good enough to get the plague.