Squirrel hunting early american style
 

So Ok back in the olden days when the first whites came to this land there were squirrels everywhere.
I'm told there were hordes of them. How were they hunted?There were no small arms. No shotguns.A musket would be overkill. How did the professional market hunters do it?

There were no small arms?
I doubt that like H***
In the 1600's, if you really are interested in that far back, a rifle was a real rarity- almost all long guns were smoothbore. Load with a ball for deer, shot for small game. And everyone had a long gun. Most long guns (smoothbore) were .69 or .72 caliber, and did very well as shotguns.
Rifled barrels weren't common until the 1800's, and the rifles of the early 1800's were relatively small bore- like .32. Lead was expensive, so small balls were used.
It wasn't until people started going west of the Mississippi that you start to see larger bore rifles- like .50's, etc.

As for pro hunters they tended to use snares, etc. Jack is pretty dead on about what arms are used. There are historic examples of small arms in the period but they were "parlor" arms not ment for hunting, and generaly were limited to Europe until around the time of the old west, and were extremely expensive one of a kind items for the most part. Also don't forget, while modern hunters tend to forget how effective they really are; and tend to discount them as mere toys, slings have been used for a few thousand years for game of all sizes.

GoodOlBoy

Quote Jack
Most long guns (smoothbore) were .69 or .72 caliber, and did very well as shotguns. /quote
Ok so what did they use as shot?
I guess I've heard of loading with nails and salt but I thought that was old west days and in a true shotgun.

Lead birdshot existed in those days. I'm sure fine gravel got used in an emergency a time or two, but gravel would likely score the bore.

Some time do a search on the net for shot tower and you will get an eyefull as to just how old some of the American shot towers are. Shot was, from what I understand, alot more prevelant than it was given credit for.

GoodOlBoy

Alot of old timers would use their rifles and "bark" a squirrel.
this would consist of shoot a rifle ball into the bark of tree limb directly below the squirrels head, if the concussion /and splinters didn't kill the squirrels out right, it would knock the squirrel out of the tree untill the hunter could pick up the squirrel and dispatch it by brainning it on a tree.