as a young teenager, I hunted squirrel in East Texas with an AR-7. Just before dusk seemed to be my best time because I could see them in silhouette and usually bagged a few. Ate them all.
Lived in a development that was overrun by the pesky rodents. They really had an attitude until I broke out a single-shot .177 pellet rifle with scope. Most taken out with head shots. After a while, they figured it out and left my yard alone. Got to be sure of a good backstop though, as I didn’t want to bother the neighbors...