Plenty of time for squirrel hunting

We’ve tossed out the old calendar and replaced it with a shiny new 2025 model. Does this mean that we can forget hunting until this fall and winter? Not by a long shot. There’s still plenty to do outdoors; ducks season is still going on, deer will be legal game for awhile as will rabbits and quail.
One of my favorite outdoor activities this time of year was to hook up with a buddy who owns a good squirrel dog and head for the woods for a late season squirrel hunt. Hunting squirrels this time of year is a departure from the way we did it in October when season opened. Back then, we sneaked into the woods at first light, finding a comfortable seat on a log and waited for the first squirrel to shake the end of a branch. With ample foliage still on the trees, it was a simple matter to sneak to within shotgun range of a feeding squirrel.
Once the first frost sent the leaves showering to the ground in a burst of color, hunting squirrels became more complicated. No longer was it easy to sneak up on a squirrel; he’d spot you the minute you took your first step in his direction.
This is where a good squirrel dog earns his Purina. You’ve kept him around the place all year, feeding him and taking him to the vet. But once the leaves are off the trees, Fido quickly makes you forget the dog food and vet bills. If he’s a good squirrel dog, he’ll pay dividends in spades.
Nothing is quite as much fun as getting together with a group of friends and heading for the woods with a squirrel dog leading the way. If he’s well trained, and you’re in good squirrel woods, you’ll hear him bark treed before you walk a quarter mile.
Once you locate the tree where the dog is treed, teamwork enters the picture. Hunters surround the tree, affording every possible angle to give the tree a visual once-over. Chances are, someone will say, “I see him…he’s up there in that fork above the crooked limb”, or something similar. If you’re rotating shots and it’s your turn to shoot, you’ll draw a bead on the squirrel, send him plummeting to the ground in a shower of leaves, and call the dog off to find another.
It’s not always that simple. Sometimes, the tree is covered with vines and the squirrel is nowhere to be found. Here’s where another ploy is used to locate the squirrel.
One hunter will say, “Y’all stand back and get to where you can see the tree. I’m fixin’ to shake a vine.” No squirrel can sit still when the tree begins bouncing as a vine is pulled and shaken. He’ll take off and if it’s a cat squirrel, you can’t help but marvel at how fast he can scoot up the tree, jumping to another and never stopping until a load or two of #6 shot finds its mark.
Sometimes, a squirrel heads for a hole in a tree before the hunters arrive, and when this happens, it’s just as well that you call off the dog and find another squirrel. He’s not likely to leave the safety of the hollow until the woods grow quiet again.
The enjoyable part of squirrel hunting with a dog is the camaraderie. It’s not necessary to be quiet and stealthy. The dog locates the tree where the squirrel is hiding and sometimes the more noise you make, the better chance the squirrel will move, giving away its hideout.
You don’t have a squirrel dog? You can squirrel hunt anyhow this time of year. Locate a spot where squirrels are feeding; you’ll find freshly-cut hulls on the ground. Find a comfortable seat and sit quietly until you spot a squirrel. This is a good time to use a 22 rifle where longer range shots are necessary. Another way to hunt squirrels this time of year without a squirrel dog is to invite a few friends along to walk through the woods, shaking every vine you see. It’s an almost certain bet that you’ll get some shooting at a few fast moving squirrels.
It might be difficult to concentrate on squirrel hunting with the deep freeze we’re having this week. However, this too shall pass and we can concentrate on chasing squirrel on through the month of February. Give late season squirrel hunting a try. It’s good exercise and a whole lot of fun.