Squirrel Hunting Questions

[Pecci]

I went squirrel hunting this late afternoon and evening.  Saw nothing in 3 hrs.  I've now been hunting for squirrels 7 times at one of the local conservation areas.  So far I have only seen 2 and I have not fired a shot.  The folks at the Conservation Dept. tell me there is no hunting pressure at all, and #'s are good. 

My question is, can you tell me how you hunt squirrel?  I need to understand what I'm doing wrong, or not doing at all.  If you need to ask questions, feel free.

I'd appreciate it very much!

[Graybeard]

Might help folks to help you if you let us know what state you're in as there is some minor differences state to state I'm sure.

But in general to hunt squirrels you need to hunt their food supply. You'll need to learn what they are eating at any given time in your area. Right now around here in Bama that's usually hickory nuts, later it will be acorns and still later when the nuts run out or get in short supply pine cones can be a major food source. They also love dogwood berries and feed heaviy on them. Any kinda soft mast like muscadines, grapes and such will be eaten by then when ripe. Beech nuts are another favorite when they can be found.

Generally speaking you'll do best in hardwood forests with plenty of mature trees to hold mast. Since I don't know where you are I don't know what that might be for you.

Hunt them early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Mid day is not as good a time generally speaking. They are out and active even before the sun rises when it's barely light enough to see the trees much less the squirrels. They'll be heading back to bed just before it's too dark to see again.

[Pecci]

Thanks, Graybeard.  I'm in NE Missouri.  I hunt in a forest dominated by oak and hickory.  From what your telling me, I have some homework to do.  I've only been out here 2 years, so I'm still learning.  It's a lot different than jumping jacks out in the Mojave.

Anyhow, I hope my location helps.

[bobg]

Pecci,
  The woods behind my house is full of beech nuts and acorns. I just pick a spot and sit down and wait. Don't know how other people do it but this is how i hunt squirrels.
      bobg

[Graybeard]

I'd think from what you say of your location and what little I know of MO that your squirrels should be about like ours. Right now I'd look for cuttings in the hickory trees or more specifically under them. That's likely where they are now. Some might already be in the oaks but that usually comes a bit later.

[DaveH]

Get into the woods find a spot that has good food source with alot of cuttings,  Also as you go into the woods listen for what sounds like rain falling from the trees it will be a squirrel in a tree chewing on a nut and disgaurding the shell.  Once you have found a spot like this sit down and let the woods forget your there.  Keep your eyes and ears open.  Watch the trees and listen for a squirrel run through the under brush. 

[Pecci]

Guys ecxcuse my ignorance on th subject.  Graybeard and DaveH, by cuttings, are you referring to small branch cuttings or shelled acorns and nuts?

[Graybeard]

Cuttings are the left over hulls that squirrels have "cut" with their teeth to get the nut meat out. Or in the case of pine cones you'll find the center part and all the little pieces that were attached to it separated and often in piles as much as 2' tall. They only want the seed of the pine nothing else. That's the cuttings to which we refer.

I agree with the comment on listening. If the woods are still and quiet you can hear them cutting the nuts and the residue falling on the leaves from a long way off. Again IF the leaves are on you can hear the swishing of the leaves and limbs as they jump and run back and forth up the limbs to get the nuts. They will then most often run back down to a more solid location to cut or eat it.

[Ranger J]

Too bad you’re not down in the Missouri Ozarks where I live.  We have so many squirrels (largely gray) that you almost have to kick the little beggars out of the way to get to your car.  Lots of public land (Mark Twain National Forest) to hunt in too.
RJ

[SQUACKS]

 these fellows make some good points on squirrel hunting. everybody likes to hunt squirrels in their own way and this usually stems from however they have been successful in the past.

 i put down what i know of squirrel hunting in the topic, "squirrel hunters, the tree kind".
 it may be a bit lengthy but i feel it is worth a new wannabe squirrel hunters time to read it.

 i wish you luck in your quest to become a squirrel hunter. i hope you get as much enjoyment out of your time spent in the timber as i have in the 40 plus years i have been doing it. there is nothing like a crisp september morning as the sky is starting to "pink" up.

                                                                         luck!

[Dee]

Pecci, I have been squirrel hunting all my life (I'm 56) and enjoy it as much as deer hunting, hogs and everything in between. All the advice you have gotten here is good. Another word is until you get more into it think about a shotgun. Also when you shoot a squirrel, don't get up and run to him. Let the woods settle down and the others will come back out. Squirrels are color blind for the most part and pick up on movement. If you have acorn and pecans, you have squirrels. I usually prefer hunting in the mornings to the evenings and find them more productive. I have been thru your part of the country many times and the woods are simular to my area. We have red (or fox) squirrels and east of here  reds and grays. The reds are bigger, and the grays are faster.

[skycrab99]

Into the woods as quietly as you can, preferable before sunrise, full camo is best. I cannot stress how much more sucessful you will be if camo'd out. Ive had squirrels cross into a tree above me, see this mass of something underneath it, and come down within feet of me trying to figure out what I am.

Find mixed hardwoods, preferably in creek bottoms, but any good mixed hardwood area is good. Areas with taller trees good place to start if no creekbottom. Find a place to sit and get comfortable. If Im going to a new area I am prepared to sit for at least 30 minutes watching for any movement. Most of the time squirrels will forget about you in 15-20 minutes if you are camo'ed and motionless. If nothing after 45 minutes then I am ready to quietly ease up and quietly and slowly move to new areas and repeat.

The closest thing I have found to a sure bet in unfamiliar mixed hardwood bottoms is a tree that has fallen across a creek. For some reason tree rats love to run horizontal timber. The next best thing is to find a point on a creek where two trees come together close enough that they can use to cross. This is especially good if that is the only place to cross a creek for a good distance either way.

Bellows calls tend to work in areas with fox squirrels. I will wait 15 minutes after sitting and tap out a soft bark pattern. Greys and foxes bark differently, sound different, and have different rythem. Sometimes the call will bring younger squirrels to me, curious about a new voice in the woods. Generally, though, the sound of the call seems to put them at ease and gets them moving again if they are around. If no response, then I bark out another time after about 25 minutes. Ive not had much luck with greys and calling though.

Dont be offended, because I dont know how much you know, but make sure you know what squrrel barks sound like. If you are moving though the woods and hear squirrels sounding off, you are moving too  fast/noisily. Grey squirrels also give out an alarm shreik.

Next year when the leaves are up, a good hunter will  find the squirrels with his ears and stalk it. Another good way is to sit still and watch for limb movement that isnt in line with breezes. It is easier to stalk up on a squirrel cutting feeding in a tree with leaves. You cant see it and it cant see you. Your advantage is that you can see the limbs moving so you KNOW its there. After the leaves fall  squirrels will spend most of their time on the ground.

Squirrels rarely travel alone. If you see one and are camo'd out, sometimes it pays to just sit and watch and see if there are any more bringing up the rear.

I use a scoped 22. I dont think there is anything to beat it while hunting tree rats. 22 noise seems to not spook all the squirrels in the woods. Ive even shot, missed, and shot again while a squirrel did little more that perk its ears up before returning to cutting an acorn. Shoot a 12 gauge and many times you will shut down the forest for at least 30 minutes. If you are hunting greys, they are smaller and move more, stopping only for less than a second every so often. Hunting greys with a 22 will force you to become familiar with your gun, good trigger habits, etc.

Good luck and if you try of my suggestions, let me know what works for you and what doesnt.

[hillbill]

i live in sw mo and around here  the secret to squirrel hunting seems to pretend yu are deer hunting and they will practically run up in your hip pocket. seriously tho, ive seen tree rats all over one day, go to same place next day and whole area looks totally uninhabited.i have a box stand that the tree rats have chewed huge holes in but unless yu are there on the right day yu wont see them.from my experience it seems like they move more once the sun is up to warm them or right before sundown. hunting is like like fishing, the more yu go, the more yu get.

[Ranger J]

A deer stand and a .22 before season (deer) make a great combo.  I realized this when one deer season it occurred to me that I probably could put more meat on the table shooting the squirrels I saw than the deer.  It also allows you to thin out the tree rats so you aren’t constantly getting false alarms during deer season, caused by their rustling through the leaves.  It also allows you to watch out for the deer and take note when and where they are passing through the woods.
RJ

[Sarge]

Hey Skycrab, that is a very good post you made and with all the other posts this new squirrel hunter should be well on his way. My old uncle once told me that if you are really good at hunting squirrels you can hunt anything.

[Jerry Lester]

I prefer to stalk'em with a single action revolver myself.

I wish I could add to what's already been written here, but honestly, if you really pay attention to these fellows advice, you should start killing all kinds of squirrels. About the only thing I can add at all is that if you see one in a tree, and he runs around to the opposite side from you(typical situation), throw a small rock, stick, or whatever's handy on the other side of the tree. Generally, they'll scoot back around to your side, and if you're quick, you can pop'em then.

If you try stalking squirrels, don't go into it like you're hunting big game. Most people consider a stalk within 80 yards of a feeding, or bedded deer as a challenge. I shoot most of my squirrels within 20 yards, and at those ranges a squirrel is just as "spookable" as a deer at 20 yards. Move extremely slow, and watch every single inch of every tree, and every square foot of ground for any movement, or especially a patch of fur. That bushy tail is a dead give away when an inch of it is sticking out from a branch or tree trunk. Also watch for their little pointy heads peering around a tree at you. The reason most of my squirrels are head shot is because after a 15-20 minute stalk, they'll bust me, and I catch sight of that little head staring at me .

[Pecci]

Wow, lots of generous advice.  Thanks to all of you.  I'll make notes from this thread and get out there when it warms up a bit, hopefully before the season ends.

[Game_Stalker]

One thing I didn't notice in any of the other posts is that once you HAVE taken one or more squirrels, how are you going to transport them? I always keep them fully enclosed in a backpack I bring along so as to avoid the tail movements from the dead squirrels from tipping off any others in the area. Imagine having the squirrels tied to your belt, as some hunters do. As you move, so do the tails of your kills, and aside from the barks you hear, squirrels also use tail movements to communicate with other squirrels. So, you're stalking along and any squirrel looking in your direction will see the tails swinging in an odd fashion, which has a tendency to alert them to a predator in the area.

[Dee]

Weeelll, I have never tied a dead by gunshot squirrel to my belt as I don't want a bloody mess running down my leg, but I have to ask. Are you serious?

[Game_Stalker]

I know a couple hunters who would tie them to a belt, if that's what you're asking, but yes. You watch a squirrel and when they get nervous/agitated, they will flick their tails about to show it.

[Dee]

I know a couple hunters who would tie them to a belt, if that's what you're asking, but yes. You watch a squirrel and when they get nervous/agitated, they will flick their tails about to show it.

Well, I am fully aware of the squirrel and his body language, such as flicking his tail, and that some nimrods would tie a bloody squirrel to his belt. But are you serious, about a dead squirrels' tail floppin as the hunter walks would actually send some type of signal to other squirrels? This seems a little cartoonish. I am certainly aware that a squirrel has enough sense in most cases to keep low when a hunter is walking thru the woods, but to say a dead squirrels' tail is still signaling from the grave is not just a little far-fetched.

[Jerry Lester]

I know a couple hunters who would tie them to a belt, if that's what you're asking, but yes. You watch a squirrel and when they get nervous/agitated, they will flick their tails about to show it.

Well, I am fully aware of the squirrel and his body language, such as flicking his tail, and that some nimrods would tie a bloody squirrel to his belt. But are you serious, about a dead squirrels' tail floppin as the hunter walks would actually send some type of signal to other squirrels? This seems a little cartoonish. I am certainly aware that a squirrel has enough sense in most cases to keep low when a hunter is walking thru the woods, but to say a dead squirrels' tail is still signaling from the grave is not just a little far-fetched.

It might sound far fetched, and as far as just "casually" strolling through the woods, your own movement out weighs any allarm signal the tails might be giving off. That said though, I've definately been busted more times than I can count from the wind swishing a tail I was carrying even though I was standing 100% motionless at that moment. I carry my squirrels on a wire ring that I put through a front foot or arm. I now leave that ring of squirrels laying while I'm stalking, and ease back to get it after my stalk is over.

[Dee]

So your saying the wind got ya, or the squirrel tail got ya? I've been huntin squirrel for 50 years, and I've been busted countless times, but I hardly believe a squirrel would even take time to notice another squirrel tail hangin off my person. You could have a dead house cat hanging off your belt and get the same reaction.

[Jerry Lester]

You could have a dead house cat hanging off your belt and get the same reaction.

You're right, but then, I'm not hunting cats!

Well, at least not while squirrel hunting...

Seriously though, I've been busted a lot of times right in the last few feet of a stalk because the breeze blew the tails on the squirrels I was carrying. I'm not talking about 30 yards now, I'm talking about revolver ranges(5 to 20 yards).

[Dee]

Well, I'll just have to take your word for it, that the squirrel tails blew your cover.

[halfshot]

Believe it or not ,,after forty years  ,,I will not carry a squirrel  on a stalk ,, I leave it on the ground ,, pick up later after the stalk  , because sometimes  you will get busted,, because of a tail  moving ............

[old fossil]

Use a game vest with a compartment on the back.

[Rock Home Isle]

I went squirrel hunting this late afternoon and evening.  Saw nothing in 3 hrs.  I've now been hunting for squirrels 7 times at one of the local conservation areas.  So far I have only seen 2 and I have not fired a shot.  The folks at the Conservation Dept. tell me there is no hunting pressure at all, and #'s are good. 

My question is, can you tell me how you hunt squirrel?  I need to understand what I'm doing wrong, or not doing at all.  If you need to ask questions, feel free.

I'd appreciate it very much!

Squirrels have very predictable habits. They rise at near the same time each day...if they find a nice cache of food, they'll be regular as clockwork until its all gone.


But mostly if you want to be successful, look for sign. You want to see lots of nests in the trees, and when the forest is quiet you want to hear the gentle rain of debree as the squirrels clipp branches and feed on buds. The best thing to do is become very familiar with the area...visit it on many occasions...even outside of season. You'll see the squirrels in all seasons and get an idea of where they go as the seasons change throughout the year.