Try squirrel hunting this fall

A brief walk around a nearby woods a couple of days ago produced the sighting of three deer, probably a doe and two fawns, as I checked field edges for tracks. A pair of water holes were checked for tracks as well, and all that produced was small hoof prints.

I sat for a bit on a fallen log, and pondered the upcoming deer season, hoping it shapes up better than the last one. I remember a big crowd in Cadillac at the High School auditorium several years ago when the Department of Natural Resources showed up to talk deer, and the anger and animosity the people showed the DNR people who were asking for input.

They probably got more input than they expected, and probably felt that everyone disliked them. I don't dislike them; for me, I just want to see wildlife biologists out in the field, getting some dirt on their boots, talking to people and doing their job.

The thoughts of that meeting was a prelude to deer scouting.

There are many who may not have had the book-learnin' the DNR folks have, but many of them know more about how deer move, why they move, what they do in a storm, etc., than most DNR biologists. Most landowners have a far better idea of how many deer roam their land than the DNR does. My question is: why not use some of that private-sector knowledge and hope it delivers greater information from the private sector?

Ah, but I digress. I sat on a fallen log with my back to a tree, and remained motionless for many minutes. It took about five minutes for the squirrels to start moving around again. I was looking for deer sign but the squirrel season was open, Never thought about it until I got home that day,

In one location I saw almost a dozen different squirrels. I eventually moved to another location, sat down and saw a half-dozen more. A third spot produced sightings of at least another six bushytails. There were fox squirrels everywhere.

OK, so I saw perhaps 24 squirrels in a matter of 90 minutes. By any measuring stick one chooses to use, 24 squirrels in a half-mile area  is a bunch. Some are the ones that seem to benefit from my bird feeders.

Between squirrels, raccoons and possums, it's hard to feed the birds without having to cope with the other critters as well. So what should people do this fall with these rediculously high gas prices?

For many hunters, their earliest memories are of rabbit and squirrel hunting.

Most hunters probably cut their teeth of rabbits and squirrels years ago, and then grew up. They want something a bit more challenging, and go after black bears and whitetail deer. Maybe a caribou or two.

My solution, if I can sell it to you, is for you to take youngsters out for a squirrel hunt. Nutcrackers aren't very difficult to hunt if you know how to sit still, and spend more time looking and less time talking and walking.

Over many years of hunting, I've killed squirrels with bow and arrow, a .22 rimfire pistol, .22 rifle, shotgun and even with a black powder pistol once while hunting in Tennesee years ago when Hunter Orange clothing wasn't a requirement. Squirrel woods are best when located near a corn field or in oak stands where acorns are plentiful, and by now, squirrels are making forays constantly to those fields.

I prefer camo clothing and a blaze orange hat, and two hunters can work together. Squirrels are inquisitive and will chatter and scold when they spot human intrusion in the woods, but once a hunter sits down and remain motionless and quiet, the nutcrackers will start moving around.

One trick I learned years ago still works.

A trick we used years ago was to click the brass bases of two empty shotgun shells together or click one against the metal receiver of the shotgun. It makes a rapid clicking sound and roughly imitates a chattering squirrel.

Soon, squirrels will move out onto a limb, and offer an easy shotgun  shot. Two hunters can mess with a squirrel’s head. One person sits quietly while the other putters around on the other side of a squirrel tree. The bushytail will circle the tree to get on the opposite side of the walking hunter, and they often step right in line with a shotgun-toting hunter.

One hunter can accomplish the same thing. Sit down when you see a squirrel or it chatters at you, and remain still. Let five or 10 minutes pass, and throw a rock on the other side of the tree. If a squirrel is over there, he will come scrambling around to your side to hide.

Years ago, before the country got built up so heavily, I hunted with a rifle chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges. I had a scope and good eyes back then, and I'd never shoot at a squirrel on a limb because shooting up and missing the animal could cause the bullet to travel a mile or more. Instead, I shot the squirrels when they were hanging on the trunk of a tree, and if the shot missed, the bullet hit the tree trunk.

Now, a shotgun is best. Always be aware of where the shot charge will go, and hunt yourself up a mess of squirrels this fall. It's a grand adventure when shared with a young hunter who does all the shooting.

Oh, one last tip. Squirrels are much easier to skin as soon as they are shot than hours later. Skin them while waiting for another nutcracker to show himself.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors