The squirrel wars

Hunting squirrels after the corn picker comes along will work.

The fox squirrel was making his move. He was putting a stalk on our backyard bird feeder.

Squirrels must have poor memories. They spend all summer and fall hoarding food for winter, but they apparently forget where they left their stash of goodies. This bushytail was advancing on our bird feeders in a flanking maneauver, and I waited for him to start up the tree.

The door was rattled, and I swear that bushytail cleared 10 feet and hit the snowy ground running. He will wait until he can get away with it, and try to empty the sunflower seed feeder.

Black, fox, grey & red squirrels have a never-give-up attitude for our bird seed.

Squirrel season used to end at the end of December, but now the season runs through March 1. And it's a made-to-order hunt on those days when the snow is skimpy or nonexistent, and when the weather is warm on a winter's day.

Would I shoot one off the bird feeder? Of course not, but between chipmunks, red squirrels and their larger cousin -- the fox squirrel -- it has been a war around here for years.

Bought a 50-pound bag of sunflower seeds lately. How about thistle seeds or Niger seeds? No, well they are expensive and the prices for seed never goes down.

I don't believe there is any such thing as a squirrel-proof bird feeder. I've seen them shinny up a fiberglass pole attached to the railing. It was supposed to be squirrel-proof, but they figured out a way to climb it anyway.

One squirrel will make a mess of the bird feeder. If two or three nutcrackers move in, and nothing is done about it, they will empty a bird feeder every day. They run off, their cheeks puffed out with bird seeds until they look like they have a goiter, and five minutes later, they head back on another raid.

Deer hunting ended today amid a howling wind and snow. There is still snow in the woods for hunting cottontails or snowshoe hares, and it's over three months until the turkey season opens, so if you hanker a bit of excitement, go winter squirrel hunting.

Winter squirrel season never has to take you far from home.

There was a corn field near our house last summer, and some corn kernels still litter the ground. The corn will attract squirrels, but with the  earlier deep snow, bushytails found themselves out of a food source. Most of the corn from the nearby fields has been eaten by deer, geese and squirrels, and they are now looking for another free handout.

I'm tired of them at the bird feeder. I don't share the same opinion of squirrels as some people who have unsuccessfully fought squirrel wars for more years than they can remember. They call these critters tree rats or wood rats, and other less complimentary mixes of strong Anglo-Saxon words. which, I believe, has led to the longer winter season.

They are persistent little buggers. It's that nevergive-up attitude of theirs that makes them a nuisance.

The best way to fight the squirrel wars is to grab up the shotgun and head for the woods. Sit down near a trail of squirrel tracks, sit still, and wait for them to show their long tails. They never expect to be hunted during the winter, and it takes a while for them to smarten up.

Shoot one squirrel, and just sit still. Other nearby squirrels may chatter and carry on but soon their curiosity will get the best of them. They head out to get something else to eat, or to investigate the noise, and it's fairly easy to shoot five squirrels on a sunny and warm afternoon.

What works? Black-powder pistol or shotgun, .22 rifle or a shotgun.

Don't worry. Taking a limit of fox squirrels isn't going to hurt their population one bit. Shoot their numbers down, and you soon learn one of Nature's truisms: Nature abhors a vacuum.

Once some squirrels are taken, other squirrels move in to fill the empty space. It becomes a never-ending problem.

Years ago, when I was a kid, most people hunted nutcrackers with a rifle. The bullet from a puny .22 can carry over a mile if someone was to shoot at a squirrel up in the tree-tops. There are too many people around now, and the wide-open spaces of years ago are all filled up with houses and people.

Be safe and smart, and use a shotgun. Don't forget your Hunter Orange clothing, and you'll be able to shoot them on the ground or up in a tree. Use No. 6 shot, and it will be deadly medicine.

One thing about hunting nutcrackers. You'll put some mighty fine food on your table with five winter squirrels, and there will be fewer of the animals around next spring to invade your bird feeders.

And that's just fine with me.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors