Who doesn’t love squirrels? How
many have ever had a good roasted squirrel? Have you ever been in a deer stand
waiting for that perfect shot on a deer, only to be heckled all day by a family
of annoying limb rats? Have you ever seen the way a kid lights up when they see
their first squirrel fall out of the tree? How about that time you went bow
hunting and had a squirrel shelling acorns on the branch next to you, so close
you could almost slap it out of the tree?
I’m going to go out on a proverbial
limb and say there are fewer animals in nature which have produced the kind of
raw emotion stirred up by the great American limb rat. From the angry trophy
hunter to the entertained naturalist and the young hunter who’s eager for their
first hunt, squirrels are at the heart of all of it. For many of us the
squirrel was our first quarry preparing us for our graduation into the world of
deer hunting. For others the squirrel represents yet another in a pantheon of
game to fill our freezers and nourish our bodies.
So, is it as simple as going out in
the woods to kill a squirrel? Yeah, pretty much it is. There are only a scant
few exceptions to being overly simple. You have to basic methods which are
generally accepted. The first is the “sit and wait” approach. I really don’t need
to explain this one, but there are a few things I will point out. First,
there’s no point in sitting where there are no squirrels. Be on the lookout for
den trees and nests. Nests are easy to spot but a den tree can be a little more
difficult. But if you know of patch of
woods with an abundance of limb rats hanging around try to find trees with
obvious holes. Look at the base of these trees for the telltale claw marks of
animals frequently mounting and dismounting the tree.
You can also try to spot and stalk
your next squirrel dinner. This is another tactic that has proven successful,
and is more entertaining when hunting with kids. In my younger days I walked
all the time while hunting squirrels. It wasn’t until my later teenage years I
met another passionate squirrel hunter who taught me how to spot and stalk. His
advice has served me well and I’m amazed by how many people do it all wrong.
His advice was simple. He said to
me “You damn kids walk too fast.” Initially I wanted to make a comment bout him
just being old, but I held my tongue and listened. “Take five steps and stop.”
was his advice. That was it, and I’ve had greater success ever since. In an
acorn shell, you see things from a different angle every time you move. Animals
in nature are in their own environment and will often sit right in our field of
view and watch us walk past. They can do this because we look once and keep
moving.
If a hunter stops and looks around,
takes five steps and repeats they will be able to see much more as the subtle change
of angle will add definition to different shapes. Such shapes you would look
for would be the line of a deer’s back, the bend of a squirrel tail, or a set
of eyes watching as you move through their world. As you move slower you’ll be
able to see them move as you’ll be making less noise and swift motions that
would cause an animal to stop or head for cover. Don’t be in such a hurry to
move along the trails and you’ll be able to see more wildlife.
Often times, a squirrel will not go
to a den tree or nest to avoid a hunter. This may seem like common sense, but
you’d be amazed at how many times I’ve been hunting with someone who wants to
start moving towards a nest because they think they’ve gotten the old
limb-rat-slip. When in reality what has happened is the squirrel hasn’t gone
anywhere. The little bushy-tailed leaf rustler has simply hugged the side of
the tree opposite of where you are standing.
As you move around the tree they shuffle
around so you’d swear they’re not there at all. Often there will be the
smallest part of their head showing which is how they track what you’re doing.
Often times this little bit of what is visible is nearly impossible to spot.
You, the hunter, are then faced with two options. First, you can make every
effort to flush out your prey which may cause a disturbance and educate the
squirrel if you happen to be unsuccessful. Second, move on and let that one
live to rattle leaves another day.
With regards to educating a
limb-rat, I have again seen people who swear it can’t be done. To them I say,
horse dookie. Squirrels can be among the smartest animals in nature. They
remember the time some strange looking, bright orange creature made a loud
noise and made the branches next to them explored. Not only do they remember, but they want to
survive and go straight into stealth mode when they see that same kind of
creature coming again. So, the moral of my story is to not worry. There are
plenty of squirrels out there. If one gets away you shouldn’t make too much of
a ruckus trying to get them.
Calling squirrels is another way to
be successful in hunting them, but not for me. I’ve owned two squirrel calls in
my day and have never been able to legitimately say I’ve ever called a squirrel
out of cover with them. Truth be told, my squirrel calls have been more
productive in predator hunting than anything else. Ergo, if you elect to try
this method I wish you luck but I can’t offer any evidence that it is the best
means of hunting.
That brings us back to the idea of
simplicity. Most of your time hunting should be a combination of spot and stalk
and sit and wait. When you make a shot and collect your bounty it is a simple
matter of being quiet and letting things settle. Often times, I will be in the
woods before daybreak. When the limb-rats start heading out of their dens I
will be able to make shots on several. After I have several down I can move
around and collect them. The most I’ve ever managed to get this way has been
four from one tree.
This leads me to discuss weapons
best for squirrel hunting. My personal favorite is an old-school Winchester
Model 62A, my grandfather had given me. It’s an old pump-action, iron sighted,
war horse of a 22 rifle that has put many limb-rats in the stew pot. The key is
that rifle fits me perfectly and shoots as accurately as any new or old rifle
I’ve ever owned. It doesn’t really matter about the details of your squirrel
rifle or pistol as long as you are deadly accurate with it. If you can’t
consistently make a spot on shot with your rifle, you may want to consider
using a shotgun.
There’s an entire library of
material our there as far as shotguns are concerned. You really don’t need to
be too concerned about what shotgun to use as long as you have something with a
modified choke that will allow for a good pattern. You can effectively use any
gauged shotgun for squirrel, but the good old twelve gauge is probably a better
multitasker if you decide to hunt turkey, ducks, geese, or rabbit. If you can
afford it, and it is permissible according to your local hunting law then you
can easily use it to hunt limb-rats.
One of the most crucial parts of
squirrel hunting is safety. We need to remember we’re hunting an animal that
leaps from tree-top to tree-top. I can yet again say I’ve seen a number of
people on a number of occasions send a simple little twenty-two caliber bullet
up into the atmosphere to land wherever it may. On one occasion I even had a
friend send a bullet into a barn over a half mile away. They look like little
bullets but they can travel forever and we always need to be aware of where we
are shooting.
The best practice it to wait for a
squirrel to be flat against a tree and in good alignment with us. When you make
the shot it will pass through the squirrel and lodge in the tree. Reducing the
possibility of a ricochet or complete miss will make sure we don’t have bullets
raining down on someone’s house several miles away. It is important to remember
that you are responsible for your bullet until it comes to a rest. If that
bullet happens to come to rest in the middle of a hay field then you are lucky.
If it happens to come to rest in someone’s roof then you are ultimately
responsible.
I’ve met a number of folk who
refuse to hunt squirrel because they are said to be hard to clean. This really
isn’t the case and the benefits far outweigh the labors. Whom wouldn’t love t pack some of their
freezer with some fresh limb-rat? These little critters are a delicacy beyond
measure. Wrapped on foil with some salt, pepper, and butter to be thrown on a
fire or oven to roast is nothing short of fantastic. They make a great protein
for stews and broths as well. If you have the patience to skin them carefully,
you can use the hides for a number of craft projects that is sure to please
anyone.
The final thing that is to be most
beloved of a day chasing limb-rats is the chance it gives you to take to the
woods so you can start scouting for big game season. A nice day of squirrel
hunting can give us the chances to not only teach our kids how to hunt, but how
to stalk and track as well. It’s a good opportunity to look for tracks, rubs,
and droppings so we can start to make a plan for whatever comes next on your
hunting calendar. Then we also can face the fact that sometimes we just need to
get outdoors.
Here’s some further reading.
