2023 Fall Squirrel Season...........

[Christophero]

Etipp, that is in interesting observation about the overly large grey, or grey/fox squirrel cross. Could it also be that the black mush in the stomach was the black hull covering of a black walnut? It is pretty dark under the green outer layer. I don't know what the squirrels do with that stuff when they are chewing down to the shell for the meat, eat it or spit it out, but they do gnaw on it. I went out for the first time this season in Ohio Wednesday evening using a scoped 22, as I am need to check the sight in of the .32 and didn't have time when I finally had a chance to slip over to John's place late in the day. The first of the two I bagged was in the process of chewing the rind off the nut when the little bullet toppled it off the limb. I could clearly see what he was doing through the 4X before squeezing the trigger, and the partially uncovered shell was laying next to him on the ground.
Then again, it very well may be black gum fruit.
I was reading through a thread on another forum of a gentleman who has recorded over 50,000 squirrel kills in his lifetime. His knowledge of what squirrels eat is amazing. If you want I can copy and past what he has witnessed them eating, and not eating during the different seasons of the year.

Oh, and another thing to add, about 35 years ago while hunting squirrels in the big Beech woods I used to go to I did drop a sow fox squirrel that did indeed have a womb full of unborn squirrels. First and last for me, but it happens at times.

Good thread. I hope to pull out the Cherokee and join you making smoke in the squirrel woods this Fall.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Etipp, that is in interesting observation about the overly large grey, or grey/fox squirrel cross. Could it also be that the black mush in the stomach was the black hull covering of a black walnut? It is pretty dark under the green outer layer. I don't know what the squirrels do with that stuff when they are chewing down to the shell for the meat, eat it or spit it out, but they do gnaw on it. I went out for the first time this season in Ohio Wednesday evening using a scoped 22, as I am need to check the sight in of the .32 and didn't have time when I finally had a chance to slip over to John's place late in the day. The first of the two I bagged was in the process of chewing the rind off the nut when the little bullet toppled it off the limb. I could clearly see what he was doing through the 4X before squeezing the trigger, and the partially uncovered shell was laying next to him on the ground.
Then again, it very well may be black gum fruit.
I was reading through a thread on another forum of a gentleman who has recorded over 50,000 squirrel kills in his lifetime. His knowledge of what squirrels eat is amazing. If you want I can copy and past what he has witnessed them eating, and not eating during the different seasons of the year.

Oh, and another thing to add, about 35 years ago while hunting squirrels in the big Beech woods I used to go to I did drop a sow fox squirrel that did indeed have a womb full of unborn squirrels. First and last for me, but it happens at times.

Good thread. I hope to pull out the Cherokee and join you making smoke in the squirrel woods this Fall.

If it isn't too much trouble to copy and paste that deal about the guy with the 50,000 squirrel kills that would be awesome. Thanks.

 

[Christophero]

This fellow is from Tennessee and though I've learned much over the years he has more squirrel experience than I can fathom. Awhile back during the early Spring season on this forum we were discussing what squirrels eat before the nuts are prime. I came across this list last night and thought it very helpful:

Here’s list of what squirrel eat in my area. (Tennessee. The feller goes by Squirrel1)

Acorn off various oak trees.
Hickory nuts off various hickory trees.
Bodark tree apples - Late Fall- Winter
Mulberries - late May/Early- Mid June
Blackberries - Late June/Early- Mid Jul
Strawberries - Late spring
Raspberries.
Honey locust pods- winter...these things stink btw..
Winterberry tree berries - late summer
Cherries.
Dogwood berries.
Pine cones - in my area they don’t eat loads. One year though here 2004, they eat them loads. This was in Aug/Sep.
Beech mash.
Tulip poplar blooms - May/Early June
Tulip poplar pods (resembles okra) - fox squirrels mostly, seen few grays eating
Walnuts
Walnut tree buds - late spring
Hickory tree buds- late spring
Elm tree buds- early spring
Buckeyes
Elderberries
Black gum tree berries
Chinese chestnut.
American chestnut- yes there are some trees in my area. Some do bear although limited. These trees being worked by trained professionals.
Animal bones to include deer antlers.
Cedar tree bark- they don’t seem to eat trunk bark, but do eat limb bark.
Field corn.
Will eat lot of things in a garden depending on what stage fruit or vegetables are in.
Sunflower seeds
Apples
Paw paw - mid to late August
Pears
Grapes
Persimmons
Sugar maple helicopters- I call them helicopters - late winter/early spring
Squirrels like to lick paint on roadways. Yes I have seen this a lot.
Will lick salt rocks placed for deer.
And will be seen on side side of roads in winter eating salt that’s has splashed to side street of roads in winter.
Fox squirrel- I have witnessed eating on more species tree barks vs grey squirrels.
Cracklings used to bait steel traps- caught squirrels by accident back in 70s, even caught fox squirrels in holes in ground where cracklins placed with traps.

Might think of a few more.
I have never seen a squirrel eat the ball on sycamore tree.
Or the berries off of gin seng
Or the berry on hackberry tree.
Or eat on tobacco plant in a field or its bloom.
Soybeans ??? I saw squirrels twice in soybean field, can’t say for sure if they were eating or not, this was when Field was picked. There were walnuts trees in close proximity so squirrels may have been uncovering and eating walnuts or traversing to and fro the walnut trees.

 

[Jim K]

This fellow is from Tennessee and though I've learned much over the years he has more squirrel experience than I can fathom. Awhile back during the early Spring season on this forum we were discussing what squirrels eat before the nuts are prime. I came across this list last night and thought it very helpful:

Here’s list of what squirrel eat in my area. (Tennessee. The feller goes by Squirrel1)

Acorn off various oak trees.
Hickory nuts off various hickory trees.
Bodark tree apples - Late Fall- Winter
Mulberries - late May/Early- Mid June
Blackberries - Late June/Early- Mid Jul
Strawberries - Late spring
Raspberries.
Honey locust pods- winter...these things stink btw..
Winterberry tree berries - late summer
Cherries.
Dogwood berries.
Pine cones - in my area they don’t eat loads. One year though here 2004, they eat them loads. This was in Aug/Sep.
Beech mash.
Tulip poplar blooms - May/Early June
Tulip poplar pods (resembles okra) - fox squirrels mostly, seen few grays eating
Walnuts
Walnut tree buds - late spring
Hickory tree buds- late spring
Elm tree buds- early spring
Buckeyes
Elderberries
Black gum tree berries
Chinese chestnut.
American chestnut- yes there are some trees in my area. Some do bear although limited. These trees being worked by trained professionals.
Animal bones to include deer antlers.
Cedar tree bark- they don’t seem to eat trunk bark, but do eat limb bark.
Field corn.
Will eat lot of things in a garden depending on what stage fruit or vegetables are in.
Sunflower seeds
Apples
Paw paw - mid to late August
Pears
Grapes
Persimmons
Sugar maple helicopters- I call them helicopters - late winter/early spring
Squirrels like to lick paint on roadways. Yes I have seen this a lot.
Will lick salt rocks placed for deer.
And will be seen on side side of roads in winter eating salt that’s has splashed to side street of roads in winter.
Fox squirrel- I have witnessed eating on more species tree barks vs grey squirrels.
Cracklings used to bait steel traps- caught squirrels by accident back in 70s, even caught fox squirrels in holes in ground where cracklins placed with traps.

Might think of a few more.
I have never seen a squirrel eat the ball on sycamore tree.
Or the berries off of gin seng
Or the berry on hackberry tree.
Or eat on tobacco plant in a field or its bloom.
Soybeans ??? I saw squirrels twice in soybean field, can’t say for sure if they were eating or not, this was when Field was picked. There were walnuts trees in close proximity so squirrels may have been uncovering and eating walnuts or traversing to and fro the walnut trees.

That was very interesting. Thank you. I’m struggling to find squirrels. I hunt the hickories and they don’t seem to be on them much. I found one on beech nuts the other day. ( couldn’t get a shot though). Found a hickory tree yesterday when I was leaving they’re really working. Right next to a den tree. I’ll be there in the morning.

 

[ORBushman]

Right next to a den tree. I’ll be there in the morning.

Looking forward to the report!

 

[appalichian hunter]

That was very interesting. Thank you. I’m struggling to find squirrels. I hunt the hickories and they don’t seem to be on them much. I found one on beech nuts the other day. ( couldn’t get a shot though). Found a hickory tree yesterday when I was leaving they’re really working. Right next to a den tree. I’ll be there in the morning.

Early seasons hunt the dog woods especially when the berries are turning red.

 

[Jim K]

Early seasons hunt the dog woods especially when the berries are turning red.

I’ll have to keep an eye out for them.

 

[Hermit Tim]

That was very interesting. Thank you. I’m struggling to find squirrels. I hunt the hickories and they don’t seem to be on them much. I found one on beech nuts the other day. ( couldn’t get a shot though). Found a hickory tree yesterday when I was leaving they’re really working. Right next to a den tree. I’ll be there in the morning.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Jim K]

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

I got up at 3:45, drove an hour and ten minutes, got to my spot before light. Stayed til 10:40. Saw two squirrels and no shots. They just don’t seem to be there this year. Plenty of hickory and acorns dropping. This is my honey hole usually. Think I’ll hunt at home for awhile. It’s been a rough start to the season so far!

 

[Hermit Tim]

I got up at 3:45, drove an hour and ten minutes, got to my spot before light. Stayed til 10:40. Saw two squirrels and no shots. They just don’t seem to be there this year. Plenty of hickory and acorns dropping. This is my honey hole usually. Think I’ll hunt at home for awhile. It’s been a rough start to the season so far!

Hang in there brother. They'll show up sooner or later. Our heatwave finally broke and rain today cooled it off a bit. Might try to go myself one morning next week. Thinking squirrel hunting in the early morning followed by a little fly fishing for Creek bass in the later morning. This is the start of my favorite time of year. Best of luck next time.

 

[user 31232]

I'm with you on the 3:45 thing but I had to go to the bathroom

 

[Hermit Tim]

I'm with you on the 3:45 thing but I had to go to the bathroom

You know your getting older when you pee five times a night. And three of them are in the bathroom

 

[snakebit]

You know your getting older when you pee five times a night. And three of them are in the bathroom

 

[snakebit]

Went this morning, nice and cool. Hopped a ditch, landed on a softball sized rock and rolled my ankle. Day was over before it started. I'll use ice on the ankle, and whiskey on ice for the hurt feelings. Stay off it tomorrow. I'll wrap it in duct tape Monday morning. Either way, I'm going.

 

[Hermit Tim]

Man that stinks. Better luck next time.

 

[snakebit]

Man that stinks. Better luck next time.

My own fault our season opened the 9th, but it rained that weekend then cooled off. I went crappie fishing because I was anticipating a feeding frenzy with the cooler water temp. If I woulda taken my a$$ earlier in the week, probably wouldn't of happened. I suck at life. Did catch some fish though.

 

[ETipp]

Etipp, that is in interesting observation about the overly large grey, or grey/fox squirrel cross. Could it also be that the black mush in the stomach was the black hull covering of a black walnut? It is pretty dark under the green outer layer. I don't know what the squirrels do with that stuff when they are chewing down to the shell for the meat, eat it or spit it out, but they do gnaw on it. I went out for the first time this season in Ohio Wednesday evening using a scoped 22, as I am need to check the sight in of the .32 and didn't have time when I finally had a chance to slip over to John's place late in the day. The first of the two I bagged was in the process of chewing the rind off the nut when the little bullet toppled it off the limb. I could clearly see what he was doing through the 4X before squeezing the trigger, and the partially uncovered shell was laying next to him on the ground.
Then again, it very well may be black gum fruit.
I was reading through a thread on another forum of a gentleman who has recorded over 50,000 squirrel kills in his lifetime. His knowledge of what squirrels eat is amazing. If you want I can copy and past what he has witnessed them eating, and not eating during the different seasons of the year.

Oh, and another thing to add, about 35 years ago while hunting squirrels in the big Beech woods I used to go to I did drop a sow fox squirrel that did indeed have a womb full of unborn squirrels. First and last for me, but it happens at times.

Good thread. I hope to pull out the Cherokee and join you making smoke in the squirrel woods this Fall.

Thank you for your input.

Interesting for sure. Indeed, I would very much appreciate that information if you don't mind posting or sending it.

In terms of Black Walnut.

Those are something that I have little experience with, in regards to squirrel hunting. Reason being, in all the locations in the S.E. I have lived, there's simply is not many around, generally speaking. Not sure if this is due to logging in the past or not. I do know they prefer somewhat wetter and/or humid areas.

With that said, in my somewhat new area to hunt, there's more Walnut trees in that neck of the woods than I have ever seen in my entire life. They are everywhere down lower, mostly along the edges of fields. As soon as I drove through that area it became obvious. I was thinking I had hit the mother load and how awesome this was going to be squirrel hunting there. However, as of now, since last spring I have not killed the first squirrel out of a Walnut tree, yet there are plenty of Walnuts. A few have been falling but most are still hanging on.

So, that leads me to this. I know squirrels eat Walnuts but I have only found one Walnut that a squirrel started cutting on but discarded it. That was a couple days ago I found that one. I do not know how long it had been laying on the ground. I have asked a couple of the land owners about this and they both stated what I have suspected, that squirrels prefer Walnuts later in the year and up into the winter. Perhaps the Walnuts are simply not rip enough yet, that would be my guess. Either way, as long as they will eat them sooner or later, I should have a really good time over in that neck of the woods.

Also, to answer your question on whether or not squirrels eat the black hulls of Walnuts, I do not think they do. Not when there's so many other actual nuts and mash to eat. So I have my doubts as to that was what I was seeing in the stomach contents of that very large gray squirrel I killed a few days ago.

 

[ETipp]

I got up at 3:45, drove an hour and ten minutes, got to my spot before light. Stayed til 10:40. Saw two squirrels and no shots. They just don’t seem to be there this year. Plenty of hickory and acorns dropping. This is my honey hole usually. Think I’ll hunt at home for awhile. It’s been a rough start to the season so far!

Jim, what state you live in?

Indeed, the squirrels in KY are all over the hickory trees right now. Few if any are cutting on acorns yet. I have noticed the squirrels have appeared to have somewhat separated from each other in the last couple of weeks. Where as I was finding 3-6 in one hickory, from my observations, there's fewer cutting up in one hickory with lots of fighting going on when more tries to join them. Its now down to 1-2 squirrels in one hickory. Due to such, I have been able to determine this is why the action has slowed down some. I am now finding 1-2 squirrels in different hickory tress scattered out more across the woods. Thus more walking/sneaking through the woods trying to locate them, and undoubtedly increasing the amount of time required for a shot.

Also, I have also noticed that the squirrels have been staying out longer, many can be found out and about all day. But they are fewer and farther between. Seeing squirrels mid-day is fairly common now.

Not the first Dogwood berry have I seen yet this year. From past experiences, its about time for them to be falling and/or squirrels to be cutting on them. Same goes for Beechnuts. I always pay particular attention to any Beech trees as they are a favorite for squirrels to den in. So my guess is more action around Beech trees is a coming.

 

[ETipp]

Went this morning, nice and cool. Hopped a ditch, landed on a softball sized rock and rolled my ankle. Day was over before it started. I'll use ice on the ankle, and whiskey on ice for the hurt feelings. Stay off it tomorrow. I'll wrap it in duct tape Monday morning. Either way, I'm going.

Oh man, that's not good. Yep, ice on the swollen ankle and whiskey in the stomach does wonders. At the very least you won't care about it quite as much.

FWIW, I was out back yesterday doing some testing with my Crockett rifle. When I was about to step up on the concreted step I tripped on a rock and fell flat on the concrete. I kept my Crockett in my hands until I landed hard, then if fall out, thus putting some world class dents and bad scratches in the buttstock. Didn't mind the bleeding but the damage to my Crocket stock is depressing. Oh well, looks like I have another project to do this coming winter.

And before anyone says it, no I had not had any whisky but I surely wanted some after that stunt.

 

[ETipp]

Okay guys, I finally did it, well the first part anyway.

I downloaded my GPR with only 30 grains of 3F. Took it out back and set up a target at 35 yards. I was pleased to find that it shoots very accurate with that load from that distance. I did have to lower the rear Lyman 57 peep sight down 4 clicks to obtain center target POI.

So looks like this old boy will be taking that as my squirrel tool next trip out.

I've had the hankering to do this for some time now, just to see. Hopefully I will not wind up finding a foot here, part of a tail over there, an ear down there, and guts scattered everywhere. Time will tell I reckon. I do know that my GPR holds so darn steady its unbelievable. Its also one very accurate RB shooting ML.

The main thing that finally built a fire under me to get this testing done is that I have been experiencing an abnormal amount of misses on squirrels lately. Thinking I was slipping up on my shooting skills, I decided to give the GPR a try. However, after testing my GPR and adjusting the sight for a lower charge, I took out my Crockett to investigate this. Lo and behold, it was hitting low at 25 yards. I found that the peep had slide down a bit and the POI was quite low, thus I had been undershooting squirrels. To make matters worse, after missing a few that I knew I should have hit, I had been thinking that perhaps I was over-shooting them and was somewhat correcting in the wrong direction. I was holding lower.

Still haven't completed testing and/or re-sighting it in yet but its on my to do list for today.