2024/2025 Squirrel Hunting Thread...........

[ETipp]

At age the age of six, sure he could a done it if he chose to. But as he would say to his buddies, "hawks gotta eat too."

True, Tom. They do have to eat, too.

I had a couple of hawks last month very close to my house. They hung around eyeballing my chickens and squirrels. I shot next to them about 4 times over a period of a couple of weeks to scare them away and haven’t seen them since. I think they got the message that they are not welcome here, which is fine with me. All ended well.

 

[ETipp]

So, in preparation for the upcoming spring season, my plans are to practice more offhanded aiming and holding steady on target from inside my house. Then it’s time to test shoot a few more times but a bit further, from 20 yards offhanded. Also going to get practicing with the squirrel call snake bit sent me. Thanks again, Tom. Never used one before but I sure as heck plan on doing so this year.

 

[oldwood]

Permithren is the best. Twenty five yrs. ago , I walked into a small opening in the woods. There was a tiny dime size table there. The table was surrounded by ticks drinking shots of deet. That convinced me to never use Deet for more than mosquitos. Ticks are DNA triggered to go after Carhart brown colored clothing. Don't wear it unless it's treated w/ Permithren. We did an experiment with Deet. Sprayed my hunting buddy's Carharts with Deet on a 40 degree F + day. Sent him into the Laurel for a couple hrs.. He came back in two hrs. , and had 18 ticks on crawling his Carharts. Picked all the ticks off his bib overhauls , sprayed his bibs w/ Permithren , and sent him back out for an afternoon hunt. He returned in two hrs. w/ no ticks on his bibs. He said ticks would attach to the Carhart brown , and peal off backwards and drop off onto the ground. All of us have had lime disease over the years , but no more , using Permithren. Tractor Supply and Walmart has it.

 

[snakebit]

So, in preparation for the upcoming spring season, my plans are to practice more offhanded aiming and holding steady on target from inside my house. Then it’s time to test shoot a few more times but a bit further, from 20 yards offhanded. Also going to get practicing with the squirrel call snake bit sent me. Thanks again, Tom. Never used one before but I sure as heck plan on doing so this year.

Welcome. Hope it serves you well.

 

[snakebit]

True, Tom. They do have to eat, too.

I had a couple of hawks last month very close to my house. They hung around eyeballing my chickens and squirrels. I shot next to them about 4 times over a period of a couple of weeks to scare them away and haven’t seen them since. I think they got the message that they are not welcome here, which is fine with me. All ended well.

That's the price we have to pay for living away from the settlements Ed. Id rather worry about a hawk or 2, than having neighbors so close I can smell their burnt toast in the morning. That and I have a strong dislike for most two-legged animals/predators, I'd no moral dilemma firing a shot across their bow, whereas a hawk is just being a hawk, or a fox being a fox. That's the natural order. But humans on the other hand. Maybe I'm just getting too crusty the older I get

 

[ETipp]

Permithren is the best. Twenty five yrs. ago , I walked into a small opening in the woods. There was a tiny dime size table there. The table was surrounded by ticks drinking shots of deet. That convinced me to never use Deet for more than mosquitos. Ticks are DNA triggered to go after Carhart brown colored clothing. Don't wear it unless it's treated w/ Permithren. We did an experiment with Deet. Sprayed my hunting buddy's Carharts with Deet on a 40 degree F + day. Sent him into the Laurel for a couple hrs.. He came back in two hrs. , and had 18 ticks on crawling his Carharts. Picked all the ticks off his bib overhauls , sprayed his bibs w/ Permithren , and sent him back out for an afternoon hunt. He returned in two hrs. w/ no ticks on his bibs. He said ticks would attach to the Carhart brown , and peal off backwards and drop off onto the ground. All of us have had lime disease over the years , but no more , using Permithren. Tractor Supply and Walmart has it.

Interesting

 

[yellowhammer]

...He came back in two hrs. , and had 18 ticks on crawling his Carharts...

Down here it's a serious threat. High school close friend got rocky mountain spotted fever and died (r.i.p. Dusty).

PS Ever encounter squirrels with those big "wolves" or Bot Fly larvae on them [ ICKY link ]?

 

[TDM]

Down here it's a serious threat. High school close friend got rocky mountain spotted fever and died (r.i.p. Dusty).

PS Ever encounter squirrels with those big "wolves" or Bot Fly larvae on them [ ICKY link ]?

I didn’t used to, but I take the ticks very seriously now. About 7 years ago my oldest Son contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It messed him up for a couple of years. Luckily he seems to have no lasting effects.

When we first moved further south in Louisiana 40 years ago I was still heavy into squirrel hunting. I was hunting some unposted bottom land near Lake Pontchartrain and went to pick up the first kill of the morning. I was shocked to see 2 huge growths on the squirrel’s back, I left him lying there. Dropped another one, same thing. When I got home I called Wildlife & Fisheries, the guy kind of chuckled and explained the “Wolves” to me. Had never seen anything like that growing up and hunting further north. In fact, never saw the Wolves any further north of where I was hunting that morning. After that I’d just skin them out like any other, doesn’t hurt the meat, just looks horrible.

 

[TDM]

Our spring season opens on the 15th. But my .36 SMR still sits unfinished on the workbench, been sitting almost a year. But it will be ready for the fall.

 

[yellowhammer]

... never saw the Wolves any further north of where I was hunting that morning...

Haven't noticed any on my property here in N AL where I am now. S of BHM latitude a lot of them I would kill would have them on them, or the lesions from them, during the warmer months. Couldn't bring myself to even skin 'em, much less eat 'em, had an odd stink to it, yuck. Rather than waste them I just hunted after the first frost. Generally only bald spots left by then. Like you say, not much affect on the meat under , its just revolting.

 

[ETipp]

Killed 59 squirrels last year. Many of those were shot during warm conditions. Only one out of the 59 had a wolve in it.

My guess is, perhaps spring squirrel season it would be less likely to find a wolf on a squirrel. Fall season after a long hot summer would be most likely.

 

[TDM]

Haven't noticed any on my property here in N AL where I am now. S of BHM latitude a lot of them I would kill would have them on them, or the lesions from them, during the warmer months. Couldn't bring myself to even skin 'em, much less eat 'em, had an odd stink to it, yuck. Rather than waste them I just hunted after the first frost. Generally only bald spots left by then. Like you say, not much affect on the meat under , its just revolting.

I’d forgotten about the first frost ending the pestilence. I remember noting that now. Seems to be very area specific, hunting just 10-15 miles to the north I never saw one with them.

 

[TDM]

I remember now that even after I started keeping them i shot one that had either 3 or 4 wolves. That many was just too over the top. He stayed where he laid.

 

[Jim K]

Just caught up with the demon squirrels and flying monkeys. I was 15 pages behind.

Anyway, sounds like Jim K was turkey hunting in my neck of the woods. I was there this week planting trees and the ticks are really bad this year. Having sprayed my clothes, I still had a dozen a day crawling on me.

Pilot, you have a beautiful state. We were in the north east not far from Iowa. I could live there!!

We had our clothes sprayed. Didn’t see a tick!!

Did see some fox squirrels though. That always winds me up.

 

[Hermit Tim]

True, Tom. They do have to eat, too.

I had a couple of hawks last month very close to my house. They hung around eyeballing my chickens and squirrels. I shot next to them about 4 times over a period of a couple of weeks to scare them away and haven’t seen them since. I think they got the message that they are not welcome here, which is fine with me. All ended well.

Did you hear about the guy that got arrested for killing and eating a hawk a few years ago? Had been lost in the woods for days and was starving. Came up on a hawk and was able to kill it with a stick. A game warden happened along just as the guy was eating it. The guy was happy to be rescued but was taken in for the killing of the hawk. In court he told the judge about his ordeal and the judge let him off since it was a survival situation. After court the judge asked him what hawk tastes like. The man told him it wasn't bad. Better than spotted owl but not quite as tender as bald eagle.

 

[Jim K]

I’ve heard of the “wolves”. I’ve never seen them or heard of any here in PA. Are they a southern thing?

 

[Hermit Tim]

I’ve heard of the “wolves”. I’ve never seen them or heard of any here in PA. Are they a southern thing?

We have them here in Tennessee during the summer. Been a long time since I've seen one but, when you pull the skin off, looks kinda like an eyeball staring at you. I've always scrapped squirrels that had those because grandpappy told me to. But some folks say that doesn't bother the meat. Once it cools off the wolves are gone. Unless you were referring to real wolves. We have those too. Only red wolves though. Two walked right past me in the back yard one night a few weeks ago.

 

[Gum Slough Muzzleloader]

Pilot, you have a beautiful state. We were in the north east not far from Iowa. I could live there!!

We had our clothes sprayed. Didn’t see a tick!!

Did see some fox squirrels though. That always winds me up. View attachment 317130

Real nice Bird ya got there Jim.

 

[Gum Slough Muzzleloader]

I’ve heard of the “wolves”. I’ve never seen them or heard of any here in PA. Are they a southern thing?

Jim back in Illinois I remember getting a couple rabbits with "wolves"
Grandpa Chubb told the same thing @yellowhammer pointed out wait till after first frost. I never saw them on squirrels until I moved to Florida.

 

[Eterry]

Squirrels like good food too!
About 10 years ago I was hunting public lands near me, very isolated. My friend and I were gathering fall down apples from an orchard and carrying feed sacks to our bow blinds.
First day of season I'm there before light. I Hear plenty of commotion in the trees, then finally light enough to see.
The Squirrels were racing to the apples, picking them up, examining them, then biting into it and running away. Most took a tree and stashed them.
I watched them steal almost every apple on the pile we'd placed there the day before, 2 feed sacks full!
I told George that's my last time I feed the squirrels apples.