I had a very unique and unusual squirrel hunt this morning, from the beginning to end.
A few days ago I hunted a chunk of woods early in the morning. I had decided that since I was not seeing any squirrels up high, that I would focus on the lower terrain instead. Considering I have not had a lot of action this spring, I had in mind to go out and find an open spot where I could see well, park and just watch. I found a spot on the side of a steep hill then found a limestone boulder covered with moss to sit on. I think I was sitting by about 0700. I had no idea I was sitting within 5 yards of a den tree. I knew it as an arched tree, but I did not know it was an den tree. I hadn't been there 5 minutes until something caught my eye and started barking at me. Then another squirrel appeared over on the other side of the arched tree and started barking at me. I remained still even though both squirrels had seen me. We had a good old fashion stare down for about 3 minutes or so then "poof" they gone. I could not make it happen.
I stood up and said to myself "I'll be back, fellas, but you won't know when or where I'll be". Frustrated, I started walking uphill faster than I should have then right in front of me, another squirrel saw me and ran higher up the tree. I didn't feel the greatest anyway so I came home way early.
This morning I had definite plans for that spot, so I was awake and getting ready at 0330. Coffee, breakfast, shower, animal chores, hook to trailer and load up 4-wheeler. Out the door by 0506 hours. I loaded Mr. "C" yesterday.
Arrived at my friends house, chatted for a few minutes then unloaded my 4-wheeler and off I went up through the thicket from hell. Parked and began walking to the woods on the other side with the aid of a flashlight. Shut off my light when it was barely light enough to see where I was going. I took it on faith there were none of those copper snakes laying in my path because if there was, I surely couldn't have seen it.
Found my arched tree but due to all the beech trees (which are impossible to walk under quietly) I decided to stay uphill from it and try to find another tree to hide behind that was close enough to see the den tree in poor light conditions. It was a little foggy and overcast, which made things worse. I spied a tree that was over to the left a ways and perhaps 15 yards from the den tree, so I very slowly eased my way over to it. This location is on a steep hillside.
After I made my way over to that tree and decided that this is going to work, I quietly and slowly bend down and moved a few small beech limbs from around the base of the tree, then removed some old leaves a little at at time. I stood back up and noticed that I also had to quietly break a few small beech limbs that were hanging in my way. There would be no room for error this time.
As I stood there, I looked at my watch. It was 0608 hours and still pretty dark in the woods. I stood still for a while and guessed that those squirrels would not come out of their den for about another 15-20 minutes, and decided I might as well sit down for a few minutes while I can. I had made up my mind that I was going to slowly stand up by 0645 hours and stand as still as possible from then on.
At about 0640 hours something caught my eye. It wasn't much and I didn't move. Then it dawned on me what it was. It was two small ears sticking straight up from the top of the arched den tree. I didn't even know there was a den hole on that end. I didn't dare move and slowly more and more of the top of a squirrels head became visible. I said to myself "dang it all anyway, I waited too long to stand up". Sitting there still as can be, the squirrel finally popped out of that hole that was facing darn near straight up, then ran over to my left a ways and stopped. There were some limbs in the way over there so that gave me cover enough to raise Mr. "C" and pull back the hammer then raise the peep sight. That squirrel definitely noticed me, although he did not know what I was. He jumped over to a tree, headed straight down a little at a time then stop and look at me again. That tail started waving real fast like and I knew what that meant. He was about to start barking and head out of there. However, that was all the time I needed to let er rip. After the shot, the squirrel ran straight up that tree but was not moving properly. I knew he was hit but he went up into some limbs and I lost sight of him. I was upset at myself because I thought for certain everything was right on when I fired. As I was getting ready to reload, I head "Thump". He fell and didn't move. It was a good shot, just a tough squirrel I reckon. Ah ha, got another one JimK style, minus the cheater sticks.
I slowly and quietly wiped the bore and reloaded. I stood there for about 15 more minutes and decided the other one, if he was in there, wasn't coming out of that den tree for a while. So, I eased over, picked up my squirrel and eased my way back up slope. There was some noise from a home place not far away and I had another idea anyway so I looked at my watch and it was a little after 0700. Still lots of time to hunt. I walked back to my 4-wheeler and headed back to my friends place.
Arriving back there I cleaned my squirrel and put it in his fridge in his garage, chatted for a few minutes and headed back out for the second part of my plan for the day. This time I was on foot. I knew where I wanted to go but have never hunted it. I had to cross a really snakey looking place and wade through that to get to some more open woods. Again, it was on a hillside. The woods was already getting pretty darn steamy as early as it was as I made my way to my destination. I didn't see the first squirrel the entire way. I have never been on that hillside before but I knew it would take me to where I wanted to hunt.
After a while I finally saw where the land flattened out a bit and knew I had arrived. This is in a fairly narrow draw with very thick brush on each side. I crossed over the old creek branch and eased my way through that somewhat open, smaller flat in the bottom. It was quiet and still back in there, just like I like it to be. I could hear a few things falling from the trees but couldn't quite figure it out. I finally came to the conclusion that some of that was hickory nuts. I knew that sometimes hickory nuts will fall prematurely but this was more often than that and there was no wind to speak of. There were birds up in the trees that would shake a few out but something sounded different.
Then I heard the distinct sound of squirrels jumping up in tree limbs. Okay, now we are getting somewhere. Standing there for a few minutes next to a tree, I finally saw some movement up through the secondary canopy. So, I eased my way over, which took about 20 minutes to sneak up to where I could barely see up into that tree. I had to move very slowly due to how quite it was in there plus the very dry leaves and small dead branches. Standing there looking and trying to figure this out, hickory nuts kept falling, but something was wrong here. This didn't add up. This one squirrel was running up and down the hickory tree up high, reach and grab something, then run up higher to a thick spot in the tree limbs, then back down again. Hickory nuts were raining down all around me but why have I not heard any cutting and why wasn't there any pieces of hickory nuts falling on my old noggin? Also, I knew it was too soon for hickory nuts to be ripe enough for squirrels.
Realizing I was not going to get a shot at that squirrel where I was standing, I eased over a bit closer to the next tree to get a rest off of, hoping I could get a clear view, thus hopefully get a shot at that squirrel. Then I noticed something. That squirrel was cutting small hickory branches then taking them up high to that thick spot up in the leaves. He was, without doubt, making a dray. The hickory nuts were only falling due to him shaking them loose from the limbs as he was cutting the branches and running from limb to limb.
That hickory was a large forked tree. Try as I did, I could not get a good enough, or long enough aim at that squirrel. I stood there for about an hour, maybe longer, and had a couple of questionable shot chances, so passed them up. The squirrel never really stopped the entire time and I wanted to remain patient for a kill shot.
Next, I lost track of that squirrel. The last time I saw it, it had jumped over to the other fork. Then I heard another distinct sound, squirrels fighting. I was sure I had heard other squirrels in there but I was focused on that one. I saw them tangle and whine some, then one headed out. After waiting a few more minutes and not seeing the other squirrel, I eased my way over to where I last saw that squirrel go. I could hear limbs moving and hickory nuts falling, but I couldn't see any squirrels due to the thick canopy. I remained there for a while and finally decided to ease back the way I came in From.
By this time I had circled back down to where I could see that first hickory tree and stopped for a last look around. Wouldn't you know it, that last squirrel came down from that hickory and started jumping around the ground. Every time he would go out of sight behind something, I would ease my way closer to where I last saw him. Then, no more squirrel. He appeared to be gone. Dang it all anyway!
It was 1200 by now, it was getting hot and more steamy in the woods and I was getting tired. Deciding it would be best if I ease my way back, I moved about 20 yards and something caught my eye up on a narrow, thin branch. I stopped and looked, then looked again. It kind of looked like a squirrel but I wasn't sure. Then I noticed it move every so little. There I was again, out in the open with a squirrel about 25 yards away looking right at me. The only thing I could get a rest off of was a small tree about 1 1/2" in diameter that was a couple of feet away. Thinking this was not going to happen, I eased over, raised my rifle, got the most steady rest I could off of that wobbly little tree, and fired. Second squirrel of the day. When I eased over and picked him up, I noticed he only had a nub of a tail. The rest had been bitten off as easily seen. It hadn't even had time to scab over, it was still a little bloody looking. I knew what he had been up to. His reproductive organs were also still enlarged.
Replaying this, it is clear that this was the squirrel that came over and was fighting and whining with that other squirrel I had been focused on for about an hour, thus ran it off. So, this was another fine example of being patient in the squirrel woods. Had I taken a couple of questionable shots and missed, I most likely would have not have gotten that second squirrel.
Guys, this is some very tough squirrel hunting this time of year. I had been out over 6 hours and only had two squirrels to show for it. There's only two days remaining for spring squirrel season here. I hope to hunt both days.
I did have more action with another squirrel but I didn't want to write about it.
One other observation. I have noticed that early of a morning the squirrels will not come out of the trees. It isn't until about 1130 or so that the squirrels will finally come down and play around on the ground. They can be seen all afternoon up until evening on the ground.
Lawdy how I love this stuff. This was another one of those very memorable hunts, where nothing was spectacular, I only got two squirrels, but one that I will remember for a long time. It was a different but good hunt that I enjoyed very much.
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