Celebrating National Squirrel Appreciation Day!

[sheriff john]

Now, that's a "bucket list" photo ! Bald eagles are back around here - mostly feeding on deer carcasses and road kill but also fish below dams. We've had the same pair come back each November for carcass clean up.

Squirrels cause more power outages than storms. I call them "the other gray meat".

 

[RicM]

Now, that's a "bucket list" photo ! Bald eagles are back around here - mostly feeding on deer carcasses and road kill but also fish below dams. We've had the same pair come back each November for carcass clean up.

Squirrels cause more power outages than storms. I call them "the other gray meat".

Thanks, with the Eagles you spend hours at a time. Took that shot on sports mode rapid shooting. About 20 shots and hoped to have a good one in the bunch. Lucked out with only one clear shot of the bunch.

 

[Shorthanded]

My dog [see avatar] I got at a shelter. I was walking here a week or so ago in Gulf State Park Al. A lady stoped me and asked if she was a Fiest
I said what is a Fiest? Does she like Squirrels? I said she goes nuts when she see's or hear's one. Does she bark? Yes when she has one up a tree. She's a Fiest she said. So I Googled Fiest she checked of all the boxes. Now there is a Mountain First and a treeing First Don't know which one she is or the difference, but she is a Fiest and a very good Squirrel dog. I really got lucky with this addoption.

 

[FishDFly]

Squirrel, it's what's for supper.

 

[pilot]

In the big woods of N.Central Pa. , we have so many predators , hawks , owls , fishers , (over sized weasels intentionally stocked ) hoards of stocked coyotes , cougars , (stocked) , eagles , over run with bears , etc , etc.. Small game has no chance. In 2005/6 , we had huntable populations of squirrels , and grouse , but most are gone. Thanks to the Pa. Blame Commission. Just another self centered , bloated state govt. bureaucracy , that has lost it's original mission.

From the PA Game Commission:

Are mountain lions living in Pennsylvania today?
It is not impossible for a mountain lion to be living in the Commonwealth. But it is unlikely. Pennsylvania has more roads and hunters than just about every other state in America. It would be difficult for a mountain lion to avoid detection. Sightings or tracks surely would be noticed. In 2011, a mountain lion migrated from South Dakota to Connecticut, a journey of some 1,500 miles. It was discovered when it was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway. DNA tests confirmed the big cat originated in South Dakota and that it also previously had been tracked in 2009 and 2010 through Wisconsin and Minnesota, where the animal's DNA had previously been collected through blood, hair and droppings. The Pennsylvania Game Commission periodically receives reports and photos of mountain lions. Our investigations have determined the overwhelming number of sightings of mountain lions in our state are actually bobcats. Photos submitted as mountain lions are typically feral housecats. Mountain lions have appeared in Pennsylvania in the past 75 years, but when they're captured, it's quickly determined they were formerly exotic pets or show animals. Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. Except for Florida, the eastern mountain lion is believed to have extricated from the east coast by 1900. But as the South Dakota mountain lion proved, in its at least unusual migration to Connecticut, anything is possible.

 

[pilot]

In about 1990 , I was doing business in north central Pa.. The area around the town town , was some private land , a lot of property owned and managed by a very large timber company , and National Forest Land. At the time , other areas were secretly stocked with Michigan coyotes. The first truck load of coyotes were ceremoniously released on the paper company land. Those attending the event were , officials from the paper company , Pa. Blame Comm. and a lodge brother from the local town . One of my very best friends , I could trust w/my life , was a lodge brother of the guy that witnessed the event. This happened all over the Central Pa. mountains. Another of the coyote stocking events , was accidentally discovered by a public official , another trusted good friend . He was on a back road near his home. He saw a truck parked near the end of the road and inquired about the driver's load. To my friend's surprise , the driver, said coyotes. The driver asked directions and declared he was lost , and headed for the other location.
At around the same time , folks were seeing Mountain lions generally all over central Pa. . I was on the road traveling on business every day ,and by 1992 I had seen three of the big cats w/in a short time. Hunters out in the woods , were seeing them. And again , our state conservation agency totally denied all knowledge of the events. Government agencies think folks are stupid , and lie on a daily basis. When the evidence mounts upto a given level ,it becomes undeniable. The bad part is , bloated agencies are self perpetuating , and don't give a crap about the people they are supposed to serve..............

Do you have any sources other than hearsay for this coyote stocking event?

I hear these kinds of rumors all the time here in Missouri. I know for a fact most are complete hot air. I have first hand experience with the Missouri Department of Conservation as a volunteer RSO. I have attended presentations by the biologists involved with efforts such as the black bear and elk projects. Your accusations are so similar to what a lot of people repeat here ad nauseum. Lets have some solid evidence of coyote stocking and mountain lion stocking.

 

[Whughett]

Oh no American greys everywhere , our own reds few and far between, I have killed dozens in our massive garden London Esher area They are tasty but not yet mastered how to skin them fast Takes me 20 mins. I worry about the pox they often carry in the uk but I guess too late to worry at 78. Pubs are selling squirrel on the menus too Use a bsa Scorpio pcp 177 and 22 out to 70 yards too many houses around for real guns

My method of skinning greys was a bit unorthodox perhaps but worked rather well. I’d completely circle the body mid way with a knife cut. Getting my fingers under each side of that cut on the back I’d simply turn the skin inside out, I’d wind up with a clean squirrel head to tail with four legs clean. Cut the head off and the four legs at the paws, the base of the tail and then gut. Finished. Took longer to type this than it did to skin.

 

[sheriff john]

Old ones might need the "stand on the tail" trick. Cut through the base of the tail but leave the tail attached. Run knife forward along flanks, cutting upward quite a ways. Stand on tail, pull both rear legs upward. When skin goes as far toward head as possible, cut skin all the way around, grab belly skin and pull apart. Easier to skin a squirrel when they're still warm. Squirrels smell like walnuts (and that's a good thing).

Used to get 15 cents for a squirrel tail from a fishing lure company. That'd get you a hamburger at McDonald's.

 

[Caterpillar Hunter]

Thank you pilot for reminding us of the endless, baseless rumors and innuendos concerning (in this case) predators supposedly being secretly released by state game officials. I resent reading diatribes written in this thread that are so off topic. We're here to read about Darren during National Squirrel Appreciation Day, nothing else. Now for some really real rumors going around southern Missouri: I've been told those 2 squirrels shown on Sunday were the same ones shot the day before. Somebody said. I just knew it!

 

[Whughett]

Yesterday was National Squirrel Appreciation Day but I had some things to do after work so I wasn't able to celebrate. I felt bad about that so I made sure I had time this afternoon to let my bushy tailed friends know how much I like them...right next to the biscuits and gravy.

Darren

I’d be interested in hearing about that really long long gun you got there. Lefty ? Caliber, that stock looks nice, roll over comb ? More details more photos. .??

 

[Jacob Beck]

I got a squirrel on squirrel appreciation day too…

 

[doubleset]

Some years ago, I saw an eagle like that take a rabbit out of what was then my wife's riding ring. I just happened to be staring out our back door when the bunny started across the ring and this adult Eagle swooped down and grabbed it up. Unfortunately, there are just too many squirrels in the area for the eagles to care about our "yard" (where the squirrels are fattened up to the size of cats on my wife's bird seed in the winter). The hawks who are resident (red shouldered) seem to rarely take out a squirrel, although I see it once in a while. But they're happy to grab up any carcasses of ones I shoot and leave for them in convenient places -- so I guess we have a kind of "arrangement". In general, the hawks seem to favor songbirds as meals.

We have little "appreciation" of squirrels here since there are so many of them, and once they breed up to a certain level and begin encroaching within the perimeter I've allocated for them, then they start to develop an unhealthy interest in getting into the house and attic. Unhealthy for them, I mean. It's a constant cyclic struggle.

 

[dhaverstick]

Thank you, Pilot and Caterpillar Hunter! As a fellow Missourian, I have heard the same baseless "stocking" stories involving our conservation department for years. Most just leave me shaking my head.

As far as the rumor going around that my squirrels were doing double duty as photographic props, well, all I can do is swear on the barrel of Ole Betsy that I did, indeed, add four tree rats to the freezer, not two, and the rumor going around saying otherwise is just an insidious attempt to malign my stellar, snow white reputation as a hunter and gentleman.

So, a little bit about my squirrel gun, Ole Betsy. She is a 12 gauge smoothbore "Pruitt Special" made for me by my good friend, John Pruitt. She has a 42" cylinder bore barrel (octagon to round) and a LH large Siler lock. Her original purpose was to kill turkeys but, with a cylinder bore, I had to work hard to get a pattern I really liked out to 25 yards. I ended up using homemade paper shot cups to tighten up the pattern. I killed several turkeys with her but finally had John make me a new gun, Sweet Rachael, that has a Colerain turkey barrel. Now THAT gun is hell on turkey heads! But her pattern is so tight that she makes a squirrel look like screen wire. So Sweet Rachael is strictly a turkey gun and Ole Betsy is my go-to firearm when I want to fill a game bag full of bushy tails.

Here is another weapon I keep close at hand to work on the "yard squirrels" when they start tormenting my bloodhound, Jake, too much. All I have to do is quietly slide the door open. To paraphrase Jeff Foxworthy, "You may be a redneck if...you shoot squirrels from your living room with a longbow."

Here is a humorous short video of what Jake has to endure on a daily basis.



Darren

 

[moose23]

Congrats Darren on the squirrels! Also, very nice gun and longbow

 

[oldwood]

An apology to all the "More Credible" witnesses to wildlife sightings , and lovers of squirrel hunting . I didn't mean to ruin a squirrel hunting post with explanation of why my squirrel hunting , has been ruined by a bloated self centered govt. bureaucracy. Again , my apologies. In America , the only way folks know the truth , is for other "Credible" folks who are unceasingly watching a situation to speak out. My good wishes to all , and please don't drink the govt. "Cool aid".

 

[Whughett]

An apology to all the "More Credible" witnesses to wildlife sightings , and lovers of squirrel hunting . I didn't mean to ruin a squirrel hunting post with explanation of why my squirrel hunting , has been ruined by a bloated self centered govt. bureaucracy. Again , my apologies. In America , the only way folks know the truth , is for other "Credible" folks who are unceasingly watching a situation to speak out. My good wishes to all , and please don't drink the govt. "Cool aid".

I’d think the predator/prey would level its self out sooner or later. In my long gone hunting days in RI one could judge the squirrel population by the ground mast in the woods. In lean years road killed squirrels would increase as the squirrels changed territories looking for food to store for the winter. Some years it almost seemed to be on a predictable cycle.

 

[pilot]

Food availability has far more to do with squirrel populations than predator populations they face. One of the most important food sources in my timber is the oak trees. They have a 3 year cycle. One year out of three there will be a huge acorn crop. The other two years the squirrels depend on hickory and the corn and bean crops. This year has not been a good acorn year.

I plan on being in the timber Monday with my new Kibler SMR for my last hunt of the year. It will be the first time hunting with it. I hope to do as well as Darren has.

 

[Whughett]

Some years ago, I saw an eagle like that take a rabbit out of what was then my wife's riding ring. I just happened to be staring out our back door when the bunny started across the ring and this adult Eagle swooped down and grabbed it up. Unfortunately, there are just too many squirrels in the area for the eagles to care about our "yard" (where the squirrels are fattened up to the size of cats on my wife's bird seed in the winter). The hawks who are resident (red shouldered) seem to rarely take out a squirrel, although I see it once in a while. But they're happy to grab up any carcasses of ones I shoot and leave for them in convenient places -- so I guess we have a kind of "arrangement". In general, the hawks seem to favor songbirds as meals.

We have little "appreciation" of squirrels here since there are so many of them, and once they breed up to a certain level and begin encroaching within the perimeter I've allocated for them, then they start to develop an unhealthy interest in getting into the house and attic. Unhealthy for them, I mean. It's a constant cyclic struggle.

In years past I kept winter bird feeders. I eventually stopped as City Pigeons became a major problem.
The city of Providence had encouraged Falcons to use certain down town buildings as nesting sites. They even had a live feed on the net for a time of a nesting box.
Squirrels weren’t a problem at the time as I kept dried corn for them in a feeder mounted on the back wooden fence. One morning a Hawk or Falcon swooped in on a squirrel on the feeder. That squirrel must have seen or sensed something as it did a back flip onto a dogwood tree trunk and just flattened against it, upside down it scurried around to the opposite side and froze. The Hawk landed on the feeder, never saw the squirrel 6 feet away and eventually screeched and flew off. Squirrel stayed in the same position for a good five minutes or more before moving back to the feeder.
My neighborhood view from my back door. Probably as many squirrels in these back yards as there are in the woods.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

My method of skinning greys was a bit unorthodox perhaps but worked rather well. I’d completely circle the body mid way with a knife cut. Getting my fingers under each side of that cut on the back I’d simply turn the skin inside out, I’d wind up with a clean squirrel head to tail with four legs clean. Cut the head off and the four legs at the paws, the base of the tail and then gut. Finished. Took longer to type this than it did to skin.

I think this is not uncommon.. I've heard it called the "pants and shirt" method.

 

[Whughett]

I think this is not uncommon.. I've heard it called the "pants and shirt" method.

Aptly named. Little fellow winds up with its pants down around its ankles and it’s shirt over it’s head. To be honest I’d never seen it done or even heard about it until I just tried it one day after laboriously trying to skin one like a deer.