Early season squirrel tactics?

[KyFlintlock]

OK, I want to talk about those bushytails we like so much... What is y'alls favorite methods for squirrel in the early season? Why?

Wess

 

[flyfisher76544]

My favorite is floatin down the river and spottin them up in the oaks and pecan trees. Once we spot them, we get out and sneak down on em. Its esp fun for the kids they usually get to see all sorts of critters :front:

 

sit in a tree and act like a nut... :blah:

Actually, my early season hunt doesn't differ much from any other season. I have my favorite sittin' logs near oak and hickory trees and just wait to hear the scurrying. I use squirrel season as practice for deer season...then use deer season as practice for fall and winter squirrels!

I guess the only thing really different about the early squirrels is that there is more cover to use and I can let them get closer.

:results:

 

[roundball]

Disappointing here in that squirrel season opens a week AFTER deer season in October, so my priority is always deer.
After deer closes January 1st, I can go after squirrels a few Saturdays the rest of January but I'm usually burned out from all the deer hunting Oct/Nov/Dec...and it's cold, wet, woods are bare, and the squirrels can see you a mile away...nowhere near as nice as hunting in October/November.

 

[merdean]

Here in Arizona, most of our squirrels are in the pine forests so we hunt these critters a little differently than do the hardwood boys. We walk out into the woods til you see a squirrel running on the ground. Then you whoop and holler and chase the squirrel, make a lot of racket til said squirrel runs up a tree. With luck, he will stay up there til you catch your breath. Then you start glassing the tree til you find that little puff of tail over his back. :applause: Then you back up til you can tell which end his head is at and shoot em! :RO: Some shots are short, 10yards. I have had to back up from a tree til I was shooting at 75 yards! :: The good thing about those long range shots is the smoke clears before squirrel hits the ground! These trees are 100'+ tall. When the squirrel gets into the very top of one of them, they are hard to see. Good field glasses and a steady hand are needed to put them down. :imo: I will admit, I have missed a couple. But they usually stay put when they are that far off the ground and I can reload and try again. :front: Season runs from mid October to late November.

 

My hands down favorite time to hunt early squirrels is the morning after a rain. The woods are always quiet with just the sound of water dripping off the leaves, hardly ever any wind and the stalking is as good as you can ask for. When a squirrel starts tree topping you can hear the sound and see the motion for a considerable distance. I'll attempt to maneuver into position to intercept his line of travel. The little buggers are plentiful here and if you don't catch one searching for food or eating something it found there is often one barking and I love to try to sneak up on it. I don't always score on the one barking and often I see another one on the ground that doesn't sense or see me and I get a shot at it. The one barking will usually quit for just a few minutes then start again and after reloading I continue my stalk. I love to hunt deer and if I still had beagles rabbits would be a favorite quarry......but I don't believe anything will ever replace squirrels as my all time favorite. Besides, they're deliscious!!!!

Vic

 

[KyFlintlock]

flyfisher- That sounds GREAT! I'd enjoy that too.

Stumblin Buffler - When does your season open?

roundball - That stinks. I am glad we have a fairly early season..the worst part about that is the skeeters and spider webs in the woods.

merdean - That sounds really cool as well. Trees 100ft tall is awesome!

Vic - You sure brought back some memories and I'd have to agree, after a rain sure is great. Hearing that rain come down when the squirrels jump from one branch to the other.....you nailed it. :applause:

Wess

 

[RunningBear]

Tree Rats season opens here in september.California has only a late seasons.I just dying to get my new 32.cal flint out for this year.RunningBear.
:winking:

 

[sidelock]

Sure wish we had greys here in MT. Harvested hundreds of them in VA as a kid. still remember them. Best way in the world to learn to hunt.

 

Stumblin Buffler - When does your season open?

Small game season in michigan runs from September 15th through March 1st, April 1st for wabbits. A couple of years ago they ran squirrel till the end of March, too...wish they would do that again.

 

[flint62]

Here in NY the season opens in early Sept. The leaves are still on the trees but turning color, so it's just a nice time to get out. I found a place with a trail that runs around a good hardwood forest, so it's walk
r-e-a-l- s-l-o-w and quiet like and listen.
Never fails. Nothing like it. Every now and then a mountain biker will ride up on us, that reaction is always funny.

September is only 40 days away!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[BS]

I have given the tree rats a break for a few years, but the Buggy Rifle is nearly sighted in. I am looking forward to wacking some with a .355 round ball.

This could be a good year for squirrels and rabbits! or a bad year, but who cares, it is just fun to be 'in the woods'

 

[jackc]

I like to hunt them any way I can but right now I'm having a ball using an MS squirrel call. A few will come to the call but for the most part I use the call to locate them. They get to chattering and barking like crazy and it gives me a chance to stalk them.

Our season opens May 15 and runs past deer season. I absolutely love the young ones chicken fried with gravy and biscuits. Some greens and mashed taters on the side don't hurt a thing.

Rocky Point Jack

 

[roundball]

".....an MS squirrel call....."

Jack, if you don't mind, what is an "MS Squirrel Call" ?

 

[shmrck1]

KyFlintlock,
I make sure i know the woods i am going to
hunt,almost down to the tree. I will get there before
dusk and wait till daylight when they start to get active.
Listen & stalk very, very slowly.(it helps if the ground
is wet) In the area i hunt grey squirrels are very rare.
But, fox squirrels are abundant and very loud early in
the morning. Seems like everyone of them wants to know
where the others are. Due to the foilage in the early
season it is imperitive to move very slowly.
The why is because where i hunt it works! I
also use a very accurate .32 Cal PRB, which helps also.
snake-eyes

 

[musketman]

Then you whoop and holler and chase the squirrel, make a lot of racket til said squirrel runs up a tree. With luck, he will stay up there til you catch your breath. Then you start glassing the tree til you find that little puff of tail over his back. :applause: Then you back up til you can tell which end his head is at and shoot em!

You must remember that the squirrel is placing the tree between you and him/her for protection, so once a squirrel is treed, you can get it to move to the side you are on by throwing a limb or rock beyond the tree it is in...

The squirrel thinks you are going around the tree and moves into full view trying to avoid the noise...

 

[Ron LaClair]

Here in Michigan the season opens on Sept 15th. We still have full foliage at that time of year so the squirrels are hard to spot in the trees. Because of that there's not many hunters in the woods.

In these conditions you hunt more with your ears then your eyes. Listen for the droppins from the cuttings as they work the tops of the beach, hickory and oak trees. Listen for the rustle as they jump thru the branches and leaves. Listen for their claws scratching the bark of the trees as they run up the down the tree trunk. When you hear these tell tale sounds, move slowly in the direction and watch for movement in the trees. Sometimes all you can see is the branches shaking and moving in the tree top. Just move in close and wait. Pretty soon, you'll see a patch of red, then a tail. Steady your .32 flinter against a tree and wait. Patience is the key, wait until you've got a clear shot at the head.

Ah yes, squirrel huntin is one of the true joys of life. Then there's the eatin...that's a whole nuther story.

(note the leaves on the trees in this picture)

 

[buckknife]

For years i would make the chatter sound with my mouth and had good luck at times,but the sound didnt carry very far.My son bought a primos squirrel barker but had no luck with it,i gave him 5 bucks for it and used it.
I mostly hunt like snake eyes does but i use the barker when things get slow,they are very effective.I had a red come down the same tree i was siten at barken like crazy about 5 foot straight above my head.It was an akward shot but a most memrable one ::
Im not sure what a ms call is but here are a few that would work,takes some practice to get the right bark.http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=apc&product=Squirrel+Calls&exact_match=exact

 

[buckknife]

giver anuther try
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=apc&product=Squirrel+Calls&exact_match=exact

 

[arcticap]

I've used an Olt bellows call and a metal squirrel distress whistle that looks like a coin with a hole in the middle. I've found that if a squirrel detects a presence from crunching too many leaves but hasn't actually seen me through the brush, that a soft, short bark on the Olt can lead it to believe I'm just another squirrel. All's well! :front: