Took my Crockett Squirrel Rifle out this morning for the last time until fall season opens. Early season closes tomorrow so I wanted to get out there one more time for now.
Was in the woods up on the side of a mountain before daylight. Located a den tree I found last year so I sat and waited. Sure enough, two squirrels popped out of the tree but way up high. They were on the go right off the bat up in the tops of the nearby trees. As I stood there waiting for them to stop, I was amazed that they just kept going tree to tree and down the mountain. I thought to myself “huh, wonder where they’re going”? I watched until they went out of sight while hoping more squirrels would pop out of the den tree. No more came out.
As I stood there and as it was getting lighter in the woods, I kept hearing this strange sound coming from down the mountain. So I slowly and quietly eased down slope towards the sound. Finally, I noticed some movement in the tops of a couple trees further down the mountain. And there was that strange sound again. This was something I have never heard before in the woods. And it was coming from different trees. Twice I heard the usual sounds coming from squirrels when they chase each other but that was it, no more. Just that strange “thook” sound. Took me maybe 30 minutes to ease my way down there so I could see what was going on and without getting busted. About the time I had arrived, I saw at least 5-6 squirrels that decided to migrate to other trees as they were running everywhere while making this crazy “thook- thook sound. So the slow chase was on trying to keep up with them without being seen or heard. This went on for at least another 30-45 minutes. Squirrels running up and down trees “took-took”, jumping from limb to limb as I tried to maneuver my way into a shot position. But I needed a tree to get a rest off of.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, finally one squirrel presented me with a shot. Got that one. I stood still for a minute or so observing and some of the other squirrels went right back to running everywhere doing their “took- took” sound. So I slowly reloaded and kept trying to stick with that bunch of squirrels as quietly and slowly as possible. After about a a couple hours of this I wound up with four bushy tail gray squirrels.
I carry my squirrels on a piece of para chord tied to a stick. As I was tying each one on after easing over and picking them up, I noticed all of them were boars.
Then it hit me. This is just a guess here. But I’m guessing that the “took-took” sound , that I have never in all my years heard squirrels make before, was some sort of pre rut type of territorial thing. With early season closing tomorrow, that signifies breeding season has arrived again. One thing is for certain, I have never heard that sound before. Albeit I’ve never hunted the early season before. Definitely was not the usual fighting/mating sound.
At any rate, I learned something this morning. And I can promise you that I will never forget that “took-took” sound. I have never seen that many squirrels in such close contact behaving like that nor making that sound. And if I ever do hear that again while I’m squirrel hunting, it’s game on.
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