Tactic's for squirrel hunting!

[dennis byrd]

I would love to hear your favorite and most effective tactics for bagging squirrels. One of my favorites is the way I flush squirrels hiding on the opposite side of a tree to my side for a shot. I sit quietly with my Lab by my side at "heel" I will pick up a stick and throw it to the far side of the tree and send my dog "jet" to fetch it, the squirrel trying to stay hidden from my dog skitters to my side of the tree in view for a shot. When I make the kill "jet" retrieves our lunch!
Using my dog for all sorts of hunting techniques and seasons keeps us from getting bored and it strengthens our bond,I think "jet" loves the flintlock as much as I do.
Thanks for your advice Jet90

 

[Britsmoothy]

I too use the same method only with a spaniel these days. I do tend to stalk them though once I,ve heard them munching in the canopy. :thumbsup:

 

Years ago I had terrior who was born to hunt squirrels. We had wonderful times in the Fall and were feared in all of squirreldom. Mama did not appreciate her "boys" fun - but tollerated it and I think actually permitted it because the dog like it. My enjoyment was of no consequence at all. Anyhow, he passed and I just can't bring myself to try for another good one like him. Maybe I am just too lazy.

 

[fw707]

I sneak around when the leaves are green and try to get a good opportunity for a headshot, and when the leaves come down my cousin and I take the dogs after em and mash their noggins. :haha:

 

[shootemup]

When the squirrels are cutting nuts, I'll scrape a couple of bolts together to bring them out. They can't stand to think of another squirrel getting all the food...

Another thing I do is look for a tall tree with a good southern exposure and remember where it is. On a real cold morning, squirrels will sun themselves there. A fellow can literally shoot one after another in a place like that, and that spot will produce year after year.

Neat thread, I hope more people chime in.

Spot

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I don't have a dog now so I look for an area they are feeding around and sit still until one presents a shot I can take. if I'm lucky I'll bag 2-3 before they get too wary

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Scrape a couple of bolts together that is a new one for me, how big a bolt?
I use a squirrel call with great success some days and some days they don't respond at all.
:wink: Rocky

 

[shmrck1]

Rocky,
I also use a squirrel call.You are absolutely
right sometimes they do sometimes they don't.
I find they work great very early to at least
let you know if there are squirrels in the woods.
Had a beagle many moons ago that was a terrific
squirrel dog, but since then just a couple
rabbit beagles.Now I just have lap dog bassets.
snake-eyes

 

[Robert Egler]

I wear complete camo (except the required orange hat) choose a good spot, and a good background, and sit very, very still, I try to not move at all except for breathing and blinking. Not even turn my head. Sometimes an hour or more. Somethimes I've had squirrels come within 5 feet of me, on the ground. Wait until there are several of the critters out and withing range. Move the gun (or longbow, depending on what I'm hunting with) to shooting position very slowly, don't spook the squirrels. Might take 10 minutes to move the gun into position. It helps to have the gun or bow already near the shooting position while I'm sitting. I've found that with a bow or a 22 I can take one squirrel and if I don't move at all, the others just jump a bit and look around, so I can get several before they decide that something's wrong and run.

Doesn't work with a flintlock, too loud. I can get one this way and the rest run.

 

[bob1961]

knowing where they are helps :rotf: ....i also learned to make there sounds by mouth so i'm not moving bout getting calls out with movement....i go in and just sit fer bout 10 minutes and they just come out and start feeding....start picking them off with my .22 "sorry my .36 flintlock is my next build"....collect bout 2 or 3 and start skinning them and in bout 10 more minutes i always have more moving bout me to where i get my rifle all bloody, which isn't a bad[url] thing....within[/url] a couple of hours i've got my limit of 6 here in PA....spend an hour or two finding other spots to come back to tommorrow :v ...............bob

 

[Runner]

Take a hickory nut and a blade of flint. Scrape the nut about ten times in a row using the same patterns as you hear from the squirrels when they are cutting. If you can find them, there is a bendable straw that you just run something down the outside of. I haven't seen the ones that work best in a long time around here. I have a call that has two blown calls and a scraper built in. A lot of the time they ignore the calls, but when they are responding, the action can be memorable. A dog that will work fairly close and trees is about as simple as you can get. Listen for dog, slip up on treed dog, shoot squirrel while it hides from the dog. Very nice way to hunt! You can often sit in the bottom of a hollow watching where the branches of the big trees on each side meet. Squirrels will cross from hill side to hill side using those branches. I maintain such a condition all the way across my yard from wood line to wood line just because of this. Course I hunt them with the pellet rifle! A cut thru the woods can provide the same thing if it is old enough to have canopy that reaches across the opening.
If given a choice, and I had to pick just one animal to hunt, the mightly squirrel wins hands down!

 

[shootemup]

It ain't so particular exactly what size bolt you use, something pencil-sized or slightly larger is fine. Two quarters will also work.

In my experience this works best when the squirrels are actually cutting nuts, especially when acorns are falling. You can bring them out of a den tree when that's happening...

If they're not cutting it doesn't always work...

Spot

 

[david50]

i use a squirrel distress whistle.find a low limb or a small sappling and start shaking it,as you are doing this give 6 to 8 rabid blows on the whistle lowering the volume as you go.imatates the sound of a hawk or owl snatching up one of thier buddys.most times they just bark and let you know where there at but i've had them come runnin' from 60 or 70 yards out barking all the way, mad as hell

 

[bob1961]

If given a choice, and I had to pick just one animal to hunt, the mightly squirrel wins hands down!

yup, but some of them are tuff critters to take down :rotf: :v ................bob

 

[dennis byrd]

Runner
You guys are awesome! The ammount of collected knowledge on this site is genuinely priceless and I am truly honored every time I get a new post. Thank you all so much and keep it comin!
Best wishes and good luck hunting. Jet90

 

[Slamfire]

Didja ever notice how quiet the woods git when you walk up on a likely spot. If'n yah jest siddown and wait it takes forever for the birds to decide you've gone. Squirrels wait for the bird songs to resume before they relax and return to feedin'.
To reduce this wait, I use one of the Audubon Society's birch and pewter calls. A couple of tweeks, that kinda sound like the local birds will convince the critters it's safe to go about their normal business. :wink:

 

[Dalekg6]

I find about 45 - 50 mph on the back roads of the military base where I work is pretty effective. I think I've got more that way than with a rifle. The hard part is trying to not ruin the meat.

I've also got a few sitting on the front porch. When they start munching the wifes garden she DEMANDS that I shoot them. OK, I'll try, hee hee.

 

[Runner]

Ha, squirrels are not the danger around here! Shoot a pellet rifle off the porch and then throw a dummy so that it appears to fall out of the oak tree. Try to beat 10 cats to it! They have the pellet rifle thing figured out. Even some of the neighbors cats come running! Last squirrel I shot rolled out flopping and ended up under the middle of a small trailer sitting in my neighbors driveway attached to two snarling cats! Haven't figured out how to get one to fetch for me yet!

Across my yard it is woods, walnut, oak, hickory, mullberry, honey locust, and back into the woods. Not only do I have a path for them to travel, but I try to encourage frequent visits all year! Unfortunately, no one manages for squirrels anymore.

And get this straight. My father put a BB gun in my hand and then walloped or yelled at me every time I did something stupid following him around the woods. He helped me kill my first. The squirrel ran into a hole and he said to squat down and watch for it to come back out. When is slipped back out, I was having trouble holding the 410 OU on target, so he had me rest it on his shoulder. Well, I shot, dad did a summersault sideways from a full squat screaming holding on to his ear, and the squirrel fell out of the tree. After a brief but intense discussion about the noise safety factor with guns, we collected my squirrel. He and many theys lead me thru to what I know, took the time to tattoo it on my head or my backside when I did not want to listen, and they never asked for thanks or wanted it. It is everyones job to pass it on as best they can. If being honored means you will listen, then that is a good thing. Pass it on to a child and really learn it as he makes you find the answers to his questions!
That is all the thanks or honor any of us will ever need. When you come back to ask his questions, you will make several of us here really think about an answer that maybe we haven't even thought about for years. We all learn and re-learn. Our numbers grow. That is a living healthy social group, altho some will question my mental health pretty strongly around here!

I did not mean the part about taking a child out for any single person. It was aimed at everyone. The man that said he was honored to listen may know 300 times as much as I do, and i did not mean to imply he doesn't.

 

[cptleo1]

i use a squirrel distress whistle.find a low limb or a small sapling and start shaking it,as you are doing this give 6 to 8 rabid blows on the whistle lowering the volume as you go.imitates the sound of a hawk or owl snatching up one of their buddys.most times they just bark and let you know where there at but I've had them come runnin' from 60 or 70 yards out barking all the way, mad as hell

I do something very similar to this.

Normally I do it early in the afternoon before they are out for their afternoon feed.

Sometimes it is quite amazing how aggressive they become defending their territory.

 

[david50]

i've had them come running down a tree and stop just a few feet above and cuss me for everything but a squirrel hunter,been a couple of times where i thought they might actually attack me.they do seem to be more aggresive in the spring when they have young but i've had the disstress whistle work at all times of the year.here in Missouri the season runs from mid May to mid Febuary