So I did a search and could not find any good information so I thought I would start a thread with some questions. If we can keep this informative and on topic then maybe it can be a reference for others looking for answers.
If you don't hunt squirrels with traditional gear then no need to tell us that. This is for those that want to know techniques...
Do you guys walk through the woods and spot/stalk?
Do you setup in a chair?
Do you use a call? Distress or Social?
How do you find there eyesight regarding camo and other game like deer?
Thanks,
James
Haven't hunted squirrels with my bow yet but I have done a ton with my .22, basically I treat it like deer hunting, get near food, be still, be quiet and wait them out. In the fall they seem to be most active at the same times deer are. I try and get to my spots before sunrise and catch them as they start moving. I've seen people go into squirrel hunting thinking is easy Pickens, and it can be, but you have to treat them like a game animal, moving spots too much, and not paying attention to the food will really hurt your game bag.
Well that's just my cup of tea. I am a bit of a tree rat nut! I have used all of the above methods but prefer the spot and stalk. Camo is not necessary for squirrels really though I'm sure it cannot hurt. Their little brains are tuned more toward movement and sound than anything else. For a chair set up you need to pre scout an area. I find the mr squirrel distress call use full in the early season especially with fox squirrels. This is the one time were decent camo is kinda a must. In the early portion of the season (sept) the hickories will fall first and they will gorge themselves at the top of hickory trees. I have seen 5-6 squirrels both gray and fox on a single tree. They eat hickories so much sometimes it rubs the fur away from the sides of their face. Next is acorns as they become ripe and the leaves start to fall they will more and more be found on the ground as the season changes. I also hunt them in the summer and this can be a real tough one since they move less and their food sources vary. The eat fresh buds on trees , berries (esp mulberries), even mushrooms. They are more active near creeks and sloughs in the dog days of summer. Usually early am and late evening are best the exception is when it is really cold then they will come out and stay out later. Grey's prefer dense hardwood forests but, their bolder cousins the fox squirrel likes more open timber where there is a mix of hard and soft woods. They really like transition areas between fields and forests and are a real sucker for corn. I have often had a blast slowly walking a trail I know that runs between the woods and a corn field at midday and cold January days. You can jump fox squirrels there and it makes for a great sport to try and hit them on the fly.
There are a number of effective signs to find a squirrel hot spot. The most effective is chewed up nuts of whatever is in season. also small holes dug into the ground, nests, and even other hunters. If you find a spot with a few shotgun shells preferable a bit rusty and all the same brand you can bet there is decent hunting there. if however there are multiple brands of shells many fresh you can bet that they have been well thinned and the remaining pop will be excessively wary.
I didn't really answer your questions...
I do not really spot and stalk except for the very early season when the leaves are still on the trees, once the leaves drop the squirrels will bust you and hunker down if you move too much.
I never really used calls, so I can't answer as to their effectiveness
I don't use a chair, sometime I'll climb one of the treestands on the property I hunt.
Their eyesight is pretty good, not quite as spooky as deer but you will see far more if you treat them like deer. Camo isn't that important in my experience, be still and and you're good.
Squirrels tend to den in the same trees every year,I typically don't hunt the same den areas repeatedly each season, I just take a couple from a spot then move on, always leave a few to repopulate the area.
And you forgot to bring up the best part of squirrel hunting and that is.........squirrel eating!
Ditto on the squirrel eating. To that end I use a scoped .22 Kimber.
Hunt squirrels same way I hunt deer...sit patiently few hours of morning and evening. I also love to still hunt around and combine the hunt with stump shooting.
When I'm dead serious about filling the freezer, take the .22 with hollow pt shorts. I do love to bow hunt them as they offer a variety of shots.
James, I like to use a dog for squirrel hunting. A squirrel dog can get you many more shots and add a lot to the fun. We also try to hunt thickets more than mature timber. Here is a picture of my squirrel dog which I have posted before but is one of my favorites.
(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s64/GordonJabben/DSC_0194.jpg) (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/GordonJabben/media/DSC_0194.jpg.html)
That's an awesome pic! I'd have that blown up and framed.
QuoteOriginally posted by Krex1010:
That's an awesome pic! I'd have that blown up and framed.
Absolutely!! I love it :thumbsup:
Thanks guys. That dog has brought a lot of joy to our family.
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/fnshtr/Hero2_zps260eeb10.jpg) (http://s429.photobucket.com/user/fnshtr/media/Hero2_zps260eeb10.jpg.html)
While I sometimes sit for a while, I really still hunt. I love being in the woods early in the fall and here in WV that means chasing squirrels.
I average about 12 shots for each squirrel taken... not great, but great fun!
Gordon,
What breed of dog is that?
Am I to assume that you shoot squirrels out of the tree since you are using the dog and that would cause them to stay high?
FNSHTR,
What about you? DO you wait till they come down to eye level or lower or do you just fling an arrow upwards and hope you can recover it if you don't hit the squirrel?
The reason I mentioned traditional only is that it is a totally different game with a gun. I had two on my wife and I this weekend but they were really high in the tree and about 40 yards away. We were sitting up against two different trees about 20 yards apart but could not get the them to come down. I would have had ample shot chances with a gun. I could have flung an arrow at one a few times except that there was a rather large cliff behind that would have made it a $15 shot. It is just not the same when you don't have to worry about loosing an arrow and can just fire away for 5 cents a pop. That is why my interest is in how you guys do it with stick and string?
^^^ looks like a Boykin Spaniel
My favorite animal to hunt with a bow!
Wading a creek, is my first choice of huntn them!
Here in the Midwest, this time of the year, the squirrel "rut" can be exciting and fun! Mild temps make for some great hunting.
My best tip, get out there and experience it. Squirrel hunting can teach alot, woodsmanship!
My goal every fall, is to take a squirrel before I'm ready to take a deer. And when I' m hunting deer, I'm still huntn squirrels! :bigsmyl:
I would love to hunt once like Gordon, with his " best" friend!
Good shootin, too Gordon, and to all!
Oh, and Chester Stevenson is my squirrel bowhuntn hero! :thumbsup:
I see squirrels, I shoot at them. I'm not too good at hitting them. :dunno:
QuoteOriginally posted by cloudbaseracer:
Gordon,
What breed of dog is that?
Am I to assume that you shoot squirrels out of the tree since you are using the dog and that would cause them to stay high?
FNSHTR,
What about you? DO you wait till they come down to eye level or lower or do you just fling an arrow upwards and hope you can recover it if you don't hit the squirrel?
The reason I mentioned traditional only is that it is a totally different game with a gun. I had two on my wife and I this weekend but they were really high in the tree and about 40 yards away. We were sitting up against two different trees about 20 yards apart but could not get the them to come down. I would have had ample shot chances with a gun. I could have flung an arrow at one a few times except that there was a rather large cliff behind that would have made it a $15 shot. It is just not the same when you don't have to worry about loosing an arrow and can just fire away for 5 cents a pop. That is why my interest is in how you guys do it with stick and string?
I carry both regular fletched arrows with judos AND a couple of flu flu with blunts or judos. I also carry a couple of broadhead tipped arrows for close shots into soft ground/stumps/limbs on the ground.
I discovered by chance while blood trailing a deer years ago that if you still hunt thrue the woods , the squirrels don't pay much attention to you . I move just slightly faster than if I were hunting deer . I have shot them as close as 5 feet on the ground . I have been hunting them that way every sense with amazing success . Don't even matter what you are wearing .
I still hunt them though areas that they are known to be in . Look for areas with multiple nests and work those slowly also if you can find a log with a pile of nuts on it and set up with in bow range several squirrel will use the same log to chew nuts on.I use mostly old arrows for tree shots that way if you don't fine them it's ok
And Gordons squirrel dog is really handy to find lost wood arrows too.
In my travels I have found a 6 mile stretch of slow flow river that empties into the Pee Dee. The flow is slow enough to easily paddle back up stream.
I put in a canoe with plenty of flu-flu's and a few broadheads. I use a short recurve, 7 Lakes "Sawed Off" and just float quietly through the hardwoods and Long Leaf Pine.
Spring time means Turkey and the Stripped Bass run. Maybe some Crappie in last years Christmas trees that were sunk.
The easiest method is to make your wife pay for the bird feed. Bird feed is known throughout the Squirrel kingdom as "Squirrel Food". After about a year of buying Squirrel Food every 3 days she will come to you for a solution.
Now I like to watch a few squirrels in the back yard but I'm not willing to adopt every woodland creature. Especially the tastier ones that make such wonderful gravy.
The solution... If they don't come when you call 'em, they ain't pets. :)
(http://i.imgur.com/JTzEQo6.jpg)
^^^^ that's the only way I've been successful
Some good suggestions here. i have never really just bow hunted for "squirrels". Lots of photos, and a few shots, and even a kill every now and then. The eye really stands out.
(http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr330/livrht/DSCF0160_zpsaebd7d9e.jpg) (http://s496.photobucket.com/user/livrht/media/DSCF0160_zpsaebd7d9e.jpg.html)
(http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr330/livrht/DSCF5614.jpg) (http://s496.photobucket.com/user/livrht/media/DSCF5614.jpg.html)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZfkRCe9.jpg?1)
TxAg is right, Molly is a Boykin Spaniel but many breeds will make good squirrel dogs. James, I do shoot the squirrels up in the trees. I have a hard time hitting them on the ground like from a treestand. I try to position myself for the shot so that the arrow will hit in a field or opening should I miss which I do a majority of the time. Then I send the dog around the tree hoping the squirrel will come around to my side for a shot.
This topic is cool.I have an old black widow target bow 69" long 41# limbs. This bow is dedicated to small game as I use only flu flu arrows out of it. My big game set up don't shoot flu flu arrows the same as regular arrows. Any how my favorite method is trails and two tracks. Small woodlots are a close second. If it's not too cold I take our "dust mop dog" as he gets crazy when you just say the word "SQUIRREL".
Also shame on you for starting this topic. I'm pumped but I have to go to work today.
When I was younger I used to like to get the sun behind m, sit still, and position myself to shoot at them in trees. I lost a lot of arrows that way, including flu-flus. Now I prefer to get the high ground, after a rain, and try to catch them feeding on the ground. They're still hard to hit, but at least I get to re-use my ordnance.
I said that my preferred method is still-hunting... by that I mean moving, but moving slowly.
I don't know if anyone else will agree with me on this, but... there is a "slowing down" from our normal "rushed" lives that is hard for me to describe. Maybe it compares to an athlete getting "in the zone". Total focus and getting into the "rhythm of nature".
Sort of getting lost to time... clearing the mind completely and "tuning in" to nature.
Whatever it is... I experience it when I "slow down" enough. In that "state" I find squirrels and other game seem to pay less attention to me... like I'm "accepted as part of the scene" somehow.
:knothead:
Maybe I'm nuttier than squirrel poop... but this is the way it seems to be for me.
Squirrel hunting lets me practice getting into this "state".
OK... Call me crazy!
Good hunting...
Fnshtr....you're not crazy, I feel the same. Quite frankly I don't think there is a better way to practice and hone hunting skills than to go squirrel hunting. You can have a couple deer seasons worth of spot and stalks in one day, and if you can hit a squirrel you can surely say you're ready to shoot at a deer. I picked up squirrel hunting later than most and I'm a better hunter because of it.
fnshtr, that is the heart of a hunter.
double post
QuoteOriginally posted by achigan:
I'm just beginning trad hunting, but have have been after tree rats for quite a while. I've hit five, knocked two from the sides of trees with a blunt and a judo, not retrieved, and cut two with broadheads and not retrieved them, and put this one in the bag (http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee458/jimavelis/76c00222-bacc-4e16-91f6-42f227a1e220.jpg) If I made my own arrows and points, I might go after them in the tree tops, but it's too pricey to be flinging carbon up into trees. I see plenty of grey and fox squirrels while stand hunting for deer, so that's how I go about hunting them, really slow, letting them come to me mostly.
double post :knothead:
??
If the squirrel start barking your moving to fast but if they do bark move on them slowly and watch for them flipping there tails sometimes you can spot them and move into range before they move
I wish we had them in huntable numbers here in NV. We have plenty on our farms in KY, but I get there too seldom
Now rabbits! We have 4 varieties and I live to hunt them. Agree, slow down an remember there is a difference between looking and seeing.
Good topic
We used to get 3 or 4 hunters and slowly still hunt an area until someone puts up a squirrel. That means launching an arrow at it and getting it to stay put up in the tree.
Then whistle to your buddies to come. Once everyone gets in position around the tree the fun part comes next. TARGET SATURATION!!!! Fill every square inch of space with a missle!
One time 4 of us had 80 flu-flus between us. We had a squirrel WAY up a tree so long we about croaked from fatigue and from laughing so hard. We shot arrows at that thing for 1-1/2 hours! You had to keep an eye out because the arrows from your buddy on the other side of the tree were raining down around you! So you just picked them up and fired them back! We estimated that we each got 150-200 shots. We took turns taking breaks for a swig of water or to shed clothes. What a workout!
Eventually, the squirrel tired of toying with us and came down part way and into a hole. We all collapsed in the leaves. To this day that was probably the most fun thing I ever did.
try right before a storm front comes in. They scurry looking for food prior to a storm.
You'll see a lot.
Idk when your season go from or to. But just a tip here in the north squirrels mate/breed around January- beginning of February.
I have seen them almost rut like deer. I have seen 5 chasing a hot female bushy tail. You will see them crawling logs and trees with there noses to the ground like a buck n follow a hot females like a buck. If you never experienced it, be in the woods ESP on a warm up in january or early February. Obviously u need to be in a squirrel area
Now is a really good time to hunt them-- they are on the ground a lot and starting to breed-- shoot for the squirrel that is chasing --that's the buck, let the does go to produce. Years ago I bought a Mr Squirrel call. It looks like a little disc w a hole in it. You put it to your lips and breath in-- it makes a shrill distress whistle. My experience has been that in some woods it works great-- I've called them out of holes and had them come right on in-- very cool. Other woods and I get no response and wonder if it doesn't spook those squirrels. I usually wait until I've been in a spot for awhile before using for this reason.
does anybody from up north here hunt these little buggers- seems that they are a lot smaller than the ones you have-- the body may only be 5 or 6" long., and they seem to have a more greenish hue to them.
lots around, i am sure they will be good eating!
cheers
wayne
just did some quick research seems that they are a "red " squirrel.
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus lanuginosus
dont look very red to me :dunno:
they do seem a lot smaller than the ones i see on here!
We have reds(call em piney squirrels), greys, some fox and very occasionally in my area someone see or shoots a black or a black/fox combo. I never have been that lucky.
Anyone got a good recipe that even a wife would like haven never eating squirrels? I'd like to make some.
Favorite recipe. Cut up squirrel. Pat dry and coat w smoked paprika, salt, fresh ground black pepper. Brown quickly in very hot bacon grease or oil. Once brown remove squirrel, discard grease and deglaze pan by adding cup of chicken stock ( I use bullion in hot water) scrape all the goodies off bottom of pan for flavor. Put squirrel back in pan w the chicken stock cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Then add potatoes and carrots and cook until tender. Now I add frozen peas. Really good this way. You can also add home made dumpling dough to the pot for last 20 mins. I do this in pressure cooker too all in about 50 mins.
I am going to have to try some of these techniques in my attic
David
too cold for squirrels today. needs to warm up a bit for them to be active.
Redshaft.....cut the squirrel into 5 pieces, 4 leg quarters and the back. Make a simple brine with a little vinegar, soak the squirrels for a a couple hours if possible. Then simmer covered in beer until fork tender but not falling off the bone. Take the squirrel out and let cool for a bit. Then either grill it for a few minutes to mark it up and hit it with some BBQ sauce or fry it up and toss in your fav wing sauce. Trust me, you will have zero leftovers.
Thanks guys!
I think I'm catching a cold and need to start the weekend early by taking a stroll through the timber for some squirrels.
Can't wait to get back out there. MLK day earlier this week I went out for our annual Martin Luther King day crow hunt and saw an abundance of squirrels in the corn fields feeding. Be great fun to walk the edge of timberline and sling a few sticks. Tough little targets on the run, but heck: a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again!
We had a wicked hard last winter on the squirrel population in my part of Va. We had tons of them in years past and was becoming my favorite animal to hunt. This season I saw one squirrel!
As mentioned before, slow down and when you think you are still hunting slow enough, slow down some more.