Squirrel Hunting: Some Tips for Tyros
My old man always said, "Huntin' squirrel is easy; just sit
out in the woods and act like a nut. "
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by Lance Sterling
There are a good many reasons why squirrels are among the
most hunted animals in North America. For one thing, the
bushy-tail season usually opens before those for larger
animals do, and provides an excuse to enjoy the
early-autumn woods. Then too, squirrels are more numerous
than any other huntable animal except possibly rabbits.
Because of this, productive woods are often accessible to
youngsters who have to be able to reach their hunting areas
by foot. The weapons used for squirrel hunting—and
the skills required—also demand less of an investment
on the part of beginners, be they young or old. And,
finally, squirrel meat has been recognized as a delicious
food since long before the first Europeans settled on our
shores.
The best way to locate a good squirrel woods is simply to
be in the country—hiking, camping, or
fishing—before the season begins. Listen for the
barks and chatters of those often vocal animals, and keep
your eyes peeled for nests and for the gnawed nutshells,
pinecones, corncobs, or fungi that indicate squirrels have
been feeding.
Once you've located a spot and the season opens (in some
parts of the country, squirrels are fair game year-round),
your hunt can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like.
The back-to-basics approach is simply to dress in
comfortable clothes (with a blaze orange vest, in orange
camouflage pattern if you prefer, for safety) and set
yourself down in a likely-looking grove of trees. The
early- to mid-morning and mid- to late-afternoon hours are
often the most productive. (Be sure to get permission to
hunt if the woods are on private land.)
Most squirrel hunters use either a .22 rifle or a shotgun.
If you choose the latter, which will make it possible to
shoot running animals, I'd recommend nothing smaller than
No. 5 shot. Despite their size, squirrels are hard to kill;
for that reason, hunters using a .22 should never shoot at
a moving animal, and should always use hard-hitting
hollow-point bullets. To do otherwise is to risk watching a
wounded animal escape. In any hunting you owe it to your
quarry not to shoot unless you're confident of a quick,
clean kill.
A variation of the sit-and-wait technique is still-hunting,
which involves moving slowly and quietly through the woods,
stopping in likely spots for up to half an hour at a time,
and keeping your eyes and ears peeled.
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