any tips for squirrel hunting??

[Micro_Mini_Angler]

hey guys i am for sure going squirrel hunting sat. it will only be my second time going squirrel hunting. i dont know if there are any tips for squirrel hunting but can anyone give a first timer some pointers?? thanks


-Trey-

[bkr43050]

Move slowly and quietly. If the squirrels are hitting the ground then try to find a good spot to wait for them. If they are staying up then slow hunting through the woods may be the ticket. If you find any hickory nut trees, right now is the time to be on them. They are nailing them hard right now. If you find a hickory try sitting still for a while nearby and see if they show up.

Have fun and be safe!!

[crankus_maximus]

Find the nut trees and a log to site up against with a good view. Sit still with your gun in the ready position. And most of all, enjoy yourself!

[traphunter]

Like already mentioned, if you have hickory trees where you will be hunting then thats where most of them will be right now. I like to still hunt through the woods, LISTENING for the squirrels. Thats one of the most impotant thing this time of year. Close your eyes and let your ears take you to the squirrels. Listen for moving leaves, the cutting of nuts, the growl and bonechilling bark of the squirrel. You could stand in spot and listen for 10 minits, and know the location of every active squirrel within hearing distance. Once you get out there enough, you will soon be able to tell the exact sounds of the squirrels, and not get them confused with other things such as birds or deer.
To me, squirrel hunting is one of the most enjoyable types of hunts, regardless as to if you get any squirrels or not. I know I cut my teeth on them as I was growing up hunting. There isnt much in September hunting world like a long walk through the woods with a .22 in hand. You can learn alot about yourself. Enjoy yourself buddy and learn from everything that you do, and be a responceable woodsmen. We will be the next gatekeepers. Good luck and be safe.

[misfit]

traphunter nailed it perfectly.very well put :)
when you go into the woods,it's time to go into stealth mode.though my favorite form of actually hunting,was always stillhunting/stalking,i also always enjoyed finding an "active" area and sitting,waiting for opportunities while soaking in all the sights and sounds of the woods.it brings a sort of peace over a person.it also give you the opportunity to see nature at work.deer cautiously browsing,the songs of various birds,grouse,turkeys flying to or from their roosts or scratching out acrons from the the forest floor,foxes returning to their dens after a night of hunting,the hammering of a busy woodpecker.these are the things that make for a rewarding day afield.

shotgunning is fun,but i really enjoyed popping them with my little scoped ruger 10/22 also.great little gun.

[bkr43050]

I am not sure which gun you had in mind but the early season often is a time that folks choose the shotgun because many of the shots are close and often up above. In more wide open woods and particularly later in the season the .22 is the perfect weapon.

[traphunter]

Yes many do perfer shotgun this time of year. And if I were just starting out as micro is, I would probably be using a shotgun also. You can have many more shot oppertunities with a shotgun when the green leaf still on.

But as seen in the picture, for me a .22 is the only way to go as I grow older and get more experience out in the squirrel woods. I got tired of blowing up every single squirrel that I shot at, it was just absolutly no challenge at all to me to hunt them with the shotgun. As funny as it may seem, I enjoy missing squirrels, almost as much as I do hitting them. I beleive that this is all part of the hunt, the hits along with the misses.

Just this past year have I began reliezing the real beauty of the squirrel woods all over again. I love every bit of it.

Two days ago, I walked a wooded ridge loaded with hickorys and buckeyes. I could stop and listen and hear the squirrels all around me. As I continued onward, I could hear one squirrel in paticular cutting and squaking like he had no worry. I stalked upon this sound, looking for its source. To my surprize I looked up in the tree that I had just stalked, and there a grey squirrel sit not 10 yards up on a big limb protruding from the tree. I slowly raised my gun and put the squirrel in my crosshairs. As I stand there in that moment of life or death, something inside caused me to lower the gun. I went through this action of raising and lowering my weapon a couple times before I finally set down my gun and really looked up at the squirrel. Right there I felt more then I have ever felt for awhile. I felt a connection that was really deep, and maybe half crazy. I walked contently away from the tree while the little fella set up on that limb, like nothing had ever happend.

Its for reasons like this that I hunt. Few others things in life can make me so high.

Micro, I wish that you lived closer, I would take you out to a couple of good spots for the squirrel. Once you get your first squirrel you will be hooked for life.



This picture is of me and my cousin. The hunt took place last sunday. We use to hunt alot together when we were younger and we use to be best friends. We experienced much of our childhood with each other. But soon differences in our lives drew us apart, and we rarely taked much untill this past summer . This could very well be our last hunt together for a long while, as I will be going off to college next fall, and I have no clue what may happen to us in that time. Even though we have many differences about many things, I truley enjoyed this hunt with him. I feel we have learned to have a mutual respect for each other, despite what we have went through. I hope deep inside he may feel the same way.

[jiggin'fool]

if you want to use a 22 this time of year I suggest it!!! traphunter is right you can just blast any squirrel within 50 yards out of the tree just by seeing his tail up in the leaves! I got 9 squirrels last weekend and I got 7 of them with my 22 with open sights! the only thing is you have to be very very patient.... waiting for that squirrel to move out from the tree tops to a more visible location! I got several of them on the side of the tree as they were coming down... all you do is wait for them to come into a clear shooting lane and then try and squak like they do... kinda lightly though so they just freeze! and you usually have plenty enough time to draw a bead on them! if not you just have to wait a little longer! or when they are cutting( which is when they are actually eating a nut you can hear their teeth grinding on the shell) it is so much more rewarding when you have true marksmanship with a 22 then shooting them with a shotgun and only seeing parts of the squirrel way up in the tree! if you want to truly hunt a squirrel do it with a 22! if you want to kill some squirrels do it with a shotgun!! this is the first year I got into 22's for squirrels! I won't carry another gun for them! good luck!!!! FIND HICKORY TREES!!!!!!!

[Micro_Mini_Angler]

yea i am using my 20 ga. i dont know if my uncle is taking his 22. or not??

[wolfman2172]

Hey Micro, Uncle Wolfman here,

Listen to your surroundings, keep a sharp eye for any movement and be very, very, quiet! Just remember that squirrels in the woods are nothing like city squirrels. They have keen eyesight and have very good hearing. A snap of a twig under your boot from a good distance away can send them running for cover. When stalking a squirrel, try to keep trees between you and the fury little animal so it can’t see you. When they’re high up in the trees…………..they see everything!

I will have my model 60 with me. I’ve taken many squirrels with a shotgun but this will be my first time hunting with a 22. This will be my true test. A few squirrels will either accompany me out of the woods or they will remain safe up in the trees. Either way I’ll have fun.

[freyedknot]

you have to be vewy vewy quiet!!!!!!!

[Shortdrift]

In my opinion, hunting squirrels with the 22 is not only the most sporting way to collect those tastey critters, it also results in less animals being wounded as a head shot is either a clean kill or a miss. Add to that the pleasure of not worrying about chomping down on a lead pellet as well as no splintered bones. All you need to do is have the patience to wait for an open shot and then put your shooting skill to the test. I'm too old and the eyesight too poor to use open sights anymore so a four power scope on my Ruger 10/22 helps me to make those head shots. :)

[Flathead King 06]

yea i agree with shortdrift, a marlin model 60 .22 cal paired with a small scope ( i have a bushnell 4x32) makes for a fun day out in the woods with tree rats

[traphunter]

the marlin model 60 is a nice squirrel gun. It would be my second choice next to my ruger 10/22.

[Micro_Mini_Angler]

well uncle since i will be getting a 22. i gues i should go with the 60 if it is a good squirrel gun and i loved it at the club. plus my mom wants me to get one cuz after she shot my 20 ga. i think she likes to shoot guns now.lol

[misfit]

for a .22 that will knock the eyes out of those rats,my all-time favorite would be the old winchester model 67.i love my 10/22,but the old 67 is absolutely one of the best little rimfires made when it comes to driving tacks.being out of production for over 40 years,it might be hard to find one that hasn't had a lot of lead run through it.and they're not cheap,but they're out there.the 67 will outshoot the 10/22 any day of the week,with the standard open sights.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/15win67-med.jpg

[traphunter]

Nice gun misfit. I would really like to shoot one sometime.

[Flathead King 06]

you could even look into the remington model 597, correct me if im wrong, composite stock .22 cal, personally dont own one myself, but a good lookin gun, dont know anything about it though

[misfit]

traphunter,i think you'd appreciate one of those.that pic came from another site,cause i don't have one.shot my mother-in-law's a lot,years ago,but her son took it before she had a chance to give it to me:(
it was an older one than the one in the pic,and a real shooter.any squirrel closer than about 60 yards or so was gauranteed an invitation to dinner :D
probably would be hard to find one in decent shape now,for under $200.

[traphunter]

It sure is nice lookin though

[misfit]

they're classics for sure.kind of a simple beauty to them.if i was still hunting,i'd be looking for another one.

[harjo02]

I've never hunted squirrel and I've poked around the woods at Deer Creek after dove hunting but not seen anything.

Is there any place in Central Ohio, closer to Grove City, that is a little 'easier' for a newbie.

[Toxic]

Micro, when I am out tree rat hunting and if I have one treed up and it will not show himself, I like to either throw my hat or a big stick around the tree to spook him around for a shot. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I also have a squirrel whistle. I've had this thing for 20+years now and I'm sure you can still buy them. It only works early in the season for me. It supposed to imitate a young squirrel being attacked by a hawk. I use while I shake a small sapling on the ground. It drives them nuts and they all come out barking. I also like using a cutter. It imitates a squirrel eating and puts them at ease while you stalk. I've taking a many rats with both devises. I like a challenge so I use a 22-bolt action all year. But, the rifles getting to easy so I recently bought a S&W 22 pistol and will soon be mounting a scope on it for squirrels. Can't wait. Good luck little buddy. !#