There are some major differences in hunting squirrels this time of year than earlier in the season. One of the differences is that the trees are stripped of their leaves. This can work in your favor as well as against you. It allows you to see the squirrels easier, but similarly allows them to see you with greater ease. Secondly, the foods the animals were eating during early in the season are mostly on the ground.
A tactic that can get you a lot of squirrels every year is knowing where the den trees are located. Once you find a den tree, move in as quietly as you can as early as you can, take a seat, and wait for the bushytail to show itself.
Another productive technique is to still-hunt, moving very slow and very quiet, trying to spot a squirrel before it spots you. Listen for the cutting sound of a squirrel cracking nuts, scrambling through trees, or running across the ground. If the squirrels are out of range or don’t appear, many hunters will use a squirrel distress call to pull a nearby squirrel in for a closer look. Squirrels have great eyesight, so good camouflage is more important with this technique, but I always recommend good camouflage when squirrel hunting.
A few more tricks:
In country with a mix of small woodlots and big woods, work smaller patches late in the season. Small tracts are often overlooked by other hunters, and though they may not hold large numbers of squirrels, the restricted area makes squirrels easier to find.
When you spot a squirrel, slow down. The slower you go, the better.
If you have a choice between hunting a ridge and a creek bottom, stick to the creek bottom. The leaves will be wetter and the going will be quieter. You will also be keeping a lower profile, so squirrels will be less likely to spot you.
Excellent squirrel hunting can be found on wooded public hunting areas, where there’s typically little hunting pressure. It’s also easier to receive permission to hunt private ground because of the lack of competition among other hunters.
Squirrels and Rice
2 squirrels, cut up
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup rice, uncooked
Place cut-up squirrel in large pot and cover with water. Add salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for one to two hours, or until meat begins to fall off the bone, adding water as needed. When done, remove and bay leaf and discard. Remove squirrel pieces and allow to cool. Remove meat from the bones and return meat to pot. Add rice, bring to a boil, reduce, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until rice is done.
Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
