The Hunting Files

"The Boy" Goes Squirrel Hunting

There's something to be said about a boy's first squirrel hunt.  I still remember mine, though it was quite a few years ago.  I think that in a lot of ways, hunting has gotten away from it's "roots" so to speak.  Too much emphasis today is placed on big game like white-tail deer, while everyone seems to had forgotten about small game, like squirrels and rabbits.  True, they aren't as glamorous as a big antlered white-tail, and I've yet to see any Boone & Crockett record book entries for squirrels, but small game hunting teaches the basics..............The basics of how to move, how to actually "hunt", how to handle a firearm, and just a basic appreciation of nature.  If you spook a squirrel while hunting, there'll be another on down the path a little way.  If you spook a deer while deer hunting, sometimes you may have to give up for the day.  This can be discouraging to a small child.

I had been telling my 6 year old son that I would take him squirrel hunting this year, but as is usually the case with today's busy schedules, we weren't able to actually go until about 2 months into the season.  With only being 6 and his first hunting trip, I decided that he could carry his BB gun if he wanted, but that was going to be as much firepower as I wanted him to have just yet!  Just like most every other kid these days, Mason is no exception when it comes to playing video games.  We limit the amount of time he can play, and what he can play, but usually when he isn't playing, he's acting out parts of the video games.  His favorite game right now is Pirates of the Carribean Online, with all of the sword fighting in it.  Little did I know that his video game playing would be one of the highlights of our first hunt!

We had to drive down to the farm to hunt before daylight, and much to my surprise, he was ready and raring to go at 5:00 AM when we had to get up.  We were able to get in the woods right at daylight, just as I had hoped.  After parking the 4-wheeler, I went through everything with him as far as watching where he was walking, looking around for squirrels, stopping beside trees, etc.  We stayed at the 4-wheeler for a little bit, and let everything quiet back down from us going in, and then headed out.

Since this was the boy's first hunt, I didn't want to take him on "too much" of an adventure, so I had decided that we would just stick to the old logging roads.  It was a cool morning, with little to no wind, but where we hadn't had any rain in quite a while, the leaves were dryer than a popcorn fart!  The patch of woods we were hunting though had quite a few squirrels in it, so I figured we would find at least one that was either mentally challenged, very brave, or at the least, blind and deaf!  Plus, since I was carrying a .17 HMR, if I could see it, I could hit it, which swung the odds in our favor a little.

I have hunted the patch of woods enough to know about where the squirrels usually were, so in areas where there usually weren't any squirrels I made sure to point out the other things Mason would need to know.  When we would stop at a tree to look and listen, I pointed out different trees, leaves, plants, bird calls, etc.  We whispered about this and that, me asking him things, and he asking me about things.  I could hear squirrels cutting further up on the side of the hill, or down in the hollows, but didn't want to go after then.  This was going to be just a leisurely walk in the woods, with a little hunting/learning mixed in.

After sneaking around for quite a while, we still hadn't gotten any squirrels and I could tell that Mason was starting to get bored.  As we started going down a hill, I could see some limbs moving up ahead where there were some squirrels cutting.  I pointed them out to Mason and told him to really watch where he put his feet as we slipped a little closer.  We stopped beside a pretty good sized beech tree and watched for a little while.  I could see a fox squirrel every now and then through the leaves on down the hill a little bit, so I told Mason to stay there at that tree while I slipped on down the hill a little to see if I could get a shot at the squirrel.  I had told him earlier that morning that if he saw me put the rifle up to my shoulder to put his fingers in his ears to protect them from the blast of the rifle.  Me wanting to go on down the hill away from him was to mainly get the blast of the rifle away from him.  I moved on down the hill about 20-25 yards, found a tree that I could get a good rest on, and finally found a hole that I could thread the little 17 grain V-Max bullet through.  When I turned around to motion for Mason to put his fingers in his ears, I almost completely forgot about squirrel hunting!  Up the hill, diligently standing by the tree where I had left him, Mason was locked in an epic sword fighting battle with (from the looks of it) several imaginary foes!  LMAO!!!!!  I had gotten on him several times that morning about shuffling his feet in the leaves and making noise.  He had apparently listened to me on that part of "moving quietly", but not on the part of "moving slowly".  He wasn't making a sound, but his arms were flailing wildly about, his stick/sword vanquishing foe after foe!!!

After whispering "MASON!" loud enough for him to hear me, and shaking my fist at him, he quit sword fighting.  I motioned for him to put his fingers in his ears, and I turned my attention back toward the deaf, dumb, and blind fox squirrel.  At the crack of the rifle, the squirrel folded and hit the the ground with a very audible "THUMP".  I scanned on around the other area to see if I could see any others that the rifle had provoked into moving.  Seeing nothing, I turned around to check on the boy.  He was all grins, pumping his fist in the air.  I motioned for him to come on down there toward me.  Once he finally made it down there, doing his best not to make very much noise, I showed him which tree the squirrel had been in and how to "mark" the tree so that he would be able to find it once we got down there.

We found the squirrel without any trouble.  After I picked it up (mainly to make sure it was dead) I handed it to Mason.  He said, "It's warm Daddy."  "Yeah it is buddy.  He was alive just a little while ago but I shot and killed him.  The good Lord put this squirrel out here for us to get so that we can have something to eat."  This kind of exchange continued between the two of us, with him asking questions and me answering.  I had shot the squirrel in the head, and in normal fashion for the little V-Max bullet, part of the squirrel's head was missing.  This too provided a good learning opportunity to the boy, and from the look on his face, it was really hitting home what I had been telling him for several years about being careful with guns, that they can kill, etc.  It's one thing to see a hole in a target, but a whole other thing to see a dead animal with part of it's head missing.  Since that time, I've noticed that Mason is a little more careful around my guns and even with his Nerf guns.

I peeled the bottom of the squirrel's foot back and put a stick under the tendons to carry it with.  Mason was done.  He wanted to go back to the house to show Momma and Nanna Carol our squirrel.  We hunted for just a little while longer and then started making our way back toward the 4-wheeler.  Back at the house, I let Mason tell Momma & Nanna Carol about his hunt, with me adding little bits and pieces every here and there.

If I had gone hunting by myself that morning, there's no doubt I would have gotten a limit and been back at the house in very short order.  But this hunt wasn't about me.  It was about "The Boy".  It was about a father and son getting out and spending time together, both learning from each other.  It was about learning from Mother Nature and actually listening to what she has to say.  But mainly, it was about passing down the hunting heritage to the next generation, so that they too can be self sufficient and appreciate all of the wonders around them each day.  Even the wonders of a little 6 year old boy sword fighting by himself in the middle of the woods.

Big58cal

Squirrel Cams ??!!

Seems like everybuddy and thar brother uses trail cams for scoutin deer , then it hit me !
I figured I'd put up some for squirrels ................ you know what , it ain't as easy as ya might think . 

First tree I put one in had a hornets nest about 20 feet up , course I didn't see it on the way up . I found it when I kicked it on the way down !!!!  Second tree wern't no better , no hornets but it wuz covered up in poision oak .

A week later I wuz right back out thar , I didn't get in the woods til late and it wuz bout dark when I finaly found just the right tree. Big ole cottonwood full of holes , bout 30 feet up I found a good limb and almost got the cam strapped on.  I hear this growl comin from one of the holes right bout even with my head , cept a foot or so to my right . Biggest , meanest boar coon ya ever saw came out , seems coons are camera shy .   I didn't know that   

61 stiches  and a few days later I decided that I really don't need to do no scoutin anyway ! 

I think I'll just rely on " lil dog "

Rifleman

www.gutpilestyle.com

Carrying Squirrels "The Old Way"

This will show you “the old way” of carrying squirrels while hunting. My uncle showed me how to do this, with his dad showing him. It’s easy, convenient, and no mess. All you’ll need to worry about taking with you is a knife, and your gun of course. It’s “The Stick Method”. I started out carrying squirrels like this, switched to an old metal sharpened shower curtain hook, and then went to a game bag, but that didn’t last long before I was back to cutting a stick to carry squirrels on. Game bags are convenient, but you’ve got to worry about washing them, and the weight of the squirrels weighing you down. With anything hooked onto your belt or pants (like an old shower curtain hook), the squirrels will get your camo bloody, and the weight of the squirrels will be constantly pulling on that side of your pants. And with either a game bag or a hook, it’s something else that you have to take into the woods with you, or potentially forget. With a stick, all you need is a pocket knife. Start with a dead squirrel of some sort. Make sure it’s dead before continuing. If the squirrel is still alive, they generally don’t care for what you’re going to do!

Next, find a forked stick, about the diameter of a pencil.

Cut your stick, leaving the fork on one end, with the main part of the stick 8” long or so. Sharpen the long end a little, and remove any bumps or buds on the main part of the stick.

Put your stick in the edge of your pocket to hold for a little bit while you prep the squirrel. I usually do the right back foot, but it doesn’t really matter.

You’re going to want to grab the outside toe on the squirrel’s foot (the one by my index finger) with one hand, and the toes with the other hand.

Now, pull on the outside toe, pulling it back toward the back of the foot and the tail of the squirrel. By pulling it like this, you’ll tear the skin on the bottom of the foot exposing the tendons in the foot. Gray squirrels will usually peel pretty easy. Fox squirrels are a little tougher, and you may only expose a little section of the tendons. That’s OK, in that you just need to be able to see the tendons.

After you’ve got the tendons exposed, take your stick and thread the sharpened end under the tendons from one side of the foot to the other.

Slide the squirrel up on the stick, and you’ve now got an easy way to carry the squirrels.

The length of the stick will determine how many squirrels you can fit on it. You may have to cut yourself another stick if you fill the first up. This method is an easy way to carry the squirrels while you’re hunting. You can lay them down and slip up on another squirrel if need be, or if you’ve got quite a few and you know you’re going to come back past a certain area, you can lay the squirrels down to retrieve when you’re coming back. No mess to clean up (other than the squirrels) and you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything.

Big58cal http://www.gutpilestyle.com

1/2 Box Of 22 Shells and Paw-Paw's Game Bag

I’m sure this is a sign that I’m now officially an “ old fart” but today I started remembering special things from my childhood.

Hunting was right at the top of the list .  I still remember my Dad and Paw-Paw letting me tag along with them until they were sure, at the ripe old age of 7, I would be ok on my own.

The First Great Hunt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got out of bed just before 4 : 30 and had all my stuff laid out from the night before.( I didn’t seem to need as much gear back then .) Blue jeans, my favorite flannel shirt, red and black of course, boots and socks, cap, ½ box of 22 long rifle shells , and a Remington bolt-action single-shot . I almost forgot the game bag that  Paw-Paw carried , it was homemade out of what was once a feather pillow ( ticking ). Although it was large enough to hold at least 10 fox squirrels ( I had seen my Paw- Paw come home with that many before ) I just knew it wasn’t gonna be big enough for today’s hunt !

After swallowing 2 fried eggs and some sausage and biscuits as fast as I could , out the door I went . It was just light enough to find my way up the trail that ran from in front of the house up into the woods . I knew where the squirrels were gonna be feeding - in a big hickory-nut tree over on the second ridge from the house . This was where the massacre would take place !

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting with my back against an old cotton-wood tree about 25 yards from the big hickory with all the cuttings under it . I had carefully and quietly pushed the fall leaves back far enough that if I had to  shift or stand up I wouldn’t make a sound . Now in the early light I slid the bolt back and reached into the box of shells placed just to the right of me on the ground . (This was a trick that I had learned from my Dad , put your shells at arms length so ya don’t have to take your eyes off of the squirrel to reload) I closed the bolt and checked the safety , DEATH was at the  ready !

Just as I could start making out the leaves that were still  in the tops of the trees , I saw a limb bounce way down the ridge . Then another limb a little closer , then nothing…….. where did he go ? Minutes passed ( seemed like hours) then from out of nowhere a gray appeared on the trunk of an oak about 10 yards on the other side of the hickory. The little Remington came up , settled the bead in the rear notch , safety off , right behind the shoulder , breathe , let half the breath out , squeeze . The little gray clung by a claw for just a second and then fell to the ground with a mighty thump !

In my excitement , I jumped to my feet but then remembered  what Dad had said “ just sit there and wait for the next one, that one ain’t going nowhere “.  It took all I had to sit back down . It seemed like an hour passed before I saw another squirrel as he jumped from limb to limb headed my way from down in the hollow. I raised the rifle but he was still too far. He was in a hurry though, and he was in the top of the hickory in no time. I could hear him cutting and the bits falling in the leaves, but I couldn’t see him . After straining my eyes for a few minutes I saw him sitting on one of the top limbs chewing on a hickory nut. The little rifle spoke again and he hit the ground with a  thud not 15 yards in front of me.

MORE than this kid could stand !!!!!!!  I went and picked him up and after looking him over good went to the first one and got him . Then it hit me , I had messed up , I slipped back to my spot as quietly as I could and sat down . I didn’t see anymore squirrels that morning but that could have been because I was too busy admiring the two on the ground at my feet .

As I headed home, the game bag that I thought would be too small seemed full with just the two squirrels .

I can’t seem to remember what I did this past Fri. but I think when I forget this hunt……………… my days will be over !

Rifle-Man  www.gutpilestyle.com Squirrel Hunting

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Squirrel Dogs - Try'em, You Might Like'em!

This is for anyone who has never squirrel hunted with a dog. I’m not going to tell you that it is the best or only way to squirrel hunt, but I will tell you it is the most fun way to hunt ‘em!  I’ve still hunted, stalked, and sat and waited at many a food sources in my younger days.  All of those methods work and all have their place. But for sheer fun and excitement, ya can’t beat a dog that loves to hunt squirrel.

From seeing the excitement in a dog’s eyes when you drop the tailgate, to hearing that hard bark that says, “here he is, up this one”, to watching him follow the squirrel to the ground once you shoot him out, man it’s action packed!  It’s a great way to introduce young hunters to the sport.  They don’t have to sit real still or be quite and they get to move through the woods - they just plain have fun. As a bonus, a young hunter will have a better chance for a shot at a motionless squirrel. Once treed, the squirrel will flatten out and freeze . Getting the young ones to see the squirrel can be a chore sometimes but with some patience and practice, it doesn’t take long. When the squirrels aren’t moving much, I still enjoy watching the dog do what thousands of years of instinct has taught her to do - hunt ! 

There are folks, just about everywhere there are squirrels, that hunt with a dog. If you don’t know anyone, check with your state fish and game, ask other hunters, or maybe put an ad in a local paper . I would almost guarantee that there is a squirrel-dog hunter within reasonable driving distance that would welcome the chance to introduce you to the sport!

While you may not think it’s for you, it could very well be JUST the thing for you.  Give it a try ……………… and be sure to bring that little one along.

Rifle-Man  www.gutpilestyle.com  Squirrel Hunting!

The Stick Incident..... Part I

My hatred for squirrels started about 3 years ago.  Prior to that, I liked squirrel hunting, but I wasn't obsessed with it like I am now.  What makes it even more fun now is that I hunt with a Marlin 17VS in .17 HMR.  There's something particularly satisfying about picking up a squirrel with 1/2 to 3/4 of it's head missing.  But I digress.....

In June of that year, our spring squirrel season came in.  I had been looking forward to it, and it just so happened that my nephew was in from out of state, so he and I were going to go squirrel hunting on opening morning.  I used to drink a little, so when we were in the cabin the night before opening morning shooting the bull and getting our stuff ready, I had 2-3 beers and then fell asleep for the night.  Along about 3:00 AM, I woke up sick at my stomach.  I went outside and started throwing up.  As is usually the case when you're really sick, I emptied my stomach and then had dry heaves since there wasn't anything left to throw up.  I finally stopped and went back inside the cabin and went back to sleep.  A few hours later the alarm went off, so Alex and I got up, got dressed, and headed out to the woods.  Before leaving the cabin though, I was outside dry heaving again.  Once we got up in the woods, I sent Alex in one direction and I went another.  After spending about half an hour puking more and dry heaving, I decided that it just wasn't much fun, so I found Alex and told him I was going back to the cabin.  After puking once more at the cabin, I started to feel a little better.

A day or so later, I had decided that the squirrels had spiked my beer with something to make me sick and keep me out of the woods because they knew what I was going to do to them!  LOL!!!  In reality, I must have had some kind of virus that caused it all.

One morning after this though, while I was taking a shower, I noticed that I had a little area sticking out at the bottom part of my belly button.  This was weird......  I hadn't noticed that before.  I had a doctor's appointment in about a week for something else, so when I went in I mentioned the little protrusion to the Dr.  He looked at it and suspected that it was an umbilical hernia so he sent me to a surgeon to have him look at it.  Once I got into see this guy, he confirmed that it was an umbilical hernia.  We started trying to figure out then how I had gotten it.  He asked me if I had recently been throwing up pretty hard.  "Uh, yeah I was about 2 weeks ago."  "More than likely then, that's what caused it."  OK, now not only had the squirrels spiked my beer with something, but they had caused me to get a hernia from the puking!  VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!!!

I scheduled the surgery and had it fixed.  Since I had to be released back to work to be able to lift 30 lbs., the Dr. kept me off work for 6 weeks.  After 3 weeks though, I was ready to go nuts in the house.  On a follow up visit after 3 weeks, the Dr. told me that I still couldn't lift anything over 10 lbs.  When I asked him about walking though, he said I could walk as much as I wanted.  AAHH HA!!!  Squirrel season opened in a couple of weeks, so since the rifle is less than 10 lbs and he told me I could walk as much as I wanted.............  I was going to exact some revenge on the squirrels for doing this to me!!!  Since I didn't have to work, I was going to go after them full bore!

I'll pick this up tomorrow and give everyone "The Rest of the Story".

Big58cal

http://www.gutpilestyle.com

Squirrel Hunting Lessons From The Master

Squirrel hunting lessons from the master..........Yeah, Right!!!

I'm in no way a "Master" at squirrel hunting.  I do decent, but a lot of it has to do with having a good place to hunt.  The easiest, and most efficient way I've found to squirrel hunt is to walk a little and stand a lot.  If you're hunting in the fall, look for mast trees (i.e. oak, hickory, walnut, etc).  Here in KY, they generally cut Shagbark hickory if there are any in the area, followed by Pignut hickory.  Go into an area where you've got mast trees and spend more time looking and listening than walking.  Most of the squirrels I get are from hearing them than seeing them.  Listen for things dropping out of the trees and hitting the leaves.  I know what you're thinking, "There's tons of stuff that falls out of the trees."  Listen for stuff dropping in the same area or out of the same tree.  If the squirrel has a tough, thick shelled nut, you'll hear them 'cutting' on the nut.  This sounds a lot like rubbing the edge of an empty shotgun hull over the ridges on the edge of a quarter (which by the way, some people use as a call).  Other things to listen for are squirrels barking at something, or just general chatter, and the rustling of leaves when they're on the ground.

Listen more than you walk.  I'll usually take about 10-15 steps, lean against or sit down at a tree, and stay there for 5-15 minutes.  If you've found a hot tree that the squirrels are really cutting on, camp out in a good spot where you can see quite a bit of the tree (don't "camp out" literally).  You have to consider, the squirrels live in that patch of woods 24/7, whereas you may only spend a few hours there once a week.  They know more about the area than we do. 

Anyway, listen for squirrels.  Don't expect to see them all of the time.  Once you've "heard" one, then get a little closer and try to spot it.  After you shoot the squirrel, STAY PUT!  Where there's 1 squirrel, there's sometimes another.  Just make the spot where the squirrel fell, and after a few minutes, if you haven't seen/heard any others, then go pick up your squirrel and move a little.  A typical hunt has me covering about 300 yds in about 3 hours.

The main thing to remember is to take your time, enjoy yourself and nature, and never take it too seriously.  When you start taking squirrel hunting too seriously, then it's no fun any more.  Also, if you can, take a kid out with you.  Squirrel hunting is a great way to introduce kids to hunting.  Make sure they wear ear and eye protection though!

Big58cal

Hunting has taught me....

Hunting for many years has taught me one thing. Gravity seems to be getting stronger and hills are steeper. Oh, and the O2 seems to be somewhat less than it was when I was a youngster climbing hills.  The pauses I take on steep hills are actually planned because you don't want to just RUN up the hill and spook everything.  My huffing and puffing on the hillsides is really a ploy to convince the squirrels I am really a gut shot moose and about to drop.
That's how I fool and kill most of my squirrels, they are rolling and laughing at my antics and then when I'm fully recovered, I mean finished with my ploy, I let 'em have it with my .17.
Another trick you pick up as your get close to your golden years is you need a longer range rifle with a really big high powered variable scope. That's because the many generations of surviving squirrels have evolved their senses of eyesight and hearing. They can pick up noises of huffing and puffing much farther now, as well as a sneaking hunter all lathered up like a horse that has been run to death. So, the secret weapon for these evolved squirrels it simply NOT to climb higher gravity hills and just sit in ambush with a rifle that can drill an aspirin at 100 meters and a scope that is the size of a star gazing telescope.
Packing the heavy Super Size Squirrel Package around in the woods is a good body building event. Wheels or a gun bearer for carrying the heavy rig is always an option, but not affordable for most of us. That's why you don't see old Indians with a gun bearer.    Evolution $ucks.

John