When a squirrel is spotted out of shooting range, you’ll need supreme stalking skills to move in close without spooking your target. (Photo courtesy of Shuttestock)
September 19, 2024
By Larry Case
Slowly and carefully, I eased across the hardwood ridge. It felt as if it took an eternity to make even one simple step. My eyes continuously scanned the treetops, and I took each stride through the bed of dried leaves with the utmost care. The quarry may have been a gray squirrel weighing all of one pound, but I moved as if I were hunting bull elk—slowly, carefully, no broken sticks or other noise. The goal was to gain range before they knew I was there. If you don’t think a super-stealthy approach is necessary when squirrel hunting, guess again.
In a lot of ways, this is the essence of still-hunting for squirrels. Where I live in Appalachia, we inherited this form of hunting from the likes Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton. The early pioneers didn’t survive all the time on big game such as deer and bears. Sometimes small game fed their families, and squirrels were a big part of that. As time went by, squirrel hunting remained a common activity for hunters. In many states deer and turkey populations were low or almost non-existent well into the 1970s, and squirrels filled the gap. The squirrel season opener was a much-heralded event, much like opening day of deer season is today. I can remember my dad talking about opening day sounding like a “young war” in some areas.
TIME-HONORED TRADITION Probably more than anything else, the surge in whitetail deer and the accompanying bowhunting craze killed the popularity of squirrel hunting, but not before it taught several generations of hunters the art of still-hunting, or “slip-hunting,” for squirrels. Squirrel hunting is how many of us learned how to actually hunt. It taught us how to stalk an animal, use cover, move quietly and know when to move and when not to. The squirrels provided a woodland classroom with lots of opportunities to mess up a stalk and start over on another squirrel. Many guides for deer and elk hunts will tell you that those who grew up squirrel hunting make the best hunters.
Where legal, a suppressed rimfire enables a hunter to dispatch a squirrel without causing much disruption in the woods. (Photo courtesy of © AIRDONE/DREAMSTIME) While slip-hunting for squirrels has nowhere near the popularity it once did, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it now and have a bunch of fun in the bargain. One of the great things about squirrel hunting is you can do it just about anywhere. There may be some good hunting on public land near you, and landowners will often be more open to you hunting squirrels than deer and turkeys. Squirrel hunting may be the absolute best way to introduce anyone, young or old, to hunting. Again, there is a possibility of lots of action and almost any forested area in the East is likely to hold squirrels. Here are some tips to get you started.
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FIRST, FIND THE FOOD Just like deer, bears or turkeys, squirrels are going to be found around food sources. For most of the country, this means in an oak-hickory forest. There is no doubt that squirrels love hickory nuts and will leave most all other forms of natural food (mast) to eat them. Hickory nuts mature in late summer to early fall. Squirrels will find them and not hesitate to start feeding on this thin-shelled nut. Once the hickory is gone, the usual move will be to some type of oak mast. White-oak acorns are prized by deer, bears, turkeys and squirrels. If white oak is not available, squirrels will move on to most any acorn, usually one of the red oaks, but don’t forget the black walnut tree. Squirrels love walnuts and will eat them all winter.
Though a scoped .22 is perfectly fine for squirrels, early-season foliage might necessitate a scattergun instead. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock) In most areas, however, it is acorns that get squirrels through the winter months. A scouting trip prior to the season is always a good idea. If you find oak and hickory trees with nuts on them, you will almost always find a few squirrels (mast trees like oak, hickory and walnut do not bear fruit every year). Remember that squirrels will move from an area if there is no food around, sometimes en masse.
You may find squirrels for a short time in soft mast like dogwood berries, ash or maple seeds and even some apples.
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After finding a likely patch of squirrel woods, take your trusty .22 rifle or shotgun and slip in as quietly as possible. Most dedicated squirrel hunters want to be in the woods at daylight when the squirrels start feeding. Generally, the first and last hour of the day will yield the most squirrel activity. For squirrels that are in range, try a carefully placed shot (head shots are best) and stay in position. If you don’t move right away to pick up a squirrel, others may resume their activity quickly.
When you spot a squirrel out of range, the stalking fun begins. Typically, the forest floor is covered in dead, dry leaves. The only thing you can do is slow down. Reduce your rate of travel to a snail’s pace. Every step must be a carefully orchestrated, separate event. Slowly, carefully push down on the leaves underfoot, millimeter by cautious millimeter, and make sure there are no small sticks that could snap and alert your target.
The foundational skills of many a great deer hunter were formed in the squirrel woods. (Photo by author) Once your weight is on one foot, bring the other around and restart the process. Keep one eye on the squirrel’s location and the other on where you will step next. Use any available cover for concealment. You won’t be successful on every stalk, but you will improve every time you do it. If you spook a squirrel, don’t despair. Stay in place, maybe sit down, and just wait. If it is actively feeding, the squirrel may not stay hidden for long. Patience is key.
GEAR, GUNS AND AMMO Just like you don’t need a fancy lease on private land to hunt squirrels, squirrel hunting can be enjoyed with a minimum of hunting gear. Most any serviceable .22-caliber rifle or shotgun will suffice to collect a limit of bushytails. I tend to stick with the standard .22 Long Rifle. I’ve found that some of the hotter .22 variants and calibers like the .17 HMR are too hot for squirrel hunting and tear up the meat. For ammunition, you can’t go wrong with standard-velocity .22 ammo with solid-nose bullets. Most standard-velocity .22 ammunition will be more accurate than rounds with increased velocity. The solid-nose bullets will not damage your squirrels as much and makes skinning them much easier.
For shotgun duty, I have gotten away from 12 gauges. A 20 gauge is plenty, and if you don’t take long-range shots, a .410 will do. Standard field loads of No. 5 or No. 6 shot work well—leave the magnum turkey loads at home. Shotguns can be handy in the early season when the foliage is heavy and squirrels are hard to see.
No fancy clothing is needed to hunt squirrels. Camouflage will help but is not necessary. Some sort of game vest is useful to carry your squirrels and other necessities. Your turkey vest can come in handy for this, as it probably has a built-in seat. Throw in some ammo, a binocular, snacks and water, a sharp knife and whatever other personal items you might want.
SQUIRREL SLAYERS Two great firearms for bushytails.
Christensen Arms Ranger (Photo courtesy of Christensen Arms) Christensen Arms, known for precision rifles and carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels, has a very sweet option for squirrel hunters. The Ranger .22 is an advanced rimfire built for top-tier performance. This rifle is lightweight (5.1 pounds) and comes with a sub-MOA guarantee at 50 yards. That alone should interest any squirrel hunter. The bolt-action platform features an aluminum receiver with dual opposing steel locking lugs, a carbon-fiber-wrapped tension barrel and a carbon-fiber composite stock. The rifle is well equipped with standard sling studs, a one-piece Picatinny rail, TriggerTech match-grade trigger and 10-round rotary magazine. ($849.99; christensenarms.com)
CZ-USA Drake shotgun (Photo courtesy of CZ-USA) CZ-USA offers this trim little over/under in 12, 20 and 28 gauge as well as.410 bore. A Turkish walnut stock and forearm are cut with laser checkering that provides a good grip. The Drake has a single selective trigger (which I like) and heavy-duty extractors to lift spent shells. The shotgun has 28-inch barrels; comes with five choke tubes in 12, 20 and 28 gauges (fixed modified and improved cylinder chokes in the .410 model); and ships in a hard-plastic case. The Drake weighs 6 pounds and is a lot of shotgun for the money. ($699–$749; cz-usa.com)
(Photo by © AIRDONE/DREAMSTIME) THEY DON’T TASTE LIKE CHICKEN The best-tasting squirrel meat is a product of careful preparation.
Squirrel meat is mild and flavorful and can be used in any number of recipes. The standard preparation usually consists of par-boiling or pressure-cooking the quartered squirrels to get them nice and tender. This is important since most adult squirrels can be tough if you simply bread and fry them without tenderizing. The pieces should then be rolled in your favorite seasoned breading and fried golden brown. Traditionally, gravy is made in the skillet after the pieces are removed. Squirrel meat can be used in everything from tacos to a pot pie. You are limited only by your imagination.
This article was featured in the September 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
