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The hunting world always buzzes about the same things: huge bucks, monster bulls and bullish bears. Big game.
But for every grinning hunter with his hands wrapped around a big rack, there’s a guy who owes a debt of gratitude to an animal that doesn’t grow antlers. An animal that doesn’t have a category in the Boone & Crockett record book. Yet, it’s an animal responsible for nearly every hunter’s baptism into outdoor pursuits.
I speak of the majestic squirrel. The trophy bushytail. The king of beasts.
I remember my first squirrel as vividly and fondly as I recall my first whitetail buck. I was hunting with my Father on a farm not far from my childhood home. My young hands held what I thought was the finest firearm ever created – an old single-shot 20-gauge complete with a silvered receiver and duct tape holding a cracked forearm to its rust-pitted barrel. What a gun!
Dad and I heard a gray squirrel barking in the distance. We stalked the sound. I saw him before Dad did, which made me proud. Slowly I eased back the hammer. With stealth I shouldered the fine shotgun and leveled the brass bead on my unsuspecting prey. Heartbeats pounded in my ears. Tremors of excitement shot through my arms to my fingertips. I remember Dad saying “easy now… squeeze.” And squeeze I did.
The barrel jumped; the number 6s found their mark; and as two pounds of delectable meat tumbled from the oak tree, I became a hunter.
As you read this, I’m sure you remember your first encounter with this wonderful animal too. Thinking about it makes you smile doesn’t it? And yet, you probably haven’t been squirrel hunting in many years, right? Why not?
It’s time to change that. It’s time to dust off that .22 sitting in your gun cabinet and get out to recapture your youthful exuberance. Ideally, you have a son or daughter who can join you – so they too can experience the magic.
Before you head out, take your .22 rifle to the woods or range and make sure it’s dead-on. I zero my Browning at 40 yards, which is the typical distance for most squirrel shots. If you can cover a five-shot bulls-eye group with a quarter, you’re ready to go. Remember, squirrel hunting has another benefit beyond being good clean fun. The shots you take are excellent marksmanship training that will make you a better big game hunter. Crack a squirrel through the noggin at 100 yards and you’ll feel pretty confident about hitting the pie-sized boiler room of a whitetail come November.
Can you use a shotgun for squirrel hunting? Sure. But it’s so much more enjoyable and challenging with a good .22 like the Browning Buckmark Sporter Rifle I just got for my daughter Karlee. Plus a scattergun has the tendency to damage the meat. Since squirrels are absolutely fantastic table fare, you don’t want a single bite to go to waste.
Those squirrels can be a mighty formidable adversary. They have keen eyesight and tend to be very spooky in their wild environment. So give yourself an edge by wearing good camouflage that blends in well when viewed from above. Mossy Oak Break-Up is perfect.
If hunting a woodlot you’ve never been in, start your squirrel safari by working the edges. If an edge borders a cornfield, be on alert. Look for stripped cobs underneath trees. Squirrels have favorite feeding trees (and even individual branches) that they’ll return to with a morsel. If you find an obvious feeding tree, take a seat and hang out there for awhile.
Some other things to look for when squirrel hunting are mast trees. White oaks, black walnuts and other nut-bearing trees are magnets for Mr. Bushytail. Other tree characteristics will guide you to favorite hang-outs too. Leafy nests in treetops are obvious. Holes in hollow trees are less blatant. When you spot one, look for fresh chew marks around the opening. This is often a sign that one or more squirrels are shacking up inside.
When you’ve spotted your prey, wait for the perfect shot opportunity. Watch the critter in your scope and make sure there are no branches between you and your mark. Even a tiny twig can deflect a high-velocity .22 bullet and cause a miss – or worse yet, a wounded animal. A head shot is great. However, sometimes that shot makes a squirrel tense-up and clench the tree bark. I’ve stoned more than one animal that, although immediately dispatched, clung to the tree and never came down. My favorite shot is the neck shot. It’s instant and the squirrel goes completely limp.
Gravity does the rest.
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