Author Topic: SQUIRREL HUNTERS.....THE TREE KIND! (Read 40671 times)

ratgunner · « **Reply #60 on:** January 29, 2005, 01:13:40 PM »

O.K. how about Pottsville, home of Yuengling beer aka Americas oldest brewery?

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #61 on:** January 29, 2005, 02:18:50 PM »

OK, know the town, just not the mileage. :-D . I prolly can't come down that way (ya kno, travel expenses and crap :roll:.)

od green · « **Reply #62 on:** January 30, 2005, 06:29:16 AM »

squacks thanks for the info, i learned some thing, both of my sons age 15 & 11 also read this post with interest. we don't have many fox rats here only ones i've seen were up north. we do also have quite of the same trees here. again thanks for the education.

ShottieMan · « **Reply #63 on:** January 30, 2005, 08:13:57 PM »

ratgunner: You hunt the SGL's up that way? Always wanted to try the lands right there in Port Clinton. Looks like i'll have to wait till next year tho'.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #64 on:** January 31, 2005, 11:59:41 AM »

od green:

you are welcome sir! i hope the info proves useful to you and your sons. may you all have many fine times in the tall timber in search of the squacks.

last year at the shawnee hunt, there were a couple boy about your sons age that attended. it was great fun helping them along. they will be back this coming sept and it will be intresting to see their progress. kids can still be as interested in hunting as my generation, if we start them early and take them along. it takes patience but in the long run it makes for some great memories.

luck to you and your sons!

ratgunner · « **Reply #65 on:** January 31, 2005, 01:38:19 PM »

Shottieman, yep I have hunted lots of the game lands and park lands round here not in Port Clinton though,I have fished for sml.mouth bass alot in the river by Port Clinton and it does look like a good area for squirrels.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #66 on:** January 31, 2005, 05:30:46 PM »

howdy all:

the squirrel season ended in wisconsin today and closed in illinois back in mid-jan. the 2004 season for me is now over.

i never hunted them in jan. this year. they start rutting in dec. and in jan. i leave them be. as there was so little mast this year in a bunch of places, it did not hurt to give them a little break.

i am already looking forward to next season! it was not a bad year all in all. a new squirrel rifle would be a good project before the coming season. maybe a cz varminter in 17hm2. interesting thought anyways.

luck!

Vern Humphrey · « **Reply #67 on:** February 01, 2005, 05:05:23 AM »

Here in Arkansas, the season starts in mid-September and runs to the end of February. Spring squirrel season runs from mid-May to mid-June.

ShottieMan · « **Reply #68 on:** February 01, 2005, 08:56:55 AM »

Quote

Shottieman, yep I have hunted lots of the game lands and park lands round here not in Port Clinton though,I have fished for sml.mouth bass alot in the river by Port Clinton and it does look like a good area for squirrels.

I'll have to get up there this week and check it out! I'd like to get a couple more days in before the season ends. Thanx for the heads up man!!!

SQUACKS · « **Reply #69 on:** June 01, 2005, 11:42:30 AM »

howdy all!

hard to believe but the illinois squirrel season is only 2 months from today.

i have seen a few young ones starting to venture out.

one more thing that i am glad to see is that the mast trees around me have a pretty heavy bloom this year and i am hopeful that it will produce a bumper crop of nuts this fall. there was no mast crop here last year.

all you folks who are now enjoying a spring squirrel season....i wish you luck!

luck!

Vern Humphrey · « **Reply #70 on:** June 01, 2005, 12:24:54 PM »

Arkansas spring squirrel season is in full swing -- and will be until mid-June. The squirrels are thick, too.

Mack in N.C. · « **Reply #71 on:** July 08, 2005, 07:08:09 PM »

great idea...i thought about attending last year but didnt have enougth vac time left........also i live a long way away..nc...........love to hunt squirrels...we have mostly grays here ..99.9 percernt of our grays are gray.....except the town of brevard has all white ones......we have fox squirrels but they are only legal in 20 eastern counties........25 percent of our fx sqs are black the rest are some variation of reddish gray......some are silver.....some are red...some are gray they are at least 16 differnt color combinations in nc........some of the black 1s have gray on there back....we call these saddle backs......all of our legal fx sqs have white noses and ears......beautiful when the rest of them is jet black.....we have some fox squirrels in nw nc but these are the red subspecies found in neighboring va and wv.....not leagal to hunt fx sqs in nc mountains...we also have the red squirrel in our mts and foothills.......legal to hunt but no one does...........please post the dates of the hunt and the campground...mack

Mack in N.C. · « **Reply #72 on:** July 08, 2005, 07:32:43 PM »

no need to post the dates for the squirrel hunt...i just saw the post with the dates and directions...thanks mack

Sarge · « **Reply #73 on:** July 10, 2005, 02:02:13 PM »

I hope you make the hunt Mack, you'll have a great time.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #74 on:** July 18, 2005, 12:54:06 PM »

mack:

there are some folks that are supposed to be coming from out that way. in fact, there are folks coming from lots further. great britain even.

for those of you who don't know, i can tell you that the sarge is a veritable squirrel getting machine. he , i and just a couple of others were at the first shawnee hunt. the attendance of the hunt has grown each year. i have met as fine a folks as a person could wish to meet there and that is what makes that hunt fun.

sarge: i been practicing playing the chicken train song on that jew's harp and i may have er down now.....lol

luck!

irndan · « **Reply #75 on:** July 18, 2005, 05:47:09 PM »

Well, I'm going to try and talk to my father-in-law ans brother -in-law to see if they would be interested in coming down. I also have to convince the wife it would be good for us to go. Now since all three of our b. days are around the same time maybe we can talk'em into that as a present! I got a .32 cal bp that I'm itching to try out on some tree rats

SQUACKS · « **Reply #76 on:** July 24, 2005, 05:00:42 AM »

irindan:

for the past 2 shawnee hunts we have had an iron sights contest. any gun with irons can be used. i won the contest last year with a .32 penns. caplock rifle that i built back about 1978. i took 4 with it on the evening hunt.

it would be great to have another hunter who uses a bp squirrel rifle along.

i can't recall traveling through edinburg. would you mind saying what it is near so i have a general idea.

there are more out of state hunters show up at the shawnee hunt than residents. there is also a showing of out of country squirrel hunters who so far are all from great britain.

luck!

irndan · « **Reply #77 on:** August 06, 2005, 07:12:00 PM »

Never heard of Edinburg? I think I would have been surprised if you had. It is a little hole in the wall town app. 20 south of Springfield and 10 mile north of Taylorville on rt29. It sounds like the wives fell I mean thought that would be a nice present as well. The in-laws bought a motorhome and it looks like we will be bringing it down.

Sarge · « **Reply #78 on:** August 07, 2005, 05:13:07 AM »

Hey Squacks, maybe I'll be able to join you in chicken train with the fiddle.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #79 on:** August 14, 2005, 06:16:02 AM »

howdy all:

the squirrels in my area have been cutting swamp oak (a type of burr oak) for a week or two now.

i see signs of them sampling hickories as well. i have not yet found a hickory tree that they have gone after in a big way.

this year, there is a large mast crop of every type of nut we have in this area. in truth, n. illinois does not have a lot of differant nut bearing trees. even worse is that there isn't a safe place to hunt with a rifle in a five county area. that means i have to drive a LONG ways to hunt squirrels.

hope those of you that now have open seasons are able to get out and enjoy some early hunting.

luck!

SQUACKS · « **Reply #80 on:** January 16, 2006, 05:08:12 PM »

lots of places had a very poor squirrels season this year. there were very few squirrels in those large expanses of timber that extend across s. ill., kentucky and tenn. lots of folks report seeing very few.

new years weekend i saw quite a few young squirrels still denned together and groups of squirrels ruttings. this was the most i had seen in s. ill. in several trips down there. seems to be a very good seed crop now for next season.

the ill. season ends very soon and it's probably a good thing. wisconsin is in until the end of the month and i may get up there one more time before it ends. i like to try that cold weather squirrel hunting at least once a year. makes a feller appreciate 80 deg. squirrel hunting in aug. and sept.!

hope you all had a better season than me! lol!

luck!

DaveH · « **Reply #81 on:** January 27, 2006, 12:52:02 PM »

SQUACKS,

Very good thread !!!!

I grew up hunting squirrels in the western part of Maryland. Heck squirrel is the first thing my Dad would let me hunt. He told me if I got good at squirrel hunting the rest was easy. He would take me out and make me show him FRESH sign (fresh dig holes or fresh wet cuttings) Then make me point out the type of trees that would hold mass crops. In our area that would always be hickory and oaks. I have just gotten my daughter and her Boy Friend into squirrel hunting and I'm doing the same thing to them. Making them show me fresh sign and showing me the mass crop that will hold squirrel. When I'm hunting by myself I squirrel hunt with a .17 hrm but when the kids are with me I always used my mossberg 500 .410. I have always told them to use a shotgun to hunt the wildly squirrel until they are comfortable shooting a rifle at them. I too have not ever field dressed a squirrel. Like you I only about three hours in any outing and have never had a spoilage problem. Here in Maryland we have had a problem with BOT fly lavgee (Warbles or lumply squirrels) here is a URL to sohw you what they are:
http://www.pestproducts.com/pests/nuttysquirrel.htm

Again thanks for all the great imformation.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #82 on:** January 27, 2006, 01:11:01 PM »

DAVEH:

IT'S good to know that the family tradition of squirrel hunting is still alive. it's the way i grew up as well:

i have seen quite a few squirrels with (wolves, bots, or warbles) under their hides. they seem to disappear by mid september. the percentage of squirrels infected is usually very small and won't keep me from hunting in august which is when the season comes in here. the percentage of infected squirrels may be higher in timber that is close to pasture ground.

hope you and your family enjoy many years of hunting together.

luck!

DaveH · « **Reply #83 on:** January 27, 2006, 02:58:50 PM »

As I sit here typing this mine and my daughters gear is layed out on the couch in the Den. Tomorrow morning will find us in the squirrell woods near our home. God willing it will be a great day in the woods. Now that Deer season is over there won't be so many hunters in the woods so the squirrels should be really moving now. We will be hunting a large woodland area that follows the Patapsco River Valley. Lots of oaks in the bottums and hickory up on ridges. I have taken many squirrels in this area. Its 9PM here and my daughter is already in bed she get as excited about planning and packing for the hunt as she does the hunt its self. Her Boy friend is a firefither and is on duty tonight throught tomorrow so he won't be going with us this time, but its kinda nice to only be me and my daughter this time. There is nothing like spending time in the woods with a good friend or family member.

SQUACKS · « **Reply #84 on:** January 28, 2006, 07:45:48 AM »

DAVEH:

hope you and your daughter have a great day together.

there have been several of the ladies in my family that hunted including my mom and grandma. i have known a few other women along the way that enjoyed hunting as well.

i have a granddaughter and if she lives close enough to me when she becomes old enough, i aim to initiate her into hunting. she may like it and she may not but i aim to give her the choice if possible.

squirrel hunting to me is the most controllable type of hunting and is why it is ideal for a first hunt experience.

luck!

DaveH · « **Reply #85 on:** February 08, 2006, 10:43:46 AM »

Well we have about three weeks left of squirrel season here in Maryland, but the hunting gods aren't being very giving. Last two weeks have been overly warm here, but now its cold and very windy. The cold I don't mind but its hard to hunt squirrel in 25+ winds. Hopefully it will die down some before this weekend. If it does there is a little ridge loaded with hickory trees I have been holding off going into saving it for later. Well its later now. Wish me luck.

njanear · « **Reply #86 on:** February 17, 2006, 03:46:01 AM »

Squacks:

Just wanted to thank you for this great thread. It has been years (22+) since I have been squirrel hunting and this thread has inspired me to start giving it a go again. I have been 3 times since I read this in early January and with my old 12 guage, brought home just a few. With season going out Feb.28th, I am going to spend this spring and summer practicing up on my old woods skills (they were rusty - I got busted by many a squirrel as I tried to sneak into their 'yards'

and with my new CZ452 American .17HM2 in hand, I hope to put many 'bushytails' in the pot next season.

Thanks again.
Ron

SQUACKS · « **Reply #87 on:** February 25, 2006, 05:36:09 AM »

NJANEAR:

you got the perfect rifle for squirrel hunting for sure. i shoot a cz varminter in plain jane .22 and it is amazingly accurate. when it misses i know i pulled another shot..lol!

welcome back to squirrel hunting! when you get it all figured out remember to include some youngster if you run across any that show interest. we need more youngsters involved in the hunting sports.

they won't forget you for including them either.

luck!

SQUACKS · « **Reply #88 on:** May 01, 2006, 12:46:57 PM »

howdy all!

lots of places in the midwest had some pretty poor squirrel populations last fall.

it was quite a suprise as the year before there was a bumper crop almost everyplace.

i was doing some bowhunting in jan and noticed that there were quite a few den trees full of young squirrels. it seemed that there had to be a really late bunch of squirrels last fall.

i was down doing some turkey hunting first part of april and sitting in a spot that was devoid of squirrels or squirrel sign last november, i saw 10 one morning.

there is just piles of last years bumper crop of mast still laying on the ground too.

i won't put money on this season being really great but the the chances are looking good.

hope you all have a good season!

luck!

SQUACKS · « **Reply #89 on:** May 24, 2006, 01:23:28 PM »

Howdy all!

there are several states that now have a spring squirrel season opened. i am interested in hearing from you if you are hunting squirrels at this time.

these would be folks from missouri, tennesee, kentucky, arkansas and soon kansas.

i know a feller in tennesee who is into the squacks at this time where there were close to none last year.

would be interesting to find out population densities at this time of year compared to last year.

thanks and luck!