Hunting for all ages!

Squirrel hunting is a blast to do from the age of 5 to 65; it has been a favorite of mine for years. This is also a great way to introduce kids into the outdoors. Squirrel season comes in early and go out late, so you have plenty of time to hunt. It's one of the only seasons that come in during the summer. What a fine way to spend some time in the woods with a child. It's not to cold for them and there is usually plenty to see. Squirrel hunting will also hone in your skills and get you some practice in before the big game seasons come in. Let us go over a few tips and techniques that will help us bag more bushy tails.

SCOUTING

As with any game you need to do your home to find the squirrels and where they are feeding. Squirrels will go to where the food is, so be prepared for the early season and the late season. As the winter progress the food and the abundance of the food will change to. Stay in touch with the woods.

WHEN TO HUNT

The best times to pursue squirrel is like most game, early in the morning a late in the evening. It can happen at anytime during the day but this is when they are more active.

EQUIPMENT

There are many different weapons to use for squirrel hunting it is really what ever you prefer. For the youngsters, a shotgun really seems to work well. I would recommend a full choke gun so they would have the opportunity for more shots at squirrels a little farther than normal. For someone that wants more of a challenge, then I like the .22 riffle or the .17cal. these are two very good options for hunting squirrel. The thrill of stocking a squirrel and popping him at 30, 40 or 50 yards with a .22 or .17 is amazing. This really helps to refine your stocking skills as well.

CAMAFLOUGE

Personally, I think if you have camo. on of any kind you'll do just fine. The real problem is movement, if you watch your movement and move smooth through the woods you'll be alright.

HUNTING STYLES

You can still hunt or you can stalk, I like to do both. I like to find where they are feeding and start my hunt there and as the day goes on I like to stalk around and see other places of interest. This also allows me to scout for the deer and turkey that I will be chasing soon. Either of these styles will put squirrels in the bag, so stick with what works for you.

ON THE MOVE

Don't be a dummy when hunting; make sure you use the easiest path you can find. Remember it's very important to be quite with as little movement as possible. Survey the land and sneak through the easy way.

HUNT WITH YOUR EARS

Your hearing can find you a lot squirrels before you eyes will. You have to pay attention to the woods and the sounds that may not be natural. Listen for branches shaking, squirrels running up trees, nuts hitting the ground etc. Once you hear something odd then let your eyes find the sound.

WHERE TO LOOK

As you know early season hunting doesn't allow you much visibility in the tree tops. Therefore you need to keep a close eye out up close trying to catch a glimpse of any moving part of a tree or tree limb. Stay focused close to you because you will walk up on squirrels that are sitting in the trees eating. As the foliage dissipates you will be able to see much farther.

USING THE SUN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Some sources say to hunt facing the sun because when the squirrels move it will show their silhouette better and be easier to see. Now, when looking in the direction of the sun, make sure you are in the shadow of a tree or leaves before you look into the direction of the sun. You want to make sure that you don't hunt with the sun over either shoulder because it will cast a very long shadow of you which is very easy to be spotted be the squirrels.

WEATHER CONDITIONS

A nice crisp cool morning is the prime time to be in the squirrel woods but don't fret when you get up and its grey and rainy day. I have noticed that on days that it drizzles the squirrels seem be out and about all day. This is also a perfect time to stalk hunt because it so quite and you can creep through the woods undetected. You talk about a good time to get some practice on stalking that big tom or that whitetail through the woods.

PUTTING THE SNEAK ON THE SQUIRREL

When stalking the squirrel use common sense, if you can see the squirrel he can probable see you, so move when he does or when he's behind a tree. This is the exact method you would use in stalking big game. Practice on the little game so when it comes time for the big stalk, you will be ready.

PICKING UP THE SQUIRRELS

Most of the time there are more than one squirrel in an area, so after shooting one keep a sharp eye out for more to start run scared or barking. This may bag you multiple squirrel sitting in one spot.