Saw my first baby squirrel of the year

[richhodg66]

Little guy was right in the middle of the drive way, so I slowed way down and inched along, dumb as they are at that age, it's a miracle any survive. I was just inching the truck along so as not to hit him if he suddenly darted back, but he kept running down the drive way instead of jumping off into the trees.

Our season opens again in June, but I won't hunt them until mid October, just can't squirrel hunt when it's hot and there are leaves on the trees.

[thadfz]

Cool man.

I’m with you about hunting them early. I want to so badly, but it’s difficult to get out there this time of year.


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[richhodg66]

I grew up in S.C. and nobody hunted them until we'd had a frost. They get those big, nasty fly larva under their skin in the warm months. That doesn't seem to be a problem here, but I still can't bring myself to hunt them when it's hot and the ticks and poison ivy are out.

[sharps4590]

Ours opens next Saturday and the young are busily visiting our bird feeders already. I'll be out there, I just have to make opening morning but, I'll be done by the 2nd week of June, until it cools off.

Edit: Oooops....seems I missed opening day as it was yesterday!!!! Good grief. For all but a very, very few years the traditional opening of squirrel season has been the Saturday before Decoration Day. MDC just can't leave well enough alone.

[perotter]

I've never even thought of hunting squirrels until late Sept. It is fun to watch a litter(?) of baby squirrels playing together.

[richhodg66]

They are fun to watch. Seems like they know if you're hunting them or not. I've had them just about climb on me while sitting in a tree stand deer hunting.

[Texas by God]

Our season runs from August 31st to August 31st etc. No closed season, no bag limit. In the summer here, it's too hot to hunt period. Right know if I go, I look for built in squirrel nuts for shooters. Fall and winter are my favorite squirrel hunting times.
Lots of poke salad about, I may need a mess of squirrel to go with it and some mashed potatoes. Better grab the .410 with all the leaves on the trees- I actually have some #4 shot.

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[smoked turkey]

I confess that I've not squirrel hunted in a few years. The season is now open and I plan to hunt the little burgers this year. I used to hunt them all the time, but just got too busy. Time to slow down again.

[muddywaters61]

I just watched my 2 cur pups corner a baby squirrel in the wife's garden trellis. They worked just like a team. I think I'll keep this pair of brothers. They should be fully ready this coming fall and winter. I see squirrel piquant in my future.

Muddy Waters 67

[Beaverhunter2]

They are fun to watch. Seems like they know if you're hunting them or not. I've had them just about climb on me while sitting in a tree stand deer hunting.

Me too. And they get ticked when they see you are sitting in "their" spot!

Years ago I made a .32 caplock just for squirrels. Bought a 42" GM barrel, a chunk of maple, and assorted odds and ends from Dixie and went to town. Ended up with a nice tiger stripe pattern in the stock. When I showed the finished rifle to my 11 YO daughter she asked if I was going to sand those lines off the stock! :roll: Kids....

Our season opens September 15 and runs to the end of March. Always looking forward to it.

[richhodg66]

Me too. And they get ticked when they see you are sitting in "their" spot!

Years ago I made a .32 caplock just for squirrels. Bought a 42" GM barrel, a chunk of maple, and assorted odds and ends from Dixie and went to town. Ended up with a nice tiger stripe pattern in the stock. When I showed the finished rifle to my 11 YO daughter she asked if I was going to sand those lines off the stock! :roll: Kids....

Our season opens September 15 and runs to the end of March. Always looking forward to it.

I recently got a good deal on a TC Seneca .36 I want to Squirrel hunt with, that and a little .28 gauge muzzle loading shotgun. Black powder squirrel hunting really sounds like fun.

[Jim22]

I don't think I have killed a squirrel for the pot for at least 45 years. I lived in Alaska then and the squirrels were barely chipmunk size. It would take two or three for a hungry man. There are a few around here in eastern Washington but I have never shot one. When I was young I hunted them with a .22. I actually enjoyed finding a way to make them come out from behind the tree so I could get a shot. I don't like biting down on birdshot.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I haven't hunted Squirrel in several years. Here in Arizona Gray and Albertson Squirrels live in tall Ponderosa Pines and Oaktrees. The season is from October to December I think. I haven't been doing too well for about the last five years or so, Heart problems. I'll be 80 this year. Would love to get out and pop a few with my 32 caplock. My wife doesn't like them but she will cook them for me. I don't like bird shot either. I like to read your story's about hunting them. Have a good hunt.

[8mmFan]

Those fly larva... one time my brother and his buds went rabbit hunting in the sage country when we were in high school. Tossed the rabbits in the back of the pickup, and came home for a soda before getting ready to clean them all. We went back out to the truck to clean them, and those big worms were crawling all over the place. To this day i think it’s about the most revolting thing I’ve ever seen. I refuse to hunt critters until there has been some frost.

8mmFan

[DougGuy]

I haven't hunted them for meat since I was a kid, used to love Mom's squirrel stew. I only shoot them nowdays to keep them off my tomatoes but last year I got one of them life like owls that Dalen makes and stuck it on the rebar that holds my tomato cages and they won't even come in the yard much less mess with the garden!

[RKJ]

I've got a little Stevens 311 SxS in 410 that I've been wanting to use for Squirrels but I just can't bring myself to hunt them anymore. I used to love pan fried squirrel and milk gravy but anymore, it turns my stomach. I find it weird but ....

[richhodg66]

Those fly larva... one time my brother and his buds went rabbit hunting in the sage country when we were in high school. Tossed the rabbits in the back of the pickup, and came home for a soda before getting ready to clean them all. We went back out to the truck to clean them, and those big worms were crawling all over the place. To this day i think it’s about the most revolting thing I’ve ever seen. I refuse to hunt critters until there has been some frost.

8mmFan

I didn't know they infected rabbits too, but I don't hunt rabbits. Honestly, I've never seen them in the fox squirrels here in Kansas either, but in S.C. where it never gets cold, it was a problem. Bad thing there is you may have to wait til December before you get a real frost. I remember when I was about 14 out poking around in the woods with a .22 on New Year's Day and finding a large pond turtle up and walking around, quite lively for a cold blooded thing in the dead of Winter.

[richhodg66]

You guys hunting squirrels with a .410, how close do you need to get for clean kills on them? I have a couple of .410s, one is just the yard gun I carry to the mail box and when I'm doing chores in the yard, one is a nice little Iver Johnson I've never shot. Been meaning to get one of those Yildiz singles Academy sells, boy are they pretty and light. Just not sure how useful a .410 would really be.

[missionary5155]

That Iver Johnson may be the cousin to the .410 I started hunting with in the early 60's in SW Michigan. Wabbits at 20-30 yards were good shooting with 4-5 shot. Never tried a tree rat as we all used .22's for head shots.
Couple years later dad found a nice ribbed 32" barrel 12 gauge Iver that became my hunting piece until the Army nabbed me.
Did see a very young tree rat scurrying about a RR Crossing just up the road a couple days ago while on the 71 Airhead .

[RKJ]

Rich, I've had that little SxS for 3 or 4 years now (along with an 870 Express, that I've had for about 5-6 years) and I haven't patterned either one and have only taken the 870 out once (and didn't shoot it). Your question got me thinking, I need to take these guns out and check their patterns at hunting distance, so next week I'll do that. I'll post the results and go from there.

[PhilC]

There are a few around here in eastern Washington but I have never shot one.
Probably a good thing as our native squirrels are protected species. ;-)

Don't know about the Eastern Gray squirrels, but they are mostly in urban areas where hunting is a forgone conclusion.

[Mal Paso]

This little guy started following me through the woods last month.

[richhodg66]

This little guy started following me through the woods last month.

Pretty cool. They really do seem to know if you are hunting them or not. If I sit in a tree stand deer hunting they will come close enough to touch sometimes, though I wouldn't do it. Curious little guys.

[Lloyd Smale]

you made me think. LOTS of squirrels up here and I cant say ive ever even seen a baby. I guess partly because this time a year im doing more shooting then woods wandering. About cant go to camp because the ticks are so bad around there. But i wonder why ive never seen one by the house??

[richhodg66]

you made me think. LOTS of squirrels up here and I cant say ive ever even seen a baby. I guess partly because this time a year im doing more shooting then woods wandering. About cant go to camp because the ticks are so bad around there. But i wonder why ive never seen one by the house??

For one thing, they don't seem to stay babies for long. By the time they are out of the nests, they grow and mature real fast and pretty soon it's hard to distinguish the ones born this year from older ones unless you're close and see them next to each other.

We don't have nearly as many rabbits this year as most, but normally we see a lot of them very regularly that come eat at the patio and enjoy watching them. Usually see quite afew babies, and they are the same way, you can almost watch them getting bigger as they're sitting there.

[Lloyd Smale]

allways baby bunnys in the yard in the spring. Last lab made a sport of killing them. The one we have now doesnt seem interested he will chase them out of the yard the quits his attack.

[richhodg66]

allways baby bunnys in the yard in the spring. Last lab made a sport of killing them. The one we have now doesnt seem interested he will chase them out of the yard the quits his attack.

I never really liked the way rabbits tasted and enjoy watching them, so until and unless they begin to cause a problem, I leave them alone. We do have a dog around now who does enjoy chasing them when he sees one, but he's so goofy and happy, I kinda of doubt he'd hurt one even if he managed to catch it. We did have an outdoor cat who came along and adopted us for a couple of years, big friendly guy, I tried to keep him real well fed so he wouldn't, but he killed a few anyway.

I really don't see them much in Winter, and I really wouldn't want to clean or eat one when it's warm outside, heard enough about how bad tuleramia is. I really couldn't see it being much of a challenge if I wanted rabbit for supper, though.

[Lloyd Smale]

i like rabbit. I think its the tastiest small game to eat. That said i dont shoot them in the yard. I like seeing them there and my wife would probably shoot me. They get so used to people that i can walk right up to 4 feet away from them before they bolt. But the dog even makes a move from across the yard and here GONE. I threatened to shoot them this year though. They ate the heck out of my rhubarb when it first came up.

[JoeJames]

i like rabbit. I think its the tastiest small game to eat. That said i dont shoot them in the yard. I like seeing them there and my wife would probably shoot me. They get so used to people that i can walk right up to 4 feet away from them before they bolt. But the dog even makes a move from across the yard and here GONE. I threatened to shoot them this year though. They ate the heck out of my rhubarb when it first came up.I agree. My cousins and I used to hunt swamp rabbits down in the Black River bottoms in winter. This was close on 50 years ago, before farming practices pretty much made them extinct. Few things were better than fried swamp rabbit. They were much bigger, faster, and smarter than cotton tails. We jumped one 30 years ago on the other side of the river, and it went by our beagles like red lightning. They didn’t even try to chase it. I could almost see them shake their hands and go “the heck with that, ain’t no way”.