Waiting for the Sun

[Boerrancher]

Saturday morning Squirrel season opened here in MO. I was busy both Sat and yesterday, but this morning I am patiently awaiting the sunrise so that I can take the 32cal out and bust some bushy tails. My Dachshund has been eagerly awaiting this moment since squirrel season ended back in Feb of this year. There is nothing she loves better than a good squirrel hunt. Well I will report back in a few hours to let you all know how I did.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Hickory]

Beautiful sunrise here this morning.
Make'm bounce when they hit the ground.

[wild thing]

A question I have always wanted to ask is how do you train a dog to hunt squirrels.? John

[Boerrancher]

John,

They either have it in them naturally or they don't. If they show an interest you train them by taking them out and encouraging them to find squirrels. My little dog will not bark at a tree or when trailing a squirrel, but she doesn't range far so I just keep an eye on her and when she climbs up on a tree I start looking. I prefer a dog that barks because it is much easier to know what the dog is doing once you learn the different barks, but the draw back is that the dog also scares the squirrels.

My mini dachshund by not barking does not disturb other squirrels in the area and many times I get the one she is after plus a few others that are near by. This spring the squirrels are few and far between. This morning we only came across one. I watched her start trailing and watched her go up to a tree and look up. I started watching the tree and when she went to the other side the squirrel came around to my side and I shot it. One shot, one squirrel, so for now I am batting a thousand with the muzzle loader. Last year I had a batting average of slightly over 800 with the 32 cal.

I didn't expect to do very well because as I said the squirrels are thin. Last summers drought killed the acorn and hickory production, combined with the long winter there is hardly anything for them to eat. This spring has been nice and wet, so come July they will start moving back in. By August the nuts will be thicker than flees on a dogs back and so will the squirrels. I just needed to get the dog out and knock one out of a tree for her, since she has had nearly a 4 month break. It is really nice to have her with me when hunting in thick under brush. I use to loose squirrels from time to time in the dense brush, but with the dog that is a thing of the past. Her nose beats my eyes any day of the week.

Best wishes,

Joe

[missionary5155]

Good moning and Blessed Memorial Day Troop.
I have enjoyed reading this.
Nothing like a dog and squirrels to start a day.
Never have hade a caliber.32. I do thick patch a caliber .33 ball in my 36 flinter but that is still bigger than any Red ever needed. Maybe one day .
Mike in Peru

[1Shirt]

And a happy Memorial Day! Never hunted squirrel with dogs, but have shot a lot of them over the years. Always said, I could die happy if I were sitting under a big oak, waiting for a bushy tail and had a massive heart attack!
1Shirt!

[Hanshi]

A question I have always wanted to ask is how do you train a dog to hunt squirrels.? John

First thing is you got to teach him to shoot. Next comes skinning & dressing. I'd suggest you cook 'em yourself; the dog will likely make a mess.

[Fly]

Joe you need to come to east Oklahoma, we have too many squirrels.I just wished I had a .32.We also
have many pecan farms, & those folks are glad to let you thin the squirrels out.

Fly

[wild thing]

Thanks for the reply. Always wanted a squirrel dog but didn't know how to train it. We have lots of squirrel here in Wisconsin but season don't open till Sept 14. I also use a 32 . John

[smoked turkey]

Good story Joe. I have been looking forward to getting into the squirrel woods here too. I'm ashamed to say I haven't had time. I am reminded of one of our better known radio/TV hosts years ago who always concluded his fishing report with "If your too busy to go fishin' your too busy!" I worked some with Bill Ring at KWTO years ago. He was a dandy. I'll have to make time to do this most important hunt.

[Fly]

Man I'm retired & can not find the time can you beleave that.The one thing I HATE about retirement is!
You NEVER get a day off.(wink)
Fly

[DIRT Farmer]

August 15th, August 15th here in Indiana. The only thing that would be better is a trip to the Ozarks with a fly rod and the 32 flinter. Might need a dutch oven.

[starmac]

When I was growing up it seemed like every country boy had a squirrel dog, or at the very least a friend or two that had one. I never hunted with one that didn't bark, but hunting squirrels over a dog is sure something I miss and one of lifes pleasures I'm sure glad I didn't get left out of. I always enjoyed it more than deer hunting.

It seemed like if a young dog that was showing a lot of potential ever got tied up with a squirrel that wasn't dead, he hated them from then on, and wanted to find them so you could kill them.

[DIRT Farmer]

starmac the only coyote dog I ever had was trained the same way, he was a guinine mutt that chased rabbits for my oldest son. One day he tied into a coyote and got his butt handed to him. He came running back with the coyote right behind him and at around 15 yards I put 5 loads of 7/8ths oz 7.5 in the coyote which turned the tide of the battle. Every time he got a chance after that he would bring one running.

I have a nephew who ran a cur but never got to squrriel hunt over him, had a brittany that would rather tree squrriels than point birds.

[starmac]

A buddy of mine growing up had a lab that was a great squirrel dog, You never know about a dog. lol

[Boerrancher]

I love hunting with a dog. I can find squirrels with a dog when ther isn't any to find by still hunting. The only time I leave the dog at home is in August when the squirrels are cutting hickory nuts. Then I like to just sit under a hickory tree and shoot the buggers as they come in. When I get a mess of them on the ground I quit and go pick them up

Best wishes

Joe

[Rick N Bama]

Joe do your Squirrels not have Parasites (Wolves) this time of the year?

Rick

[Boerrancher]

Joe do your Squirrels not have Parasites (Wolves) this time of the year?

Rick

Rick I've been hunting them for almost 40 years and have yet to find one. Now our rabbits get them this time of year and we wait until the first hard frost before we hunt them.

Best wishes

Joe

[Rick N Bama]

Rick I've been hunting them for almost 40 years and have yet to find one. Now our rabbits get them this time of year and we wait until the first hard frost before we hunt them.

Best wishes

Joe

That's interesting. Squirrels here are already infested with them and will be until around the last of November.

Rick

[idahoron]

My Chiweenie is an awesome squirrel dog. I kill at least 10 a month and we have no season or limit. They come to my house to eat black walnuts. I pound them with an air rifle. Zoey the Chiweenie likes it when I shoot them in the rear and they come out alive. Squirrels here are vermin. Ron