Squirrel hunting 8/2/09
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 6:05 pm
Last Saturday, the 1st, was opening day for squirrel season here in my neck of the woods. I couldn’t go though, because I had to go up to Bloomington to help move my daughter into a bigger apartment.
Sunday morning was my morning to go and it was 58* on my truck thermometer as I was driving out the driveway at the first hint of day light. There was a lot of fog in the creek bottoms and patches strung out over the fields in the low spots. It was a beautiful morning. I went to a patch of woods that I’ve not hunted squirrels in but always see a lot of them during deer season. There was hardly any air movement and I could hear the dew dripping off of the trees around me as I loaded my gun.
I started sneaking up the side of a hill in the woods and immediately got wet from the dew soaked weeds which felt really cool for this time of year when we normally have a lot hotter weather than this. I don’t get in a hurry when I squirrel hunt, I consider it my “therapy†to be out there where the world slows down for awhile. I would sneak a few steps, and then stand for 4 or 5 minutes listening for squirrels feeding or moving around.
I didn’t go far when I heard the faint sound of a squirrel up ahead chewing on either a hickory or walnut, unusual this early in the season. I slowly made my way up the hill and located the walnut tree the squirrel was in. Usually the squirrels don’t hit the hickorys or walnuts till September, but they were already into the walnuts I found out as the morning went on.
I watched the squirrel moving around as I leaned up against a tree while looking over the scope waiting for it to stop and give me a head shot. Well….the squirrel decided to come down a limb about 12-14 ft from me and I didn’t think to allow for the 1.8†distance between the scope and the bore and shot under its chin. Last I saw of it, it was heading for the other side of the woods. I decided to work my way up the hill a little farther and find a tree to sit down by and see what would happen.
I didn’t see or hear any after about half an hour so decided to move along the edge of the hill and then work my way back around the other side. I worked my way up about 50 yards when I heard a squirrel running around in some white oaks ahead of me. There was a squirrel in the very top limbs of the tree enjoying his breakfast and as thick as the leaves were it was hard to get a good view of it. The squirrel wouldn’t sit still long enough even if I could get a spot to shoot through.
I kept working around trying to get a shot when another squirrel came into the tree from the far side. I heard some buzzing and I looked up to see a paper wasp nest about 20’ above me.
Look close and you can see one of them on the side of the nest. I didn’t want to take a shot too close to them because I’ve had them come to a gun shot if you’re too close and those guys don’t have a sense of humor at all.
I moved around to the other side of the tree and figured if I was patient long enough I would get a shot. Finally, after about 40-45 minutes one of the squirrels came down a limb and decided to do some stretching. It was his last one. The other squirrel took off the direction it came from.
I moved up a little more and saw one coming through the tree tops toward me. It made a mistake and stopped in the wrong place and I shot it. I then worked my way around to the other hillside and heard another one, actually two squirrels cutting in a walnut tree. I worked my way up and shot one of them. The other one stopped for only about a minute before it started chewing again. I couldn’t see it so I started to work my way closer when another one came in from the left. I shot it and the other one kept on chewing but I still couldn’t see it for the leaves. I finally located it and shot it.
The limit is 5 so I picked them up and headed home.
They are now in the fridge waiting to be fried up and ate with some mash potatoes and milk gravy.
Sunday morning was my morning to go and it was 58* on my truck thermometer as I was driving out the driveway at the first hint of day light. There was a lot of fog in the creek bottoms and patches strung out over the fields in the low spots. It was a beautiful morning. I went to a patch of woods that I’ve not hunted squirrels in but always see a lot of them during deer season. There was hardly any air movement and I could hear the dew dripping off of the trees around me as I loaded my gun.
I started sneaking up the side of a hill in the woods and immediately got wet from the dew soaked weeds which felt really cool for this time of year when we normally have a lot hotter weather than this. I don’t get in a hurry when I squirrel hunt, I consider it my “therapy†to be out there where the world slows down for awhile. I would sneak a few steps, and then stand for 4 or 5 minutes listening for squirrels feeding or moving around.
I didn’t go far when I heard the faint sound of a squirrel up ahead chewing on either a hickory or walnut, unusual this early in the season. I slowly made my way up the hill and located the walnut tree the squirrel was in. Usually the squirrels don’t hit the hickorys or walnuts till September, but they were already into the walnuts I found out as the morning went on.
I watched the squirrel moving around as I leaned up against a tree while looking over the scope waiting for it to stop and give me a head shot. Well….the squirrel decided to come down a limb about 12-14 ft from me and I didn’t think to allow for the 1.8†distance between the scope and the bore and shot under its chin. Last I saw of it, it was heading for the other side of the woods. I decided to work my way up the hill a little farther and find a tree to sit down by and see what would happen.
I didn’t see or hear any after about half an hour so decided to move along the edge of the hill and then work my way back around the other side. I worked my way up about 50 yards when I heard a squirrel running around in some white oaks ahead of me. There was a squirrel in the very top limbs of the tree enjoying his breakfast and as thick as the leaves were it was hard to get a good view of it. The squirrel wouldn’t sit still long enough even if I could get a spot to shoot through.
I kept working around trying to get a shot when another squirrel came into the tree from the far side. I heard some buzzing and I looked up to see a paper wasp nest about 20’ above me.
Look close and you can see one of them on the side of the nest. I didn’t want to take a shot too close to them because I’ve had them come to a gun shot if you’re too close and those guys don’t have a sense of humor at all.
I moved around to the other side of the tree and figured if I was patient long enough I would get a shot. Finally, after about 40-45 minutes one of the squirrels came down a limb and decided to do some stretching. It was his last one. The other squirrel took off the direction it came from.
I moved up a little more and saw one coming through the tree tops toward me. It made a mistake and stopped in the wrong place and I shot it. I then worked my way around to the other hillside and heard another one, actually two squirrels cutting in a walnut tree. I worked my way up and shot one of them. The other one stopped for only about a minute before it started chewing again. I couldn’t see it so I started to work my way closer when another one came in from the left. I shot it and the other one kept on chewing but I still couldn’t see it for the leaves. I finally located it and shot it.
The limit is 5 so I picked them up and headed home.
They are now in the fridge waiting to be fried up and ate with some mash potatoes and milk gravy.
I really apperciate you guys posting these fine stories and pics! It's great fun to imagine going along. Gary
Great story!