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Keith
Sutton
15601 Mountain Dr.
Alexander, AR 72002
501-847-9643
catfishdude@sbcglobal.net
Tips for Late-Season Squirrels
by Keith Sutton
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If you’re among the large
group of sportsmen that hunts squirrels from opening day
till the end of the season, you know that hunting during the
harsh winter months is tough. Early in the season, squirrels
often seem to be everywhere. Prime food supplies are
abundant, squirrels are less wary, and leafy branches
restrict the game’s vision, allowing for closer, easier
stalks. The solution for bagging squirrels during this time
is simple—just find a patch of hardwoods and start hunting.
As the season progresses, however, hunting squirrels gets
increasingly difficult. Hunters have taken a toll on the
game, and Mother Nature has sorted through those remaining
and claimed the weakest through reduced food supplies,
predators, disease and inclement weather. Those that survive
are savvy, battlewise veterans that can easily elude the
casual hunter. |
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Add to this the fact
that during severe weather, squirrels may be almost
totally inactive and seldom seen. Leaves have fallen,
making the hunter more visible to the game he stalks.
Nuts no longer cling to the branches, so squirrels are
moving more on the ground, making them harder to see at
a distance.
 Despite
all these negatives, however, late-season squirrel
hunting can be productive and fun. Winter hunts are more
challenging, to be sure, but squirrels are still
available and the knowledgeable last-minute hunter can
enjoy some of the year’s best gunning.
I enjoy the challenge of late-season squirrel hunting.
And with more than 30 years of experience under my belt,
I’ve learned a few tricks that help me bag several dozen
squirrels each winter. Here are a few you can try.
Good Things in Small Packages
Be flexible when selecting hunting areas. Large
stretches of timber can be very productive for savvy
hunters, but in country with a mix of small woodlots and
big woods, you may do better working smaller patches
during later weeks of the season. Small tracts are often
overlooked by other hunters, and although they may not
hold large numbers of squirrels, the restricted
environment makes bushytails easier to find. Move from
one small tract to another, taking care not to overhunt
any single area.
Plan Your Stalk
While squirrels are sometimes easier to locate in winter
when leaves have dropped, the bushytail, from its
vantage point high in a tree, still has a tremendous
advantage. Its super sharp eyes and ears make winter
stalking a very tough sport.
To overcome the squirrel’s keen senses, you should
select your stalking route carefully and shouldn’t
attempt to stalk and hunt at the same time. Concentrate
on moving noiselessly with your eyes to the ground,
pausing frequently to study your surroundings for game.
Extend your surveillance to the point that you’re
searching the woods a couple hundred yards ahead. If you
don’t, squirrels will see you and be hidden before
you’re even aware of them.
When you spot a squirrel, move in waltz time. The slower
you go, the better your chances are apt to be. If you
can swing it, do your traveling at the same time the
squirrel is in motion. For instance, move forward when
he’s reaching for another nut and freeze when he’s
eating it. The single most important thing a squirrel
stalker can learn is that patience is a golden virtue.
Remember, too, that you should never stalk with the sun
over off either shoulder (to your right or to your
left). Doing so makes your shadow sweep across the
ground perpendicular to your movements, increasing your
chances of being seen. When leaves are still on, most
smart hunters stalk into the sun if possible. It’s
easier to spot moving squirrels in leafy branches if
they’re outlined against the sun. Later in the season,
though, when squirrels forage more on the ground, it may
be best to hunt with the sun at your back to put the
glare in your quarry’s eyes. Either way, use a tree
shadow to hide your own when stalking in for the kill.
 Keep
to the Low Ground
If you have a choice between hunting a ridge and a creek
bottom, stick to the creek bottom. The leaves will be
wetter and the going quieter. You’ll also be keeping a
lower profile so squirrels won’t be as likely to spot
you. For short distances, you can keep a large tree
between you and the squirrel as you move slowly into
range, employing the stalking tactics described above.
Watch for Sign
Acorns and other nuts are the most important winter
foods of squirrels. To pinpoint squirrel concentrations,
watch for nuts and fresh cuttings (fragments of
nutshells) on the ground. Fresh cuttings have brightly
colored edges, a sign squirrels have been feeding in the
area, and it should be good for hunting.
Another sign of winter squirrel activity is the
scratching left when buried nuts have been dug up and
eaten. These are usually small mounds of dirt and
rotting leaves where squirrels have done their
excavating. They’re easy to spot when there’s snow on
the ground, but you’ll have to look a little harder to
spot the telltale mounds when there’s no snow cover.
Scouting for active tree dens and leaf nests is another
way to zero in on a good patch of squirrel woods, and
for this, binoculars are a great aid. Use the binoculars
to scan each likely home site. Active den holes are
usually worn smooth and shiny around the entrance, and
often have little tufts of fur stuck in the rough edges.
Leaf nests are rarely used in winter unless tree dens
are scarce, but where that is the case, watch for big,
full balls of leaves with no open patches where light
can shine through. These are most likely to harbor
squirrels. Squirrels make regular repairs to winter
nests; thus, nests that look threadbare and unkempt are
probably inactive.
Binoculars also can help you find the squirrels,
especially during still, sunny days when they like to
stretch out on a limb or in a fork during midday hours.
Move slowly through the woods, using binoculars to
peruse such spots for an ear, a patch of fur, a tail or
other bits and pieces that reveal basking bushytails.
Additional Tips
1. During mast-poor years in hilly terrain, center your
search for squirrels on north-facing slopes. The north
slopes are more protected from sunlight and tend to
retain moisture better. Consequently, they usually have
more hardwoods, better mast crops and more squirrels.
2. Winter squirrels are usually reluctant to leave a
reliable food source, even after hearing gunfire. If you
locate several squirrels feeding in a small area, mark
the location of your first kill, satisfy yourself that
the squirrel is dead, then stay put. Within five to 10
minutes, the remaining squirrels are likely to be moving
again, and you’ll get another shot.
3. If possible, hunt mountains or hilly areas when wind
conditions are unfavorable. Scouting will often reveal a
few hollows where calmer conditions prevail and
squirrels are more active.
4. Keep your ears tuned for even the slightest sound
made by a squirrel. Rustling leaves often give a
squirrel away. So can the sound of the rodent’s sharp
teeth gnawing a nut, or cuttings falling to the forest
floor like the pitter-patter of rainfall. Also listen
for barking or chattering squirrels. These are often
rutting squirrels that pay more attention to potential
mates and competitors than to the hunter who quietly
stalks them.
5. Clothing with bark-pattern camouflage does wonders to
conceal you from wary winter squirrels, but safety
aspects should also be considered. When you’re leaning
against a tree, another hunter could mistake any slight
movement for a squirrel. It happens with tragic
regularity, and in many states, “victim mistaken for
squirrel” is one of the leading causes of hunting
accidents. Be cautious, and wear fluorescent orange
clothing whenever appropriate.
These techniques and tips aren’t the final answer to
late-season squirrel hunting success. But if what you’ve
been doing so far hasn’t produced the desired results,
give them a try. Ol’ Bushytail’s brain may not be any
bigger than a hickory nut, but he’s got plenty of smarts
tucked away inside. To outwit him, you have to be better
at playing his games than he is.
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There Fishing
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