[rawhide.22]

Well I'm up here in B.C. and the rain just quit. So, I thought I'd go out and start hunting squirrel for the first time. HA! What a joke! Three hours in the bush, and all I have to show for my efforts, are a lost cellphone, ripped jeans, and a bunch of little giggles coming from the tops of the trees (yeah, I'm a dude fom the city, but I wanted to expand my culinary experiences.)
Not only did I not shoot any squirrels, but I didn't even see any. Now I know they like to live in decidu-- decidios-- leafy tree forrests, but all we have 'round here are miles and Miles and MILES of coniferious forests. HELP!
Any tips? Suggestions? Spelling errors? (How do you spell the antonym of coniferious??)
I heard still hunting for squirrels is good practice for hunting other game. Anyone?

Thanks y'all

 

[Mongo]

Look in the trees for their nest. They look like round balls of leaves near the tops of trees, about the size of a basketball. Look for walnut trees, or other trees that produce nuts. You'll see the shells on the ground. Around berry bushes. Edges of cornfields. Then pick out a nice comfortable spot and wait! Their curiosity will bring them around. Good Luck!

 

[Citori]

Until you get to know an area a good bet is to just hang out around a stand of mast trees. Early in the season (around here anyway) Beech is good, Hickory next and Walnut and Oak late in the season. Go early in the morning, first light to maybe 11 am or so, or late, a couple of hours before dusk. Squirrels seem to nap in the middle of the day.

I walk around a lot when I hunt them. I know where most of the mast trees are on my property and I make the rounds. My grandfather who hunted the same ground used to just pick a tree and sit down within range. He never moved, hunted for four hours or so, and always got his limit.

Regardless of whether you move or sit, mast trees are the key for me. If you decide to walk around be quiet and stop a lot to listen. Sooner or later you'll get an ear for hearing them drop the husks off the nuts they are eating. Then go get 'em, quietly.

 

[obx22]

Citori has given you the keys, knowing where the hardwoods are and listening.
There will almost always be signs of squirrels if they're in a given area. Have a seat and study the outline of the branches on the trees('specially near the trunk), surprising how still a squirrel will sometimes set, watching you.
I usually carry a pocket of pebbles when hunting, flicking a few into the dry leaves is quite an effective call, as is tapping a couple of small coins together (soft tapping really gets their curiosity up).
My favorite is just sitting in the predawn and listening to the woods come alive. The scratch of nails on tree bark is unmistakable, as they scramble here to there.
(sigh)
7 months till the start of my local season.....

 

[895]

Citori has it down pat! Even in a new area I look for the mast trees ... Oak, Beech, Walnut. You know, DECIDUOUS TREES. But I'm particular. I like to pick a nice large "comfortable" tree to sit against. If I don't hear or see anything after 30 minutes, I move. Normally the squirrels will return to their natural routine after 10-15 minutes of quiet. I live just a block south of Indianapolis but have done all of my squirrel hunting in Michigan and Colorado. Too many Conifers in Colorado to chase squirrels, 'cept them pesky Red Squirrels. And if you can see a half dozen Oak trees from where you are sitting, you'll have squirrel soon. :t

 

[050]

Rawhide,
I just couldn't pass this up... You just go deep in the woods and act like a nut. They'll come to you.
All kidding aside, They tend to prefer Dicidious forest. Any source of trees with nuts will usually have a population of Grey squirrels. You can find red (Fox) squirrels in conifers but their population density will be a lot lower than the Grey squirrel.

 

[bentley]

calls?

just a tip when i moved from nebraska to missouri id go in the woods to hunt squirells and sometimes couldnt find them to save my life.the problem was foliage. i had never hunted squirells in the spring and summer.so i didnt know how to locate them in dense forest. in the winter in nebraska they had nowhere to hid.so it was easy.i eventually learned how to sit and gaze looking for the slightest movement. native americans called it spider vision.heres how it works. sit against a tree and look off into the trees and unfocus your eyes, dont look at one object.its sorda like when you stair off into space.what happens is your eyes will become attracted to movement.i know it sounds crazy but it works. you will suprise yourself with how you can pick up the slightest movement .oh and if the good advice the guys above gave didnt work and the vision trick doesnt work, cheat i out of curiosity tried a barking call once and man it drives em nuts. they start barking back and jumpin around it makes em real easy to spot.and in the early spring try the baby squirell squeal call they thing one of thier young is getting ate by something and they start barking in protest. good luck>Bently

 

[Mongo]

I almost forgot. Find the farmer/ owner, of the land, be polite and gentlemanly like, and ask them where you can find the tree rats. I've had a few times where they will grab their gun and come hunting with you! (unless their kid is sitting on the front porch palyi'n a banjo)

 

[4791]

Huntin squirrels

Find yourself a hardwood river bottom. When you start to hunt walk about 50 yards and set down and don't move, if you have to move, move real slow. Watch the tree but don't forget about the ground. I popped a many a tree-rat on the ground. When you tag one don't get up just yet, wait a few minutes, you may get a shot at his brother. If not start the process all over again, get up and walk about 50 yards and set down. The real trick to squirrel huntin (or just about anyother type of huntin) is don't get in a hurry, take your time and enjoy being out in the woods where the old lady aint yapping at ya.

 

[varmastr]

rawhide:22
when I was bear hunting in Central BC. I dont think that those Cedar trees with a fifty foot circumferance and 200 feet tall. Hard to see the top of the tree let alone a rat.
What kind of hardwoods are in BC?
Is there even any nut type trees???

 

[sallar]

Get you a Squirrel dog.They do all the work for you.I kill hundreds or them every year with mine.I raise and train Feist they are the small type.Its really a great sport and you get to shoot alot. Sam

 

[Scuba]

Too bad ya can't hunt them in the campgrounds. I do a lot of camping in BC when I can get away from work and they are all overrun with tree rats. Nothin like 30 of them fighting over the bag of hamburger buns at 5 A.M. you forgot to put away before bed. Them suckers are loud when they get scrapping. I think I am gonna have to pick up a decent slingshot this summer.

Scuba

 

[5230]

Just go deer hunting and try to avoid them!!! They will come right up to you and bark a warning call allerting everything within a mile of your presence!

But off deer season they seem to be a little less daring...imagine that.

I've alway thought that getting out before dawn and waiting for them is not emphasized enough for squirrells. They come out about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes after sun rise and get really active for about 2 hours. Then they often quiet down. The will start moving again around late afternoon.

Also they have really good vision and alert when they see your face...really! I'm not kidding. Keep your head kind of still and look around slowly. Use your ears and look up only when you hear something.

Seems to work fro me here in Missouri anyway.

One more thing. As stated earlier, its important to find nests. If an area is hunted out, it will often take 2 or 3 years before it repopulates. Nests will indicate that there have been squirrels in the area at least within a year or two.

 

[6072]

just like any kind of hunting find the food source and you will find the game ,just find a good stand of mast trees or den trees and just sit and wait and let them come to you another thing i have never had any luck with calling squirrels but some people swear by it

 

[W191]

Ironsite you beat me to it...

I find more squirrels when hunting deer and have more deer pop out from the woods when hunting varmints. I swear these critters have staff meetings late at night and discuss the "stupid" humans who are showing up in there woods.

 

[Spirit]

Here in central Wisconsin the best place to look is in the Red Oak stands. Squirrels prefer a more open forest floor(not brushy) and this time of the year they are thick in the maples and elms eating the new green seeds. Sit, wait and you will see them.

 

[5721]

Been huntin them tree rats in the pines for 11 years...

Been huntin them tree rats in the pines for 11 years here in Colorado and only came home skunked 2X's. You most likely have pine squirrels and maybe albert squirrels up there. fox & gray squirrels dont like the evergreens much.
How i hunt them is to slowly stalk through an area, every 5-10 steps i stop and close my eyes and listen. then i look around for movement of their flicking tails. always a dead giveaway. as the others said, look for a "mast tree" there will be tons of pine cone peices built up at the bottom. if you find one, just step away a few yards and sit & wait. the squirrel will be around and if it hears little noises now and then near his tree, he'll get mighty curious.
Just be aware, ive sat for up to 30 minutes of quiet just to stand up, look around and see a squirrel staring right at me, probably snuck up quiet like and was just makin faces at me behind my back. last laugh is mine though, they always die of a sudden case of cranial lead piosoning! Good luck!
Eric

 

[copperboy]

I have to agree with Sam Allar on this one 1000%.There is no better way to hunt squirrels than with a GOOD dog.Sam has some VERY EXCELLENT dogs!His Fred dog is a GRAND CHAMPION!If you ever get the oppertunity to go with a good dog you better get your boots on & go, it will definatly be a memorable hunt & end up in a new dog at the house, youll end up bying one after 1 time hunting with them!It is as ADDICTING as rimfires!