Squirrel Hunting Guide >> Squirrel Hunting Tips

Squirrels are perhaps America’s most popular small game animals as millions of hunters pursue them. Every fall, they shoot many more squirrels than quail, pheasants and doves. Only cottontail rabbits are hunted by more people, and just the rabbits, waterfowl and deer are hunted over more of North America. Many voices claim, however, that squirrel hunting is for the more lazy type of hunters that prefer waiting around for an easy opportunity, while maybe laying in the shade with a cold drink in their hands. But is it really that way? We think not.

Although its appearance, a well informed person would know that this particular type of hunt requires just as many aspects to be taken care of as any other hunting variety. The first step into such a hunting experience is knowing what signs to look for, what possible clues may tell you that the surrounding area is populated with squirrels and in which proportions. Next up is the actual finding of these signs, as well as knowing how to treat and interpret each of them so that the best decisions would be made.

If you actually locate an oak, notice the acorns at its foot. Are there a lot of intact acorns? If so, that tree might be too fresh for the squirrels to be exploiting as a source of food; providing that the acorns are cracked open and the shells can be found around beneath the tree, in this case you’ve found a tree that squirrels are indeed using for foodstuff. For pines, keep your eyes peeled for emerald pine-cones that squirrels have dropped down and fail to remember about; for fruit trees, find pits of fruit lying around beneath the tree. Providing there is also scat around the tree’s base, then larger animals — rather than some squirrels — are leafing through the respective tree and then move on. In the case of corn, almost everything eats it so begin camping out the field. Remember to pay special attention to tops of stalks; you ought to effortlessly be able to observe the stalks dancing as squirrels will climb them for the kernels.

As soon as you discover a food source that has squirrel signs, the waiting starts. This is frequently the toughest part because the furry creatures will have certainly noticed you scouting and left to hide. If you possess a trained eye, at times this can be helpful as squirrels will press themselves touching branches and standing still. Regularly, there is a 15 -30 minute waiting before the squirrels begin moving again. The finest spot is one that permits you to observe the whole food source, other than allowing you sufficient distance so that wind won’t cart your scent crossways to the trail from the dray to food and unclears you as much as necessary so the animals can’t distinguish your face or your outline. With any luck in 15 - 30 minutes, you should see a collecting creature crawling alongside the ground sniffing out the food’s scent or jumping from tree to tree quickly to eat and then return to its young.

As you can see, squirrel hunting is certainly not a walk in the park and for most hunters out there it is more difficult to handle than much “tougher” varieties of hunting. Prior to a squirrel hunt, remember to arm yourself with patience, nerves and much time to spare.