|
Post by firstwd on Aug 15, 2018 17:14:50 GMT -5
I got here this evening about 5:30 and slow walked back to what we affectionately call murder hill. 10 feet into the woods a gray squirrel and I got each other's unexpected attention. I knew he went up the tree because I didn't hear him continue on the ground. I pulled up a log about 20 yards away and got comfortable. About 30 minutes go by and here he comes sneaking down the tree. Needless to say he didn't sneak all the way to the bottom.
One.
|
|
|
Post by wesb81219 on Aug 15, 2018 20:39:49 GMT -5
Not a squirrel to be seen for opening day. Only heard a couple woods were pretty dead. Back at it after work tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by oldshotty on Aug 15, 2018 21:46:07 GMT -5
Do squirrels move in the rain?
|
|
|
Post by firstwd on Aug 15, 2018 21:52:54 GMT -5
Not much in heavy rain, but a light rain is a blast to hunt in. Your footsteps are hidden by the damp ground but their movement through the trees is given away by the sudden shower from the leaves.
|
|
|
Post by wesb81219 on Aug 16, 2018 21:30:33 GMT -5
Squirrel hunting in the late afternoon early evening is poop. Went out yesterday and today after work and haven't even seen a squirrel. Gonna skip tomorrow after work and get after it early Saturday morning.
|
|
|
Post by omegahunter on Aug 18, 2018 17:37:44 GMT -5
This morning was great except finding a parking lot that was empty. Was able to find an empty parking unit on my fourth attempt, but that put me leaving the truck at 7:30am. Had my five and back to the truck at 9am! Shot all five out of three trees within 50 yards of each other.
|
|
|
Post by huntnandplumbn on Aug 18, 2018 20:09:36 GMT -5
Took my 6 year old daughter for a bit this evening. Was tough with the windy conditions. Ended up with one. We cleaned him up, seasoned him and cooked him on a small bonfire. She loved it!!! Said she has a new favorite food.
|
|
|
Post by cedarthicket on Aug 18, 2018 21:09:58 GMT -5
I had a successful hunt this morning in Monroe County on private land. Went 4 for 4 shots with an antique Remington rolling block 20 gauge. All were gray squirrels working on a grove of hickory trees. Two years ago I had loaded the hulls with a light load of 7/8 ounce of #6 shot. Future efforts with a 20 gauge will include use of one ounce of #6 or #5 shot.
|
|
|
Post by firstwd on Aug 19, 2018 9:22:22 GMT -5
This morning let me know real quick that I haven't ridden the atv trails in a couple months. Man that was a we t ride.
I went to the very back of the property to the corner fence post. Kind felt like some of the public ground I've hunted. They were way up in the tops today. A bit odd with the heavy fog in the area this morning. So far, every area of the farm that I've checked has active squirrel usage. That should make picking a spot during the gathering in a couple weeks easier.
|
|
|
Post by nfalls116 on Aug 19, 2018 14:04:18 GMT -5
throbak lures them onto his hat with pecans and then waits until they are eating and grabs them. No meat damage that way he says.
|
|
|
Post by schoolmaster on Aug 22, 2018 10:03:28 GMT -5
Got to the right at daylight. In a short time squirrels were moving everywhere. Wind made it challenging and thick undergrowth made them hard to see within range. Missed the first one then 3 in a row. Squirrel it's what's for dinner.
|
|
|
Post by omegahunter on Aug 24, 2018 20:14:07 GMT -5
Went for a quick hunt right before dark tonight when the rain stopped. Dead quiet except for one young gray. Dropped him with a head shot. Wish it had quit raining about an hour earlier!
|
|
|
Post by drfleck on Aug 24, 2018 21:43:12 GMT -5
Went out this afternoon on private land in Wells county. Squirrels were everywhere. Primarily up in hickory trees. Between my cousin and myself we killed 5. We probably missed as many as we killed. Going again Sunday morning to try for a double limit.
|
|
|
Post by HighCotton on Aug 25, 2018 7:13:40 GMT -5
Finally get a morning free and torrential rain! Gonna wait this one out.
|
|
|
Post by omegahunter on Aug 25, 2018 8:11:45 GMT -5
Too windy this morning. Not sticking around either. Thunder is getting closer and the radar says it is almost ready to get me wet. Getting dark quick. I'm outta here!
|
|
|
Post by firstwd on Aug 25, 2018 10:14:40 GMT -5
Not today....
By the time I got home from work the dust destroyer was almost on top of me.
I'm spending the day packing up the rest of the girl child's room to start the remodel while she is at college.
|
|
|
Post by cedarthicket on Aug 25, 2018 13:16:34 GMT -5
Early Thursday morning I managed to get 3 squirrels while hunting the woods I had hunted in for probably the last 63 years. I got the squirrels with my old Winchester Model 69 A which carries a very nice, vintage Weaver J-4 scope (4 power). Ammo was Federal .22 Long Rifle with hollow point bullets. I fired a total of 5 rounds. One was a clean miss at a squirrel high up in a nearby tree. I was shooting standing without a rest at probably a 75 to 80 degrees upward angle. (Need to practice some more or make sure I have some support when taking such high-angle shots. Rifle support next to a nearby tree will prove MUCH more productive, especially at my age.)
My first bagged squirrel was hit solidly broadside on the ground while it carried a hickory nut. However, not being perfect in my shooting, I hit the back edge of the lungs. I approached the spot where the squirrel was shot very cautiously. I knew I had hit it a little behind the vital area, hearing a “pop” as the hollow-point bullet struck. Then, only 3 yards or so away, I spotted the wounded squirrel at the base of a beech tree. Holding the cross hairs about an inch above where I wanted the bullet to strike (brain shot) I pulled the trigger. Bingo!!
The next 2 squirrels were more “routine” as I made use of a nearby tree for rifle support. One was a frontal chest shot as the squirrel looked down upon me from his high perch, perhaps 15 yards up. The third squirrel was taken with a head shot at a nearly level distance of about 25 yards away. All squirrels were working on hickory trees.
Before I forget, the “price” of these 3 squirrels included:
Dew-soaked camo pants. Dew-soaked leather boots. Dew-soaked hunting socks. Dew-soaked Japanese stilt grass in the woods and pasture. 20 to 30 chigger bites.
|
|
|
Post by HighCotton on Aug 25, 2018 20:40:29 GMT -5
I did decide to get out after the rains today. I figured I would do a combination of pruning some shooting lanes and maybe pop a bushytail or two. No squirrels. And the only blood I drew was my own. Had a little mishap with a wild pruning saw. Very fortunate that the super sharp Stihl blade mostly caught my thumbnail!
|
|
|
Post by firstwd on Aug 26, 2018 17:22:51 GMT -5
Breeze was a bit stiffer than I expected this morning. One clean miss in the swaying treetops. The hot switch flipped about 8:30 and I bailed.
|
|
|
Post by duff on Aug 27, 2018 16:42:35 GMT -5
I did decide to get out after the rains today. I figured I would do a combination of pruning some shooting lanes and maybe pop a bushytail or two. No squirrels. And the only blood I drew was my own. Had a little mishap with a wild pruning saw. Very fortunate that the super sharp Stihl blade mostly caught my thumbnail! yikes...close call
|
|