On a cold November morning at 7 a.m., you are sitting in the woods hunting for the monster buck that you have been seeing on your trail cams. The faint sound of leaves crunching has you on high alert. It’s slowly getting closer to you, as you begin to reach for your gun. You start to think this could be the year that you are going to finally get a huge buck. The leaves crunching gets louder until it is right behind you. Turning your head slowly to see the buck that has been crunching the leaves behind you; instead, you find out that it is a squirrel. This creature is notorious for fooling deer hunters into thinking it is the 220-pound 10-pointer that they have been after.
Squirrels are the most annoying animal in the woods when you are trying to hunt. Some people, in the winter months when it gets cold, try to harvest them. They do this because squirrels, if prepared correctly, can be very tasty. They might also try to harvest squirrels so they don’t have to listen to them when they are hunting for deer.
The squirrel hunting season is six months long, so this gives time to get out and hunt. Hunting squirrels is not an easy task; we see them all the time, but when you get into the woods, they can be very elusive. “I hunt squirrels because it is fun and it is something to do in the winter,” said Kadin Walsh. “I like to hunt them by walking through the woods slowly and stopping every couple of feet. If it's a good day, you will see them moving and you can get closer.”
Like hunting any animal, the gun that you use can vary. “I use a .22 long rifle. It's my favorite for hunting squirrels and it’s accurate,” Kadin said. When hunting with a .22, you have to be accurate because there is not a lot of room for error. A squirrel's head is only about an inch wide, or the size of a golf ball. If you miss the head and hit the body you risk ruining a lot of the meat, and squirrels don't have much.
Avid squirrel hunter Austin White takes a different approach when thinking about what gun he should use. “I use a Stevens model 77D .20 gauge,” said Austin. “It’s easier to hit them with a shotgun. They can be moving as opposed to a .22 where they have to be stationary. I also like to use the .20 gauge because it is the gun that my great uncle gave to me, and it reminds me of him.”
Squirrels are very annoying animals, but they are animals that are enjoyable to hunt. Squirrel hunting is something that people have done for years and will be doing for years to come. There will never be a shortage of squirrels, or tree rats as they are sometimes known, and they will always be enjoyable to hunt.