| Squirrel Articles |
John N. Felsher's Squirrel Hunting Adventures
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Sportsmen in boats put the sneak
on wary bushytails in thick country
on wary bushytails in thick country
Steven Felsher admires a squirrel he shot while paddling a canoe up
a bayou. Such boats make good hunting platforms.
a bayou. Such boats make good hunting platforms.
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With dry leaves crackling like cereal, the squirrel sounded like a
rampaging buffalo as it scampered across the ground to another tree.
The hunters couldn’t see it because of the extremely thick, nearly
impenetrable thickets and low brush. Silently, the hunters approached.
About 15 yards away, the squirrel made a fatal mistake. It loped onto a
branch, sat down to munch an acorn and presented a clear shot. With the
report of the shotgun, two other squirrels raced into the swamps.
“With the leaves so crunchy, we could never have gotten this close to
that squirrel without a boat,” I said.
“Yes, but if we are going to go squirrel hunting, we better get going,”
replied Eric Yeates. “The afternoon is getting late. Let’s put down our
fishing rods and make the run to our spot. Wait, I see two more squirrels
on the other side of the bayou. Let’s get them first.”
Yeates poled his flat-bottomed boat across the bayou. In the bow, I
grabbed my Savage Model 24, a combination gun with a .22 rifle mated to a
20-gauge shotgun barrel. One squirrel climbed up the cypress tree and sat
on a branch. Another jumped from tree to tree spanning a small ditch
leading back into the swamp. I nailed the one in the cypress with a load of
No. 6 lead shot.
“Okay, we can go squirrel hunting now,” I said. “Wait. I see another
one. Let's pole down this bank a bit.”
Every time we decided to “go squirrel hunting,” another bushytail
hopped on a branch, barked or ran across the ground. Finally, we gave up
on the idea of “going squirrel hunting” and simply decided to stay in the
boat. We poled down the small bayou, searching trees for telltale
movement or listened to squirrels barking and scolding in the swamp.
Although we never actually “went squirrel hunting,” we probably saw
about 30 squirrels and heard a number of unseen bushytails. Some
disappeared quickly; others seemingly ignored us as we approached in the
boat. With the falling tide draining the swamps, we could not reach some
squirrels nestled in thick cover along tiny tributaries.
From the boat, we bagged 11 squirrels in three hours on a windy
afternoon before returning to Eric’s camp. In contrast, while plowing
through underbrush the previous morning, we only bagged four squirrels in
five hours. With dry, noisy leaves carpeting the forest floor and palmettos
trumpeting our passage, we could not get close to squirrels on land. Had
we paddled a small pirogue up tiny swamp ditches, we would undoubtedly
have increased our coverage and harvest.
“Hunting squirrels from a boat is very effective in the right habitat,” said
Mike Olinde, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist.
“Often, the best mast-bearing trees are along the higher ground next to the
water. It’s a good way to cover a lot of ground quietly.”
Any hunter with a little knowledge about squirrel hunting on foot can
easily master hunting bushytails by boat. Pole or slowly paddle a boat in a
likely area. Avoid rubbing the paddle, gun or anything else against the
boat. Scan trees for movement and listen for chattering, leaf rustling or
claws scratching bark.
For safety, designate one shooter at a time and take turns. The
person in the stern paddles or poles while the designated shooter in the
bow keeps the gun ready, pointing forward or off to the side outside of the
boat.
While some sportsmen use .22 rifles effectively, a shotgun comes in
handy for running shots or when the boat moves too much. With the Model
24, I could fire the .22 at stationary squirrels and blast runners with the
shotgun without swapping weapons. To avoid running shots, paddle slowly
and quietly close to shorelines for better concealment from squirrels.
Because boating saves wear and tear on human legs, this method
offers superb opportunities to introduce small children to hunting. A boat
moving through a swamp might keep children more interested than forcing
them to sit still on cold ground. In addition, boat seats make more
comfortable platforms than wet logs. Hunters can grab a few snacks or
drinks from a convenient ice chest if they become hungry. If adults make
the day more easy and comfortable, little sportsmen might enjoy the
experience more and grow into adult hunters.
Often, sportsmen can fish while searching for squirrels. Squirrels
typically ignore fishermen. Keep a shotgun handy when casting for bass or
bream. Combining the best of both worlds, sportsmen could take a limit of
fish and squirrels on a good day.
Federal law prohibits sportsmen from shooting at migratory birds in
boats under power, but squirrels fall under the resident game laws of the
various states. Some states allows hunters to shoot squirrels, rabbits and
other resident game from boats under power on private land. However,
most public lands prohibit sportsmen from keeping loaded guns in boats
under power. Federal and most state laws do allow sportsmen to hunt a
variety of game species out of boats under paddle or poling power. These
even applies to migratory birds. Check the local laws before hunting
anything just to be certain.
rampaging buffalo as it scampered across the ground to another tree.
The hunters couldn’t see it because of the extremely thick, nearly
impenetrable thickets and low brush. Silently, the hunters approached.
About 15 yards away, the squirrel made a fatal mistake. It loped onto a
branch, sat down to munch an acorn and presented a clear shot. With the
report of the shotgun, two other squirrels raced into the swamps.
“With the leaves so crunchy, we could never have gotten this close to
that squirrel without a boat,” I said.
“Yes, but if we are going to go squirrel hunting, we better get going,”
replied Eric Yeates. “The afternoon is getting late. Let’s put down our
fishing rods and make the run to our spot. Wait, I see two more squirrels
on the other side of the bayou. Let’s get them first.”
Yeates poled his flat-bottomed boat across the bayou. In the bow, I
grabbed my Savage Model 24, a combination gun with a .22 rifle mated to a
20-gauge shotgun barrel. One squirrel climbed up the cypress tree and sat
on a branch. Another jumped from tree to tree spanning a small ditch
leading back into the swamp. I nailed the one in the cypress with a load of
No. 6 lead shot.
“Okay, we can go squirrel hunting now,” I said. “Wait. I see another
one. Let's pole down this bank a bit.”
Every time we decided to “go squirrel hunting,” another bushytail
hopped on a branch, barked or ran across the ground. Finally, we gave up
on the idea of “going squirrel hunting” and simply decided to stay in the
boat. We poled down the small bayou, searching trees for telltale
movement or listened to squirrels barking and scolding in the swamp.
Although we never actually “went squirrel hunting,” we probably saw
about 30 squirrels and heard a number of unseen bushytails. Some
disappeared quickly; others seemingly ignored us as we approached in the
boat. With the falling tide draining the swamps, we could not reach some
squirrels nestled in thick cover along tiny tributaries.
From the boat, we bagged 11 squirrels in three hours on a windy
afternoon before returning to Eric’s camp. In contrast, while plowing
through underbrush the previous morning, we only bagged four squirrels in
five hours. With dry, noisy leaves carpeting the forest floor and palmettos
trumpeting our passage, we could not get close to squirrels on land. Had
we paddled a small pirogue up tiny swamp ditches, we would undoubtedly
have increased our coverage and harvest.
“Hunting squirrels from a boat is very effective in the right habitat,” said
Mike Olinde, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist.
“Often, the best mast-bearing trees are along the higher ground next to the
water. It’s a good way to cover a lot of ground quietly.”
Any hunter with a little knowledge about squirrel hunting on foot can
easily master hunting bushytails by boat. Pole or slowly paddle a boat in a
likely area. Avoid rubbing the paddle, gun or anything else against the
boat. Scan trees for movement and listen for chattering, leaf rustling or
claws scratching bark.
For safety, designate one shooter at a time and take turns. The
person in the stern paddles or poles while the designated shooter in the
bow keeps the gun ready, pointing forward or off to the side outside of the
boat.
While some sportsmen use .22 rifles effectively, a shotgun comes in
handy for running shots or when the boat moves too much. With the Model
24, I could fire the .22 at stationary squirrels and blast runners with the
shotgun without swapping weapons. To avoid running shots, paddle slowly
and quietly close to shorelines for better concealment from squirrels.
Because boating saves wear and tear on human legs, this method
offers superb opportunities to introduce small children to hunting. A boat
moving through a swamp might keep children more interested than forcing
them to sit still on cold ground. In addition, boat seats make more
comfortable platforms than wet logs. Hunters can grab a few snacks or
drinks from a convenient ice chest if they become hungry. If adults make
the day more easy and comfortable, little sportsmen might enjoy the
experience more and grow into adult hunters.
Often, sportsmen can fish while searching for squirrels. Squirrels
typically ignore fishermen. Keep a shotgun handy when casting for bass or
bream. Combining the best of both worlds, sportsmen could take a limit of
fish and squirrels on a good day.
Federal law prohibits sportsmen from shooting at migratory birds in
boats under power, but squirrels fall under the resident game laws of the
various states. Some states allows hunters to shoot squirrels, rabbits and
other resident game from boats under power on private land. However,
most public lands prohibit sportsmen from keeping loaded guns in boats
under power. Federal and most state laws do allow sportsmen to hunt a
variety of game species out of boats under paddle or poling power. These
even applies to migratory birds. Check the local laws before hunting
anything just to be certain.
