| Squirrel Articles |
John N. Felsher's Squirrel Hunting Adventures
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Sportsmen in boats put the sneak
on wary Louisiana bushytails
on wary Louisiana bushytails
Eric Yeates of Houma, La., prepares to take a shot at a squirrel he
spotted from his boat in the Honey Island Swamp near Slidell, La.
spotted from his boat in the Honey Island Swamp near Slidell, La.
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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 of the Pearl River Wildlife Management
Area near Slidell, La.
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 Honey Island 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. 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 the Sugar Shack, Eric’s camp on West Pearl
River. 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.
Louisiana law allows hunters to shoot squirrels, rabbits and nutrias from
powerboats on private land. On public lands, people may not keep guns
loaded in boats under power, but they can shoot from paddled or poled
boats.
Along the Mississippi-Louisiana line, Pearl River splits into East and
West Pearls, creating Honey Island Swamp. These rivers further subdivide
into West Middle, Middle, East Middle and myriad bayous, sloughs and
creeks teeming with wildlife. About 35,032 acres remains open for public
hunting as the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area.
Several launches off Military Road in Slidell enter West Pearl. Ramps
where U.S. 90 crosses West and East Pearls provide access. Three
unimproved ramps also allow small craft launching from Highway 90.
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 of the Pearl River Wildlife Management
Area near Slidell, La.
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 Honey Island 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. 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 the Sugar Shack, Eric’s camp on West Pearl
River. 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.
Louisiana law allows hunters to shoot squirrels, rabbits and nutrias from
powerboats on private land. On public lands, people may not keep guns
loaded in boats under power, but they can shoot from paddled or poled
boats.
Along the Mississippi-Louisiana line, Pearl River splits into East and
West Pearls, creating Honey Island Swamp. These rivers further subdivide
into West Middle, Middle, East Middle and myriad bayous, sloughs and
creeks teeming with wildlife. About 35,032 acres remains open for public
hunting as the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area.
Several launches off Military Road in Slidell enter West Pearl. Ramps
where U.S. 90 crosses West and East Pearls provide access. Three
unimproved ramps also allow small craft launching from Highway 90.