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John N. Felsher's Squirrel Hunting Adventures
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Running with
the dogs adds
excitement to
squirrel hunts
the dogs adds
excitement to
squirrel hunts
Brett Pratt fires at a squirrel “treed” by Chester Thompson’s dogs
during a hunt in the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area near
Hazen, Ark. Thompson trains champion squirrel dogs.
during a hunt in the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area near
Hazen, Ark. Thompson trains champion squirrel dogs.
A couple hundred yards away, the dogs barked excitedly as we raced
through the forests toward the commotion.
Squirrel hunting with dogs differs greatly from “still hunting.” Squirrel
hunters typically walk slowly through bottomlands or sit quietly, watching for
movement. Instead, we followed Champ, Lady and Dottie through the
forests as they sniffed for squirrel scent. When they found something they
liked, the dogs become excited, barking raucously and jumping at the base
of the tree.
“The dogs do the work and find the scent,” said Chester Thompson, a
champion squirrel dog trainer from Horseshoe Kennels in DeRidder, La.
“Dog hunting is a social event. People don’t need to keep quiet. They can
talk and don’t need to worry about crunching leaves. They just listen for
the dogs to bark. It’s a great way to hunt with kids or families.”
When the dogs alerted on a tree, my sons, Daniel and Steven and
their friend, Brett Pratt, surrounded it to cover all possible escape routes
and scanned the branches. A good pair of binoculars helps detect
squirrels crouching on a branch or in thick foliage.
If we didn’t see anything, Chester pulled on vines or shook branches.
Sometimes, we had to give squirrels a bit more encouragement to make
them run. When squirrels start moving, though, they don’t stop. Runners
hit the branches with afterburners wide open as we take whatever shots
they offered.
"I think I see him,” Chester said as we waited under one towering white
oak.
He fired into the tree, bringing down a gray squirrel. Seconds later, a
fox squirrel bolted from the thick canopy of the same tree. We poured the
lead into it as it tried to make its escape.
“If the lead doesn’t fly, the meat doesn’t fry,” Thompson quipped. “We
can’t wait for the right shot when hunting with dogs. We have to take what
we can get. For safety reasons, just don’t shoot low.”
Fox squirrels, also known as red squirrels, grow much larger than gray
squirrels. Fox squirrels typically prefer more open country, such as
scattered pines or mixed pine and hardwood forests. They like transition
zones between thick bottomlands and more sparse upland country.
Fox and gray squirrels share many forests, but gray squirrels
generally prefer denser, mixed canopy bottomlands. They like thick forests
along creek bottoms or lowland bayous, although they also go in pines and
uplands.
Barking dogs indicate a squirrel in the area, but not every alert puts
meat in the pot. Sometimes, dogs alert on a tree where a squirrel traveled
previously, but disappeared before we arrived.
“It’s amazing what dogs can smell,” Thompson said. “Their noses are
so much better than we can imagine. I can tell by the bark and the wagging
of its tail what the dog is smelling. Each dog has certain habitats and
traits. From 200 yards away, I can tell if it’s barking on a cold scent or a hot
scent.”
Even when we knew a squirrel hid in a particular tree, these forest
ghosts can easily disappear into the fork of a tree or a pile of leaves.
Frequently, they slipped into holes in the trees. Sometimes, we knew they
could not possibly move from a designated tree without anyone seeing it,
but we simply couldn’t find it or force it to run.
A fox squirrel may remain hidden longer and prefers to hide or jump
into a hole instead of running. A gray squirrel would more likely run at the
first sign of danger.
Many years ago, I sat for more than an hour near a lone tree with no
possible way for the fox squirrel to leave without me seeing it. Finally, I
spotted a tiny twitching white ear protruding from behind a tree trunk. The
squirrel hid behind the tree trunk with only its ear tuned to my direction to
track my movements.
When not hunting, Thompson breeds and trains champion squirrel
dogs. To start training squirrel dogs, he begins with animals coming from
good bloodlines. Many dog aficionados can trace the ancestry of their
animals much better than they know their own family histories. A champion
squirrel dog might cost several thousand dollars.
“I won’t just take any dog,” Thompson said. “These dogs are bred for
squirrel hunting. I try to find the best-blooded dog with good intelligence.
That gives the dog a good start. It’s born with the ability to hunt. Squirrel
hunting is in its blood. That makes training it easier. Then, I take it into the
woods and wear out a lot of shoe leather.”
When a pup hits eight weeks old, Thompson exposes it to squirrel
hides or tails. To make it follow a scent, he takes a hide or a dead squirrel
and drags it across the ground before putting it in a tree. Then, he
watches to see if the pup follows the scent and barks at the base of the tree.
“If a pup will bark at the hide or dead squirrel, it might become a
hunter,” Thompson explained. “Then, we take the pup hunting with a good
trained dog. The pup mixes with the trained dogs and the dogs actually
help train each other.”
People hunting with dogs need to keep track of their own movements.
Dogs zigzag back and forth as they follow scent trails. Chasing dogs
through thick timber can disorient even the most astute outdoorsman. Keep
in mind directions that lead to roads or other prominent landmarks.
For more information, call Thompson at (337) 309-0908. On line, see
horseshoekennels.com.
through the forests toward the commotion.
Squirrel hunting with dogs differs greatly from “still hunting.” Squirrel
hunters typically walk slowly through bottomlands or sit quietly, watching for
movement. Instead, we followed Champ, Lady and Dottie through the
forests as they sniffed for squirrel scent. When they found something they
liked, the dogs become excited, barking raucously and jumping at the base
of the tree.
“The dogs do the work and find the scent,” said Chester Thompson, a
champion squirrel dog trainer from Horseshoe Kennels in DeRidder, La.
“Dog hunting is a social event. People don’t need to keep quiet. They can
talk and don’t need to worry about crunching leaves. They just listen for
the dogs to bark. It’s a great way to hunt with kids or families.”
When the dogs alerted on a tree, my sons, Daniel and Steven and
their friend, Brett Pratt, surrounded it to cover all possible escape routes
and scanned the branches. A good pair of binoculars helps detect
squirrels crouching on a branch or in thick foliage.
If we didn’t see anything, Chester pulled on vines or shook branches.
Sometimes, we had to give squirrels a bit more encouragement to make
them run. When squirrels start moving, though, they don’t stop. Runners
hit the branches with afterburners wide open as we take whatever shots
they offered.
"I think I see him,” Chester said as we waited under one towering white
oak.
He fired into the tree, bringing down a gray squirrel. Seconds later, a
fox squirrel bolted from the thick canopy of the same tree. We poured the
lead into it as it tried to make its escape.
“If the lead doesn’t fly, the meat doesn’t fry,” Thompson quipped. “We
can’t wait for the right shot when hunting with dogs. We have to take what
we can get. For safety reasons, just don’t shoot low.”
Fox squirrels, also known as red squirrels, grow much larger than gray
squirrels. Fox squirrels typically prefer more open country, such as
scattered pines or mixed pine and hardwood forests. They like transition
zones between thick bottomlands and more sparse upland country.
Fox and gray squirrels share many forests, but gray squirrels
generally prefer denser, mixed canopy bottomlands. They like thick forests
along creek bottoms or lowland bayous, although they also go in pines and
uplands.
Barking dogs indicate a squirrel in the area, but not every alert puts
meat in the pot. Sometimes, dogs alert on a tree where a squirrel traveled
previously, but disappeared before we arrived.
“It’s amazing what dogs can smell,” Thompson said. “Their noses are
so much better than we can imagine. I can tell by the bark and the wagging
of its tail what the dog is smelling. Each dog has certain habitats and
traits. From 200 yards away, I can tell if it’s barking on a cold scent or a hot
scent.”
Even when we knew a squirrel hid in a particular tree, these forest
ghosts can easily disappear into the fork of a tree or a pile of leaves.
Frequently, they slipped into holes in the trees. Sometimes, we knew they
could not possibly move from a designated tree without anyone seeing it,
but we simply couldn’t find it or force it to run.
A fox squirrel may remain hidden longer and prefers to hide or jump
into a hole instead of running. A gray squirrel would more likely run at the
first sign of danger.
Many years ago, I sat for more than an hour near a lone tree with no
possible way for the fox squirrel to leave without me seeing it. Finally, I
spotted a tiny twitching white ear protruding from behind a tree trunk. The
squirrel hid behind the tree trunk with only its ear tuned to my direction to
track my movements.
When not hunting, Thompson breeds and trains champion squirrel
dogs. To start training squirrel dogs, he begins with animals coming from
good bloodlines. Many dog aficionados can trace the ancestry of their
animals much better than they know their own family histories. A champion
squirrel dog might cost several thousand dollars.
“I won’t just take any dog,” Thompson said. “These dogs are bred for
squirrel hunting. I try to find the best-blooded dog with good intelligence.
That gives the dog a good start. It’s born with the ability to hunt. Squirrel
hunting is in its blood. That makes training it easier. Then, I take it into the
woods and wear out a lot of shoe leather.”
When a pup hits eight weeks old, Thompson exposes it to squirrel
hides or tails. To make it follow a scent, he takes a hide or a dead squirrel
and drags it across the ground before putting it in a tree. Then, he
watches to see if the pup follows the scent and barks at the base of the tree.
“If a pup will bark at the hide or dead squirrel, it might become a
hunter,” Thompson explained. “Then, we take the pup hunting with a good
trained dog. The pup mixes with the trained dogs and the dogs actually
help train each other.”
People hunting with dogs need to keep track of their own movements.
Dogs zigzag back and forth as they follow scent trails. Chasing dogs
through thick timber can disorient even the most astute outdoorsman. Keep
in mind directions that lead to roads or other prominent landmarks.
For more information, call Thompson at (337) 309-0908. On line, see
horseshoekennels.com.
Chester Thompson, a
champion dog trainer,
rewards one of his
"students" after a
successful squirrel stalk
in the Wattensaw Wildlife
Management Area near
Hazen, Ark.
champion dog trainer,
rewards one of his
"students" after a
successful squirrel stalk
in the Wattensaw Wildlife
Management Area near
Hazen, Ark.