Squirrel hunting is a marvelous way to introduce a beginner to hunting. Most of the hunters in the USA start their hunting life either with squirrels or rabbits. Taking their kids to squirrel hunting is pretty common for adult hunters in the USA. It also allows the kids to get to know the wildlife in a more proper way.
This squirrel hunting guide includes all the basics that a new hunter would need to know to start hunting squirrels. I hope you'll find it useful. If you're in hurry then you can directly go to "squirrel hunting guide " in part 2.
Part-1
An Overview on Squirrels: Knowing Your Game
Squirrels are small mammals found all over the world. In the USA they are everywhere - from the deep woods to your backyard, you can found them sneaking on the trees. Different kinds are available here. But, for hunting two kinds are most popular among the hunters. Let’s have a look at them:
Eastern Gray Squirrel or grey squirrel
Eastern Grey Squirrel
It’s the most common tree squirrel that exists in Eastern and Midwestern USA, so, is the most popular among the hunters. Usually, adult squirrels grow up to 9 to 12 inches long excluding tails. And, they have around 9 inches long furry tails. Their weight varies from 400 to 600 grams. Gray squirrels are hard to differentiate from fox squirrels by look. But, if you’re keen enough then you’ll notice that gray squirrels have whitish under-body whereas fox squirrels have a reddish or brownish tint.
Nests/ Inhabitant of gray squirrels
Eastern gray squirrels, also referred to as only gray squirrels, build their own nests with grass, feather, leaves, etc known as drey. Sometimes, they take over abandoned bird nests also. Gray squirrels often use permanent tree den as their home. They even live in home attics or abandoned farmhouses.
Whatever they use for their nests, gray squirrels love to live in evergreen forests with abundant food sources. Simple!
Gray squirrel’s favorite diets
Squirrel in action
Gray squirrels are herbivorous. They are very fond of different types of berries, nuts, and seeds. These sneaky clever animals even rob gardens for fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, and other garden crops. Poor farmers!
During winter, they face a hard time finding their favorite foods, so they eat almost everything they could manage i.e. tree buds, insects, small animals, eggs, etc. They stored their foods in different places for a hard time during winter.
Active time
Easter gray squirrels stay busy for the first few hours after sunrise and few hours just before sundown. They don’t like hot summer noon. Another thing you should know, gray squirrels aren’t nocturnal animals, which means, they like sleeping at night. So, there is no night time hunting for them!
These small animals are really clever. They have very sharp eyes and strong ears. They can easily identify alien noises, which makes them pretty tough to hunt.
Fox squirrel
fox squirrels
They are the largest tree squirrels found in the USA, having up to 28-inch long body and 1000 grams weight. They have a thick furry tail, which can be 13 inches long. Fox squirrels are larger than eastern squirrels. And, unlike eastern squirrels, they have brownish-orange under-body. Fox squirrels are common in eastern and some of the southern parts of the USA.
Nests of fox squirrels
They like to inhabit open forests with bushes and small tree stands. Like the other tree squirrels, they also build their own nests with leaves and grasses. But, they also live in tree dens. Like the eastern squirrels, sometimes, fox squirrels also make their home in the attics.
Fox squirrel’s favorite diets
They also herbivorous, lives mostly on berries, nuts, acorns, and seeds. They often eat bird eggs, insects, and small animals. Like eastern squirrels, fox squirrels also consume harvested foods like corns, soybeans, fruits, etc.
The active time of fox squirrels
Fox squirrels are also diurnal animals. They get busy after the sun rises and take rests after sundown. Fox squirrels are often found foraging on the ground. It’s said that fox squirrels like ground more than trees. However, don’t underestimate them. They are very skillful climbers and can jump a long distance from one tree to another which makes them very hard to shoot at.
American red squirrels
American red squirrel
American red squirrels are the smallest among the three squirrels; their weight varies from 200 to 250 grams only. As the name indicates, they have a reddish-grey upper body with a whitish under-body. These species are often confused with the other two gray and fox squirrels, though they are much smaller and have different colors.
Nests of American red squirrels
Squirrel in his tee house!
They are mostly found all over North America. They’re abundant in evergreen forest and hardwood forests in those places. Like other squirrels, they build their house with leaf and tree materials. They also live in tree cavities and crotch of trees.
American red squirrel’s favorite diets
Their food habit is similar to other tree squirrels, mostly seeds, acorns, walnuts, seeds, etc. Like grey squirrels, American red squirrels also hoard (gather and hide) food for winter.
Fun fact
Grey squirrels are cunning as shit. They gather foods and hide them in different food catches for a hard time. But, they can deceive other squirrels if they sense someone is watching them while hiding food. Then, they just fake it! And, pretend like they are hiding their foods by mimicking every step, except, actually hiding the damn food!
While they are faking this hiding act, they are in fact keeping the food in their mouth to hide it somewhere else when there’s no one around.
a squirrel is hiding its food
Part-2
A complete squirrel hunting guide: How to hunt squirrels
Why squirrel hunting is great?
Unlike big game hunting, hunting squirrel is action-packed. You won’t need to wait to shoot for long. If you are in the right place and at the right time then you’ll find lots of opportunities to use your weapon. It’s also a great way to accustom yourself to your weapon and shooting at a living thing. It makes you more agile, patient, and accurate.
Starting with small games like a squirrel will prepare you for more serious hunting i.e. deer hunting, hog hunting, etc. For this reason, experts often advise new hunters starting their hunting career with squirrels, rabbits, or other small games.
It is a nice way to introduce to hunting
Besides, squirrels are delicious! It almost tastes like chicken, which justifies their status as “tree chicken”. Having a nice meal with squirrel meat is another motivation for hunting them.
In the USA, sometimes, the abundances of squirrels cause a public nuisance. They often raid farmlands and harm farmers by destroying their tomatoes, fruits, and other harvests. Obviously, farmers don’t like that.
They also spread diseases. This could cause serious crises.
In short, controlling their number is important and hunting is an effective means of doing that.
Best places for hunting squirrels
Squirrels are abundant in the USA. Almost every state has a huge number of squirrels in the woods. So, actually there isn’t any “the best place” for hunting squirrel. However, hunting laws are different in different states. Few states gives more flexibility whereas others may have little rigid. Depending on that, some states may have little advantages over others. Check your local hunting laws to find out what rules it has about hunting squirrels.
Best time for hunting squirrels
If you already have acquired your required hunting licenses then, I assume, you’ve already checked your hunting season for squirrels as well. Although squirrels can be found all year round, you should stick to the legal hunting season no matter what.
In most of the states, hunting squirrel has the longest hunting span, which is good news for squirrel hunters.
best time of day to squirrel hunt
Squirrels aren’t nocturnal like most animals. They act in the daylight. So, for hunting, the best time of day is the first 2/3 hours after sunrise and 2/3 hours before dawn. They show most activities at those times.
Best weapons for hunting squirrel
If your state’s hunting laws allow then you can use almost anything to hunt them. Hunters mostly use -Bows, Crossbows, rifles, shotgun, pistols, etc. Hunting squirrels with a bow is incredibly difficult. If you really love a challenge then you can try bows.
However, rifles and shotgun are the most popular weapons for hunting squirrels. Shotguns could be a little messy for such a small animal. And, if you’re planning to eat them or want to use the fur, then shotgun isn’t a good option. It damages the meat and fur. If you still want to use shotgun then stay below 20 gauge cartridges for less impact.
My opinion - the best weapon for hunting squirrel is .22 LR caliber rifles. It allows a higher range and accuracy, which are important for hunting this swiftly animal. Also, rifles reduce damage to the body and add more challenges.
Read this article to know more about suitable weapons for small game hunting.
Gears for hunting squirrels
Early Season Squirrel Hunting Tips
Early season squirrel hunting means hunting them while the fall weather is still worm and green. During that part of the year hunting squirrel is easier than the winter hunting. However, early season hunting has some challenges too. Especially because of the leafy and busy trees, detecting a squirrel is more difficult at this time. Hence, two methods are popular for hunting squirrels in the fall. One is stalking; another is sitting in an ideal position and waiting for the squirrels.
Stalking
This one is a more active method. So, it’s more challenging. In this hunting method, instead of waiting for the squirrels to show up, you walk through the woods quietly and try to locate a squirrel. The best way is to walk 10/12 steps at a time and then observe carefully for any sign of their presence. Listen carefully for their sound. If you can locate one, then aim for a head-shot.
When you walk, walk as quietly as possible. If there’s no way to reduce your walking sound then try to make that sound natural, mimic the sounds of animal’s rapid footsteps.
There’s another method also used for hunting squirrels – walking and shooting. In this case, you won’t need to hide your walking sound. Just walk cautiously and shoot when you see a squirrel. Squirrels, almost certainly, see you before you can locate them. Then they move for taking cover. It’s easier to locate them when they move but you’ll have to be a very skillful marksman to hunt this way.
Sit and wait
This is a passive method. You just have to locate an ideal place for sitting and waiting, and, when they show up then shoot them in the head.
Sounds easy?
Fact is - it’s not that easy. You’ll have to struggle with your patience.
Also, finding an ideal spot is very tricky. For that, you need to scout first for signs of their presence i.e. gnawed foods e.g. hazelnut, acorn, etc. If you can find a large amount of gnawed foods (part of foods used by a squirrel) then this could be a good place for your station.
Remember, the idea behind this hunting method is to remain unnoticed to your target. So, you need to use a camouflage vest and reduce your movement to a minimum level.
To increase your success, you can use a squirrel call to attract them. Commercially you’ll find many options of squirrel calls in the market. You can either get one of them or you can use a metal coin to mimicking the squirrel’s sound. Mimicking the squirrel call with two coins is a popular and easier way. For that, rub a coin edge to the edge or tap another coin at the middle part to make squirrel-like noises.
Here's a nice video demonstrating how to call squirrels using simple coins -
Searching for a dashing name for your hunting dog? Read this:
Hunting squirrel with dog
Squirrel Hunting with dog
Squirrel hunting can be easier if you use a hunting dog. Your dog can do the hard work for you in that case – locating a squirrel. Hunting dogs normally identify a squirrel with their sharp nose and eye and start barking when they find one. Then your task is simple – just make a perfect shoot. Hunting with dogs is good for group hunting, as other methods become less effective in group hunting.
Here's a video on hunting -
Squirrel hunting in the rain
It's a common question among the beginner squirrel hunter whether it's good to hunting squirrel in the rain or not. The thing is, during rain squirrels are less likely to come out from their nests. Especially during heavy rain you shouldn't go for a hunt, rater wait for the rain to fed away. However, it's also a common knowledge that squirrels become more active just 1/2 hours before rain starts. So, during a rainy day, before the rain, is a good time to hunt squirrels.
Also, squirrel doesn't mind light rain and roam around normally. So, a hunter can utilize this time as rain sound muffs the movement noise and make stealthy. Apart from this, during rain less hunters will be in the forest, so you'll get the whole forest to hunt alone quietly.
Late season/ Winter squirrel hunting tips
During winter when the trees become bare is the best time for hunting squirrels though. During this time they don’t have many food sources, which makes them more active as well as vulnerable. And, as they can’t hide under leafy brunches, locating them becomes a lot easier.
Interestingly, hunting squirrels in the winter could be challenge too for the same reason - you won't get the sufficient cover for yourself in this scenario. Also, during winter squirrels tends to stay inside their nest more and become less active.
One tip can make your winter squirrel hunting more effective - hunting with a partner. In late season squirrel hunting you should hunt with one or more hunting partner. In winter, when the trees are completely bald, the squirrels will see you and hide in the opposite side of a tree to you. And, if you go around then it will move as well, always try to stay behind the tree. In this situation, if you have a hunting buddy then you will be able to pin point it in a stable position.
However, if you can't find a hunting buddy and had to go alone for your winter hunting squirrel then the best policy is to identify a squirrel's nest first. And, then wait for it to come out and make a shot similar to our previously mentioned sit and wait tactic.
In winter, squirrels are more likely to wake up late in the morning. They normally wait for the sun to come out from their nest. So, late morning to early noon is the best time of the day for winter squirrel hunting.
More Tips for the beginners-
Part-3
After hunt processing
Experienced hunters may follow different efficient and shortcut procedures for processing their game. But, as a beginner, some of those procedures may seem awkward and difficult for you. So, here I’ll keep it standard and easy, later when you become more experienced then you’ll be able to choose your own shortcuts.
Required Tool
Skinning Method 1:
Step 1: Cut off the tail, head, wrists and ankles using your shear first.
Step 2: Wet the rest of the carcass very well. It cleans up the corps and also eased up the body if it gets stiff.
Step 3: Firmly pinch an inch of skin just above the backbone.
Step 4: Use a sharp knife to cut a hole below the place you are pinching.
Step 5: Now the hardest part - put two fingers of both hands into the slit you’ve just created. And, use your strength to pull off the skin to both ends. Sometimes you may get stuck and cannot pull the skin for a strong connection between skin and body, use your knife to ease up the process in that case.
Here’s a nice video to demonstrate this method of skinning process-
There’s another popular way of doing the skinning rapidly –
Skinning Method 2:
Step 1: Cut off the head, ankles and wrist with your shear, but keep the tail as it is.
Step 2: Cut the skin just below the tail and using the slit break the tailbone with pliers and disconnect it from the backbone completely.
Step 3: Make the slit wider.
Ste 4: Now, put your hill on the tail and grab both legs of the squirrel firmly.
Step 5: Pull the legs while keeping the pressure on the tail until the upper skin pulled completely.
Step 6: Now, use your pliers to grab the skin on the front belly and pull the skin down like a pant to remove it from the lower body of the squirrel. Done!
Watch this video demonstration to learn this process -
Cleaning
After skinning the squirrel, cleaning becomes a lot easier. First, you need to use your knife to open up the stomach and then put two fingers all the way into the ribs to pull all the inside out.
After that, wash the body with clean water and make your likable pieces to cook later. Or, you can grill it in one piece if you want that way.
Safety
Safety is the first concern. You wouldn’t get hurt for a sport, right? So, during hunting, always wear hunter orange for safety. Also, if you are taking your kids with you then it’s better to use earmuff during shooting.
If you use dogs for hunting, be aware of them while shooting to avoid injuring them.
There are some endangered species of squirrels protected by the laws of some states, so be aware of that too.
Finally, squirrel hunting is always a great hunting sport, a great way to start a hunting career. Especially for young hunters, hunting squirrels is an effective means of learning about hunting and outdoor lives, in a challenging, fun, and practical way.
FAQ
what does squirrel taste like?
Squirrels are popularly known as the "Tree Chicken" for their chicken-like tender meat and taste. Most people find squirrel meat delicious! Having a nice meal with squirrel meat is one of the major motivations for hunting them.
what is the average lifespan of a squirrel?
If a squirrel can spend its whole life happily and gets a normal death at its old age then, in the wild, it can live for around 5 to 10 years.
However, in reality, the average estimated lifespan of a squirrel is only eighteen-month as they're less likely to live their full lifespan due to many reasons i.e. diseases, predators, hunters, etc.
how to build a squirrel house?
Try this nice article for step by step description of how you can build a nice house for a squirrel.