Dick Martin: Tips on squirrel hunting in September

Dick Martin

The past weeks have been hot and muggy, but September is coming and with it, fall squirrel hunting. For a modest sized group of hunters around the state it's an eagerly anticipated event. During youthful days in southern Ohio there was little to hunt among the hills other than squirrels, rabbits, ruffed grouse and the occasional covey of quail, so I spent a lot of time seeking bushytails which were not only challenging, but very tasty in the skillet. Later on, I hunted the animals from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, and found that their habits never changed.

A squirrel foraging for food.

Knowing those habits can give you a limit of either fox squirrels or greys on hunting forays, and you need know only a few basic facts. One is an ability to recognize at least a few of the major forest trees, something simple to do with a library book or even a purchased booklet of Ohio trees. When the season opens, they'll almost certainly be feeding on hickories mostly, shagbark, shellbark, pignut, etc. because they love the sweet flavored, highly nutritious nuts. So you look for a grove or cluster of hickories, check underneath for fresh "cuttings," and if they're there, wait for customers.

If the woodlot or timbered hillside has few or no hickories, then seek out grey barked beech. They like those nuts too, but again you must check underneath for empty hulls before making a stand or waiting at least a half hour or so. There may be dozens of beech around, but the squirrels seem to favor just a few, feeding heavily in this one, ignoring that. Maybe the burs of selected trees have more flavor? Squirrels will also snack in dogwoods eating the red berries, nibble on wild grapes, and hit field corn alongside a woodlot occasionally. All are worth at least a quick check.

Later in the season when favorite foods are mostly gone, they'll turn to white oak, swamp oak, and post oak acorns, but won't touch the bitter, tannin filled red, black, and pin oak acorns unless they're really hungry. Time is always a factor, too. Grey squirrels must have higher metabolisms, because they're hungry and looking for a meal at first grey daylight. I've bagged the animals when I could barely see them high up in a tree, so when I'm hunting these I'll often use a flashlight to reach a good spot and be seated and waiting when shooting light comes. Fox squirrels are lazy, and I seldom bother to hunt them until good light arrives. I've taken some as late as 9 or 10 a.m.

How to hunt them is important, too. Greys are spooky and skittish, cautious to a fault, and I prefer to find a good spot, usually after previous scouting, and wait for them. For fox squirrels, which are much less cautious, I move, normally wearing soft tennis shoes and traveling a short distance then stopping to listen for the skritch of teeth on nuts or the swish of limbs before moving on. When I hear something with promise I'll slip that way and look for the customer.

Finally, I like to travel with a squirrel call, usually a black rubber bellows type that I can tap on a knee to imitate a strange bushytail. It works best in late morning when squirrels have fed full and equally best on fox squirrels, though greys might come, too. When I hear a squirrel barking or see one at a distance, I like to sit quietly and work the call. Often, a squirrel, full and feisty, will come rushing to see who the stranger is. And find out the hard way.
