Any luck with Squirrel today?

[EastHipster]

I went out this morning but didnt get any.

I only saw 2 squirrels and only saw them because they were fighting with Brds and barking their heads off.

The ones I saw weren't until after 9:00 am.
Didn't hear any cutting at all.

Seemed like a prefect day

[Randall53]

I've never hunted squirrel until after the leaves fall, since I was 16 - 17 years old....yes you could hunt alone at that age 45 years ago...LOL.

[Raoul]

I got one, but I was doing about 45 at the time.

[RED333]

Same here, I like to be able to see them. :surrender:

 

I've never hunted squirrel until after the leaves fall, since I was 16 - 17 years old....yes you could hunt alone at that age 45 years ago...LOL.

[RichardR]

I didn't go out today, didn't want to risk my dog because of the "no-permit required" free-hunt on opening day.

Seriously I'd probably go to prison if someone "accidently" shot my bestest buddy Bear.

[EastHipster]

It was surprising to me because in my yard they have been cutting every morning (I have Walnut trees) so I expected to hear even a LITTLE bit of Cutting this morning.

I may go out again tomorrow as I am scouting for Deer anyway.

[RichardR]

Getting ready to head out.

[tartanphantom]

When growing up, I usually didn't bother squirrel hunting until after the first killing frost-- I hated dealing with bot-fly maggots (aka "wolves".

[wewoapsiak]

Got out and about this morning before sun up. Buddy bagged 3 before 9, I was lucky enough to see one.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4

[whiskey]

All that cool weather we had earlier in the month, now we are back to heat and humidity. Even if my leg wasn't broken, I think I would be waiting till we had a frost. I know that it's safe to cut out the wolves and eat the meat, but I don't like the idea of doing that. So, I would rather wait till they are gone to get a mess of squirrels. 

[DaveS]

I can't hunt or fish until my hand heals up. I took Kbug out to the trout stream today and she made a good score!

 

Dave

[Dennis1209]

No expert here but, my ole grand pappy use to instill in me not to hunt or skin squirrels until after the first hard freeze of the season? Never said why but I assume it was so the fleas and ticks would mostly drop off the fur?

 

If that be the case, you would think the state would have a health advisory or caution?

 

In these temperatures it sure won't take long for the meat to rot.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Dennis1209

[Spots]

All that cool weather we had earlier in the month, now we are back to heat and humidity. Even if my leg wasn't broken, I think I would be waiting till we had a frost. I know that it's safe to cut out the wolves and eat the meat, but I don't like the idea of doing that. So, I would rather wait till they are gone to get a mess of squirrels.

This. I normally don't squirrel hunt till the first frost and the wolves get gone.

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[RichardR]

Well I started by heading down to a small grove of black walnut trees, unfortunately some folks on the other side of the Hatchie was blasting away at some targets & soda/beer cans so all of the squirrels at that spot were all in hiding.

So I decided I'd go hit a stand of oaks that was far enough away that the target practice noise those fellows were making wouldn't be a problem, on the way to the stand of oaks we came across a beautiful big red fox, only problem was that I still had squirrel shot in my chamber.

I hand-signaled my dog Bear to remain quiet & still while I slipped one of my "in case of emergency" slugs from its elastic retaining loop on my vest, trying to be as quiet as possible I fingered the slide release on my Mossberg & slowly, gently pulled back on the pump.

That was just enough noise for the fox to alert on us, so I quickly yanked the pump the rest of the way, catching the #6 shotshell while slapping in the slug, by the time I got my beads aligned he/she had bolted into the underbrush.

I gave the command for Bear to "get'em!" and the chase was on, now I'm half-crippled so I'm not the fastest on my feet but that fox was so damn beautiful that I gave it everything I had & then some.

Now Bear isn't allowed to get more than 50' or so from me so even during the chase he kept looking back to make sure he wasn't getting to far ahead of me, I am so proud of him, I didn't have to remind him of that at all even during all of the excitement of the chase, he truely is an amazing dog.

Anyway that damn fox lead us through some of the nastiest, thorniest, briariest, parts of the planet I had ever seen, I wasn't going to let him/her go though, I really wanted that beautiful bushy red & white fur, for 2 hours we tracked & chased him/her before I finally collapsed from both pain & exhuastion.

Even though our prey eluded us, it was still one of the best days I've ever had ...

[DaveS]

Well I started by heading down to a small grove of black walnut trees, unfortunately some folks on the other side of the Hatchie was blasting away at some targets & soda/beer cans so all of the squirrels at that spot were all in hiding.

So I decided I'd go hit a stand of oaks that was far enough away that the target practice noise those fellows were making wouldn't be a problem, on the way to the stand of oaks we came across a beautiful big red fox, only problem was that I still had squirrel shot in my chamber.

I hand-signaled my dog Bear to remain quiet & still while I slipped one of my "in case of emergency" slugs from its elastic retaining loop on my vest, trying to be as quiet as possible I fingered the slide release on my Mossberg & slowly, gently pulled back on the pump.

That was just enough noise for the fox to alert on us, so I quickly yanked the pump the rest of the way, catching the #6 shotshell while slapping in the slug, by the time I got my beads aligned he/she had bolted into the underbrush.

I gave the command for Bear to "get'em!" and the chase was on, now I'm half-crippled so I'm not the fastest on my feet but that fox was so damn beautiful that I gave it everything I had & then some.

Now Bear isn't allowed to get more than 50' or so from me so even during the chase he kept looking back to make sure he wasn't getting to far ahead of me, I am so proud of him, I didn't have to remind him of that at all even during all of the excitement of the chase, he truely is an amazing dog.

Anyway that damn fox lead us through some of the nastiest, thorniest, briariest, parts of the planet I had ever seen, I wasn't going to let him/her go though, I really wanted that beautiful bushy red & white fur, for 2 hours we tracked & chased him/her before I finally collapsed from both pain & exhuastion.

Even though our prey eluded us, it was still one of the best days I've ever had ...

Fun stuff!!

 

Dave

[R_Bert]

Well I started by heading down to a small grove of black walnut trees, unfortunately some folks on the other side of the Hatchie was blasting away at some targets & soda/beer cans so all of the squirrels at that spot were all in hiding.

So I decided I'd go hit a stand of oaks that was far enough away that the target practice noise those fellows were making wouldn't be a problem, on the way to the stand of oaks we came across a beautiful big red fox, only problem was that I still had squirrel shot in my chamber.

I hand-signaled my dog Bear to remain quiet & still while I slipped one of my "in case of emergency" slugs from its elastic retaining loop on my vest, trying to be as quiet as possible I fingered the slide release on my Mossberg & slowly, gently pulled back on the pump.

That was just enough noise for the fox to alert on us, so I quickly yanked the pump the rest of the way, catching the #6 shotshell while slapping in the slug, by the time I got my beads aligned he/she had bolted into the underbrush.

I gave the command for Bear to "get'em!" and the chase was on, now I'm half-crippled so I'm not the fastest on my feet but that fox was so damn beautiful that I gave it everything I had & then some.

Now Bear isn't allowed to get more than 50' or so from me so even during the chase he kept looking back to make sure he wasn't getting to far ahead of me, I am so proud of him, I didn't have to remind him of that at all even during all of the excitement of the chase, he truely is an amazing dog.

Anyway that damn fox lead us through some of the nastiest, thorniest, briariest, parts of the planet I had ever seen, I wasn't going to let him/her go though, I really wanted that beautiful bushy red & white fur, for 2 hours we tracked & chased him/her before I finally collapsed from both pain & exhuastion.

Even though our prey eluded us, it was still one of the best days I've ever had ...

 

That was previous season, not this week, right ? Fox season opens on November 22.

Edited August 25, 2013 by R_Bert

[RichardR]

Nope was today, fox's are year-round in Lauderdale County.

[R_Bert]

Nope was today, fox's are year-round in Lauderdale County.

 

Ah. Sorry.

 

Curious, what is the reason for the exceptions on Dyer, Lauderdale, Smith, and Wilson counties?  Are the populations that excessive, or is it one of those political things?

Edited August 25, 2013 by R_Bert

[RichardR]

I don't know for certain R_Bert, I'm thinking a combination of a healthy population + damage they are causing to both game birds & livestock.

[gunwhatgun]

I have always heard to wait until the first frost to, but when you do the frost always seem to run into deer season.

[tennessee01tacoma]

No squirrels but I saw 4 turkeys

[Guest Bonedaddy]

I'm really surprised that they aren't year round in Crockett, too. I know I see a lot of'm and have hit a few with the truck. Used to be a family of'm denned up somewhere just behind where I used to live in Frog Jump, that had 4 pups. Didn't take long before all of'm were run over on 88 hwy. I'm gonna hafta find a good spot I can still hunt the squirrels. Don't have a place to go to, anymore, since movin' back to Crockett.

[gregintenn]

Getting ready to head out.

Nice hat! :stunned:

[DaveS]

This. I normally don't squirrel hunt till the first frost and the wolves get gone.

Tapatalk ate my spelling.

I have never let wolves stop me from squirrel hunting. I have seen more of those things crawling out of a deer's nose, than I have ever seen in a "tree rat". Just my experience is all!

 

DaveS

Crack'a American

[RichardR]

The hat is hunter/blaze orange, the camera my wife used was a phone camera & didn't pick up the color correctly.

Anyway since I hunt small game with my dogs I usually avoid taking them out after archery deer season starts (to risky for Bear), anyway bot-fly larva doesn't bother me at all, I just cut them out while butchering,