The first squirrel of the season!

M

MeekAndMild

New member
Har! Anybody for catch and release? They're falling right out of the trees this time of the year!

We sometimes get as many as two or three a year, usually release them in a less densly populated area. It takes about two months after their eyes open before they're ready to go. (Yes it is legal in my state.)
 

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Naa. You can't train em. They're wild rats. :eek:

Right now this one is asleep in my pocket but in another week he'll be in a cage outside and in 6 weeks he'll be afraid of everything human and won't be distinguishable from wild.

It's kind of funny actually. They have instincts programmed in for various stages of development and when they suddenly realize you are not a tree rat they really get, well, squirrely. :p
 
One of the great things about squirrel hunting is that it is a great father and son (or daughter) sport. Even a small child can walk around behind the tree to scare the rats out to the right side. I recall doing that when I was 4 or 5 years old, then putting my fingers in my ears for the sound of the gun.

Once, standing behind a big oak tree a squirrel hit me right on the top of the head like a beanbag.

Here is one more squirrel pic and I'll stop wasting bandwidth. I haven't hunted squirrels for over 30 years but it does bring back memories.
 

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Well maybe one more pic. Next week I'm free at last and the tree rat will be up a tree for good! You can see the rat is just about frying sized but his 'mama' forbids me from even thinking about it! :rolleyes:
 

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Nice pics, M&M; thanks. I'm planning on taking my two oldest daughters (13 and 12) out squirrel hunting later this week. My third daughter (11) shamed the older two into taking their Hunter Safety class this year. The 11-year-old has been wanting to go since she was seven, and has come on a number of hunts with me already. This year she was old enough for the class, but still can't hunt until next season. Make a long story short, I took all three to the class, then did some .22 and 20ga shooting with them all on a couple of occasions, and the two oldest now want to try squirrel and turkey. My son's first hunting was squirrel (he's old enough now to hunt big game with bow and gun), and we still go out together every season, combining squirrel hunting with deer scouting.

So you're right, Meek; it's a great father-and-son-AND-daughter sport!
 
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