I had been up since an hour before daylight that morning . The sunlight was just starting to spread its fingers through the trees . My eyes , tired from the long drive up that morning , strained to see any movement among the branches . Suddenly , I spotted the all too familiar movement of the oak branch swaying in a downward motion as it landed . I stood up carefully , trying not to make any noise . Luckily , the rain the day before had made walking the woods a quieter venture than it usually was . I closed the distance , took careful aim , and fired a shot from my Stevens model 30 in . 22LR . The woods were silent except for the wonderful sound of a fat grey squirrel that had just fallen . I inspected what I knew was a trophy to me , put him in the vest , and headed for the sound of the next barking bushy tail .

Squirrel hunting holds a special place for me . The scene I just described was how I spent my best days in the woods as a kid . My family didn ’ t really hunt , and I couldn ’ t afford to big game hunt until I got to college . Squirrel hunting is cheap , fun , and the season is extremely long . There are many benefits to squirrel hunting that transfer to big game hunting .

Hunting squirrels can be the best training a big game hunter can do in the off-season . To find the squirrels , you must spot and stalk them in hardwoods . This method of spot and stalk hunting develops skills useful to any hunter no matter the experience level . In

how to walk quietly in the woods , how to close the distance on game , and marksmanship from field positions .

How does one squirrel hunt ? Everyone has their own method , I prefer spot and stalk . Find a patch of hardwood , and walk to a tree quietly . Sit down at the base of the big tree and wait . When you see or hear a squirrel bark , quietly get up and close the distance by putting trees between you and the squirrel . When you are within range , take steady aim up against a tree or support and take the shot .

It ’ s safe to say that most gun owners own at least one hunting shotgun or . 22LR . I prefer to use a rifle most of the time ; however , I did hunt places growing up where I had to use a shotgun because farm houses were too close , and I didn ’ t want to restrict my shot angles . A rifle is more of a challenge , has greater range , and if you make head shots , you will save all the meat without having pellets to spit out . In my state , it is only legal to squirrel hunt with rimfires when it comes to rifles . I have used the . 22LR and the . 17HMR cartridges . The . 22LR is my preference in the two cartridges because if a head shot cannot be made , there is less meat damage . If ammunition would become more available , I would love to try the . 22WMR ; but unfortunately , ammunition at the time of this writing is very hard to come by during this recent buying scare . Shotguns are easier to hit with up close when squirrels are moving and in the early season when lots of leaves are in the trees , this is advantageous . Anything from 12ga on down is fine . I prefer 20ga in shotguns when I will be doing a lot of walking because the frames are generally smaller and therefore

the age of hunting from deer stands over food plots , though nothing is wrong with this , it doesn ’ t develop skills of shooting from

by Ian-Bradley M .

Johnson

Arms Merchant

lighter . For shotgun loads , I prefer the heavy game loads in no . 7 ½ or no . 6 shot . Another helpful piece of gear is a blaze orange vest with

field positions . In squirrel hunting , you have to find support for a shot and find it now because the shot window is usually only a few seconds long . What if you get invited on a big game hunt out west , a safari in Africa , or even a pig hunt in Texas where you are not hunting out of stands ? Shooting skills from field positions will come in handy . I find squirrel hunting in this method to be especially helpful for young hunters who are new to the sport . It ’ s no secret that kids are very active and sitting motionless for 4 hours in a deer stand is not the best way to bring new hunters into the sport .

a large pocket in the back . I don ’ t find that the blaze orange bothers squirrels at all , and the large pocket in the back is very helpful for carrying a limit of squirrels .

Stuck inside after the close of deer season or want to get in the woods before season to scout ? Does your young hunter get impatient sitting in the stand for 4 hours ? Go squirrel hunting . I hunt because I love spending time afield , squirrel hunting extends this time afield throughout the year . Every year I still look forward to moving toward that next barking bushy tail .

With this method of hunting , they will learn