Squirrel season still going, offers rewarding experience
With deer season ended for gun toters, with duck outings finished, numerous Arkansas hunters have hung it up for the year.
They are missing some fun and some interesting action. It is still squirrel time.
Yes, squirrel season runs from mid-May to the end of February. We’re in February now, so let’s look at this late-season squirrel hunting, an endeavor that can be rewarding from the standpoints of getting outside and also of getting something pretty darn good to eat.
Arkansas has plenty of squirrels, and wildlife biologists tell us that hunting has little impact on their numbers. You’ll find February squirrels in the same places you found September squirrels, generally speaking.
If the food is there, the squirrels will be there. Oak and hickory trees don’t move around. But one difference is finding squirrels this time of the year is that the food probably isn’t up there in the trees. It’s down on the ground.
Squirrels looking for food, therefore, will be down on the ground. They may also take a nut they stashed earlier and run up a tree before stopping to eat it. Trees are safety zones for squirrels.
A major difference in February squirrel quests from the ones in September is the woods are much more open. Leaves have fallen. You can see a squirrel better, especially when it moves around — and the squirrel can see you much better.
Patience is a requirement for squirrel hunting any time, and you can multiply this in February. Be patient. Be quiet. Move slowly. Use your ears as much or more than your eyes.
If squirrels move around on the ground, there is a good chance you will hear rustling of leaves. There is also a good chance you’ll see the squirrel moving. This calls for a tactic common with experienced squirrel seekers. Move a little and stop a lot.
If you have a spot where you have found squirrels in the past, you may even hunker down with your back to the base of a tree. Sit and wait. Watch and listen.
Some Arkansas squirrel hunters switch from shotguns to .22 rifles for their February hunts. The thinking is that more visibility improves rifle chances. If the squirrel is sitting still, yes, that’s logical. If the squirrel is running and 50 yards or less away from you, then the shotgun would be a better choice.
If you go after squirrels on a sunny day, try to make the light work in your favor. Try to move with the sun behind you or at least to the side, not in your face. If the sun is in your favor, then it is not helping the squirrel see you.
Another point for argument among squirrel hunters is what time of the day is best. There is no consensus here. Some hunters believe it’s best to be in the woods when the sun comes up. Others say nonsense, that squirrels like to sleep in and wait until the day warms up to get out and about. Some tell you that squirrel hunting is early and late with midday a nonproductive time. Then you’ll find somebody who swears that February squirrel hunting is best from 10 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon.
Most hunters agree on another facet of this game.
If you see or hear a squirrel and don’t get a shot immediately, just wait. Lean against a tree trunk, squat down or sit down. Be motionless. That squirrel probably saw you and is hiding, but you can outlast the animal. If the squirrel is in a tree, watch for just a bit of movement like the flicking of a tail.
Still another squirrel hunting facet: If you shoot and kill a squirrel, let it lay. Don’t jump up and immediately run to get it. Other squirrels may show up close enough for additional shots.
And one more squirrel strategy. If you are with a hunt buddy and spot a squirrel, it may run around to the backside of a tree. Wait a few minutes then get the buddy to circle around to the back of that tree, hoping the squirrel will return to your side.
This is the origin of that old term of derision — squirrel turner. It’s a synonym for apple knocker.
Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas’ best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by email at jhmosby@cyberback.com.
