Hit the WMA for an hour under a certain condition*

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SteveV

SteveV

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Feb 25, 2018
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Tennessee, United States
I don't normally squirrel hunt the opening weekend of deer season, but as the WMA is only 10 minutes from the house, decided to chance it. Luck was on my side, *no other vehicles parked at the entrance.*

A couple of pics I took of the WMA on the last twofer hunt

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Didn't have much daylight left, so I sat under a red oak and enjoyed nature, and even pulled off a 40+ yard shot with my bastard bottle build, slinging a 22 caliber 14.3 CPHP at 840 fps.

Complete pass thru, the vitals, that is -
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N2 Shooter said:
I've had the absolute worst luck this season, as I have not seen a single squirrel with the 10 times I've gone hunting on public lands.

I'm gonna go try and go out towards the end of the day and see if my luck changes.
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Hang in there breaux - I'll bet at some point you'll discover a honey hole near some den trees and all will be right in the squirrel hunting world lol -

My first two hunts this year I didn't take a shot. Seems the nut bearing trees get stripped earlier and earlier every year, so really, during the most target rich time to hunt it's still fairly warm, with all the bugs & snakes you get with that, so sometimes on a slow hunt we have to just try and enjoy the outdoors.
 
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Public land gets hit hard around here. When a squirrel sees you moving slowly through the woods they run for their homes. There are trails for hikers. I gave up on the public land and just stick to my in laws property and a friend's wooded lot property where the squirrels have caused thousands of dollars to their vehicles by chewing cables. The squirrels never got hunted there so they are easier to hit.
 
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@Joedirt199 @SteveV

I've seen squirrels on this land before, but this year, things are very different. I have not seen any places where the squirrels have been burying acorns in the ground. I've been scanning a particular area from 300 yards away with binoculars and my thermal monocle, and I have not seen any movement.

I think I just need to do a stalk until sundown or go and move to another public land.
 
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A buddy and I used to hunt rabbits on public land. It was a 2.5-3 hr drive to get to and a lot of walking once there. Each year we saw less and less rabbits. Not sure if hunters were running them down or unchecked local predators. On our public land in Missouri, powder burners have to hunt with shotguns on public land. I have only ran into a couple other hunters when I have been out there and showed them my air rifle. It was a Taipan standard and they were pretty impressed. We did a campout to celebrate opening weekend of squirrel season at a new property and saw several groups of hunters, and next to no squirrels. Public land can get over hunted if you are close to a big city. More people that don't have access to private land.
 
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Joedirt199 said:
A buddy and I used to hunt rabbits on public land. It was a 2.5-3 hr drive to get to and a lot of walking once there. Each year we saw less and less rabbits. Not sure if hunters were running them down or unchecked local predators. On our public land in Missouri, powder burners have to hunt with shotguns on public land. I have only ran into a couple other hunters when I have been out there and showed them my air rifle. It was a Taipan standard and they were pretty impressed. We did a campout to celebrate opening weekend of squirrel season at a new property and saw several groups of hunters, and next to no squirrels. Public land can get over hunted if you are close to a big city. More people that don't have access to private land.
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In the 6 years I have had my hunting license, I have only run into one other hunter that was hunting squirrels.
 
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I have never taken an airgun for squirrel with me while deer hunting. I decided to try it this last Friday. I took my 18 fpe PP750 up the treestand with me while I sat with my crossbow. I saw many squirrels but but since I was sitting with the bow at the ready so several squirrel shots came and went.

This one crossed under me and went up a tree about 15 yds away to about eye level with me, 20'+ up.
He looked at me so I put one in his head. He rolls back, hung from his hind legs for a moment and fell to the ground dead.
The 16 grain dome pellet turning his brains to mush made more noise than the report.

As of Saturday firearms season is open and squirrel season is closed. But I am no longer overly worried about scaring deer away.

PP 750 squirrel 2.jpg
 
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