I can't imagine it necessary to hunt over bait or bumble around waiting on a dumb one to be successful at squirrel hunting. I've hunted them all my life in some big woods (not in the yard.....) with some pretty puny guns and never had any trouble. Get out and get after em, It's a lot of fun.
Our season opens in September. At this time they are tapering off the mating season and getting into feeding on mast in the treetops. All you have to do is look for the treetops shaking, or listen for falling nut shells, and walk up under one and wait. Each tree will usually have a couple squirrels at least. They will be moving a lot, and there is lots of leaf cover so you have to wait for a clear shot. Practice on those steeply elevated shots, because they will really mess with your head, and will likely be your most common shot. Very rare to see one on the ground this time of year. Other than the mosquito swarms, this is the best time of year to hunt and action packed.
As the acorns and hickorys begin to drop they will slow down some and you will need to start slowing down too. Ease along slowly and watch for them on the ground gathering nuts or perched up off the ground on a vantage point such as a log. If there are hickory nuts where you are, just sit still and listen for them gnawing on the hulls. When you hear one gnawing, and it suddenly stops, that's when to try and pick him out because they will be moving to grab another. They will also be gathering acorns and corn if available to stuff in their dens for winter about this time. So start looking for holes in trees where the bark is worn around the hole, or for piles of nut shells outside the hole if its low to the ground. Watch these spots in early morning and late afternoon.
Real late season is tough. It's cold and they are lazy as hell, and are in their dens with food and don't have much reason to venture out. This is the least productive time to hunt. In this case, don't leave the house at the crack of dawn, wait till mid morning when it starts to warm up slightly. Best bet for these days is to fins a den hole that is facing the sun, and wait. Walking and stalking don't do much as they will hear you coming from a mile away. It's tough and it's slow, but it can be worth it.
Best kept secret: Don't overlook scrubby thin treelines. Some of the best squirrel hunting I've been on was hunting a thin treeline on a field edge that ran between two stands of woods. Squirrels use these as a travel route, and will also den in them for whatever reason. Best thing for my area, is the obnoxious dog hunters tend to overlook them. These are easy spots to hunt as the squirrels don't have much place to go if you catch them here, and shots can usually be close and fast!
I hunted one day in late November with an Air Arms S500 on a local management area. Started in the big woods and moved on to the scraggly treeline. I heard dogs off in the distance in the woods, but few shots. After a couple hours I had 5 squirrels and headed back to the truck to find 2 guys with shotguns and several dogs, and one squirrel. They couldn't believe I was hunting with a "pellet gun" and they didn't believe me when I told them I killed every squirrel in a small treeline. Don't overlook it!
My point of all this is to say that squirrel hunting offers a LOT of enjoyment that a guy can miss out on by not getting out and really getting after them. Seasons are long and hunting grounds are usually easy to find. It never gets old because you can learn something new every time you go. And if it ever does get a little stale, change your weapon. I hunt them with springers, PCPs rarely, flintlocks and even longbows and it's always fun. If you just sit in a blind and over bait, you are missing out on a lot of fun in my honest opinion.
One last thing to mention, and ya'll will think I'm ridiculous about this, but that's okay:
- Squirrel hunting is one of, if not THE last hunting opportunities that hasn't been diluted or commercialized by modern marketing and television and whatever. Squirrel hunting is mostly the same as it was 100 or more years ago, there are no trophy farms for them, no setup guided hunts, etc etc.
To me, that makes it seem more special going into the woods toting a classic spring gun.
