Late season squirrel hunting tips
 

Our deer season ends this weekend, so I'm going to start hunting squirrels again afterwards. Last year, I didn't have that much luck during January and February compared to my early fall hunts. Does anyone have any tips and tricks for hunting squirrels this time of year?

Best way I have found when the leaves are gone from everything is to just go into a place where you killed squirrels before or where mast trees are and just sit down an wait. They will show up. Also sunny days are better than rainy/snow days so south side of the woods usually are best.

with the leaves down they can see you a lot better from a lot farther off so move accordingly and keep your eyes peeled off in the distance a bit as you move.

also remember a lot of the squirrels will be on the ground unless you catch them sunning themselves on a limb, like toytruck said sunny days seem to be better.

a good spot to look for them is valleys with a lot of nut trees...the nuts fall off and funnel down.

Take a comfortable fold up chair, and sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
I have timed it, and they will start moving between 7 and 12 minutes.
Bring some 6x binoculars; they will hide in the strangest spots.
Like on a limb fork, or lay flat on the trunk.
Take a small round mirror, and when you see a squirrel go in a hole, reflect the sun into the hole, be ready to shoot they don't like the light shining on them and will come out.
Just be patient, take your time.
Good Luck.

I have to try that mirror trick and hope for a sunny day!

I like to hunt when it's warmer, and when the sun is shining. Once I'm in late season, no more early morning daylight hunts.. I'll slip out around, 930-1000 and hunt until lunch time, then maybe go out early afternoon again. When the weather is nasty I stay home, because the squirrels probably are too. It's hard to beat a nice sunny late January day. As the woods warm up, they come alive. Also, focus on where they were feeding earlier in the year. They'll be running around digging in the snow looking for their stashes. I usually just try to find a nice looking log, then sit down for a while. If I don't see anything within a half hour I'll move.
-Jake

Are there any calls or something to draw them in this time of the year? As I understand it, this time of year is their breeding season. All the ones I saw this weekend were a bit too far off to hit with a pistol.

Friend in Iowa told me he was out Saturday and got 5. Said they were responding to his bellows call.
He thought it was due to the mating season.




:D Al

The only two calls I am aware of for squirrels are the bellows (shown above) and a squeal type call (you blow into it). The bellows sounds like they are chatting (supposed to be calling others for feeding) and the squeal imitates a squirrel in distress from a hawk, etc. I never had much luck with the squeal call.

You could also rub two quarters together on the rough edges or take two hickory nuts an hit them together. They will sometimes work.

I killed three fox squirrels last week with the white muzzleloader shotgun, all were on the ground. I put the sneak on them to get in range and shot them up in tall oak/maple trees.