For squirrels, stay on the western edge. Most of the good acorn trees are near the top of the ridge to about 1/5 down. No need to go lower than the Appalacian Trail unless you want to. There are a few parking lots up there that make it easy to get in.

Chubber

Thanks, Chubber. Phelps was a bust. I saw one squirrel, and he scampered out of sight before I could move in on him. I also ran into a few other hunters, and no one seemed to find any. I don't know what's up, but the mast crop was excellent. I arrived right at sunrise, so the pressure couldn't have been that high. Where are all the critters?! [:@][:'(][&:]

IIRC it was this way last year also (I haven't seen too many this year either yet & only got one shot & a dagon branch must have jumped in front of my bullet to save the squirrel's life lol). As the season moves on there will be more. Alot of them are probably moving around now, but hidden by the leaves. Also the acorns really haven't started fully falling yet & alot that have fallen are still green.

I was out shooting and I pinned one to the ground. It seemed like the dam tree rats were trying to drop hickory nuts whenever we walked out the door.[>:]

Anyone wants some serious squirrel hunting and they live in Arkansas----The Ouchita Mts where I live have tons of them!!!! This has been an amazing year for acorns here and the little buggers are everywhere. I look out the back or front window and there's a couple in all directions. Lots and lots of nut trees in the area and the squirrels are fat and sassy. I'm gearing up for bow hunting deer right now and chompping at the bits to get up in that tree!!!! Have a great deason all!!!!

I visited Phelps several times about five ears ago. The squirrel there were spooked like crazy. I was walking along a trail when I saw one crossing the trail far in the distance. The little guy ran up a tree that was fairly isolated. Once he figured out there would be no jumping from tree to tree, and that I was closing in fast, that little thing just jumped to the ground and ran! It had to be about a 40 or 50 foot jump! He landed in the leaves and took off.

Never met anyone who limited out at Phelps. Pretty place, but everything is superspooked there. The most I have taken at a time there was about four or five - and I had to work real hard for them.

On my place the squirrel are so thick and tame you could limit out in an hour, cleaning each squirrel as you go along. So I really don't like hunting it. But at Phelps you hardly see anything - unless you are deer hunting .

Boy, you aren't kidding. Sitting in a ground stand or up in a tree in deer season it is all you can do to keep those little buggers out of your lunch.

It's like they can smell you carrying a .22 and stay away.

Of course, some folks hunt squirrels during deer season. Last year a guy tried to blast one in the tree next to me with his 12 gauge while I was in my tree stand. Scared me 1/2 to death. I saw him walking up and figured he would just keep moving. Next thing I know he is shouldering his gun in my general direction. He didn't even know I was there. I didn't know my camo and blaze orange was that invisible. I wear a full orange vest and hat. So much for keeping a low profile if jokers like that can crash around all day in the opening week blasting away at any twitch in the leaves. He never did pick up a squirrel either. When I yelled at him he just shrugged and wandered off.

Chubber

I had one run into my arm during muzzel loader season at Phelps last year.
How do they know?
How do they know?

Yeah. I had something like this happen to me when I visited Phelps. I was pretty far South on the property, near the powerline when I saw a few guys prowling the woods with guns. They didn't know I was there, so I just watched from my tree, assuming they would move on. Both were talking as loudly as could be! Then they just stopped near me and just started shooting trees and making a general ruckus. That's when I cleared my throat and waved. They left without a problem, but I called it a day because I knew there would be nothing to see for a country mile.

Another time I had set up at Phelps thinking I would surely score, when someone fairly near me started shooting pretty regularly, as if at a range. The shooting went on throughout the day. I haven't been back to Phelps since. It is a pretty place, though.