# Brushy tailed tree rats....



## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Well is anyone ready for the upcoming season? It's just a few short weeks away. I've been looking forward to it since it closed in January. I see the Hickory trees are loaded this year. Finding the ones that are being cut will most certainly provide lots of fun. I have a good feeling this year will be pretty good for squirrel hunting. Good luck to all that go. !# !# !#


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## fakebait (Jun 18, 2006)

I was out kicking around ,just had to go and check out my woods for deer season. I bump a couple of nice bucks right after I got there. The one thing I found was alot of busy tails just sunning themselves out on limbs. They have not started the mad rush of gathering for winter. I found more than usal. So it looks like a good year for them is on the way. I like hunting them so I can keep tabs on the bucks right before archery season. I generally do not take many, just a good reason to get out and enjoy the beginning of the fall.


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Fakebait, I hear ya man. I do the same thing. I will however crack down pretty hard on those squirrels. I love the venison but those lil nut munchers are a whole lot easier to drag out. LOL. Hope ya get a nice :! this year. Who knows, maybe I'll bag one too.


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## squid_1 (Jun 2, 2005)

Good to hear that the hickory trees are loaded, last year was miserable in se ohio for hickory nuts. My kids are pumped and they are old enough to hunt on their own which will be nice for a change for me.


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

i,m ready to bust a bunch of them. love biscuits, gravy and fried squirrel. looking foward to trapping season to.


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## toledoeyebanger (Jan 4, 2008)

do deer stick around your property if you are popping squirrels with a 22? i would love to pop a couple in the nose with my 22 but my property is small and i am worried about chasing the deer away.


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

My experience has been that the deer will still be there. If you start hunting in September and shoot a few sqiurrels and then let the area cool down a bit they will be right back in there. I see deer constantly in all my squirrel h
haunts. If your worried about too much noise use a.22 with subsonic ammo. I used to sit out on the back steps andshoot apples off a tree for fun and the deer would still come around. Good luck.


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

this will be my first year squirrel hunting. i just bought a bolt action savage .22 that should do the trick.. does anyone have any advice for me? or know of any public lands that are good to hunt on thats within 45 min of centerville (south dayton). or heck.anyone that might let me tag along to learn a few things would be great.just shoot me a pm or something. thanks


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## toledoeyebanger (Jan 4, 2008)

i am no expert but the number one thing i have learned is to aim for the head whenever possible, saves the good stuff for the dutch oven.


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Hey there leftfordead88, That Savage .22 should do just fine. Is it scoped? A scope isn't nessesary if you have good eyesight but for me it is absolutely a must. Some of the best advise that I can give you is practice shooting a lot at small targets... Then you must learn your trees. You need to know what Hickory trees look like and some of the different types, for example the Shag bark hickory and the pignut and also the oaks, beech, and walnut.... These are some of the trees that squirrels will be feeding in. I myself love hunting the Hickory trees. When the squirrels start cutting on them, you can bet that's where ya wanna be. It is always good to do some scouting of the woods you intend to hunt before season opens to find these trees and know where they are. This way when you walk into the woods you will know to slow your pace way down to almost a crawl just before you get to those trees. One thing that is important is to move very slowly and use your eyes and ears more than your feet. once you find a group of hickory that is being cut, find yourself a comfortable spot to do some sniping. I will hang out in that feeding zone for quite a while and if I see a squirrel and shoot it I will just stay put. Just let that squirrel lay where it fell and watch for another. It isn't uncommon to take a few from the one spot and sometimes the whole limit can be had. I think this info will help you get started but if you have never done this before you may need some help from someone who has. You will need to learn how to skin and gut the critter too. Oh yeah, One more thing, Head shoot EM" ..... Another reason for a scope...


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

thanks for the info guys..and yes ive got a tasco scope on my gun, and ive been shooting since i was 7 so im pretty confident on my shot. another question i have is if a .22 cal legal for hunting on public land?, cause i know in ohio you cant use a riffle on deer, it has to be a shotgun.. am i correct? does this apply at such a small caliber?


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## toledoeyebanger (Jan 4, 2008)

22 is good to go for squirrel anywhere in Ohio


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Toledoeyebanger is correct that .22's are allowed to hunt squirrels in Ohio. If you are going to hunt public land and this land is a state park or forest, You may want to check with the park ranger to make sure that that particular park is open to hunting on the date you plan on going. I have a brother in law that went with a friend to a state park on the East side of the state about 30 years ago and they got fined. Turns out that that particular park wasn't open till October for squirrel hunting. It's alway a good Idea to stop at a rangers office and get a map of the area so you know what the hunting zones are. Good luck and be safe. !#


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

One week to go from Monday. I have been out this past Saturday and found a nice spot to be on opening morning. Yes sir re indeedy, These squirels are chewing the heck out of the hickory and pignut in this area. If the weather will cooperate I should do fine that morning. Hope y'all found ya a place to snipe off a limit. !#


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

best thing to do is get in the woods early,sit down and be quiet and still.they'll start moving around for you!
this will be my 1st year using a .22 and i'm really looking forward to it.of course that could change after the 1st day out.then i may have to take my old single shot 20 gauge out of mothballs!


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

I scouted a little Saturday also & the activity was unreal. They were really working over the hickory trees, but there were also a couple eating maple seeds. I saw 9 fox squirrels in 45 minutes just walking through the woods slowly. 
With all the leaf cover, you can get away with more movement than once they start falling & you're exposed more. Also, most of the squirrels I saw were cutting near a little creek that runs in our woods....... makes sense with the lack of rain we've had.
Can't wait for some fried squirrel, mashed taters, & squirrel gravy !!!!

Hey, does anyone have a good stew recipe they are willing to share ??
Thanks,
Tim


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## mrtwister_jbo (Apr 7, 2004)

here's what i use,1st pic is a savage mark 2,tasco 3x9x40world class scope an it shoots cci high vec hollows an soilds real good i use it doing the early season.2nd pic is a marlin 25nm 22mag,3x9x40 tasco and it shoots everything good but mostly use winchester hollow pts,use it later in the season when the shots are longer last pic is my ruger mark 2(carry it squirrel hunting) an 1 of the 3 squirrels it took last yr.got a new toy 4 this season a ruger 22/45 22pistol with the 5''bullbarrel an a simmons 4x32 pistol scope 
twister


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## Angler ss (May 15, 2008)

Just to help with the question about .22's on state ground. The answer is on page 35 of the 2008 regulations. {It is unlawful for any person to use or hunt with a rifle,pistol or revolver from october 15th through january 1st during the daylight hours on any land owned or administered by the ODNR except when at a target range,squirrel hunting or deer hunting with a muzzle loading rifle}.


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Got to love that word, " EXCEPT "


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

Been a long time since I squirrel hunted, but am thinking of trying it tommorow. The biggest reason I stopped is that they are darn near impossible to skin. Anyone have any tips?


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## noboatdave (May 5, 2004)




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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Hey, I got my limit Monday morning just like I thought I would. They were hitting those hickory trees hard. Was out of there by 9AM. 

That Mr. Squacks method of skinning squirrels works great, Me and the fellows I hunt with have been doing it that way for the best part of 40 years.....


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## dwmikemx (Mar 22, 2008)

O Kay. Please help me out here.
I tried Mr Squacks method tonight on 4 fox squirrels that I shot today. 
I pulled 2 completely in two, pulled the tail off of one and one worked good.
what a mess I had. I was starting the cut under the tail just above the butt hole. What am I doing wrong????


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## Bassy (Apr 9, 2004)

it takes a few squirrels to get the hang of it, just keep watching mr squacks video each time before you go hunting, thats what I did and Im getting better at it,...............bassy


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Yes it takes some practice and I can understand that if you have never seen it done by someone who knows how in person ( not a video ) how it can give you fits. Once you learn how this is done I know your going to like it. Hey I've been skinning these squirrels like this almost 40 years and I still get the occassional one that won't pull out right. It happens..... It's got a lot to do with the way the cut at the tail and the little flap of hide that has to be made on that back area. Then you get your foot in tight to the back and tramp down on the tail. Holding the back legs and getting ready to pull, you want to pull upward with a bit of a wiggle kinda like pulling on a sock with a left, right, left, right motion. This works best with headshot squirrels. If you body shoot them with a .22 LR, .22 mag, or one of the .17 cal. you can rip them in half very easily and, yep what a mess you will have. I hope this helps out some. I wish I could show you in person just how simple it really is.


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## 10bender24 (Nov 8, 2005)

I'll use Mr. Squacks method and my trick is that I skin them as soon as I shoot them.It is easier when they are warm,then put them into a bag and dress later.


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