# High Winds Brought the Squirrels Down.



## LJACKSON36 (Jan 4, 2006)

Went out yesterday for squirrels and the winds were exceptionally high. Due to the winds being as high as they were it brought the squirrels down to the ground. Only seen a few but they were all on the ground. i would assume that it was because the winds were so high. It Felt like I was hunting in the middle November or December with out the cold temps and the squirrels running all over the forest floor. How did everyone else do? I ended up one for three.


----------



## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Yes, The winds will bring the squirrels down or even have them hole up somewhat. The wind jams their hearing and they tend to be spooked. Anyway I was in southern ohio at the scioto trails state forest. It was pitiful just pitiful. I managed to shoot one Saturday morning at about 7:30. I didn't see another one till 10:30 and it seen me before I spotted him. Needless to say, he was gone. I never seen another squirrel that day or on Sunday. The Shagbark hickory trees seemed to be bare and those that had nuts in them were already cut out. There were pig nuts and it looked to be Rock oak / chestnut oak acorns all over. Nothing out and about. I never even heard a squirrel bark. Holy moly I never seen or heard a chipmunk until Sunday. It was like a dead forest if it weren't for a few birds and a couple of deer. I know there were some other critters out and about. No it wasn't flies, fleas, skeeters, or ticks.... I believe they be Chiggers.... Man o man am I ever covered in bites. I never even realized I was bitten until I got home and showered and then the itching began..... I talked to a friend of mine that is in the South east part of the state and he said that the Hicks where he was at were loaded and the squirrels were cutting like little live chain saws. Dang man, Picked the wrong woods this time. That's ok, I still had a good time and learned a valueable lesson..... Even though there are no sketters to speak of, this old boy will be treating his early season clothing with the Permanone spray and strpping down to the tighty whiteze and applying a good dose of cutters or some other brand of bug juice with deet to my ankles & legs. This chigger thing is no fun at all. Well it looks like at least 3 weeks of itchie scratchy suffering is in my future.... Maybe some mass quantities of Alcohol taken internally will relieve some of the itching.......


----------



## LJACKSON36 (Jan 4, 2006)

flthednut and other members, I went today(labor day) hit the woods at around 8 this morning thinking i would get a decent start to the squirrel hunt. after about two hours and not seening a tree rat all day i ran into a couple other gentlemen that had only got one all morning and they got it in woods ten mile away. later this morning i ran into two other guys that had gotten one squirrel between them and that was at 7:30 this morning. at this point it was noon. i was wondering if anyone else ran into squirrel being just about non-existant today. not only did i not see one nor did i hear any cutting nuts or scampering through the woods.


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

i was in the woods 7 hours yesterday and i saw 3, i was scouting and putting up a stand, so as usual, i had no rifle.


----------



## Gepetto (Sep 23, 2009)

Flthdnut, since you were hunting southern Ohio, you were likely in that broad zone that had a total and complete mast crop failure last fall. It reached slightly north of Athens and extended east and west from there into WV. Squirrels actually evacuated the area when it got sparse. Mass exodus. THere were corridors along I 75 where a squirrel hunting buddy of mine counted 80 bodies in a two mile stretch. Reminiscent of the 1800's when squirrels ran out of mast and swam the Ohio in migration waves.

Bumper mast crop this year in that same area. Squirrels are prolific. Give it a few years, but until then, hunt north or way south for squirrels.


----------



## Gepetto (Sep 23, 2009)

PS, the first heavy rain and wind after the mast crop matures will bring the squirrels to the ground because the mast comes to the ground. Life and food gathering gets easier for them.


----------

