# First squirrel hunt ??



## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Do you remember your first squirrel hunt, how old were you, how long ago was it ? How many plates of squirrel gravy and biscuits have you eaten ?
Do you have a favorite squirrel hunting memory ?
My first trip occurred nearly 55 years ago , I was 4 years old. 
I don't remember waking up, I don't remember eating breakfast or even getting dressed, my first memory of that day was my father tying my boot lace at our kitchen table. The next thing I can remember is dad and I seated together on a huge fallen tree in semi darkness, my father was removing some burrs from his jeans with a pocket knife and I was holding our thermos between my legs. To this day I can still see Dad fold up his knife and drop it in his hunting coat pocket, he put his finger to his lips in the universal sign that I should be quite. My next memory is of dad a few steps in front of the log with his gun raised, I was still seated holding the thermos. I don't remember the " bang" but I clearly remember the orange fireball from the muzzle of dad's old Sweet sixteen. Dad picked up the spent shell and handed it to me, it was blue, he retrieve the squirrel as I sat and watched, I can still see the big smile on his unshaven face.
I tagged along with my father for another 5 seasons and probably close to a hundred hunts before I would kill my first squirrel and I've been on hundreds of squirrel hunts since that time but that is still my favorite squirrel hunting memory.
Good luck and Good Hunting in the upcoming season.


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## CFIden (Oct 9, 2014)

garhtr, It sounds like the same memory I have only mine was 45 years ago when I was 5. I didn't shoot my first squirrel until I was 10. I shot it in the same woods with the same gun my dad shot his first squirrel in. Old Exel .410 that was my Great Grandmothers. When I ejected the empty casing it hit me right between the eyes, lol. It was a maroon Federal #6, 3" 410 shell and it is sitting on my mantel right know. My Father is my best friend and hunting partner and I have hunted every squirrel season with him since I was 10. He is 75 years old know and can't get around like he used to but I have a friend with a small woods right behind his house who lets us hunt. We can park the truck right at the woods and Dad will take a folding chair 40 yards in to a hickory grove and just sit. God willing we will be there on Sept. 1st of this year. We both look forward to the special times spent together in the woods.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

CFIden said:


> garhtr, It sounds like the same memory I have only mine was 45 years ago when I was 5. I didn't shoot my first squirrel until I was 10. I shot it in the same woods with the same gun my dad shot his first squirrel in. Old Exel .410 that was my Great Grandmothers. When I ejected the empty casing it hit me right between the eyes, lol. It was a maroon Federal #6, 3" 410 shell and it is sitting on my mantel right know. My Father is my best friend and hunting partner and I have hunted every squirrel season with him since I was 10. He is 75 years old know and can't get around like he used to but I have a friend with a small woods right behind his house who lets us hunt. We can park the truck right at the woods and Dad will take a folding chair 40 yards in to a hickory grove and just sit. God willing we will be there on Sept. 1st of this year. We both look forward to the special times spent together in the woods.


 Killed my first squirrel with my fathers old H&R 410 also, my dad , older brother , myself and a few nephews and pair of my friend's sons all learned to hunt with that old gun and I have often wondered just how many squirrels it has taken.
Glad you can still get out with your father, that's always something special and my best hunting memories center around my dad.
Thanks for sharing your memories and Good Luck and Good Hunting !


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I never did hunt much squirrel, I got started on rabbits with my friend next door and his Dad, who ran beagles. My folks gave their OK, but my Dad told me, later, that after he got back from WWII he never wanted to lay hands on a gun ever again!

My BIL got started squirrel hunting very young, like 8 or 9. To this day he can bark like a squirrel and you can't tell him from the real thing! You should see some of those big buck squirrels come running when he starts making a racket, looking for whoever is stepping on their turf!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Great stories guys!!! I also remember my first hunt with my father. I was probably 10 or so. After years of watching him my brother and uncles walk into the woods of my grandparents property,before I was old enough. Lol so bummed out sitting in the kitchen with my other younger cousins listening to the gunfire. It was finally my turn. My brother always scared me away from shooting the shotguns,haha always telling me they'd knock me on my but. But I had shot 22 rifles and plenty of bb guns bye then.
We got up well before sunrise an drive out to my dad's brothers house. He has a small patch of wood loaded with fat fox squirrels. We got there right at sun-up and before hitting the woods,it was finally time to "man-up" an shoot the shotguns! He was using a 12 ga.. I had an old Browning 16 ga. That had a humpback stock,that my grandpa(gun smith) had modified into a youth gun. It had a shorter barrel an he cut the stock down an added some padding to it. It was heavy but fit me well. At least better then the much lighter Remington 16ga. I would continue on using after this hunt.
He gave me some gun-safety tips had me put a shell in it an shoot at a stump. I was hooked from the first shot! What a sweet experience!!! 
After shooting a couple times dad finished his coffee an we both walked into the woods,whispering tips to me the whole time,on what to look for,how to walk. We get to a downed tree,he sits I stand. As he's pointing a den tree out to me I spot a smaller grey squirrel sitting on a hanging vine munching on a acorn. 
After I point the squirrel out to him, he smiles an whispers what are you waiting for. I aim,squeeze,fire an drop it on spot. I was pretty excited an wanted to go retrieve it asap. He stopped me,then explained if you sit and wait a few moments it won't take long before they start moving again. About 10 minutes later and after me asking 1,000 times if we could get it yet. He finally broke,an let me retrieve it. It was so awesome putting that first squirrel in my game pouch of my orange vest. About 20 minutes later we walk out the woods an he tought me how to skin it. Man I was grossed out,but couldn't get enough. He liked to skin them why they where still warm. 
We hunted another couple hours only seeing a couple more in the distance. 

I have not hunted in over 10 years mostly because cold weather fishing has taken over. An as many more times my dad took me fishing them he did hunting. Are few hunting trips together are what I remember the most. And very clearly. 
We only hunted together for 3 years before he passed on at a young age an with busy sports schedules it wasn't often. But there easily my most cherished memories with my father. An I can't wait to pass them on to my boy! 

Good post Gar!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I remember are second hunt a few weeks later pretty well to,we got in the woods before sun-up. An what I remember most is all the activity going on around us. He explained to me if you get to your spot before sun up an sit quietly still you pretty much become part of the woods. And as the sun comes up the animals don't spot you as easily. I was amazed it got light enough to finally see. An there where squirrels EVERYWHERE. Eating nuts,bouncing tree limbs,climbing trees it was great. He let me take the first shot,boom tree rat down,he got the next two. Then I took the last one of the morning. I think we where at waffle house bye 10am with the squirrels skinned on ice. Fun times!!! Great memories!!


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Good memories Saugeyefisher and thanks for sharing them.
Back in my youth there weren't many deer or turkey and squirrel hunting was King and there were a lot of hunters chasing them, Now I seldom run into many (if any) squirrel hunters even on public property, everyone is bow hunting. I still love to squirrel hunt, Nothing like a frosty morning in a Hickory Grove, always brings back great memories of hunting with my dad.
I gotta admit it,sadly, I sometimes let the fall fishing interfere with my hunting.
Good luck and Good Hunting/ Fishing !


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

One thing for sure, after 60 years I never get tired of this --- squirrel, gravy n biscuits. 
(Yea , I had two helpings  and have leftovers for tomorrow)







Good luck and Good Hunting !


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I didn't have anyone to teach me to hunt squirrels or anything. I spent weeks during the summer and a few weekends in the fall at my Aunt and Uncle's farm in North Royalton back in the late forty's and early fifty's. There were only five houses/small farms on their road and a large deep woods across the road. Me and my friend Billy would spend long days roaming the woods with our 22's, shooting crows and chipmunks. One afternoon on our way out of the woods we saw this HUGE (to us) squirrel climb a tree and dart into a hole in the trunk. Billy had to go home but I was allowed to stay until sunset, so I settled down, on my stomach behind a slight rise, pointed my Stevens Favorite at the tree and proceeded to wait. I guess it was somewhere around twenty minutes, which seemed like hours to me, when suddenly a head appeared in the hole. The fox squirrel slowly emerged from the hole and climbed upward about two feet and paused. I wanted to make sure he was all the way out of the hole before i took my one and only shot. I fired the gun and thought I missed as the squirrel never moved for a few seconds and then fell off the tree. I couldn't believe I had actually collected something to eat. Uncle Jim showed me how to skin and dress the squirrel and Aunt Leni cooked it in a great gravy. That squirrel was fairly tough but I savored every bite. I still have the Stevens but the salted hide eventually fell apart. I can still remember every detail of that first squirrel "hunt", even though it was sixty five years ago. 
I have difficulty walking these days or I would definitely be out there as often as possible. 
Every now and then I'll take a drive, by myself, down that road to look at how many houses with no farms there are now, but the large deep woods is still there and I wonder if any aspiring young hunter is sneaking into it in hopes of seeing a squirrel


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Shortdrift said:


> I didn't have anyone to teach me to hunt squirrels or anything. I spent weeks during the summer and a few weekends in the fall at my Aunt and Uncle's farm in North Royalton back in the late forty's and early fifty's. There were only five houses/small farms on their road and a large deep woods across the road. Me and my friend Billy would spend long days roaming the woods with our 22's, shooting crows and chipmunks. One afternoon on our way out of the woods we saw this HUGE (to us) squirrel climb a tree and dart into a hole in the trunk. Billy had to go home but I was allowed to stay until sunset, so I settled down, on my stomach behind a slight rise, pointed my Stevens Favorite at the tree and proceeded to wait. I guess it was somewhere around twenty minutes, which seemed like hours to me, when suddenly a head appeared in the hole. The fox squirrel slowly emerged from the hole and climbed upward about two feet and paused. I wanted to make sure he was all the way out of the hole before i took my one and only shot. I fired the gun and thought I missed as the squirrel never moved for a few seconds and then fell off the tree. I couldn't believe I had actually collected something to eat. Uncle Jim showed me how to skin and dress the squirrel and Aunt Leni cooked it in a great gravy. That squirrel was fairly tough but I savored every bite. I still have the Stevens but the salted hide eventually fell apart. I can still remember every detail of that first squirrel "hunt", even though it was sixty five years ago.
> I have difficulty walking these days or I would definitely be out there as often as possible.
> Every now and then I'll take a drive, by myself, down that road to look at how many houses with no farms there are now, but the large deep woods is still there and I wonder if any aspiring young hunter is sneaking into it in hopes of seeing a squirrel


Shortdrift,I know of a farm that would let you travel bye quad to get to your hunting spots. It's a far ways away from you. But if your ever interested pm me,an I'll get you the details... It's east of buckeye lake a few miles


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## Stephen Spencer (Aug 23, 2017)

First squirrel hunt was when I was 12 years old. Dad took me to a small stand of oaks, let me out, and went to the local beer joint for two hours. I had an acme 16 guage with a 36" tube and got three fox squirrels with it. To this day, I will show and teach young folks how to hunt and fish. They will never forget their first hunt, as I have never forgotten mine.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

garhtr said:


> Good memories Saugeyefisher and thanks for sharing them.
> Back in my youth there weren't many deer or turkey and squirrel hunting was King and there were a lot of hunters chasing them, Now I seldom run into many (if any) squirrel hunters even on public property, everyone is bow hunting. I still love to squirrel hunt, Nothing like a frosty morning in a Hickory Grove, always brings back great memories of hunting with my dad.
> I gotta admit it,sadly, I sometimes let the fall fishing interfere with my hunting.
> Good luck and Good Hunting/ Fishing !


I still run into them in Beaver Creek State Park! Squirrel hunting runs deep down there on those oak ridges. I remember one guy came slipping up, and he was really good! Lots of dry leaves down, and he didn't make a doggone sound! 

He got right along side of me and saw me in my deer stand. He started apologizing, and I told him no way! Plenty of woods for everybody. Just keep on with your hunt. 

He was actually doing me a favor, getting bedded deer up on their feet and moving. 



garhtr said:


> One thing for sure, after 60 years I never get tired of this --- squirrel, gravy n biscuits.
> (Yea , I had two helpings  and have leftovers for tomorrow)
> View attachment 244792
> Good luck and Good Hunting !


Man! That looks like the breakfast of champions!


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## CFIden (Oct 9, 2014)

CFIden said:


> garhtr, It sounds like the same memory I have only mine was 45 years ago when I was 5. I didn't shoot my first squirrel until I was 10. I shot it in the same woods with the same gun my dad shot his first squirrel in. Old Exel .410 that was my Great Grandmothers. When I ejected the empty casing it hit me right between the eyes, lol. It was a maroon Federal #6, 3" 410 shell and it is sitting on my mantel right know. My Father is my best friend and hunting partner and I have hunted every squirrel season with him since I was 10. He is 75 years old know and can't get around like he used to but I have a friend with a small woods right behind his house who lets us hunt. We can park the truck right at the woods and Dad will take a folding chair 40 yards in to a hickory grove and just sit. God willing we will be there on Sept. 1st of this year. We both look forward to the special times spent together in the woods.


We got 3 this morning. Dad got 1 with a 20 gauge and I got 2 with a scoped .22. Sill amazes me how accurate a .22 is. Head shot both fox squirrels. 1 Of hand. Was good spending time with Dad.


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