# September it begins.



## flthednut

Hello all, Looks like another season is almost upon us. Am I talking Rabbits, NO, NO, NO, NO ! Am I talkin Doves, NO, NO, NO, NO ! Could it be Deer or Turkeys, NO, NO, NO, NO ! Then it must be Squirrels, Yeah, Yeah,Yeah, Yeah ! Oh Joy it's that time of year again I have been waiting on for like Soooooo Long. There might not be a lot of you out there that enjoy this season as much as I do. But if there are some die hard squirrel hunters out there I'm sure you know the excitement I'm feeling. Lets face it, It's hot out there and we have natures vampires, fleas, flys, & spiders all waiting on us out there. Yes it can be miserable but that's the price one must pay to satisy the crave of what one loves to do. So are ya all ready? Are your rifles dialed in, or do you use shotgun? I'm a rifle kinda guy. I know it's harder to use this time of year but for me that's part of the challange. Last year was kinda slow and not a whole lot of mast out there. This year looks to be better with lots of mast. I just hope the nut munchers made it through the winter. I know I see them all over the neighborhood but those don't count. They are city dwellers..... Well to all that brave the heat in the early part, stay cool & Good luck to ya, and to all that hunt other game good luck to you as well.


----------



## mrtwister_jbo

HERE!!! HERE!! MY MAN I'AM WITH YOU
twister
ps try a scoped 22 pistol its a blast


----------



## flthednut

I hear that. Nice shooting... A pistol would be a good challange and I aim to get one of those Ruger MARK III one of these days and scope it. Ithink that would be a real hoot.:Banane36:


----------



## mrtwister_jbo

got a new one 4 this yr,picked up a ruger 22/45 with 5 1/2'' bull barrel an the same scope
twister


----------



## BassSlayerChris

I cant wait to get out this year i have a decked out Benjimun 1750fps .177Cal Airgun with a 3-9x50mm Scope and a nice Rock Point BiPod.


----------



## flthednut

Mrtwister jbo, that's one fine shootin iron for sure. I haven't messed with pistols very much but I do think the Ruger design is one of the best and they are highly accurate as you already know....

BassSlayerChris, Sounds like you got a sizzler there. Air rifles are quiet. I often thought about getting one. A good friend of mine just got a Gamo I'm not sure what model But I think it is a .22 cal. He seems to like it a lot. I haven't had or used a air rifle since I was a very young teen. Good luck to you and I hope you get a nice mess of squirrels.....


----------



## BigBag

The first gun I ever got, was from my Dad, a Winchester Model 37 youth. Its a old single shot 20 ga. It is not in very good shape anymore, It got beat up when I was a kid, chasing almost everything. Anyways, that is what I take. A crisp, quiet morning in the woods, my first original gun in hand..... takes me back to when I was a kid. Love it!!


----------



## mrtwister_jbo

yea i hear you bigbag i try 2 take out my 1st gun every yr at least once it's a old topper jr 410 single shot full choke killed alot of tree rats with that thing
twister


----------



## snag

BassSlayerChris said:


> I cant wait to get out this year i have a decked out Benjimun 1750fps .177Cal Airgun with a 3-9x50mm Scope and a nice Rock Point BiPod.



i,m going to try the airgun rt this yr for a challenge for those tree rats ,i picked up a air venturi 22 break barrel with a rws variable scope on it,it looks great, will be trying the predator polymag hunting pellets with the red polymer tip,go to pyramyd air.com for some neat guns they even have 45 to 50 cal guns for deer....good huntin....


----------



## BassSlayerChris

snag said:


> i,m going to try the airgun rt this yr for a challenge for those tree rats ,i picked up a air venturi 22 break barrel with a rws variable scope on it,it looks great, will be trying the predator polymag hunting pellets with the red polymer tip,go to pyramyd air.com for some neat guns they even have 45 to 50 cal guns for deer....good huntin....


Yes i have seen the .50Cal Career Dragon Slayer take down a full sized ram!


----------



## Huntinbull

I am ALWAYS excited about squirrel hunting. Here is a pic or two from last year.


----------



## flthednut

Nice Black squirrel There Huntinbull. I've shot a few of them over the years but haven't seen any as of late. I'm always chompin at the bit to get out after 'em. !#!#!#


----------



## Huntinbull

Been shooting my 10-22 some in prep for the opener in 53 days. Memorizing my ballistics out to 75 yards. so far so good. New barrel and stock on the 10-22 have really upped it's game. Could not believe the difference in bullet drop with new barrel. Stock barrel wold give about 1.6 inch drop at 75 yards, and about .5 inches high at about 38 yards when sighted dead on at 25. New barrel sighted dead on at 25 is .5 high at 43-45 and only .75" low at 75 yards and only 2.6-2.8 low at 100. Stock barrel hit about 5.5 to 6 inches low at 100. Chamber made all the difference.

Can't wait


----------



## flthednut

Sounds like you got 'er all dialed in. Your going to have some fun with that 10/22. I've been wanting to get out and get some practice in but after some shoulder surgery I'm going to have to wait just a wee bit longer. I'm sure I'll be ready by the opener though. Should be a good year. I've been seeing squirrels zipping around a lot. I have been seeing some walnuts on some trees and some hickory as well. Probably by the end of this month and a few weeks into Aug. we should really begin to see just what kind of mast we will have. Good luck and happy hunting. !#


----------



## C.Keith&Co

Hey Huntinbull are we any Hunter-ED classes this year ? just trying to plan ahead- Have a nice day !! Curtis


----------



## mastercatman

I am super stoked about squirrel hunting this year! I use a Marlin .22 Mag with a Mueller 4.5-14X50 APV scope with a 24" bipod....it is a squirrel killing machine to 100yds+!!!! The squirrel population in SE Ohio is recovering nicely from the mast failure during the winter before last and the bumper crop of mast last year had the few squirrels that were around pretty spread out. My new home happens to have an entire ridge behind it with nothing but hickory trees on it!! Super excited!!


----------



## flthednut

Now that's what I'm talkin about. Squirrel whackin and no heads left.
43 day left to go. !#!#!#


----------



## Roadkil

I love tree rat hunting and can't wait for Sept. 1. I squirrel hunt until the opening day of archery then return to it later in the year.


----------



## Thesilverback

Hickory trees are a gold mine for squirrels, 

_The Silverback_


----------



## flthednut

30 days, tic toc....!#!#!#


----------



## Huntinbull

Said that to my wife this morning while driving her to work. She just looked at me bewildered. I said "til squirrel season". Lead balloon.


----------



## Shortdrift

If I go out this year it will be with my Stevens Favorite that I received when I was 11 years old. You only get one chance with this little beauty but, *SOMETIMES* thats all you need. Good luck to all this season.


----------



## flthednut

I think I'll go down and see if I still have any of those frozen Limb Chickens hiding in the bottom of the meat locker. Maybe a nice soup or perhaps a batch of shredded BBQ squirrel for sandwiches. MMMM ! I wonder what a shredded squirrel mixed with deer burger sloppy joe's would be like? Don't worry, I'm Italian. It's all good..... Nothing like wild food.


----------



## driftfish101

I am stuck on private land so I have to use the old mossberg pump, but I can't wait. Last year was the best squirrel hunting I have had in 20 years. The good mast crop last year makes me think this year will be the same. Winter survival rates should be good. I past on a ton of young ones last year..........should be ready for the skillet and dutch oven this year.


----------



## Huntinbull

driftfish101 said:


> I am stuck on private land so I have to use the old mossberg pump,


Why would you be limited to your "old mossberg pump" if you are on private land? Even most public hunting grounds allow rimfire rifles and pistols.

Where you located? I might be able to turn you on to some good hunting grounds.


----------



## katfish ken

snag said:


> i,m going to try the airgun rt this yr for a challenge for those tree rats ,i picked up a air venturi 22 break barrel with a rws variable scope on it,it looks great, will be trying the predator polymag hunting pellets with the red polymer tip,go to pyramyd air.com for some neat guns they even have 45 to 50 cal guns for deer....good huntin....


WOW!!!
Are we talking 45 to 50 cal. air guns??? I was unaware that they made them that large. I have always liked my .22 cal rimfire for tree rats..


----------



## Roadkil

I know this is crazy and not practical, but I have been fighting the urge for the last two years, to go squirrel hunting with my public defender and some 4 shot.

I figure it would be almost like bow hunting them.


----------



## driftfish101

LOL i meant public land. I misread the regs and didn t think rifles were alowwed on public land. I am looking at air rifles also. I am open to any suggestions for hunting grounds though, even though it would be hard for me to give up mine. I gave up a fishing spot on here and it got hammered for 3 weeks by a ton of people.


----------



## foundationfisher

the past couple mornings have felt like squirrel hunting weather.i'm gettin' in the mood.


----------



## flthednut

Man I hear you, That 50 something was nice temps. I love that kind of weather. I really like that cold snap that kills off the Skeeters but warms up to the low to mid 50's. Makes it nice and comfortable for stalking the hillsides without roasting...... Well it won't be long and we will be out after them. less that two weeks away. My two Cz's, along with a Ruger 10/22 T, & a Remington 552 speedmaster are all ready to do in some nut munchin, noggin knockin, tree rat, Red headed suck squack, bushy tail, limb chicken eradication. Whew ! !#!#!#


----------



## boonecreek

i can,t wate eather. i toke the 1 st, and 2 nd off. shoot tree rat and make biskuts and gravy.


----------



## bigbassturd

Gonna try hunting squirrels for the first time this season. A guy at my work told me u cant eat them till after the first frost???? Whats the reason behind that. Planned on going opening day, but not if i cant eat em.


----------



## boonecreek

back in the 70,esred red were in season all year long. i,ve eat,in in the middle of summer. even the ones with warbulls on,em.


----------



## Huntinbull

Some people won't eat them before frost because they "may" contain a parasite called a warvil. If you kill a squirrel before the first heavy frost and while cleaning the carcass find a lump or cyst type object, generally under the front legs in the "armpit" area, just cut that part out and proceed as normal. Warvils do not taint the meat. They are actually a larval form of the bot fly. Cut around it taking off any discolored meat near the area.

I will definitely be in the woods most of the day on the first. Squirrel early and dove later.


----------



## flthednut

Huntinbull is absolutely correct. The larve doesn't hurt the meat at all. It just looks really nasty. Lots of times in early season a squirrel or two that I shoot will have them on them but after the body cools sometimes they will leave the host on their own. Still leaves a cavitty in the hide but as said any discolored meat can be discarded. Those who throw the whole squirrel away are just wasting meat and the animal deserves more than that. Happy hunting and don't let the chiggers get ya. !#!#!#


----------



## Huntinbull

I worry more about the skeeters than the warvils. Lots of cases of West Nile virus being reported around my area. Be sure and use your bug repellent.


----------



## flthednut

By all means... Bug juice has been applied to my hunting clothes for this Labor Day Forest hunt. Yep Permetherin spayed them today and I'll have the regular skeeter spray with me as well. Two years in a row I ended up with a severe case of chiggers  I don't intend on ever getting them again. The 1st year I got them I thought I was just skeeter bit from camping out. Then Last year it happened again and It was only then I realized what had really happened. So like I said I'm prepared this year. If I get them this time, I think I'll just have to avoid that area forever... Thing is the place is always loaded with squirrels. As nasty as those chiggers are, and believe me they were nasty, I itched for months... I really don't want to find out what west nile will do to a person. Take care all and be safe. !#!#!#


----------

