Squirrels...Seriously?!

[Archivist13]

So there is a parcel of public land that I hunt deer and see squirrels every time I hunt deer there. I have been there twice since deer season ended looking for said squirrels and have NOT seen one either time! I have spent a total of 10 hours and walked 6.5 miles looking for the critters to no avail. Anybody that says squirrel hunting is easy needs to come with me to see reality. I try to sit in spots for 20-30 minutes before moving, but apparently that isn't long enough. How long do you give a spot before you move to the next?

[Tufrthnails]

When are you going? Squirrels aren’t much different then other game they are most active early and late. Think about how many times you sit in the stand and nothing much moving but that hour to hour and a half before sunset the squirrels are all over. Another thing super helpful for me at least is a good set of binos. I have piece of public that Me and my son have squirrel hunted quite a few times and we have a pile of nest markers and we target those areas and mark new ones as we find them.

[justdirtyfun]

I would help in a heartbeat. Pesky little vermin.
Honestly I never have squirrel hunted but like you have found LOADS of them when deer hunting. One sit I had a dozen bouncing around my location.
Said I would come back to exact revenge but lost motivation.

[john1984]

45 minutes is usually the longest ill sit in one spot

[mipubbucks24]

Could be someone came through and put a hurting on them, could be they just have not been out the day you went. I have several spots like this on public and I don’t even sit, I just go and deer scout, and shoot squirrels while I am scouting.

[Archivist13]

When are you going? Squirrels aren’t much different then other game they are most active early and late. Think about how many times you sit in the stand and nothing much moving but that hour to hour and a half before sunset the squirrels are all over. Another thing super helpful for me at least is a good set of binos. I have piece of public that Me and my son have squirrel hunted quite a few times and we have a pile of nest markers and we target those areas and mark new ones as we find them.

First day I was out from 2 pm till dark and the second I was out from dawn till pm. I always have my binos with me when I hit the woods.

[Archivist13]

Could be someone came through and put a hurting on them, could be they just have not been out the day you went. I have several spots like this on public and I don’t even sit, I just go and deer scout, and shoot squirrels while I am scouting.

I have a feeling they just weren't out. Not many people, at least I don't think, bother heading back to where I was. Of course nowadays that could be different!

[Archivist13]

Now I will say this year there was very minimal acorn crop and I did see less squirrels overall during deer season, but I did still see some. I haven't squirrel hunted in over 20 years due to kids, work, burned out after deer season, etc, but figured I would jump back in the game this year. Maybe I'm just a bit rusty, LOL! Or maybe its the fact that I see more hawks, owls, and eagles than I do anything else. I know if I was a squirrel I wouldn't be coming out with all the raptors in the area.

[Sailfish_WC]

Done 2 squirrel hunts the last 2 weeks

Zero squirrels

I keep telling myself I should get in a tree and pretend I’m Deer hunting.

[alleyyooper]

How long you spend in one spot while deer hunting? Only 30 minutes I hardly doubt that in a eastern state where not much stalking can or is done.

My experince is once I am in my deer blind a half hour before legal light I still usually have to wait till a hour after sun up to see a squirrel then they are all over the place even when it is raining. Usually by 10:00AM to around 11:00 AM at The latest they are pretty much all gone back to bed.

Then about 3:30pm to 4:00pm they are out in full force again till last legal (Michigan) light.

If I change stands during the day it normally takes at least an hour for the local squirrel population to settle down to a normal retinue












Al

[Sailfish_WC]

I think public vs pvt land has a impact too

In MI on pvt land we can walk into the woods and bang out a few before they hide away. And then the return time
Is short.
In FL it’s not quite as prosperous but it’s still a similar pattern

In FL on public land (hadn’t hunted squirrel on MI public) from my experience...I walk into the woods and I’ll see the entire forest of squirrel run tree top to tree top and end up in the next country in :08 seconds

[alleyyooper]

Michigan Public land is a good place to hunt squirrels before the archery crowd shows up.

Just find a area with Oak trees many will have nest in them to prove squirrels are in the area.

the archery bunch tend to hunt mornings when a squirrel would hunt. They are in trees with camo, not a good time to squirrel hunt with a 22LR never know where a bullet will end up really if you miss a squirrel or hit a branch.

Shot gunning isn't a lot better due to not being able to controll all the pellets.
The bow hunters invade the woods again in the afternoon also, Just take a break and let them have the woods.
Or climb up in a tree and shoot down at the squirrels on the ground.

If your able you can hit the woods again during the week while the bow hunters are working.

Once deer season has ended Jan 1st In MI you can once again go to clearing out squirrels on public land till March 31st.

Al

[alleyyooper]

Michigan Public land is a good place to hunt squirrels before the archery crowd shows up.

Just find a area with Oak trees many will have nest in them to prove squirrels are in the area.

the archery bunch tend to hunt mornings when a squirrel would hunt. They are in trees with camo, not a good time to squirrel hunt with a 22LR never know where a bullet will end up really if you miss a squirrel or hit a branch.

Shot gunning isn't a lot better due to not being able to controll all the pellets.
The bow hunters invade the woods again in the afternoon also, Just take a break and let them have the woods.
Or climb up in a tree and shoot down at the squirrels on the ground.

If your able you can hit the woods again during the week while the bow hunters are working.

Once deer season has ended Jan 1st In MI you can once again go to clearing out squirrels on public land till March 31st.

Al

[strutnrut716]

I have a small woodlot behind my house here in Wis. We have never hunted squirrels and now the population is at least a dozen (all grey). I can sit in my back sunroom and monitor activity of the squirrels and I am amazed at how there are days/times when I see absolutely nothing and no movement. I can actually see some of the nests from inside my sunroom so I'm not out there scaring them. Then other times, they are all out just tearing up the woodlot. I think weather and time of day plays a huge role.

But I always wondered if solunar has an affect on their activity.....

[Drenalin]

I'm going to try to bag a few bushytails this weekend. Problem with this time of year is they can see you from so far away. Late mornings have been best for me this time of year in past seasons.