Hunting late-season squirrels requires extra preparation.
However, it does offer some extra opportunities hunters don't see during the early season.
Here are five tips on how to hunt late season squirrels.
1. Hide your outline and face well
With the leaves down off the trees, squirrels have an advantageous view over the terrain. They can see your uncovered face and outline more easily than they can at any other time of the year.
2. Find a spot and don't move
Set up with a large tree to your back. You should have a great line of sight toward hollow trees used for squirrel cover or nests. You should be anywhere the nut-bearing trees are. Your grandfather probably told you the best camouflage was to sit still and quit moving. He certainly was right.
3. Load up for long shots
Most late-season squirrel shots will be a bit out there in distance. Pick your shots with a safe backstop in mind, as a squirrel's head won't stop a bullet in its tracks. If that could be a problem, a full-choked shotgun with a magnum load of No. 4 or No. 5 shot will drop them at a good distance. Pack a 12-gauge for maximum shot output and range.
4. Give them a call
Yes, there are squirrel calls out there and many do extremely well. My personal favorite is an old P.S. Olt squirrel call with a rubber bellows system. Just tap the end the right way and squirrels come out for a fight. Squirrel-in-distress calls bring the fight out of them very well, too.
5. Patience
For a squirrel hunter, patience is your best virtue. One of my 84-year-young hunting buddies can sit out in the woods from dawn to dusk without moving, awaiting a single squirrel. I have yet to attain that level of stump sitting.
Do you like articles about the outdoors? Click here to view more articles by Eric Nestor. You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram. You can view more Nestor Photography photos at Nestor Photography.
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