Wind.....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Wind is a funny thing, some days we want it and some days we don't

Give me gale force during the latter parts of duck season, that's when you really get into them. Give me a good stiff breeze goose hunting, just hard enough to where it gives them focus but doesn't blow over the decoys.

But for squirrel hunting, I want it dead flat calm or I normally don't go. Unfortunately squirrels are all there is to hunt around here right now. I've gotten up four morning in a row and it's been blowing every morning so I've just stayed home and cooked breakfast. Ugh.....

Season opens in Ontario on Saturday morning, I'll bet the wind lays right down for that.


DLH

[charlie cleveland]

i ve done a few good hunts with the wind blowing but not many times..i like to hunt when its a light drizzle coming down..when that squirl jumps i can see the limb shakeand the water makes him a dead give away.... may the wind be calm in the morning.. charlie

[Richard Flanders]

I vividly remember some of the better squirrel mornings of my youth, when the leaves were down and frosty and the silence roared in my ears. I'd strain to hear those far-off hickory cuttings falling to the forest floor and would slowly bring my 6x scope on my Mossberg bolt gun up to search for the source - they'd have to be dropping 1/2" ball bearings for me to hear them today! I agree Destry - it's gotta be still for squirrels.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I got up at 6am and it was flat calm so I slid into my overalls and old jacket then headed out the door. Good to be back in familiar hunting clothes again, we all know how that feels.

Hit the timber just at daylight, plenty chilly and nothing was moving yet. I walked all the way to the back end before I heard the first limb shake. A pair of fox squirrels up a big pin oak making a racket.

I managed to slip up close where I had a good clear shot at the first and dropped him out, the 2nd started off like devil's were chasing him but hesitated on a stub branch and I figured I had a true right and left on squirrels but the left barrel just snapped and nothing happened.

Should have taken a Parker but I wanted my childhood Lefever Nitro to get some action after it had been locked up at the gunsmith for the past two years. Apparently they don't test fire them even in all that time, the left barrel won't fire at all. I tried it a couple more times over the course of the morning and nothing.....

Went over to pick up the squirrel I did kill and soon as I had it in hand realized something was wrong. It had hard scabby knots all over it's hide from head to tail! Can't imagine what would cause that but I was scared to try and eat it so left it in the woods sadly. I hate to waste game but if you'd have seen it you would have left it too.

Moved on from there and a few minutes later had one start barking at me. Squirrel was real close but not moving, finally I caught a flip of it's tail and managed a snap shot. Nice young fox squirrel, no strange ailments apparent thankfully. By this time it was pushing 9:30 and I needed to start heading towards the truck. Got lucky and killed another one out of a pin oak on my way out of the woods so I've got enough for a meal.

The woods I tried won't hold many squirrels, there are no hickory in it at all and mighty few pin oaks, mostly maple and ash. I got permission from the owner on a fluke and thought I'd give it a try but believe my next hunt will be somewhere a bit more suited.


DLH

[Richard Flanders]

Nice Destry! Maybe that first one had worms. I killed one once that had a huge knot on the top of his head that turned out to be some kind of worm the size of the end of my little finger when I cut it out. It was something like the bot flies that infest our caribou up here and which bore in under the skin when the eggs hatch in the fur. The one I found had a breathing hole in the skin which is likely what you were seeing or it may have already have matured and crawled out and was healing over. They're harmless but definitely gross under any circumstances.

[Fred Preston]

Unless you have a good dog or two to find 'em, tree 'em and hold 'em.

[charlie cleveland]

we call them worms woves in the south..for many years every squirl you shot would have a wolf in it..they are not so bad now maybe 2 outa 10 have worms..by cold weather all of the woves come out and the squirl heals up..but as destrey done i leave the wolvie ones in the woods...good hunt destrey...i have a 16 ga stevens that will not fire on left barrel unless you use a specific brand of shells..fireing pin in mine to short on that side..i hope yours is just dirt under fireing pin... charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Fred,

I'm still waiting on my invite to squirrel hunt with them dogs!

Charlie,

We never had wolves on squirrels down at home but the rabbits sure had them. You didn't want to shoot a rabbit till you'd had a hard frost or even two. On rabbits it seemed like they were always up on their neck. The marks on this squirrel looked different than the wolves I remember on rabbits but I'll bet it was something similar. I killed a squirrel up here several years ago that was in the process of getting over mange, it's hair had about half grown back.

[Fred Preston]

DH, You were-are welcome any time. However, my squirrel dogs and coon hounds have all gone to happier hunting grounds. All I have left are a couple of trashy (versitile) bird dogs who will get into squirrel every now and then when not occupied with their proper game.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I should have come down ages ago I know, sorry I missed the squirrel dogs. I've got a bottle of Early Times for us when I do visit. *wink*

Destry

[Peter Clark]

Speaking of squirrels. Son Wyatt and I saw a bumper crop of Abert's squirrels while scouting deer and while muzzleloader hunting for deer. The season opens in Nov and if we don't get snowed out, will plan to go and post some photos here if successful. Probably would be new species to a lot of you fellows.
-plc-

[Peter Clark]

Those fly larvae are called warbles. They can ruin cattle hides when numerous as they come out their backs leaving a large hole. Rabbits seem to collect them under the neck. I once bagged a cottontail in AZ with one up it's nose. Very gross! Kind of like bots but different.

=Richard Flanders;116262]Nice Destry! Maybe that first one had worms. I killed one once that had a huge knot on the top of his head that turned out to be some kind of worm the size of the end of my little finger when I cut it out. It was something like the bot flies that infest our caribou up here and which bore in under the skin when the eggs hatch in the fur. The one I found had a breathing hole in the skin which is likely what you were seeing or it may have already have matured and crawled out and was healing over. They're harmless but definitely gross under any circumstances.[/QUOTE]

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've heard of the squirrels you mention.

I had in my mind one time that I was going to try and kill every species of squirrel east of the Mississippi. But unfortunately at least two are protected, so that project kind of died on the vine.

[charlie cleveland]

which ones are protected destrey...charlie

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I can't remember the names. There's one in Florida and one on the Eastern Shore of Maryland/Virginia.

[wayne goerres]

Maby we can all plead ignorance if we shoot one,or two,maby three.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'll never forget the time I heard the warden says: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse"

He was writing us tickets at the time.

[charlie cleveland]

the warden has the upper hand when he gets thatpencil and ticket book out for sure...what was you ignorance about mite save us some grief some time... or we have may have been educated with a ticket too.. charlie

[Dick Miller]

Destry,
The tree rats on the Eastern Shore are Delmarva Fox Squirrels.

[Dennis V. Nix]

Good luck with the squirrel hunting, Peter and Wyatt. The Aberts squirrels are really pretty with the tufted ears.

Dennis