Still Life with W.C. Scott and Black Squirrels....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Eric Eis was kind enough to loan a friend and I his hunting camp in Northern Michigan for the weekend. I managed to do a little squirrel shooting and this days bunch was photo worthy. I've killed one black squirrel in my whole life so this was a limit worth remembering. The gun is a W.C. Scott "Bogardus Club Gun" in 10 gauge, the shells were RST in 1 1/4 ounce of 7 1/2. I normally prefer #5 for squirrels but the chance of a grouse was slight so I carried some lighter shot in my gun just in case.

[Rick Losey]

what is the game bag Destry? looks like an old fishing gear bag.

[Craig Larter]

I have been seeing more black grey squirrels the last few years than I ever have. The W&C Scott is a beauty was the "Bogardus Club Gun" a cataloged item. I plan to take my 10ga W&C Scott Monte Carlo B out duck hunting tomorrow.

[wayne goerres]

I have never seen black squirles before. My 10ga W C scott is full and full. A bit much for squirles. I bet it would be fun though.

[Thomas L. Benson Sr.]

Destry: I have never seen them in black before and what is the size compared to a fox squirrel. Thomas

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've always had in my mind the bag was some sort of Canadian military item, it's got the single word Quebec stenciled on the back. It has a removable rubber liner so makes a great game bag. The original strap was very short so I had a longer one built for it.

They made the "Bogardus Club Gun" in 20, 16, 12, and 10 gauge. I'd love to find a catalog listing for it, I've looked through a couple from Scott but hadn't found it. I've got it in 16 gauge as well, only ever seen one 20 gauge and regret not buying it needless to say.

I always shoot a full choke gun at squirrels, sometimes in the taller timber you really need it. The RST shells were only 1 1/4 ounce which is the same shot charge I'd have shot if I'd been shooting a 12 gauge. Squirrels, particularly large fox squirrels, take a fair amount of killing when shooting a scattergun.

The black squirrels aren't a breed unto themselves, they're melanistic meaning the opposite of albino. They could be grey or fox either one, though up in that country I'd say they're fox squirrels for sure. In some areas of the country they're apparently fairly common, but where I come from shooting a black was maybe a once in a lifetime deal. To have killed a limit of them was something I doubt I ever repeat, it was a special morning needless to say.


DLH

[Dean Romig]

Here in Eastern Massachusetts there are known colonies of black, or melanistic gray squirrels. Wakefield Ma. has been known for its population of them and they have spread, genetically, into neighboring Reading, Saugus and Stoneham in recent decades. Here in Andover I've seen a number of white phase gray squirrels but have never been close enough to see the red eye indicative of a true albino. A bag of 4 melanistic squirrels is a special bag indeed. Great Picture!

[Eric Eis]

Destry what about the Wood Ducks.....?:)

[John Campbell]

An interesting fact about black squirrels: They are a dominant/aggressive variation of the species... and will eventually drive the larger, more common fox squirrels out of an area. For good or bad. Personally, I prefer fox squirrels.

[mike covington]

Black squirrels are very common here in the MS delta area. Usually they have white on them
(nose, feet) but I did bag one last year that was solid black. I've always considered blacks a variation of fox squirrels.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've duck hunted in the Delta quite a few times but never had a chance to squirrel hunt. I'd sure like to kill one with a bit of white on him, that would be interesting.

DLH

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Eric mentions the wood ducks, I suppose I should add that part of the tale.

I heard some wood ducks squealing up the creek a bit so thought I'd try a sneak. I managed to get walked right up on a pair of them, really felt like a wild indian for a minute I can assure you. I made a few more quick steps and the first one flushed nice and close. I raised the Scott, which is stocked a bit low for me and managed to shoot under the duck as it rose.

I'd have gotten straightened out and killed him the 2nd shot I'm certain but I happened to mistakenly put a black powder shells in the gun and couldn't quite see him well enough through the bilious cloud of white smoke. The great duck hunter......


DLH

[wayne goerres]

I fired a couple of black powder 8ga shells the other day with 160grs of powder in my back yard and I couldnt see where I was going for a few minutes.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've pass shot birds with blackpowder 8 gauge shells before but I was standing in the open on a clear day. On a narrow creek in the deep woods it was amazing how big the smoke cloud was and how long it hung there.

DLH

[Fred Preston]

The black squirrels I have run into (and shot) in Oscoda and Ogama Counties, MI were sized like Destry's; quite a bit smaller than the fox types on the farm here in Ashland County, OH. The menace to the big foxes here is the nasty little red squirrels who are reputed to run down and castrate the fox studs.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

One of mine was a big old boar, as big as a fox squirrel. The rest were smaller young squirrels, just the kind you want to eat.

DLH

[mike covington]

Destry, next time you're down let me know & I'll try to put you on some tree rats in the Delta.

[Dean Romig]

The nasty little red squirrels are reputed to run down and castrate the fox studs.

Those little SOBs are also reputed to eat grouse eggs and chicks.

[wayne goerres]

I can invision a grouse holding a sign that says eat more squirles.

[Bill Murphy]

Eighteen Canadian black squirrels were released many years ago in the National Zoological Park in Northwest DC. This was during TR's administration. About three years ago, we saw the first ones in upper Montgomery County, MD, about 38 miles straight north of the Zoo. Now they are firmly entrenched here. They are inbred with Greys, some being a grey black combination, some being jet black. My Wirehair hates the blacks with a passion, not so much the greys. There is a website locally that invites comments about sightings. The blacks are very agressive and from time to time, seem to run the greys off the property, but they manage to come back. Right now, in my yard, there is a mix of the two with one beautiful big solid black.

[John Dallas]

Blacks and greys both are common at my cabin in northern mich. I do everything I can to make red squirrels rare (RWS .177 @1100 fps does really well)

[ed good]

as I recall, Eastchester, NY is also home to many black squirrels? or maybe its Tuckahoe?