ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610070134
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
A string of productive mast years has boosted the squirrel population, but I'm going to guess the number of squirrel hunters remains level or might even be declining.
When I was a boy, the gate for entering the hunting fraternity led to a wood lot where the gold-tinged boughs of hickory trees were illuminated by the sharp angle of a bright October sun. This was squirrel country.
Now youngsters start their hunting on deer or turkey. It is like skipping high school to work on a Ph.D.
The reason is obvious. Deer and turkey populations have enjoyed amazing growth in the past 30 years. Why bother with squirrels when you can go after big game? How many outdoor magazines do you see with a squirrel featured on the cover, or even with a squirrel-hunting story inside? How many Squirrel Unlimited banquets have you heard about? And the last time you talked with another hunter about squirrels didn't he say something like, ``I saw some when I was out scouting for deer yesterday afternoon?''
No matter how good deer or turkey hunting has become - and it is excellent - I believe the youngster who bypasses squirrel hunting is cheated. It is a sport that demands and develops all the skills of big-game hunting: the art of silent stalking, the ability to sit motionless, the eye to read sign, precise marksmanship. Squirrels can be a tough nut to crack.
But I've never made the mistake of seeing squirrel hunting simply as a boy's game. My hunting began with squirrels and I'm going to say it won't be a bad finish if it ends that way.
For some outdoorsmen, squirrel hunting is a solitary, reflective affair, but I've always found it best done with a special companion. A son is a good choice. It makes no difference if he is 12 or 40.
My favorite hunting companion and I were searching the hardwoods on a recent afternoon, and I was saying to myself, ``Why don't we do this more often.''
The squirrels were high in the white oak trees, and if you listened carefully you could locate them by hearing the swish of the outer branches or the patter of acorn shells falling to the forest duff. Occasionally, a squirrel would make the mistake of drawing our attention by barking.
The oldest trick in a squirrel's book is to slip around the back side of a tree to avoid detection by a single hunter. A pair of hunters can thwart that deception when one stands still, rifle ready, and the other quietly moves around the tree, flushing a target for the other hunter.
With a favorite hunting companion, it doesn't matter who does the shooting. This is no contest. In fact, squirrel hunting may be the last outdoor activity that hasn't become a contest. In squirrel hunting, you always are delighted when your partner has the advantage.
We pursue squirrels exclusively with a scoped .22 rifle, and we strive for head shots only.
I've never skimped on my squirrel gun. I demand as much from it as I do my deer gun. I even paid as much for it, probably more.
My partner's gun isn't as fancy. He won it years ago as a youngster at a Ducks Unlimited banquet. He hasn't missed a shot with it this season.
I'm impressed, but I tell him it is because squirrels are easy prey when mast is abundant.
Squirrel populations rise and fall with the changing yields of heavy-seeded mast, especially acorns. During years of plenty, you may see several squirrels in a single tree, busy cutting and not particularly spooky.
It is different when there has been a string of lean mast years. Then a wily, old turkey gobbler can appear to be easy compared with a squirrel.
Squirrel hunting is no small game.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB