here in Indiana. Can't wait! Looks to be a bumper crop of the lil critters, based on the number I see out on the road, and in the yard. Hoping to do a campout down in one of our state forests, about 2 hrs. south of me, in Sept. Got 2 left in the freezer, and enough pressure cooked for one more batch of chowder. Not wishin' my life away, but come on Aug. 15th.


maddog

Got to wait till Oct here. Missed my very first chance of a spring hunt due to that dang cast. Will be making up for it..

BTW, that skwerl campout sounds like fun. May try it also..

Yeah, I'm on an Indiana hunting forum, and each fall there is a squirrel contest. I came up with the idea of a 2-3 day camp out, with not only members, but anybody that likes to squirrel hunt. So far it looks like we got 10-12 guys that want to participate. I went down there on a scouting trip, two weeks ago. the camp is remote[for Indiana], primitive[no elec], and has a 2-3 acre pond next to it that we can fish. All of it surrounded by state forest. Here's some pics of the place. I can't wait to go.!

















This will give you an idea about the place. if it wasn't so danged far to drive, I'd tell you to come on up and join the fun!


maddog

Beautiful place there! Squirrel season opens the 4th Saturday in August here in Tennessee. I'm looking forward to getting after them.

Now that does sound like fun. Y'all(southern word) would just make fun of an old southern boy up there in those yankee woods.

Only if ya cain't shoot....just sayin'....


maddog

hehehe, great comback. You just need to venture on down here. Since I retired and in the 6 Saturday a week club, I'm gonna try to hunt everyday. May need some help on the squirrels here..

Well, I did something dumb yesterday, in honor of the upcoming season.... I bought another ruger 10/22, so I can have one scoped, as well as one with a fiber optic peep sight!








Brings me up to 4 .22s for squirrel season!


maddog

For you spring and summer squirrel hunters, how about ticks??
We often make a trip though the Mo., In., & Ky. areas on our way to visit relatives in Va. and Pa. I ask my pal here in town about Mo. squirrel hunting, he is from the Springfield area, and he said the ticks were so thick, hunting was not fun..

The last tree squirrels I shot were in W. Va. probably close 15 years ago.. Big old fox squirrels..

Maddog, a guy can never have too many .22's..

Personally, I haven't been bothered by a tick, for years. I do treat my hunting clothes with permithrin, plus I've been taking vitamin B and Garlic pills. The skeeters don't bother me much, but they may be brutal this summer, because of the rain. I do keep deep woods off around for just such occasions....


BTW, the new ruger 10/22 shoots just fine.


maddog

I haven't seen or shot a Fox Squirrel in about 30yrs. We don't have them around here, just the Grey's. But back in the early 80's I hunted them around Garrett/Butler/Hamilton area's in Indiana. That was some fine hunting and a lot of fine looking Squirrels. I would be fun to do that again, but I'll have to be satisfied doing it through your posts.......you are going to post your hunts along with pictures.....right? hint, hint.

Oh yeah. I'm sure there will be another limb chicken hunting thread, just like the last couple years....


maddog

EXCELLENT!!!!


What part of Indiana were the photo's from?

NW Indiana.


maddog

Well, got the 10/22s out the other day and got them pretty much sighted in. It was very muggy and the skeeters were rampant! Still the new 10/22 didn't do half bad. Need to tweek the scope a little more, but here is a 10 shot group fired pretty quick, off sand bags on the pickup.





Not too bad for a 64 yo. with bi focals gettin' skeeter bit.





Said rifle.....


maddog

Mighty good shooting for a young chap..

"young chap"......yeah right

second week in November for me. Long time out. Nothing new this year, same couple of rifles, same places, same ammo, same technique. It all works, why change anything?

Had a funny one happen Sunday. Mama let Dexter, our min pins, outside. He promptly ran to the neighbors and ran a fox squirrel, I have nick named Otis, up a huge soft maple. Mama came running in and said Dex had climbed the tree, looking for Otis. I went outside to look, and sure enough, there's ole Dex about 8-9 ft. up in the air, in a fork of the tree!






The pic is a little dark, but you get the picture..... He decided to jump out of the tree. The pup is a crazy lil schit, but I'm taking him squirrel hunting this fall.





maddog

can't wait to see what happens when Dexter grabs one that ain't quite dead. He'll go crazy..

Min pins think they're full size Wehrmacht dobies. My inlaws had one that would stand on his back feet, place his front feet on a big dog's shoulders, and bark in his face while the big dog looked at him like "What the hey?"

I envy you that dog. It's killing me that the season is open and I have another eye surgery before I can see to shoot a rifle, but a good dog and a shotgun would be a game changer.

Good hunting!

There sure seems to be a lot of squirrels in my neck of the Ozark's right now. I've seen them a lot in the hickory trees behind the house and looked around there yesterday and found a couple hickory nuts they sampled. That's too early, the nuts aren't ready but the squirrels seem to be ready.

August 1 is closing in. Looks like a lot of nuts/mast on the trees in my area. We have had a REALLY wet spring and early summer thus far.

I will be getting out my CZ/BRNO 22lr's out for routing sighting in, along with my Browning Buckmark Varmint Special pistol. I like to get the pistol out when the leaves are thinned out for a real squirrel plinking challenge.

dave

Had both of my 10/22s out for final adjustments. Need to get the Sportster and my 39a out for a final checkup. Indiana is two weeks after Illinois opener. It'll be here before you know it.


maddog

4 weeks from tomorrow, the season opens. Seems like it was yesterday, that I was complaining about it being 6 1/2 mos. til squirrel season.


maddog

Eyes are getting better fast. Can't shoot a rifle very well yet but can at least walk into the woods without hurting myself. Does a .410 pistol (Contender) count as "handgun hunting" or would I be a much-maligned shotgunner?

Never mind, I'm going if I have to use a 12 ga. double. Those wascally squiwwels are in gwave danger.

Hogeye, gitterdone!! Nobody really gives a rats derrierre what ya hunt with. Just don't report back that ya missed one with a shotgun, or you'll never hear the end of it......



maddog

That's what the second barrel's for, duh!

Bet that place is beautiful end of Oct. I miss midwestern squirrel woods in Oct and Nov

Won't get to see it in late Oct., but I'll be camping there for 3-4 days, the third wk. of Sept.


maddog

3 days to go till skweerel season hits my state!

And it falls on a saturday this year!

Lucky you.... I got two more weeks, but ours comes in on a Sat., too.


maddog

2+ months to go here. Got more squirrel guns to try out than we have skwerls..

You guys suck!


All I have to look forward to is more of this....

You're DEPLORABLE....

I just got back from the creek today. Gathered up enough for friends and me to have a trout dinner

Well congrats on the little fish. Wish I could master the picture thing. Mawsquaw and I did a trip to the Tenn River in N Alabama. The flatheads were biting great. Got a 72#, a 50#, my wife caught an 18#, and a couple a little smaller.
Great eating..

Congrats on the big fish. We had our trout last night and since I don't eat fish, I took a couple pieces of chicken along.

Chicken is never a bad choice. Congrats on the trout, beautiful fish..

I'm itchin to pop a few squirrels too. Bought a savage 24 last year and only got to hunt with it once. .22LR over 3" modified 20 ga. open sights though, a couple of years ago I could pull it off but I need to get to the eye doctor. After I turned 40 my eyes went to hell in a hand bag.

Ok, so how'd you do yesterday, and today, if ya went out again?


maddog

maddog, well...I didnt get to go out yet!

BUT, I have a good excuse..my daughter-in-law is expecting my second grandaughter any day/minute, and my weekend was taken up with the oldest grandaughter (2yrs old), spending the weekend with me.

So....I have yet to get into the woods!

dave

Ok, good excuse. Othewise I woulda razzed yer azz....



maddog

I have it on good authority the squirrels are starting to hit the hickory trees in the Ozark's pretty good now. If you can deal with the heat...

And the ticks, and the chiggers, and . . .

... and snakes and poison ivy...

Buncha dam rodent eaters.....

If there's anything worth celebrating it's the fact that it's only four weeks until my annual Grouse camp.

You will hate me forever for this...

but squirrels taste better than grouse.

Exactly one month to the start of squirrel season here. The beech tree in the neighbors yard is LOADED as are all the beeches in the area. The acorns crop looks good, and hickory nuts are already starting to be cut (though they ain't ripe yet).

Woohoo, that should stir up a few feathers.. hehehe

I wouldn't know why, ingwe is dead on right with that observation.

Believe it or not, some here question some of my observations...

Can you even imagine that?????????

Your coherence and continence are questioned, and your recollection (over millennia).

when he was in school they taught him to write it all down so as not to forget.

A very cheap shot at us old guys. I represent that statement..

i'm there with ya; i've slowed down to the point the squirrels dont see me moving. makes it easier to still hunt though...

At this point, I am beginning to believe that you enjoy schitting yourself.

Chit's good if ya like it.

Do you just stop by certain threads to throw out insults?

Boys, a week from right now, I'll be getting dressed to head for the woods. Can't wait!



maddog

month and a half here. Durn limbrats are eating my chickens feed and corn. May have to start early to save my chickens..

Four days. Clothes are washed and treated. Truck is loaded. Picked up two more woods, last night over the phone. Life is good!!



maddog

Post pics!

Finally got out yesterday evening behind my house..they are just starting to cut hickory and pignuts. Went 5 for 5, with all rounds taking out the mainspring in the noggin!

CZ-455 sporter with 2-7x Leupy, using Eley SSHP's.

dave

to wyooyehunter iam fro spfd. area and last week I heard two tics arguing over a hunter they had just kilt one wanted to eat him in the woods other one as afaird the big ticks would take him away from them

Are you by chance closely related to kawi?

you guys all need to come down home we hunt-em with .36 cap and ball makes it a might more sporting

Brothers by different mothers!

Went out a little while ago, do do a little scouting, to see if the squirrels were hitting the hickories, yet. Wasn't in the woods 5 minutes, and had two up two different pignut hickories, next to each other. The nuts were raining out of those two trees. I know where I'll be sitting, come Sat. am.



maddog

I once read an article about hunting squirrels with a small cal smokepole. 32cal IIRC.
Seemed like a fun way to go.
If I lived in good squirrel country I'd definitely have one.

I've been thinking about a .32 or .36 muzzleloader for just such endeavors for years now.

It will eventually have to happen.

We used to have a member posting here that hunted squirrels with muzzle loaders, and Ben ( mtcurman) still dies, when he's in squirrel country.

It would be fun....

Back in my 30's, I was into buckskinning. I shot my first 35 deer with a ML. I wanted to learn to shoot a flintlock, but was afraid to try it with deer. Soooo, I bought a Dixie Tenn. squirrel rifle in .32 cal., in a flinter version. I shot a lot of squirrels with that gun. But as I got older, I got away from the buckskinning, and sold the gun. It would be fun to do it again. Who knows, maybe it'll happen down the road....



maddog

Ingwe I,am much badder thin those.

Kawi: good to here. I am much fatter then hose.

Yep. It needs to happen.