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A summertime squirrel hunt is a great way to sharpen your shooting skills, tune up your gear and scout for deer.

By Andrew McKean What if I told you about a hunting opportunity that’s happening right now, which offers abundant access to productive land, requires a minimum of technical gear, and provides the chance to bring home tasty meat that is routinely overlooked for its palatability? You’d probably think I was blowing smoke, but I’m talking about one of the most neglected and productive hunts in the U.S.—for common tree squirrels. Squirrel seasons start now, in the lazy days of late summer, giving you time (and an excuse) to get out in the woods to scout for deer while also ground-truthing the gear that you’ll rely on all autumn. But you don’t need an excuse to go squirrel hunting. The first argument in its favor is that squirrels live almost everywhere, from the leafy hardwoods of the East to the piney woods of the South to the mountains of the West. Squirrel hunting is also a great way to introduce new shooters to small-game hunting. The two squirrel species most often pursued by hunters are the largest and most widely distributed: the fox (or red) squirrel, and the gray squirrel. While peripheral habitats can hold squirrels, you’ll have the best luck finding summertime squirrels in their core habitats of nut-producing hardwoods, especially oak and hickory stands. But here’s the other appeal: hardwoods define a lot of public land east of the Mississippi, from small tracts of county land to larger state game lands and wildlife management areas, to big U.S. Forest Service tracts. Find hardwoods, and you’ll almost certainly find squirrels. But don’t neglect private land, either. Your chances of getting permission to hunt a patch of farm-country hardwoods for squirrels is orders of magnitude better than getting on that same land for deer.

Summer Squirrel Tactics

Now that you know where to find them, how do you hunt squirrels? You’ll change tactics once the leaves drop, but for summertime squirrels, when the critters can be hidden in the dense green foliage, the best approach is to first walk and then sit and listen for rustling high in the branches. Patience is a virtue with this style of hunting, because not only must you positively identify that the movement is being made by a squirrel, but you must wait for a clean shot. Try sitting near the top of a steep hillside that drops into a ravine or creek drainage. Your elevation will provide you with a better view of the upper limbs of trees that hold squirrels, and you can look over several acres of trees on the slopes below you. Another benefit to hilltop stands, especially for rifle hunters, is that your shots will be traveling safely downward, often with a tree trunk or limb behind the squirrel to stop your bullet. [caption id="attachment_35593" align="aligncenter" width="600"] In summer, use a low-power 8x24 or 8x32 binocular to scan areas where you hear or see leaves moving, then be ready to follow up positive identification with a rifle shot.[/caption] A small binocular—either an 8x24 or 8x32—is useful for this sort of surveillance. Scan areas where you hear or see leaves moving, then be ready to follow up positive identification with a rifle shot. The perfect set-up for this type of hunting is a .22 rimfire topped with a 4-power scope. Your shots won’t be much over 50 yards, but the scope enables you pinpoint aim, an important advantage when you often see only pieces and parts of leaf-hidden squirrels. Your goal should be head shots. If you’re a morning hunter, get in the woods early and sit against the base of a large tree with a wide vantage of the woods around you. Squirrels are often active on the forest floor in the mornings, and you can have good shooting as long as you can move quietly from place to place. Once you’ve shot a couple times, squirrels will get nervous and remain in the sanctuary of the treetops. This is also a good time to try calling. If you know squirrels are hanging out of sight in the treetops, blow or push a chatter call. You’ll need to experiment with the rhythm and volume (as well as various brands), but the idea is to mimic the sound of an agitated squirrel, causing the real chatterboxes to show themselves, often with their tails puffed out, standing on an exposed limb. A call is a great device to use with a buddy. Your friend calls, you get ready to shoot. After you’ve bagged a tree rat, switch jobs and call another one. Note: Before hunting squirrels, it's important to understand how to properly field dress and process. Learn to skin and prepare squirrels in this article.

Later Season Squirrels

Visibility in hardwoods improves greatly once fall arrives and trees drop their leaves. Squirrel hunting can be red-hot for the first few weeks of the bare-branch season. [caption id="attachment_35594" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Find a quiet place to sit, let the woods settle down then listen. In summer, you’ll likely hear squirrels in the leafy treetops. Once leaves drop, listen for squirrels rustling leaves on the forest floor.[/caption] This is the nut-gathering season for squirrels, and they’re working overtime to store acorns, hickory nuts, and chestnuts for winter consumption, so they’re often visible and vulnerable. If summer was .22 season, the fall is a better time for a shotgun. Walk the woods and look for snap shots on the forest floor as squirrels run from tree to tree and scamper up trunks. But if you prefer a rifle, then sit on a hillside, wait for the forest to settle down from your intrusion, and then take longer shots at squirrels pausing from their nut-gathering mission. This can also be a wait-and-listen game, only at this time of year, you’re listening for the loud rustle of squirrels moving through dried leaves. You’d be amazed how often a 2-pound squirrel can sound like a 200-pound whitetail buck moving through the woods.

Guns and Loads

[caption id="attachment_35595" align="aligncenter" width="600"] While a .22 Rimfire rifle is an excellent choice for squirrels, when you want a little more reach, consider a scoped .17 rimfire, like Savage’s A17.[/caption] The most effective all-around squirrel gun is a scoped .22. You want a rifle that can repeatedly stack shots inside a 2-inch bullseye at 50 yards. Good options include the durable Ruger 10/22, Browning’s T-Bolt, or Marlin’s Model 60 or 795. An accurate .22 pistol, such as Browning’s Buck Mark, topped with a red-dot sight is another great squirrel rig. If you want to opt for a little more range, consider a .17 rimfire; the light, fast Savage A17 in .17 HMR is a good choice. A suppressor is a smart addition, because its blast-taming muzzle keeps you from announcing yourself to squirrels with every shot you take. For shotguns, there’s no need to go heavier than a 20 gauge, and a 28 gauge or even .410 is a better choice. The Federal’s Heavyweight TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) is a wonderful squirrel load. Designed for turkeys, the size 9 shot delivers great penetration and range and is a good choice for a walk-about squirrel hunter who doesn’t want to lug around a heavy shotgun.

Other Gear Considerations

Use a knife with a stout blade but sharp drop point for squirrel-skinning chores.

By Andrew McKean If you haven't hunted squirrel before check out this squirrel hunting article first. Especially if you’re hunting in the heat of summer, you’re going to want to field dress and cool squirrels pretty quickly after you add them to your game bag. Here’s a quick way to get rid of heat-trapping hide and cool down the thighs and shoulders of a red or gray squirrel. The bonus: you don’t have to field dress, or remove the guts, from inside the squirrel, so this is a relatively bloodless and clean way to produce pieces of meat that, after they’re washed, are ready for the frying pan or stew pot.

1. Make incisions around both hind legs, then slit up the inside of each leg to the anus, there your slits should join.
2. Stand on the squirrel’s tail and pull the skin upward from the leg incisions. If the squirrel is still cool, the skin should come off fairly easily; if it’s cold, you may have to encourage the skin by making short cuts as you pull.
3. The skin should come off as an inverted tube. Keep pulling until the shoulders and upper legs are skinless.
4. Then cut the shoulder bones at the first joint and the neck just below the head. You’ll now have a skinless carcass with the tail attached.
5. Remove the tail by cutting it at the first joint behind the rump.
6. Spread the thighs until the hip bones pop out of their joints. Then cut behind each thigh, detaching the hip ball from the socket, and cut through to remove both thighs.
7. Cut from the neck back along each side of the backbone, and then down and around each shoulder to remove each front quarter.
8. Put each skinless quarter inside a breathable bag (don’t use plastic, because it will trap bacteria-causing heat), and keep hunting, knowing that you’re gaining tasty, healthy meat with each “chicken-of-the-tree” you add to your bag.

About the Author Andrew McKean is a longtime outdoor writer and the former editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life. He lives in northeast Montana with his family and yellow Lab. You can follow his adventures on Instagram @aemckean or on Facebook @andrew.mckean.77 Special thanks to StepOutside.org for providing this insightful content. You may also be interested in: https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/why-you-need-to-be-hunting-squirrels-right-now/

Check out these Delicious Squirrel Recipes

https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/campfire-dutch-oven-smothered-squirrel-recipe/ https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/buffalo-wing-style-crispy-fried-squirrel-recipe/

According to a national survey that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts every five years, of the approximately 11.5 million licensed hunters in the U.S., 90% are male and 97% are Caucasian. There is a growing movement within the outdoor industry to provide equitable access to underrepresented communities and diversify hunting, so it more closely represents American demographics today. Motivated by these disproportions, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), New York Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Hunters of Color, New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Deer Association (NDA) came together to host a “Field to Fork” mentored hunting event for aspiring hunters from the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community in November 2021. The event was hosted on TNC’s Hannacroix Preserve, roughly 30 minutes outside Albany. Participants ranged in age from 34 to 62 and were given the opportunity to go through New York Hunter Education, learn about deer biology and behavior through NDA’s Deer Hunting 101 online course, gain experience shooting, go on multiple hunts with an experienced mentor by their side, and enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie found in many New York deer camps each fall under a safe and welcoming environment. This video is a documentary of that hunt.

https://youtu.be/mj7QZAQhb8o

“Our ultimate goal is that [Field to Fork hunt participants] self-identify as a hunter, to say ‘I am a hunter, this is something can do and I’m gonna do it’,” said Hank Forester, NDA Director of Hunting. “But what creates that is the community, camaraderie and the social support that pushes them along in their journey as a hunter.” Plans are underway for more events that will help lower barriers to women and minorities and increase deer hunting participation through representation. Financial support for this video was provided by the NSSF^® Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Program — A first-of-its-kind grant program that works directly to support NSSF’s mission of promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports. It is designed to distribute funds to organizations that focus on innovative ways to reach traditional as well as nontraditional audiences by improving access to and participation in hunting. Organizations welcoming those who want to get involved in the shooting sports are critical to the future of these pastimes. So far the grant program has distributed $300,000 in funding to 17+ outdoor organizations funding recruitment, retention and reactivation programs just like this "field to fork" hunting event. Join the +ONE Movement NSSF encourages all current hunters to take the +ONE Pledge. Reach out to someone new—someone outside your circle of friends and family who hunt—and teach them what you know about hunting, conservation and the deeply meaningful ability to put food on the dinner table that you harvested yourself. Talk with your local game wardens and state game agency professionals or reach out to NDA’s Field to Fork program and others like it and let them know you’d like to serve as a mentor. There are thousands of people out there who want to hunt for their own food and don’t know where to turn to get started. With +ONE and programs like Field to Fork, you’re the solution to that problem.   You may also be interested in: https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/adults-learn-to-hunt-with-the-field-to-fork-program/  

NSSF has announced an initiative designed to strengthen ties between all excise tax-paying manufacturers—firearms and ammunition, archery equipment, marine and sportfishing equipment—and the state agencies that use these funds to conserve wildlife and habitats through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This new web resource and video series will highlight industry contributions to this partnership. To help everyone get a better understanding of where these excise tax dollars are used and how they benefit all. The Fifth video highlights the success of the Sport Fish Restoration Act in South Carolina. In this video industry and conservation representatives speak to the irreplaceable industry-paid excise taxes that yield science-based fisheries management and increased angler-boater access.

https://youtu.be/6lHopTG4Gu0

Enacted in 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration Act (also known as the Dingell-Johnson Act), collects a 10-percent tax on select fishing tackle from manufacturers and a percentage of tax on motorboat fuels.  The money is apportioned to the state fish and wildlife management agencies under the auspices of WSFR for the benefit of fisheries conservation and restoration, aquatic education, and boating and fishing access. Paul Wilkes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region Regional Manager for the WSFR program, said the 72-year-old partnership between the tackle industry and state fish and wildlife management agencies has been transformational for fisheries management—and, in short, made fishing better. Glenn Hughes, President of the ASA, describes opportunities for anglers that would not be possible without these critically important funds. Among other purposes, these funds pay for the maintenance of over 6,000 boating access sites to lakes, rivers, ponds and streams across the country, as well as the stocking of 1.3 billion fish each year of over 70 species of fish. The Partner with a Payer initiative was developed to help generations of employees in the firearm, archery and angling industries, state agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better understand their, and each other’s, roles in conservation. More info and resources at https://www.nssf.org/partner-with-payer/ See other Partner with a Payer Videos: https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/how-do-excise-taxes-benefit-hunter-education-clark-county-shooting-complex/ https://www.letsgoshooting.org/articles/how-excise-taxes-benefit-shooting-ranges-ben-avery-shooting-facility/  

By Christopher Cogley

In 2022, knife manufacturers continue to focus on everyday carry.

The name of the game continues to be the everyday carry options that have become a necessity for everyone — from corporate executives and law enforcement to hunting guides and stay-at-home dads. Knife manufacturers continue to raise the bar on the quality of their EDC offerings by developing innovative new locking and release mechanisms, launching new designs that blur the lines between function and fashion, and improving standards of quality at prices that more people can afford. It’s definitely a good time to be in the market for an EDC.

Bear & Son Cutlery

Bear & Son will be featuring a pair of Carbon Farmhand folders at this year’s SHOT Show. Available in a 3.625- and a 4.625-inch sizes, the Carbon Farmhand folders are designed in the simplistic, Alabama-made style for which Bear & Son is famous. The knives have yellow aluminum handles and 1095 carbon blades. The Carbon Farmhand folders are available in either lockback or slip-joint versions, both of which feature an ambidextrous pocket clip.

Benchmade

Benchmade is releasing a new out-of-the-front automatic knife designed to deliver all the reliability that law enforcement and tactical operators demand, but with a price tag that even the tightest department budgets can handle. The 5370FE Shootout has a 3.5- inch CPM-CruWear tanto-style blade that is spine-fired out the front. The Shootout features a textured CF-Elite carbon-fiber-filled nylon handle complete with a carbide glass breaker and a reversible deep-carry pocket clip. MSRP: $300.

Buck

Buck is releasing new Sport versions of two of its most popular folders. Designed to be lighter weight, EDC versions of the classic 110 Hunter and 112 Ranger, the 110 Hunter Sport and 112 Ranger Sport both feature anodized aluminum handles with OD green canvas Micarta scales and a newly designed deep-carry pocket clip. The clip-point blades on both knives are made from S30V stainless steel and include dual thumb studs. The 110 Hunter Sport has a 3.75-inch blade, weighs 4.6 ounces and carries a $170 price tag while the 112 Ranger Sport has a 3-inch blade, weighs 3.9 ounces and has an MSRP of $160.

Browning

This year Browning is paying homage to its hunting roots with the launch of the Guide Series folder. Created by Wes Hibben, whose father, Gil, designed the first hunting knives to appear in Browning’s catalog in 1969, the Guide Series folder has a traditional style with a 3.375-inch Sandvik 14V28N blade and a Micarta laminate handle. MSRP: $150.

Columbia River Knife & Tool

Columbia River Knife & Tool is launching three new updated versions of its classic M16 knife. All three of the folders in the M16 Deadbolt series feature CRKT’s Deadbolt locking mechanism combined with the Assisted Opening technology and the IKBS ball-bearing pivot system. The 02DB is a compact flipper with a 3.12-inch tanto blade, the 03DB has a 3.58-inch spear-point blade and the 04DB has a 3.89-inch tanto blade. All three knives feature D2 steel and the stylish aluminum handles that have become a trademark of the M16. MSRP: $150-$200.

Ontario Knife Company

OKC is launching a new addition to its classic Old Hickory line. The new compact Old Hickory Machete is crafted in the tradition of the Old Hickory line with a classic American walnut handle accented with brass cutler rivets. The 9-inch 1075 carbon-steel blade has a phosphate coating designed to hold a fine edge. The Old Hickory Machete has an overall length of 15.6 inches and comes with a classic leather sheath.

Outdoor Edge

Outdoor Edge is featuring its new 3.5-inch RazorWork at this year’s SHOT Show. Designed to have 3.5 times the cutting edge of a standard utility knife, the RazorWork was created to handle a wide range of tasks in a variety of locations, from professional job sites to remote outdoor camps. The RazorWork accepts both 3.5- inch utility blades and 3.5-inch drop-point blades. The blades are made from Japanese 420J2 stainless steel and the handle is a glass/ nylon composite and features Outdoor Edge’s Peak Performance grip. MSRP: $34.95.

Spyderco

As part of its Reveal Eight release, Spyderco is launching the Thin Red Line collection of folders that pay homage to the courage of firefighters around the world. The collection features four of Spyderco’s most iconic knives — the Delica 4, Endela, Endura 4 and Rescue 3 — which were designed specifically to meet the needs of first responders. The blades all feature VG-10 stainless-steel blades and have black fiberglass-reinforced nylon handles with a special Red Line insert to remind users of the selfless service of firefighters and other first responders. MSRP: $130-$155. Spyderco will donate a portion of all sales to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

SOG

In 2022, SOG is continuing its commitment to provide knives for a wider variety of users. Among the new offerings is the Altair line, which is designed specifically to meet the needs of outdoor enthusiasts. Created to be lightweight, compact and versatile, the Altair line includes both a folder and fixed-blade option. Featuring CRYO CPM 154 blades and GRN handles, the Altair knives have a simple, minimalistic design that naturally lend themselves to the kind of functional versatility that campers, backpackers and climbers demand. MSRP: $139-$167.

W.R. Case

This year, Case is making a new statement with its Everyday Carry collection. The Marilla and Kinzua both feature S35VN stainless-steel blades and anodized aluminum handles, which are available in black, red or blue. The Marilla (MSRP: $165) has a drop-point blade; the Kinzua (MSRP: $140) has a tanto blade. See more content like this in the 2022 SHOT Show Day 3 SHOT Daily Check out some of the hottest products from the 2022 SHOT Show https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLecWOcK1HLTzGEhgEOcaHyelAHIvfysIY