Pennsylvania Game News - September 2009 - 29

yards across the hollow, a fox squirrel emerged from its nest. It perched on a branch with its back to the trunk, and proceeded to bark and scold for all it was worth. I think it may have spied me under the laurel and was doing its best to alert everything within earshot that something was amiss. It was entertaining at first, but it soon became annoying. Not to mention the fact that there was no way turkeys would come around with that squirrel sounding the panic alarm all afternoon. I laid my shotgun down and got the Ruger out and fired. Some bark flew from the tree, but the bushytail continued its tirade. I fired again and missed again. I cocked the gun a third time and fired. This time it fell like a ton of bricks. After another hour and no turkeys, I figured that because one squirrel is hardly a meal, that I should shift gears and concentrate on bushytails for the rest of the afternoon. I decided to move a little farther down into the hollow, near some mature oaks. So I got up, took two steps and flushed a flock of turkeys that had been moving into the hollow from the other side. What’s that old saying? “When my ship came in, I was at the airport.” So, after watching the turkeys disappear back down the hollow, I got repositioned and settled in again. I soon had two more grays stretched out beside the big fox squirrel. No more turkeys appeared, but it was a satisfying afternoon of hunting. One of my favorite methods of hunting squirrels with a handgun is still-hunting, or stalking them, on damp, foggy days. Our hunting spots are basically mountain top areas, so we often have foggy conditions. The fog is actually a help for this type of hunting for several reasons. One, on foggy, misty days, the leaves are wet and silent, allowing you to walk without announcing your presence to everything on the mountain. Two, the fog limits how far you can see, but when hunting with a handgun, that’s no problem, as any squirrel spotted is usually within range. And the limited SEPTEMBER 2009 vision prevents the squirrels from seeing you until you’re practically in their living room. Also, another plus to hunting on damp, foggy days is that the scent of the autumn woods is much more pungent when the leaves are wet. When I wake up and see the top of the mountain shrouded in fog, I grab my waterproof camo and fluorescent orange, strap on the Ruger and (literally) head for the hills. I park on the top of the mountain and slowly work my way across the ridge top. It usually takes me all morning to cover the mile or so to the edge of our property. Then, if I have all day to hunt, I just move 50 yards off to the side and work my way back toward the truck. Because this area is also great grouse cover, I sometimes take my shotgun along. I’ve learned from doing this that when I walk slower while hunting squirrels, I usually flush more grouse. And, the flushes I have are closer shots, too. On one foggy morning, I was working my way across the ridge, shotgun in hand, when I spied a squirrel in the treetops. I won’t shoot up at them with a .22 unless there’s a branch or trunk behind them as a backstop, so I laid the shotgun down, and when the squirrel presented a safe shot, I took aim with the Ruger and fired. All I managed to do was scare it, though. It took out across the treetops and I went after it. After four more shots and 50 yards covered, I was finally able to get it. It was at that point that I realized I had no idea where my shotgun was. I wandered around in that fog for an hour before I ended up going back to the truck and starting out again, and then I walked right to it. Live and learn. One of my most vivid memories came one day when I was hunting squirrels on a rainy, foggy afternoon. The memory had nothing to do with squirrels, though, other than that I 29

Pennsylvania Game News - September 2009

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