Go beyond shooting squirrels with man’s best friend
The essence of squirrel hunting with dogs transcends the act of simply shooting squirrels. It’s the embodiment of an action-packed, mid-winter sport generating excitement and passionate participation from hunters and dogs.
Shooting squirrels is vital to any successful squirrel hunt, but bagging this savvy quarry is challenging in mid-winter. Adding the component of dogs to your team levels the playing field and elevates enjoyment.
Squirrel hunter Bob Harkin, who appropriately calls White Oak, SC, home, has hunted squirrels with dogs for a quarter century. He’s honed his skills through experience and anticipated what was likely to happen when he released Zip and Haze, his two squirrel hunting dogs with pure Mountain Cur bloodlines.
Joining the group this crisp January morning was SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) small game biologist Michael Hook, and his 12-year-old son, Holden.
The hunt is on
A peaceful wander through the winter woods was not on the agenda. When released, the dogs were gone, disappearing along a hardwood ridge point that dropped into a deep hollow. Noses near the ground, they coursed through the woods seeking the scent of a squirrel.
Excited barks, and a 90-degree cut to the right into the hardwood hollow, confirmed the squirrel-chasing game was joined.
Less than a minute into the hunt, Zip and Haze were barking excitedly as they trailed a squirrel that made the blunder of being on the ground. Moments later, the squirrel scamped up an oak and the dogs barked “treed.”
When we arrived, via side-walking mode down the dry-leafed, slippery slope, we watched as multiple squirrels sprinted along limbs, bounding through treetops. Harkin and Hook shouldered rifles, almost in a defensive maneuver, with multiple squirrels in flight.
The crack of .22 rimfire rifles, mixed with excited hunter voices signaling squirrel locations, blended with the truth-telling treed barks of Zip and Haze.
That’s how a squirrel hunt with dogs begins.
Squirrel hunting brings a broad smile to Bob Harkin’s face, whether it’s during this intense action or peaceful discussions sitting on the steps of his hunting cabin. The promise of an opportunity to hunt, and to enjoy adventures in the big hardwoods with his favorite 4-legged squirrel hunting pals, Zip and Haze, is cherished time for Harkin.
Also appreciated is enjoying the company of like-minded, two-legged hunters, fortunate enough to be invited along.
Harkin retired from the SCDNR after working 30 years in multiple functions, his last 22 years serving as Assistant Regional Biologist.
“I retired in 2009 and have ramped up my hunting, especially for squirrels and quail,” Harkin said.
“Zip is appropriately nicknamed Fireball, an energetic, fast, highly instinctive 2-year-old squirrel dog,” he said. “Haze is the older, much larger, 12-year-old dog. Haze has slowed and is more deliberate than when younger. But he’s retained the passion, nose, and eyes required of a great squirrel dog. And he’s developed the patience to complement his age. They make a great squirrel-hunting combination.”
Noisy and exciting
Add Harkin, and you’ve got the squirrel-hunting Dream Team.
Harkin said squirrel hunting with dogs is different than stalking or still hunting the limb-leapers. Without dogs, silence is golden and hunters employ refined hunting skills seeking always spooky squirrels.
“Hunting with dogs is a noisy affair, but it’s genuinely exciting. And it’s an ideal way to help young hunters bag their first squirrel,” he said. “The use of dogs doesn’t make squirrel hunting easy. They’re still challenging, and hunters employ multiple tactics to counter a dogged squirrel’s determination to escape.
“Hunting with my dogs and hearing them find, chase and tree squirrels, that I shoot with a .22 rifle, captures the heart and soul of a squirrel hunt with dogs,” he said.
Harkin said his passion for hunting with dogs isn’t simply harvesting squirrels. It’s about his dogs too.
“Watching and hearing them as they follow a squirrel running on the ground, or limb-hopping, is exciting,” he said. “When they bark the ‘treed’ bark, a different bark from chasing or spotting a squirrel, it sends a shiver through my core. The hunt rests on their sense of smell, hearing, and visual acuity. When Haze and Zip say a squirrel is in a tree, he’s in that tree; they don’t lie. And it’s our job to find them.”
Team effort
“A good squirrel dog watches and follows squirrels as they travel through the treetops” he said. “Zip, the young pup, also employs a special sense of awareness. And he’ll occasionally stop and just stare at a tree, searching for movement or that hump in the forks of limbs that he’s learned can only be a squirrel. Then he’ll bark. And we add another squirrel to the bag.”
The hunter bears great responsibility too, Harkin said.
“When the dogs tree, the squirrel isn’t always easy to spot,” he said. “They curl into limb forks, or stretch flat out on a top of a long limb, often only exposing a slight target. Binoculars are essential, enabling me to pinpoint many squirrels I otherwise would never have seen.”
Sometimes his binocular inspection reveals a squirrel-sized hole in the target tree, the bane of squirrel hunting with dogs.
“We hunt squirrels where they live,” Harkin said. “If the dogs are running the squirrel hard, the squirrel may panic and take refuge before they get to a tree with a hole, and that puts the odds in our favor. But they know every hole in their home woods. And if they can get in that hole, they have the advantage.”
The hunt for holed-up squirrels is not over, but it’s tougher, Harkin said.
“I scan the tree from all sides with binoculars and when I’m convinced it’s holed up, I’ll get adjacent smaller trees and shake and rap them against the tree,” he said. “I’ll also take a stick from the ground and beat on the tree. The intent of all this is to startle the squirrel. Even though they’re safe in the hole, they fear the unknown and unseen. So loud noises and vibrations of branches and sticks rapped on their hideout creates fright. That often means they take flight and leap to adjacent trees.”
“We follow, and when the squirrel settles, we usually have a realistic target,” Harkin said.
Hunt mature hardwoods
A variety of areas produce good squirrel hunting during mid-winter. But Harkin prefers the core of the area to be mature hardwoods.
“I like 50- to 70-year-old hardwood forests,” he said. “That typically provides plenty of food for a large population of squirrels, and fewer holes compared to older hardwoods.”
Varied terrain is ideal, and a block of mixed hardwoods, 50 acres or larger, is ample for a quality hunt.
“We’ll cover considerable territory on an active hunt. But we don’t walk fast,” he said. “The squirrels and dogs dictate the pace. Enjoy the process and the beauty of nature. Appreciate the dogs and the chase, and opportunities arise.”
On this hunt, the young Hook member of our party, Holden, was seeking his first squirrel.
The chaotic beginning to the hunt, when multiple squirrels panicked and were limb-leaping, didn’t offer a reasonable opportunity. As the hunt progressed, Holden had opportunities, but squirrels hunkered and were hidden in the stratosphere of the tall treetops. Harkin and the elder Hook made those shots.
But mid-morning, Zip treed a squirrel that stopped at the end of a limb. Harkin sensed the opportunity. Holden, with guidance from dad, held steady, and his first squirrel fell to the ground with an unmistakable thump.
That’s the instant an excellent hunt becomes magical. A beaming 12-year-old hunter, proudly holding his first squirrel, completes his rite of passage into the hunting world. Surrounded by excited dogs barking and circling as though they understood the significance, it’s a poster moment for all that’s right about squirrel hunting with dogs.
With squirrels in the bag, and dogs on the hunt, the adventure bonds hunters, and dogs, with a unique, dog-gone kinship, culminating a day well-spent in Harkin’s hardwood heaven.
Squirrel hunting with dogs is the perfect cure for mid-winter doldrums. A squirrel dog, or two, sparks excitement in the barren hardwoods and keeps a hunter sharp when deer season is but a memory, and turkey hunting still a dream.
Marksmanship is key to success
Bob Harkin prefers a .22 caliber Savage Mark 2 rifle with a Leupold 3×9 power scope to harvest dog-hunted squirrels.
“Marksmanship is paramount to success,” he said. “It’s the right gun because shots are often 50-plus yards with squirrels hiding in the top of big oaks. We often retreat far from the base of the tree for a good shot angle.”
“I buy a good rifle and mount a quality ‘deer scope’ to it,” he said. “It’s not cheap, but makes a huge difference when shooting long distance at a squirrel’s head. A smooth trigger pull is as crucial for a squirrel gun as for a deer rifle. These enhancements add value and are worth the effort.”
Harkin’s goal of head shooting squirrels dispatches the quarry quickly and preserves the body, as his fondness for the sport extends beyond the harvest to the dinner table. He honors harvested game via special dinners.
Harkin said one of his favorite squirrel recipes is the simplest.
“The very best meat provided by our Creator is from a young, tender squirrel,” he said.
After cleaning the squirrel, no other prep work is required; just salt, pepper, flour, and fry.
“Tastes like chicken, is not to be spoken,” he said. “That’s an insult to a squirrel.”
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