River squirreling

One-man boats are perfect for squirrel hunting

Squirrels love to bounce about on hardwood trees lining river banks, and Chris Douglas of Carolina ALL OUT has a unique way of hunting them.

Rather than stalking along the shoreline, Douglas eases through creeks in his Creek Boat, a one-man, electric boat with foot steering, with his small caliber rifle, keeping his eyes peeled to the branches of trees along the river banks.

An accomplished big game hunter, Douglas appreciates the gray squirrel as one of North America’s most popular targets among hunters.

“The gray squirrel is arguably the most popular game animal in the United States,” Douglas said. “And it’s the
critter that has kicked off more hunting careers than you can shake a stick at. “

He said it’s easy to see why that’s the case.

“They’re plentiful across their range, offer a challenge to hunt, and are excellent table fare,” he said.

Most squirrel hunting is done by hunters stalking through the woods, watching ahead of them for the telltale sign of squirrels, or by hunters finding a place to have a seat on the forest floor, waiting for squirrels to expose themselves.

Hunting with squirrel dogs adds another level entirely for hunters, and it’s another popular method for sure.

Douglas enjoys each one of those techniques for squirrel hunting, and when he got his Creek Boat several years ago, he decided to add river hunting from the water to his list of squirrel hunting methods.

One tool in his river hunting arsenal includes a good pair of binoculars. These aren’t just for spotting squirrels off in the distance either. They help find squirrels that are hugging tight to trees and those hunkered down in thick vines.

The Creek Boat gets him in position to shoot squirrels, which don’t generally suspect danger coming from the angles he’s able to approach. Still, it’s challenging once it’s time to take a shot. The current of the river is constantly shifting the boat, so it’s definitely different than hunting from a fixed position.

“It is hard to get in position to get these squirrels,” he said after downing the first squirrel of the day. “And where he was at, was in these vines. I had to shoot through some stuff. But man, I’m loving it.”

Squirrels react differently to hunters floating down the river than they do to hunters approaching through the woods. But they still react.

“They don’t seem to be too awful concerned about the Creek Boats,” he said. “But at the same time, they’re not exactly exposing themselves. But at least they’re holding so we can get up and take a shot at them.”

Another challenge of hunting this way is retrieving the squirrels once they are down. Sometimes they’re in a tree that’s above water and they fall into the river. Other times, they hit paydirt up a creek bank, meaning the hunter has to find a place to beach the Creek Boat, then find the squirrel.

It’s all worth it though, and Douglas said there’s no better reward for the work it takes than to find a place on the bank to pull over and break out the cooking gear and make a fresh squirrel meal.

The episode “River Floating for Squirrels,” is on Carolina ALL OUT’s YouTube channel on Season 8, Episode 7.

Creek Boats

Creek Boats are made in Albemarle, NC by Greentop Enterprises. The company was started in 1980 by Richard Hinson, an avid outdoorsman who couldn’t find the perfect boat for all his outdoor pursuits.

Once he made a handful of boats for him and his friends to use, he began receiving requests from other outdoorsmen who saw them on the water. This led him to move his operation out of his own garage and into a bigger facility that allows him to build the same quailty boats with modern materials, while also allowing him to still offer that personal touch that makes these boats special.

The boats come in several sizes and configurations. For more information about Creek Boats and to find the perfect one for your hunting and fishing activities, visit www.creekboats.com.