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Friday, August 3, 2007 1:02 AM CDT
Choose small-caliber guns for best shot at squirrel hunting
By DAVE SHADOW
editorial@jg-tc.com
By the time this is in print on Friday, the 2007 Illinois squirrel season will have been in effect for three days. (Aug. 1) I hope that means I’m having fried squirrel, biscuits and gravy, and maybe some fried potatoes for supper by now. I haven’t missed an opening day of squirrel season for several years and look forward to another successful season. The squirrel population is ballooning and needs controlling prior to nature’s own cure for overpopulation, which usually results in a drastic decrease and then a rebuilding period.
Short range guns are the best choice for taking squirrels in our heavily populated areas with shotguns harvesting the greatest numbers and small-caliber rifles and handguns provide the maximum challenges. Whatever your choice, be sure you have permission to hunt the property, and always know where the bullet (or buckshot) is going to land if you miss or the bullet passes through the target.
Air rifles are becoming even more popular choices for small game in the past few years, and these are not the B-B guns we had when I was a kid. These new air rifles rival the speed and accuracy of .22-caliber guns, and they are quieter. I tried this sport with my bow a couple of times but the arrows are too expensive and I was losing too many. When the squirrels are on the ground collecting nuts, etc., this can work pretty well if you’ll use “judo points” on your arrows. These keep the arrow from burrowing under leaves etc and result in many saved shots.
It is very important to check the sights or scope on your rifle or handgun if that’s your selection. I got my old Marlin squirrel rifle and went out to the range for a bit of practice a couple of days ago. I just knew it would shoot a good group, just like it had when I put it into the safe when I last used it. My first five shots were in a group about the size of a quarter, then one was four inches high and the next one was three inches low and two inches to the right. What was happening? Some time during the period of rest for this gun the “gun gremlins” had caused the scope to get loose and slide rearward in the grooves. The back of the scope was moving slightly, and it sure doesn’t take much to make a bunch of difference at the target or on the squirrel tree. After tightening it back up and aligning it properly, I sighted it in and again had several groups smaller than a squirrels head.
Even though I hunt squirrels in the early season, I would much prefer doing it later after the mosquitoes and sweat bees are mostly gone.
In the early season I usually go out at daybreak and hunt for a couple of hours and quit before the sun gets real hot. This is supposed to be fun, and sweat or pesky insects take much of that away. Besides, daybreak is the best time of the day anyway. This is also a good opportunity to look at deer trails in anticipation of that upcoming season.
Fishing report:
I didn’t get out on the local lakes this week due to work requirements, but most of the reports that I got sounded like the “dog days” were taking their toll on the bass and crappie harvests. Rosie and I went to Lake Pauline (near Effingham) later in the day on Sunday and did quite well bass fishing. We caught quite a number of smaller bass and one real nice one. Texas-rigged worms and a Driskell half-ounce, white-on-white spinnerbait were the most successful lures. We got a few “blow-ups” on topwater baits in the moss, but they wouldn’t actually eat the lures.
The ramp on this little lake is poor, but the fishing is good.
It’s faith, family and fishin’.
Dave Shadow is the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier’s hunting and fishing columnist.
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