Counting down to squirrel season

[patience0830]

I'd love to squirrel hunt with my 39A once again, but the woods I'd be most likely to hunt is also the one I intend to deer hunt come November.
It's a tough choice to make.

I hunt the same woods for both. If the habitat is good and food plentiful, the deer will be around. Gotta kill some squirrels or the acorns get thin.

 

[halfmileharry]

I hunt the same woods for both. If the habitat is good and food plentiful, the deer will be around. Gotta kill some squirrels or the acorns get thin.

Especially with "cut boars". NO cut boars I don't really worry about the food crop as the squirrels already know they're gonna find plenty and the deer should be fine as well.
IF I kill 3 or 4 and they're cut boars then I'll know the pickin's will be thin.

 

[SpartanHD]

Squirrel hunting has always been my favorite. It's normally when I take someone new to hunting out. The can easily handle a 22 and always end up getting 1-2. Everyone leaves happy. Plus it's cheap.

 

[bobjones223]

Especially with "cut boars". NO cut boars I don't really worry about the food crop as the squirrels already know they're gonna find plenty and the deer should be fine as well.
IF I kill 3 or 4 and they're cut boars then I'll know the pickin's will be thin.

Ok....WTF is a cut boars?

 

[halfmileharry]

Ok....WTF is a cut boars?

Cut boar? It's when the Mother squirrel gnaws the balls off the young males so they won't reproduce as much. It's just another sign of the ways of Mother Nature regulating another species.

 

[SpartanHD]

Cut boar? It's when the Mother squirrel gnaws the balls off the young males so they won't reproduce as much. It's just another sign of the ways of Mother Nature regulating another species.

Probably one of the grossest things I've heard. It has to be true

 

[Family man]

Its my favorite thing to hunt. I dont shoot a lot of them becuse i dont like to eat many of them. I always take the kids so shoot a few each year. Took the kids in Jan and the wife cooked them in the crock pot. They were a hit. Everyone in the family enyoued eating them. so I will be hunting them much harder than ever. Now for that new rifle. Do I go for a high end bolt 22 shooting subsonic and supressed. Or opt for the short .17 not hmr. Im leaning towards .22 and subs.

 

[oldpink]

Probably one of the grossest things I've heard. It has to be true

Right there with unicorns and Sasquatch.

 

[bobjones223]

Cut boar? It's when the Mother squirrel gnaws the balls off the young males so they won't reproduce as much. It's just another sign of the ways of Mother Nature regulating another species.

Ok...I am having a hard time with this....Are you sure you not just seeing young males who's "nuts haven't dropped yet?" (see what I did there..LOL) Have you ever seen a mature male "cut boar"?

I get it that mother nature does population control but this is usually a mater of poor nutrition reducing the health of the female and thus reducing the number of offspring. Or if plenty of food is available the health of the mother is good which produces more female off spring.

I am sorry but I struggle with the notion that a squirrel has the mental aptitude to understand birth control, what body part the sperm comes from, and how to remove it. If they were actually doing post birth birth control and had the mental capacity to understand reproduction in a larger capacity wouldn't they just push the females out of the nest at birth?

I could be completely wrong and what you say may be true but I will need more proof before I buy into the "Cut boar" train of thought.

Considering that squirrels nuts drop from 6-8 months, and considering a spring brood, come August through October you could just be seeing a male squirrel who hasn't hit maturity.

 

[bobjones223]

Its my favorite thing to hunt. I dont shoot a lot of them becuse i dont like to eat many of them. I always take the kids so shoot a few each year. Took the kids in Jan and the wife cooked them in the crock pot. They were a hit. Everyone in the family enyoued eating them. so I will be hunting them much harder than ever. Now for that new rifle. Do I go for a high end bolt 22 shooting subsonic and supressed. Or opt for the short .17 not hmr. Im leaning towards .22 and subs.

I would tell you to go for the 22. I would have a hard time telling anyone to get a 17 mach II because ammo can be a damn hard to find even when times are good. I would say a 22 or a 17 HMR but if you don't have a good 22 buy that one first. Ammo is cheap, easy to find (usually), and accurate enough for 99% of your tree rat hunting needs.

 

[yetti462]

My 5 yr old is getting pumped for season. Kids got a Mountain Feist for Christmas, right now he trees, but they are silent trees. Need to get him barking. It'll be fun no matter what.

 

[halfmileharry]

Ok...I am having a hard time with this....Are you sure you not just seeing young males who's "nuts haven't dropped yet?" (see what I did there..LOL) Have you ever seen a mature male "cut boar"?

I get it that mother nature does population control but this is usually a mater of poor nutrition reducing the health of the female and thus reducing the number of offspring. Or if plenty of food is available the health of the mother is good which produces more female off spring.

I am sorry but I struggle with the notion that a squirrel has the mental aptitude to understand birth control, what body part the sperm comes from, and how to remove it. If they were actually doing post birth birth control and had the mental capacity to understand reproduction in a larger capacity wouldn't they just push the females out of the nest at birth?

I could be completely wrong and what you say may be true but I will need more proof before I buy into the "Cut boar" train of thought.

Considering that squirrels nuts drop from 6-8 months, and considering a spring brood, come August through October you could just be seeing a male squirrel who hasn't hit maturity.

Heck, I may be totally off the planet with this.
It's the way I grew up and taught since I was 6 or 7 years old probably. I grew up in the nowhere to be found on a map in the hills of TN, lived around family and friends of the family, etc. Our neighbors were the same family of neighbors of my great grand parents, you know, where Daniel Boone cut his trail.
That's what it's always been explained to me as.
This "Occurrence" for some reason will only show up on years with a low yield of nuts and food for the squirrels. I never thought a thing about it 'til this thread came up.
I'll ask around "home" when I get down towards the end of the month for the yearly family reunion if there's anything to this. Info might be tough as I'm getting to be one of the elders of the family now.

 

[patience0830]

That "cut boar" crap is an old wives tale. Squirrels mature sexually at different rates and a mature dominant male suppresses developement in the younger males. Nobody is biting off nuts.

 

[patience0830]

Its my favorite thing to hunt. I dont shoot a lot of them becuse i dont like to eat many of them. I always take the kids so shoot a few each year. Took the kids in Jan and the wife cooked them in the crock pot. They were a hit. Everyone in the family enyoued eating them. so I will be hunting them much harder than ever. Now for that new rifle. Do I go for a high end bolt 22 shooting subsonic and supressed. Or opt for the short .17 not hmr. Im leaning towards .22 and subs.

I use the Mach2 a lot later in the season, but I stocked up on ammo when it was cheap. An accurate .22 and subsonic h/p will kill all the squirrels you hit behind the eye or behind the shoulder. It's about all I use early in the season. I know an old boy who kills more squirrels than anybody I know, out in MO and he uses RWS high velocity hp and the Mach2. I really like a head wound that I can stick my thumb through on squirrels. No crawl offs. Mach2 gives me that.

 

[Brad69]

So down here we typically soak the squirrel in salt water overnight.
Is this typical with you northern folk?
Squirrel and dumplings is pretty hard not to like.

 

[patience0830]

So down here we typically soak the squirrel in salt water overnight.
Is this typical with you northern folk?
Squirrel and dumplings is pretty hard not to like.

Mine are usually rinsed thoroughly then cut into 5 pieces and frozen in quart Ziploc bags with salt water. May or may not soak them after they thaw.

 

[gregr]

So down here we typically soak the squirrel in salt water overnight.
Is this typical with you northern folk?
Squirrel and dumplings is pretty hard not to like.

I used to soak the cut pieces in a bowl of salt water for several days, changing out the water several times. Helps draw the blood out, and may even add a bit to tenderizing them.

 

[rhino]

I have a quiet surprise to share with some small critters soon. I haven't been squirrel hunting since 1981 or 82, but I might try this year after it gets cool.

"Oh, Rocky . . . Bullwinkle isn't here. And say hello to my li'l friend!" <click/pfft!>

 

[srad]

A few pics to add fuel to the fire... and squirrel & dumplings are great but one of my favorites is to par boil then flour, fry and bake in classic buffalo hot wing sauce.
View attachment 57103 View attachment 57104 View attachment 57105 View attachment 57106 View attachment 57107

 

[boosteds13cc]

Im excited to go this year. This will be my first year going squirrel hunting.