My son, Damon, heard about a competitive squirrel hunt held somewhere that sounded like a lot of fun. We could do something similar, but we could make up our own rules. We would cut down on the squirrel population, have prizes and eat the results.
Sunday morning, participants could hunt squirrels anywhere they wanted and bring them to our cabin by noon for scoring. The best shots on three squirrels would be added up to determine the winner.
Some people took the competition much more seriously than others. While some hunters were in the timber when dawn broke, others were not as dedicated. Damon hit the ground running about 9 a.m. and I was hunting hard by 9:30. I figured the squirrels were no more anxious than I was to get out of a warm bed on Sunday morning.
I decided to hunt where I bow hunt for deer most of the time. I always have squirrels annoying me while trying to remain invisible to the "big buck." I could win the contest and thin out the group of annoying little rodents that try to give away my position.
The sun was warm as I sat in the heavy timber of oak and hickory trees. The slightest breeze would send multi-colored leaves fluttering down, occasionally skittering along the bark of a tree, causing me to think a squirrel was in the area. This frequent noise kept me alert (awake) as the morning wore on.
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Twelve Tom turkeys made a leisurely stroll along the path on the other side of the ditch. A doe and two fawns got up and moved from the area I had been watching for more than an hour. I had been looking but not seeing them behind a rose bush less than 50 yards away.
A squirrel finally came scampering into the area and up a tree on the other side of the ditch. I brought up my rifle, put the crosshairs on his head and popped off a shot from the .22. When he dropped, I ran through the rose bushes and brush to retrieve my trophy.
He apparently was farther away than I thought as the bullet hit him in the chest rather than the head. That would cost me some points, but at least I would not be skunked. I waited until 11:30 before another target happened by. Another body shot was not great, but if nobody got more than two squirrels, I could still be in the money.
By the time I got back to my truck and drove across the farm, it would be close to the noon deadline. I did not want to take the chance of disqualification by being late, so I headed in. I was the second person at the cabin. The rules would have to be bent just a bit to accommodate 90 percent of the contestants.
The big winner was Jason Morgan, who had been out since the break of dawn, doing some serious hunting. As well as getting his limit, he made some really nice shots. He says he was not hunting on the country club golf course in town, but we do not have witnesses to verify that as a fact. The rules did not exclude any one area where a person could hunt, so it is not up to us to judge.
Most of the hunters got at least one or two squirrels, making for a nice collection for fine dining. By the time the last of the intrepid hunters pulled into the cabin, the first of the squirrel was ready to serve. There is no better way to spend an early fall day than hunting in the woods for half a day and spending the rest of it enjoying the results with friends and family.
(Next week, squirrel recipes that will make your mouth water.)
Walter Scott is an outdoors enthusiast and freelance writer from Bloomfield, Iowa.
