Squirrels are one of the best animals to hunt if you’re only getting started and yet they’re also one of the most interesting animals you can hunt due to their activity.
Since they scavenge for food, you’ll always be able to come across the, and your every hunt will be a success as long as you are skilled enough to make the most of the opportunity.
And whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned hunter, in this article, you’ll find tips that will teach you how to hunt squirrels, but we’ll also answer some of the most commonly asked questions so you’re fully prepared for your next squirrel hunt!
How to Hunt for Squirrels (Squirrel Hunting Tips)
Squirrels might be a small game, but they’re not the easiest game to prey on so don’t let their size fool you. Instead, you’ll have to know what you’re doing so your hunt is a success. But if you keep on reading, that’s exactly what you’ll find down below!
1. Go Slower and Stalk
Even though it’s highly recommended to stay longer and sit still while hunting for squirrels, this can be extremely boring but still hunting is the next best thing you can try.
However, whatever you do, don’t ever fully rush and keep on moving as you won’t ever come across any squirrel, and if you do, they’ll quickly get scared and will run away.
Instead of hunting too fast, try waiting it out, staying still, and moving stealthily if you plan to move. Stopping for a few minutes and then making a couple of moves before you stop again is a great strategy to keep moving but stay stealthy.
It’s all about listening and observing the moves squirrels make than the moves you end up making, and that’s something you should remember!
2. Find Food
If you don’t know where to start, where to find squirrels, or if you’re hunting on a new ground that you have never been to, the best advice you can get is to find the food.
Finding the food is all about finding trees that drop some sort of a nut as that’s exactly where squirrels will head to.
Squirrels mostly prefer white oak acorns, however, they’ll still eat nuts from other oaks as they aren’t too picky.
If you think this way and plan it out by finding the food, you’ll be able to wait it out, stay still, and have squirrels come to you. And when they do, you’ll be in a perfect position to make a move at the right time!
3. Hunt With a Friend and Stay Longer
Hunting with a friend isn’t necessary, but it’s going to make the hunting of squirrels a much more enjoyable experience.
Why?
As you can already notice, hunting for squirrels takes a lot of time and patience, and it’s mostly a waiting game where you don’t do many movements.
Therefore, there’s no better way to stay still than to go out with a friend. This will help you to stay longer since you won’t get as bored and you’ll always have someone around so the hunt will be twice as fun when you are finally able to make the move.
Of course, positioning yourself and staying longer is definitely the “holy grail” strategy when it comes down to squirrel hunting, and doing it with a friend will make this boring yet rewarding strategy pay off a lot more.
4. Choose a Day Wisely
It takes a lot of thought for squirrel hunting even before you head out for your hunt. That’s one of the reasons why squirrel hunting is the go-to kind of hunting for beginners as it’s not as easy as it might seem and yet you’ll learn valuable skills that you can use when you hunt bigger game.
Wisely choosing your day to hunt for squirrels is also important because squirrels will always be the most active when it’s a good day outside. If it’s cold, rainy, or windy, you might not come across as many of them as you would on a perfectly sunny and warm day.
Not only that, but spotting squirrels will be a lot easier when there’s no wind, no moving branches or leaves, and when the visibility is much better.
5. Have the Right Equipment
Squirrel hunting is all about planning, preparing, and executing no matter how boring it can get. While you’ll be doing a lot of waiting and still hunting, you better prepare yourself with the right equipment.
Other from a rifle that’s suitable for squirrel hunting under your local state laws (check that out), you’ll also thank yourself later if you think ahead and bring a comfy cushion with you, or something you can use to sit on or lay on when you’re out in the wild.
This will help you to stay comfortable when staying still and yet you won’t have trouble when moving since you can easily take a light cushion with you.
Other than your comfort, you’ll also need a pair of quality binoculars to scan the forest, but even a proper vest for squirrel hunting can help you in the long run (more on that below).
What Time do Squirrels Wake Up?
Squirrels always wake up when the sun rises since they’re diurnal, and you can expect them to stay active throughout the day.
Therefore, squirrels easily fit the human’s way of living since we also sleep through the night and are active throughout the day, where the only difference is the waking up time.
However, squirrels tend to take little naps throughout the day as well, so that’s something to keep in mind. Again, we’re not much different from squirrels when it comes to sleeping patterns, are we?
Are Squirrels Active at Night and do Squirrels Come Out at Night?
Squirrels aren’t active at night since they are sleeping throughout the night. Therefore, it’s very rare to see a squirrel out at night.
However, one thing you should keep in mind is that squirrels become the most active in the evening before they head in for the night. Therefore, you shouldn’t overlook going for your hunt later in the day as that’s most likely when you’ll come across the most squirrels.
The same applies to the morning since they’re most active right after they wake up and right before they go to sleep.
Best Time to Hunt Squirrels
Since squirrels wake up early and set off early, while taking naps throughout the day in their dens, there are two of the best times to hunt squirrels in a day.
It’s usually early in the morning when the sun rises as that’s when squirrels wake up and are the most active in their day.
The second best time to hunt for squirrels in a day is in the evening because that’s just before you’re off to their den to spend the night, and yet that’s the second best time because it’s also when squirrels get most active.
And if you are struggling to choose which time of the day to go out for a hunt, you can also base your hunt on the temperature since squirrels are the most inactive during the warmest part of the day.
Can You Hunt for Squirrels in Winter?
Squirrels are stockpiling the food for winter, so winter is definitely not the best time to hunt them since they’re mostly spending their time in their den and are waiting the winter out.
However, early to mid-fall is the best time to hunt squirrels since that’s their “last chance” to stockpile food for winter and if you take advice from the tips above, you’ll definitely be able to position yourself well and have a successful hunt if you have enough patience!
Best Squirrel Food to Attract
If you’re wondering how to position yourself or if you’re looking to attract squirrels on your own by placing some of their favorite food, how do you do that?
You can easily do that by learning what food attracts them the best and it’s acorns, almonds, and even pumpkin seeds. However, they’ll eat anything from peanuts, pistachios, corn, squash, and even carrots, apples, strawberries, and sunflower seeds, and you wouldn’t believe it – even Oreo cookies or similar snacks.
But if you’re looking to position yourself and not bring any of the food yourself, the best choice would be trees that drop any type of nuts. Squirrels prefer white oak acorns, but really, any type of nuts will do well.
Therefore, positioning yourself around such trees and playing the waiting game will always bring your success, and it’ll only be a matter of taking the opportunity you’ll be waiting for quite some time.
Can You Eat Squirrel?
If you’re new to hunting or if you never tried squirrels, the chances are you’ve asked yourself if you can eat squirrels, right?
The answer is, yes! You can eat squirrels and it’s very safe to eat squirrel meat. Squirrel tastes somewhat like chicken or rabbit, and it has a nutty flavor to it.
Meat has a lovely texture, it’s lean, and it’s pretty light in color so it’s not very different from chicken or even rabbit meat.
In fact, many people consider squirrel meat to be the most delicious meat in the woods! Now, that’s a big claim and it’s up to you to find out if this is true!
Do You Need a Squirrel Hunting Vest?
So the true question that’s often asked is do you need camo to hunt squirrels?
The answer is no. Camo isn’t a requirement to have a successful squirrel hunt, but if you have any camo clothing or a camo vest, you can definitely wear it as it will help you blend in with the surroundings.
But if you don’t have any camo, you can simply go hunt for squirrels in jeans and a sweatshirt. However, the chances are you’ve heard of a squirrel hunting vest – but what is it?
A squirrel hunting vest is a type of vest that’s custom-made for hunters who could use extra pockets to bring food, carry squirrels, or even carry a cushion with them and have a place to store it. Therefore, it’s often a camo vest that’s made for squirrel hunters to make the hunter easier.
Click here to Browse Squirrel Hunting Vests!
What do Squirrels Eat?
The truth is that squirrels will eat almost anything. They mostly collect nuts to help them get through the winter as that’s the most accessible type of food, but they love eating a bit of everything.
Therefore, you shouldn’t get shocked when you see a squirrel eating fruit, vegetables, or even snack food such as Oreo cookies!
They’ll eat a bit of everything so you can definitely even carry some of your food when you’re going for a hunt to try and lure them in.
What Animals Eat Squirrels?
Of course, you aren’t the only one who’s after squirrels and there are a couple of predators that are actually after squirrels themselves.
These predators include hawks, eagles, and other birds that have long-distance vision since it’s super hard for squirrels to hide from these predators that can spot them from miles ahead.
However, that shouldn’t be your worry as these predators might not mess up your plans or hunt.
Conclusion
If you’re learning how to hunt for squirrels, there isn’t much to learn, but there are a couple of crucial tips you should follow to improve the success of your hunt.
The great thing about squirrel hunting is that even if you mess it up, you can always position yourself better and quickly recover your hunt if you know where to position yourself and when to be there.
It takes proper planning, patience, and a bit of equipment and that’s all you should know about squirrel hunting – yet the rest is up to you to practice and get better with time.
Did you ever hunt for a squirrel? Did you ever try eating a squirrel?
