What’s So Great About Squirrel Hunting?

I always find it interesting to see how people react when they find out I prefer to hunt squirrels over any other game species.

The responses range from a simple question of why hunt squirrels at all to the subtle disdain from fellow hunters who believe that squirrels are better suited as species for introducing kids to hunting versus a legitimate game species like deer or turkey.

And, to be honest, I somewhat understand where those opinions come from, as squirrel hunting has long been associated with an entry-level species for introducing young children to hunting. Or as something to hunt when no other species of interest are in season. My own introduction to hunting as a youth started with squirrels.

To be clear, I like to hunt other species as well, but squirrels are my favorite. I do a little deer hunting, dove hunting, quail hunting (from time to time), and the occasional coyote hunting.

However, if you give me a choice, my favorite game to hunt is squirrels, and here are my reasons why:

It Requires Very Little Equipment or Planning

Unlike some other forms of hunting, squirrel hunting doesn’t require any specialized gear (other than a firearm and ammo) or advanced planning.

When you head into the woods to chase squirrels, a hunter doesn’t have to worry about scent control, wind direction, or tree stand placement. It isn’t necessary to carry a climbing stand in for a squirrel hunt.

It’s just a simpler type of hunting that only requires a place to hunt, an appropriate firearm (rimfire rifle or shotgun), and some ammunition.

I’m a fan of the simplicity.

It Can Be As Challenging or Simple as Desired

I genuinely think that most hunters view squirrels as being a simple or easy species to hunt. And, to a certain degree, they aren’t wrong.

You, as the hunter, can make chasing squirrels as simplistic or as challenging as you desire. If you’re interested in an easy way to introduce a small child to hunting, take them squirrel hunting with a small gauge shotgun (for reduced recoil).

If you want to make it challenging, restrict your shooting to head shots only with a rimfire rifle. Or, if you genuinely want to test your skills, try your hand squirrel hunting with open sights on a single-shot rifle or using a black powder squirrel rifle.

You squirrel hunters who only hunt with open sights on a rimfire rifle have my utmost respect, as that’s some difficult hunting in my book.

Personally, I try for headshots only to preserve the meat, so I find it very challenging to hit a target the size of a plum at distances up to 75 yards or more.

My point is: you can make it far more challenging than the commonly believed perceptions.

I’ll share a quick story that helps illustrate my point, and I’m leaving names out for privacy reasons:

I have a relative who is an avid hunter and about the same age as me. We sort of grew up together, and I know him to be a reasonably successful hunter who primarily hunts deer and turkey.

For several years, he gave me friendly grief about my love of squirrel hunting, with jokes about it being for kids and not “real” hunting, etc. It was all in jest, but it got old over time.

After I’d had enough, I decided to “jokingly” suggest (almost challenge), in front of our family, that we go squirrel hunting after the following Christmas get-together. He accepted, and we planned a little competition hunt right after Christmas.

The conditions were as follows:

• Rimfire rifles only (no shotguns)
• Most squirrels harvested up to the North Carolina legal limit of 8 daily would win.
• In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker would be the overall combined weight of all the squirrels harvested, with the heavier weight winning.

My relative lived out in the country on a nice piece of land with 60 acres so that we could hunt there. That would give him a home-field advantage, as I had not previously hunted his land.

Long story short, I walked out of his woods with seven squirrels (one shy of a limit) with a respectable 7 for 8 shooting. He walked out of the woods with three that were riddled with holes and no idea how many shots he fired.

Of course, he made all kinds of excuses as to how I won, so I offered a rematch, but he’s yet to take me up on it.

Although he will likely never admit it was more challenging than he believed, the squirrel hunting jokes stopped.

Squirrels are Plentiful

There are never any guarantees when hunting, but, for the most part, I find squirrels to be a plentiful species and rarely finish a hunt without seeing at least one.

Being a plentiful species offers hunters the following advantages:

• The chances of at least seeing a squirrel are high.
• The chances of getting a shot at a squirrel are also good.

In comparison, I’ve gone an entire hunting season without seeing a buck worth taking or even taking a shot. However, to be fair, deer are much more difficult to hunt.

To be clear, I’m not saying you’ll always see squirrels when hunting, but the odds are higher than other game species.

It Doesn’t Require Special Land or a Large Tract of Land

Most squirrel species are relatively adaptable and can be found in diverse ecosystems. About the only requirement for a tract of land to hold squirrels will be the presence of trees. Hardwoods are best but not absolutely required.

In addition, squirrels do not require a large piece of land to survive or thrive. One of the spots I get to hunt is just under 10 acres, and it’s typically loaded with squirrels.

There’s Very Little Hunting Competition

Unfortunately, I believe squirrel hunting is declining as fewer youth hunters are being introduced to squirrels as a first-hunt species. Most youth are skipping squirrels as a species and moving right into whitetails or turkeys.

Since squirrel hunting isn’t that popular compared to other species like whitetails or turkeys, I find very little hunting competition when chasing squirrels.

When I first got back into squirrel hunting, I used to hunt public lands quite a bit. When I was hunting public lands (called Game Land here in NC), I can count on one hand the number of times I ran into other squirrel hunters in the woods.

I can’t say that about the number of other deer hunters I encountered during deer season on public land. This is one of the reasons that I no longer squirrel hunt on public land until deer season is over.

The lack of hunting competition also seems to make a difference when asking landowners permission to hunt squirrels. I’ve been far more successful getting permission to hunt squirrels on private land compared to permission to hunt deer.

It Can be Done Solo or in Small Groups

Hunting some game species is best done solo, but squirrels can be hunted alone or in small groups. I typically go out with 1 or 2 of my closest hunting buddies (who are fellow squirrel hunters), and we either hunt in a group of three or split up and hunt solo.

Some types of squirrel hunting actually seem to work best when hunting in groups. For example, hunting over a squirrel dog seems most productive when hunting in a group, as multiple sets of eyes help find the treed squirrel and then help ensure that it is successfully harvested.

Final Thoughts

Those are just a few of the primary reasons that I enjoy hunting squirrels. You may or may not agree, or, you may have a completely different set of reasons for chasing squirrels. Either way, chase those busytails and enjoy the experience!