When January and the rest of winter roll around, I automatically start to reflect on winter squirrel hunting, which is an underutilized outdoor hobby. I very much enjoy every opportunity to go squirrel hunting and have my favorite spots on public and private land, not only in my Thumb area, but in other parts of the state, such as the oak-filled hardwood forests on public land in the area. Baldwin’s, One of my favorite places for this pastime.
One beauty of squirrel hunting is that you don’t have to travel far to find ample opportunities anywhere in our great state of Michigan. And with plenty of public land available, it’s a very affordable winter hobby that doesn’t cost a fortune (the basic license covers all small game hunting, which I personally appreciate). Once January rolls around, and with deer season over, a proper and courteous approach can often result in access to private property.
I’ve found that cold windy days aren’t very conducive to a good squirrel hunt, but when the wind calms down a bit and adds a bit of sunshine, I’ll often be out in the woods looking for “bushy tails” which are great to eat with lots of recipes to use. (Squirrel meat is just as good a “hasenpfeffer” as rabbit meat, and a variety of hasenpfeffer recipes can be found online. We have our own family special, a great winter taste.)
Being residents of hardwoods, squirrels are tree rodents that live primarily on a wide variety of nuts, berries, and cocoons. They take advantage of caches of food (usually a variety of nuts) that they have made in the forest for the winter.
Wherever you find trees that produce nuts, you should be able to locate plenty of squirrels.
With no leaves and often snow on the ground, winter squirrel hunting is a very different atmosphere than the early fall season and comes with its own share of distinct challenges. While it is easier to see squirrels in the winter landscape, it is also easier, for the same reason, for sharp-eyed squirrels to detect the movements of hunters. Being prey animals with a wide variety of predators after them, squirrels are quite alert, and hunting them down during the winter is usually no easy matter.
However, one advantage of winter squirrel hunting is due to the caches of nuts that are usually found on the ground. Most of my shots of squirrels during the winter are actually about squirrels traveling on land or feeding. Because of this, I prefer a .22 rifle most of the time, which allows me a bit more range on wary winter squirrels. And I appreciate the white, snowy background for these types of shots.
When it comes to shotguns for this atmosphere, I prefer small gauge ones like the .410 and 28 gauge fed with #4 lead shot (I don’t like my squirrel meat getting splattered with shot). In addition to a variety of “twenty-twos” (some scoped, some not), I also use a variety of air rifles and a .32 caliber muzzleloader. (When using a squirrel rifle, I always try to make sure there’s a safe stop for the shot. A .22 rimfire round, for example, has a range of over a mile, so shooting a scurrying squirrel in the sky overhead through flimsy branches is very unsafe).
Regardless of what firearm I use, I prefer to focus on a headshot whenever possible, not only to avoid damaging the meat (and no, I’ve never had a craving for squirrel brains, a southern delicacy), but also because squirrels are surprisingly strong and resilient despite their small stature. When you dress up the squirrels you’ve shot and remove their skin, you can easily see their very muscular and lean stature which allows them to scamper through the trees as quickly and gracefully as they do.
Skinning squirrels used to be interesting (and requires patience) to me, because they certainly don’t “skin” as easily as rabbits, but eventually I discovered an easier method of skinning squirrels that involves cutting a slit in the skin along the top of the skin. back of the hindquarters, including cutting through the coccyx, but leaving it attached to the skin of the back. Then you step on the tail, grab the hind legs and pull up, skin peeled off, clean however you like, and then you disembowel the squirrel.
One thing you should always remember when it comes to skinning squirrels (and rabbits, too) is to never bring them into your home for the task. It’s amazing how many fleas can suddenly appear when a warm room temperature wakes them up. I do all my squirrels (and rabbits) by skinning and slicing and dicing outdoors.
Also, it’s wise to wear rubber gloves when skinning because squirrels (and rabbits) often come into contact with poison ivy, which doesn’t bother them at all, but can be spread through their fur, even during winter. (Although the poison ivy leaves have died and gone for the winter, the rest of the plant, including the vines, can still pass on its allergenic residue.) I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and now I always wear rubber skinning gloves.
One method of squirrel hunting that I really enjoy is using squirrel dogs to locate and tree squirrels, and it can be an action-packed atmosphere. The use of dogs has long been a popular method of hunting squirrels in the southern states, but has recently been growing steadily in Michigan. I have a Mountain Cur and a Black Mouth Cur, which are ideal dog breeds for hunting squirrels.
The two species of squirrels hunted in Michigan are the fox squirrel (which is the larger species) and the gray squirrel (which often has a black phase that some people assume is a completely different species, but it isn’t) . Here in the Thumb area, the most predominant species is the fox squirrel due to our agriculturally rich environment that it prefers, especially field corn.
However, gray squirrels (including the black phase) have made a strong comeback in recent years, and one of my favorite local hunting spots features both species, and I don’t mind the variety at all. Once in the pot, they all taste the same, which is always very tasty, and lean meat ultimately has no fat (although the recipes I prefer are somewhat “fat free”).
I fully appreciate the fact that Michigan squirrel season runs from September 15 to March 31, allowing for ample hunting opportunities. However, a House bill was introduced last fall that I do not appreciate or support in the slightest. HB 5390 wants the squirrel hunting season (for both foxes and gray squirrels) to be open year-round in Michigan. Last I heard, HB 5390 had been sent to committee for review, and I sincerely hope it “dies on the vine.”
When looking for good habitat for squirrels, being able to recognize den trees certainly helps. Squirrels have their remarkable leaf nests, but I have found that they usually prefer dens by exploiting holes in mature hardwood caused by a falling branch next to the trunk. They are quite comfortable for the winter this way (they use their long tails as blankets to cover themselves when they lie down), and I have noticed that the large sugar maples are often a favorite tree.
A burrowing tree will have a somewhat sanded appearance to the bark (caused by sharp squirrel nails snagging) leading to the noticeable hole in the trunk (a literal squirrel trail, if you will). Some large, mature trees can certainly feature more than one squirrel den, and these always bring me focus.
There is nothing better than a good day in the squirrel forest and as I mentioned before there are great opportunities available on public lands all over our great state and that works for me to shorten the long winter months. If you ever try squirrel meat in a “hasenpfeffer” recipe, you’ll probably be doing more winter squirrel hunting soon.
Trust me, friends. It is really a great winter pastime.
Email freelance outdoor writer Tom Lounsbury at [email protected]