Stupid Squirrel

[jmar595]

Quietly, silently, stalking through the woods. Crows, they are so loud. Carefully choose each footstep. What's the rustle behind and to the side of me? Slowly, turn my head to see. Squirrel. Why do they sound so much like a deer?
 Fresh sign all around me, there are definitely deer in these woods. Another light rustle of leaves. I listen intently and then hear that its just a squirrel.
 Now I sit patiently with the sounds of the woods all around listening...squirrel.
 The woods are alive with the sounds of the birds kawing, tweeting, what's that rustling? Could it be? Definitely sounds like a....stupid squirrel.
 Ok, fool me eight times, shame on me. I'm not falling for it again. There's a wood pecker against a tree. A bunch of crows in the distance carrying on. I see a hawk soaring overhead, rustling ahead of me. Maybe its a deer coming through this beautiful spot with tons of acorn for them all. I watch eagerly waiting for the deer to make its entrance. Then I see it, the flashing of the furry little tail that has done it again. Stupid squirrel!
 Rustling behind me to the left, not again squirrels, not again. The rustling continues and I wait for the stupid squirrel to stop or move on but it only continues. Maybe I should just see if he may be close enough to take care of this issue for once. I turn slowly to see the stupid......DEER!

 This is how I want my next trip to go.

[Sam McMichael]

Yeah, squirrels can be a bother. When introducing my son to hunting I used to tell him that if it sounds like a 200 pound animal it is probably a 2 pound squirrel, but if the light rustle sounds like it comes from a 2 pound animal, pay attention, it might be that 200 pound deer.

Last weekend, I finally heard something in the woods walking more noisily than I do. At first I thought this was an especially annoying sqirrell, but it was an aramdillo. It was very loud and very slow. It put the squirrels in the shade as far as creating a disturbance. Oddly, I saw the deer, but I did not hear it until it started blowing at me.

[Blackhawk]

I love squirrels...when cooked to perfection.

However, they can provide entertainment on one of those slow days in a stand.

[iohkus]

Doesn't always work but, if you "study" the rhythm of the footfalls a deer (unless idly browsing) will have a steadily moving pattern, where as a squirrel's will be intermittent.

[Krex1010]

Generally speaking, squirrels and deer sound very different coming through the woods.....when I hear a soft sound that seems close enough that i should have heard the soundmaker earlier, followed by long pauses between each small cluster of noise, that gets me thinking deer......squirrels on the other hand sound like a sharply hit groundball coming through the woods, then a pause and rustling, then another groundball as they move location......exceptions to every rule but that my general experience.

[centaur]

If it wasn't for pine squirrels, I wouldn't have had much to watch this past elk season. Noisy little rascals provide some entertainment when hunting is slow.

[Leinsg91]

Almost exactly what happened to me last week. Sitting in the stand all night not seeing much but a little piney going crazy all over the place, fooled me a couple times. Then from behind I hear the lightest twig break, swing around and an old doe that I've been after is 15 yards behind. Of course she makes her own path directly in line with my tree and walks within a yard of the stand with absolutely no shot.

But one of the loudest animals I've heard in the woods was actually a cat, suppose to be all stealthy and quiet. This one was not. Sounded like a buffalo coming through the corn field    

Love your posts, keep em coming

[Bvas]

Squirrels can be super annoying...... Until that sit on stand where the woods seem to be completely void of life. Then I sit thinking...... Man, I wish squirrel would come by so I have something to watch.

And ya ever notice, squirrels are everywhere when you are waiting on deer. But when you are ready to head home and think, now is a good time to shoot a squirrel, there are none to be found.

[jmar595]

That is true. I did have a really good shot at one when I was out there making this story up, but I passed on him in hopes I would get a shot on a deer. I had the bow drawn and all.

[Stump73]

I really enjoyed reading your story.

[Bvas]

Stupid squirrel!
 
What was he thinking hangin on the side of that tree right in front of me while walking into my tree stand.

[Gordon Jabben]

Good story.  I'm getting so deaf, I can hardly hear the squirrels.  Maybe it's a blessing.