With the 1 Oct deer season approaching fast I knew I had to get out in the woods for a look around. I had the day off and a scout/squirrel hunting trip was the plan for the day. My buddy Caleb and I agreed to meet at my house on Sunday morning to get this trip off to a good start. When he arrived at 05:30 I was waiting and we hooked up my trusty jon boat and took off for a local wma.
Now Caleb is a deadeye when it comes to killing squirrels with his bow but I have not got one yet. From last year's hunting I knew of an island that was plumb full of the little rascals. That would be the place we would try our luck. My thinking was more targets = more chances for my first squirrel. After launching the boat we putted across the water to the island. As the bow of the boat kissed the beach I casually said, “Squirrel” and pointed to a grey not 15 yards away on the side of a tree. Things were looking good. Caleb grabbed his bow and stood up looking for a shot. He reminded me of a birddog on point. Before he could get a shot the squirrel managed to give him the slip.
We quickly tied the boat up and took a few steps when all of a sudden we heard a BOOM! The shot came from less than 100 yards away. We were not the only ones hunting the island and since he got there first we got back in the boat and went to the other end of the island.
We didn't see a squirrel as we tied up the boat. It took a little longer this time. I must have walked 10 steps before spying the first one. Being the ever gracious host I explained to Caleb that I would nonchalantly walk along and try to keep the squirrel's attention on me so he could put the kibosh on him. It didn't turn out that way and we ended up going opposite directions in pursuit of Mr Bushytail.
I may have walked 50 yards and I had already seen about a dozen squirrels but the only ones that provided good shots were behind me. Since I would be shooting behind me and Caleb was back that way somewhere I had to pass on these easy shots. I can’t help but feel that the squirrels knew about this situation and understood they were safe.
I spied a tree with 3 squirrels in it and began my stalk. I got close enough for a shot and waited for an opportunity. While I was waiting I heard an arrow clanging and banging through limbs somewhere behind me. I though Mr Deadeye must have claimed another squirrel. Then I heard another arrow clanging and banging through the limbs again and thought maybe he missed or did he get two squirrels?
Somehow the three squirrels I had snuck up on became invisible so after awhile I decided it was time to move on. I hadn’t gone very far when I noticed more movement in the leaves about twenty feet high and maybe 30 yards away. It was a big pretty fox squirrel. A big fox squirrel is what I really want as a trophy with my longbow. This stalk and shot looked very do-able.
I snuck up slowly and was just about ready for my shot but a twig snapped underfoot. The big red spun around on the limb and was facing me in such a way that his chest was covered by a limb but his throat and chin was exposed. I knew if I could give him an uppercut my quest for a big fox squirrel would finally happen. I drew back and concentrated on his throat. The arrow hit with authority and produced a very loud “Whack”! I had missed his throat by less than an inch and hit the limb. The big red climbed a little higher but I could tell it didn’t really know what had happened. I know I had missed but what a stalk and I got so close. I felt like I had done well regardless of the outcome.
As it got later in the day we started stump shooting as we scouted. We found some pretty good deer sign and got in some practice at the same time. I love stumping but it can be humbling. I was trying to hit the stump over my right shoulder but hit the tree closer to the camera on the first shot. My next shot hit the tree where I'm standing.
Neither of us got a squirrel but what a day we had. I’m really looking forward to 1 Oct.
Topic: Had a great day in the woods (Read 149 times)
