Squirrel hunting is for all ages

If you enjoy hunting, those cool mornings we've had this week may have stirred your mental juices, anticipating what is just a couple weeks away now – several openers for small game hunting. Whether you hunt for big or small game or both, autumn is a very special time, one that whistles by very quickly, or seems to. But in all truthfulness, we could be hunting upland game right now, since the squirrel season has been open since September 1.

I'm not sure all hunters go through this evolution, but it seems that hunting gray squirrels is a passion when you're young and just starting out. Then, with the passage of years that expose us to a variety of other game species, big and small, we hunt bushytails less and less. I suspect there aren't many older hunters in the September squirrel woods on any given day, unless they're accompanied by a young hunter just starting out. No doubt that squirrels are a great species to introduce new hunters to, but why should the kids have all the fun and reap the good eating?

All hunting endeavors tend to be both enjoyable and yet with a serious overtone. Probably more hunters adopt a serious approach to deer and turkey hunting since they often get but one chance to harvest their game. Grouse hunters also tend to be focused since the moment they drop their guard is when a bird will unexpectedly flush. Rabbit hunters have it a bit easier, but they still can be caught flat-footed when a hidden cottontail suddenly streaks away. But in comparison, squirrel hunting is pretty laid back.

For starters, there's never a shortage of game to hunt. Being rodents, squirrels are very prolific and a mating pair can produce a dozen or more offspring in a single year. They're plentiful, so if you miss or spook one during a hunt, there'll be other opportunities for success soon enough. Hunting them doesn't require any special equipment or clothing – all you need is a section of good squirrel woods, a shotgun or .22 rimfire rifle and a bit of patience. Last but not least, they're good to eat.

Like many avid hunters, I tend to get overly involved in pursuing upland birds (grouse, woodcock, pheasant and turkey), waterfowl and, later on, deer. The reason being that the autumn goes by so quickly - basically, just the months of October and November – and there's so much available during that period, the prime hunting periods are seeming ly over far too quickly. So something as basic as squirrel hunting slips through the cracks. It shouldn't, because it deserves more time and attention than I delegate to doing it each year.