# best time of day for squirrels?



## johnkorn670 (Nov 25, 2007)

I go squirrel hunting alot and im always wondering am i to early for them? any tips on what time i should go hunting during the day


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Go whenever you have the time to be out.

Most of my experience has been with fox squirrels, and I always tried to do most of my hunting in the mornings and evenings.

Usually I tried to be in the woods by sunrise, though I didn't really expect to see anything until a little later, as the sun got up and began to warm things up. Of course, I always hunted the east side of the woods in the morning early, as this is the side that will warm up the quickest and see the first squirrel activity of the day. Besides that, I always hunted with a scoped .22 and tried to have the sun behind me or quartering me. It gave me a clearer picture in my scope, as opposed to looking at a black silhouette of a squirrel with the sun behind him. Probably shouldn't matter, but I always felt more confident if I had a clear picture of the bushy in my scope. Of course, clear, calm mornings with a hint of frost are probably the best.

Much of the same applies to evening hunting as well. But don't overlook going in the middle of the day. When it's warmed up and they have fed, you'll often run a cross them lying out on larger limbs, having a little snooze. They like to lie out like this at times when a gentle rain is falling on the woods too.

If it's calm in the woods, use your ears as much as your eyes to locate squirrels. They are noisy animals who chatter or "bark" at the drop of a hat. They also make a lot of noise when they are working in the treetops, getting a nutty breakfast or cutting limbs for a leaf nest. If it's dry and they are coming to ground, they make a lot of noise as the scamper through the dry leaves of late fall. In late fall, it's not uncommon to see three or four squirrels chasing each other through the woods or up and down the side of a tree. The grating of tiny claws scraping on rough bark is easily audible.

If your season runs into the latter stages of the year, when it's cold, plan on spending a lot of time in the woods without seeing a thing and then seeing squirrels all over the place for a half hour or so before they den up again. I don't know, but it seems that when they come out in the winter, they are all out for a little bit, feeding, and then back into their dens. Of course, they'll all be on the ground or on trees headed either to the ground or back up to a den. That's where the food is later in the season and the best place to be is where there is a lot of nut trees or maybe even along a corn field. They love corn on the cob too. The best time to be there at that time of year is probably around mid morning, when the suns up and the woods has warmed somewhat.

So, as you can see from all of this, there is no right time and wrong time to go. Just go when you can and be still and move quietly. Some times are better than others, but anytime you can be in the woods is a good time.

Hope this helps some,
Good luck,
Dan


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