Don’t listen to the crowd: even though it’s getting on in the small game season and the leaves are all down, you can still fill your game bags with rabbits and squirrels if you know what you’re doing.
Despite pressure from whitetail and pheasant hunters, some of the best hunting of the year (for small game, that is) comes in on the tail end of November and December.
But, there are a few minor catches. One, there’s been a lot of pressure, so game is warier. Two, there’s less cover, since the leaves have all fallen. And three, since the leaves have all fallen and dried on the forest floor, moving about with discretion and silence is now much harder.
But nothing worth having comes without trial and travail – follow these tips for mid-late season upland hunting success.
Slow Down
The most important bit of advice you can follow as a small game hunter in the mid-late fall woods is to slow down. Really – slow down as far as seems reasonable, and then put the brakes on that.
When you’re still hunting the woods or fields, it should take you several minutes to move a hundred feet. Lean forward, take a short step, and then look and listen closely.
Move too quickly and you’ll just go right on past squirrels and rabbits that are hunkered down, motionless, hoping their cryptic coloration keeps them invisible to you. If you move too fast, you’re also going to make a lot of noise – which means game is going to bust you.
And nothing sounds the alarm like a grove of barking squirrels.
Look, But Listen More Closely
As a hunter, you need your eyes about you. No one will contest that. But this type of hunting makes listening as important, if not much more important.
Rabbits are silent, so you’ll get no luck there, but squirrels are the loudest critters in the woods, hands down.
Listen for the telltale auditory signature of a squirrel cutting a walnut or beech nut. The undulating, pulsing pattern of squirrels bounding over leaf litter is a dead giveaway. Also, pay close attention to whistles and barks and learn to distinguish the calls of squirrels from those of birds.
More often than not, you will hear them before you see them, which will tell you where you need to go – and again, move slowly.
Wear Appropriate Clothing
This one’s a tip for the rabbit hunters out there. Hunting rabbits will send you deeper into the briars than you’d ever want to go, and then probably send you in a bit further.
If you’re not wearing appropriate clothing, you’re going to get shredded. Make sure, particularly, to wear thick, thorn-proof jackets with long sleeves and long pants with chaps or protective insulation. Gloves are a good idea too.
(For the lady hunters, we recommend DSG Outerwear (DSGOuterwear.com) for women’s hunting jackets and other hunting gear. They sell durable, water-resistant women’s hunting jackets, pants, bibs, base layers, and other hunting apparel and high-quality essentials – not just designed for women, but by women.)
Don’t chance it in the thick stuff – wear the right hunting clothing for the application.
Take Only Appropriate Shots
Though there are some dedicated rimfire bushytail hunters, probably the majority of small game hunters use shotguns because they are more forgiving, especially on moving targets.
We might also assume that an appreciable majority of these hunt with a 12-gauge.
Shots within 20 yards on small game (squirrels and rabbits) even with an improved or modified choke, can substantially damage the meat. (If you’re hunting with a full choke, change it.)
You can’t always help shot placement on bounding rabbits and squirrels, but for stationary targets within 25 yards, place your bead right on the tip of their nose – that will concentrate most of the shot within your pattern far forward and on the vital area of the head – leaving the back and hindquarters, where most of the meat is, relatively intact.
Get Out There!
Armed with these tips, you might be able to add a few ounces to your game bag on every trip out this season. Keep an open mind, take advice from older hunters to heart, be safe, and good luck!
