Grey squirrel question

L

Loop Wing

New member
I took my nephew squirrel hunting this weekend where I deer hunt. On any typical day deer hunting i easily see 15-20 different squirrels. Saturday we saw none. I was dumbfounded. I know that during deer season I am alot quiter than a 9 to boy, but he actually was able to be quite for 30-40 minutes at a time. Long enough for at least one tree rat to show himself. Where have they all gone?????
 
They move a lot less this time of year.
I think they spend their time in a warm den conserving fat and energy.
 
Cold, wet weather seems to make them "hole up". If it's really cold and it's dry they seem come out a little later in the morning and go to bed a bit sooner in the evening.
 
I have the same problem... I think squirrels are actually a lot smarter than what we think they are they see that big .30-06 or .270 and they know, "awwwww [beeep] he ain't gonna try and get us with that thing boys lets go grab some grub" but they see those two little bitty numbers .22 on your gun and they say "Oh **** boys go home! Go home nowww!". Now for seriousness this is not the case, previous commenters are correct in my personal opinion they really seem to be cold natured, towards the end of the year and begining of the new year they seem to really stay inside a lot until mid day when it is warmest and even then on some days they just arn't moving, I know a month before deer season here I could go out and kill 10+ squirrels in an hour or two but in the past week I havn't even seen any so I don't even go out, I'd rather stay warm than waste my time.
 
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There is always the weather concern, deep cold and wind cause them to hole up longer and expose theirselves less. At this point squirrels have been hunted by humans and heavily preyed upon by both owls and hawks, but also fox, bobcat and coyote. Right now coyote scat in my neck of the woods either has deer hair in it or itty bitty squirrel claws and bones. I roam big timber blocks, not great rabbit country, but we have plenty of squirrels and predator scat will be full of squirrel claws. Squirrels also migrate when the food runs out and if you had a spotty mast crop squirrels might be shifting to someplace where they can make a living until spring growth blooms. Any of that can explain seeing fewer squirrels at this time of the year.
 

Good information GC. I never considered that coyotes would get that many squirrels.

As GC mentioned, squirrels do migrate and can totally move out of an area rather quickly. I have noticed all my life that there seems to be patterns too of heavy squirrel concentrations one year and then the next year has very little.

My Grandfather told me a story about when he was younger and had walked a long way back here in the mountains, going from one ridge to the next which was several miles away. He had visited friends and was returning home when he lay down in the woods and took a nap. When he woke up there were squirrels everywhere. He shot several with a shotgun, then continued on home. He returned to the same place either that evening or the next morning and there wasn't a squirrel to be found. They had moved on.

I had a similar experience when I was a teenage boy. I hunted early one morning and squirrels were cutting hickories everywhere, with several coming into a particular tree. It was like a highway of squirrels. After the hunt I went home and told my Dad. We returned that evening and they were gone that fast, no activity at all.

 
Little late with this but I've found that if it is windy (like GC mentioned)-no matter the temperature your not going to see them. I believe that because their ability to hear predators is impaired by the wind they stay holed up.
 
I have hunted all my life, and live at the edge of the woods where there is a good squirrel population. Other than when it is windy... I have never been able to predict the habits of squirrels. Some days you would think they would be every where, you will not see a one. Other days they are every where. At times you will see them in the morning, gone the rest of the day. Tomorrow might be just in the evening. Just this morning it was drizzling rain and they were out. I have never figured it out, I would like to be educated also.
 
I believe it is mostly difference in what they are feeding on. When hickory nuts are ripe higher on the ridges, you can hardly find a squirrel on the lower areas. Later on, they move back down. They also seem to feed lighter at times, no apparent reason. A woods that seems void of squirrels can be full of them later in the day or the next morning.
 
This year has been my worst for squirrels in a long time. Several factors, less nuts, a couple of eagles and a pair of hawks hunting them and also the first coyote I have ever seen on the property was chasing a squirrel. I love squirrel hunting more than any other.
 
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