I heard Austin say, “I see him.” Marcus told Austin to go ahead if he had a clear shot. Zip was close by, keeping an eye on the elusive squirrel. In fact, Jess was trying to keep up with them! As I reached the oak tree, Daisy was barking and leaning against the tree. I looked back, hoping that Danielle and Robert would be able to keep up, and to my surprise they were right behind me. I picked up the pace, not wanting the squirrel to get away, or timber out. “Let’s go! They’re on the wood,” Marcus called to the group.Īfter a couple of steps, Marcus turned and said, “That means they have a squirrel treed.” She circled the tree once and put her front feet on the trunk and began to bark, much the same way a baying coonhound does with a treed raccoon. She ran toward a big oak tree on the edge of a ravine, staring at the treetops. Suddenly Daisy got very excited and began yipping. Not seeing any, they moved on, putting their noses to the ground in hopes of picking up the scent of a squirrel, all the while keeping eyes and ears focused on the treetops. Once there, they searched the treetops to detect the slightest bit of movement. “It may be a squirrel timbering out.” Marcus went on to explain that “timbering out” is when a squirrel hops from treetop to treetop in an attempt to elude detection or escape after being treed. “What are they listening for?” I asked Marcus. We hadn’t yet reached the woods when suddenly both dogs stopped and cocked their ears toward the trees and looked back as if to say, “You guys hear that?” Timbering OutĪs we walked down the wooded fence line leading to the woods, Marcus and Austin kept close eye on Daisy and Zip’s every movement. Once the dogs were sufficiently reacquainted, they were ready for the hunt. It was obvious to me that the trips back to the family farm for Marcus and Jess were as much about instilling a love of the outdoors and conservation in their children as it was about hunting squirrels on the home place. Marcus also said he sees this tradition starting to gain in popularity as more folks are finding out how enjoyable it is.Īs Daisy and Zip were getting reacquainted, Marcus and Jess got their kids ready for the hunt. As time went on and these small farms disappeared from the landscape, the squirreldog hunting tradition began to decline. Not only were they used to hunt squirrels to supply the family with meat, they were good at protecting the hen house. He said that back when the countryside was dotted with small subsistence family farms, most farmsteads likely had a dog from one of the common squirrel dog breeds. Until today, Tom and Austin were the only two hunters I knew who hunted squirrels using dogs, so I asked Marcus about the popularity of this tradition. The kids, 5-year-old Danielle and 3-year old Robert, were a little too young to carry a gun while walking the woods, but they were just as excited as the adults to be going squirrel hunting. Marcus, an avid squirrel hunter, had learned to hunt on this farm and had harvested his first squirrel in the very woods we were about to hunt. Marcus, his wife, Jess, their two kids - and Zip’s mom, Daisy - had made the trek out from New Jersey, something they do twice a year to visit family and friends. Tom and his 14-year-old grandson, Austin, brought along Zip, a 2-year-old mountain feist, when we drove out to meet Tom’s friends on their family farm in north Missouri. So when Tom, a friend and quail-hunting buddy of mine, called and asked if I wanted to try my hand at squirrel hunting with dogs, I jumped at the opportunity. It had been a few years since I last chased any bushytails around the woods. When the spot-and-stalk tactic didn’t work, I would find a big tree to sit against and do my best to imitate the sound of a squirrel eating a hickory nut, hoping to encourage any nearby squirrels to investigate and give up their cover. They generally involved donning camo, quietly walking the woods near my house, and searching for an unwary squirrel given away by a subtle flicker of fur among the treetops. My squirrel hunting excursions were more limited. When I was growing up, my small-game hunting experiences mainly consisted of chasing rabbits and quail with dogs.
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