Calling Squirrels

After our first trip to the woods this year in search of squirrels, I was frustrated that I couldn't seem to get their attention using the Lohman Bark Squirrel Call I've had since I was a kid. I remember having success with this call on one occasion in the past, but on the whole I've found it more frustrating than useful.

So... like any modern hunter, I turned to YouTube. I decided that I would try to listen to some recordings of real squirrels to see if I could imitate them. I found a squirrel's actual bark alarm call (below) to be impossible to convincingly replicate with the Lohman Bark Squirrel Call.

I had slightly better success shaking the call to create "chatter". Fortunately my search through YouTube also led me to this next video. This video is remarkable because it is the only video I could find on all of YouTube that actually shows a hunter using a squirrel call... with REAL squirrels responding!

The best price I could find online was at wingsupply.com, where I got it shipped to my door within the week for $11.94. The only downside was that the call lacks a lanyard, so I had to add my own.

Sure enough when I took it right away to the nearby woods I had a number of squirrels responding with bark alarms from the treetops. I couldn't get them to come right in to me like he does in the video, so it will probably be easier to nab them when a few more leaves start to fall. Needless to say I am anxious to take it on our next hunting trip!

Squirrel Season Opener!

It may sound crazy, but yes, people actually hunt squirrels--and eat them too. In fact, for most (eastern) hunters, the squirrel woods holds a special place in their treasure trove of childhood memories. It is where most hunters learn the basics of hunting--patience, stealth, patience, patience, and more patience--usually alongside a beloved family member or friend. And no matter how old you are, the squirrel opener always acts as a prelude to the upcoming hunting season, which never seems to come soon enough.

So on Saturday, John and I headed over to one of the local state forests. Neither of us have been there before, so it was a quasi forest exploration trip too, which always makes for good fun. Sadly, we both forgot our camera, so you will have to settle for before and after photos. Luckily, though, we got one squirrel and a whole bunch of mushrooms.

The basic necessities:  Gun of choice, my favorite wool flannel, a pair of jeans, knife,  license, and some blaze orange. 

The Loot:  black trumpets and some boletes. I've never seen so many mushrooms! And that's coming from a guy who has lived in the Pacific Northwest, mushroom capital of the world. For the life of me,  I couldn't convince John that they wouldn't kill him.  The black trumpets were selling for  $6/20 at the farmers market this weekend.

Too many to eat in one sitting. So I dried them--via the inordinate amount of heat that comes from my computer.

Squirrel and trumpets fried to perfection. I cooked the trumpets with a few dashes of olive oil. For the squirrel, I dip it in egg batter and then smother it in corn meal before sending it to the fryer for about 15 minutes.

The finished platter:  squirrel, black trumpets, and some beans from my garden. The best meal I've made for myself in quite some time.

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This is the official blog for the Good Hunting Club at Cornell University. For more information on the club, please see our About and Upcoming Events pages. Check back regularly for updates.