When winter finally rolls in, I automatically begin pondering squirrel hunting, and there is little doubt in my mind that a highly underutilized outdoor pastime is pursuing wintertime bushytails. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy every opportunity to go squirrel hunting, and I have my favorite spots on both private and public land, not only in my home Thumb area, but also elsewhere in the state.
A beauty about squirrel hunting is that you don’t have to travel far to find ample opportunities anywhere in our great state of Michigan, and with plenty of public land available, it is a very accessible winter pastime which doesn’t cost a fortune to pursue. With the deer seasons being over, a proper and polite approach can often provide access to private property.
I’ve found that cold and blustery days aren’t very conducive to good squirrel hunting, but when the wind calms down a bit and add some sunshine, I’ll often be in the woods seeking bushytails, which are great to eat with a whole bunch of recipes to use (squirrel meat makes just as good a “hasenpfeffer” as rabbit meat – and a variety of hasenpfeffer recipes can be found online, and we have our own family special, a great wintertime flavor).
Being a resident of the hardwoods, squirrels are tree rodents which live primarily on a wide variety of nuts, berries and buds. Squirrels take advantage of food caches (usually a variety of nuts) they’ve made in the woods to see them through the winter. Whenever you find nut-bearing trees, you should be able to locate plenty of squirrels.
With leaves gone and usually snow on the ground, winter squirrel hunting is a much different atmosphere than the early fall season, and has its own share of distinct challenges. While it is easier to see squirrels in the winter landscape, it is also easier by the same token for sharp-eyed squirrels to spot hunter movements. Being prey animals with a wide variety of predators after them, squirrels are quite alert and hunting them during the winter is usually not a slam-dunk affair.
An advantage to winter squirrel hunting, however, is due to the nut caches which are usually located on the ground. A majority of my shots at squirrels during the winter are actually on ground traveling/feeding squirrels. Because of this I more often than not prefer a .22 rifle which allows me a little more reach on wary winter squirrels, and I do appreciate the white, snowy backdrop for this type of shooting. When it comes to shotguns for this atmosphere, I prefer the small bores such as .410 and 28 ga stoked with number 4 lead birdshot. Besides a variety of “twenty-twos” (some scoped, some not), I also use a variety of air rifles and a .32 caliber muzzleloader. (When using a rifle for squirrels, I always try to make sure there is a safe backstop for the shot. A .22 rimfire round, for example, has a range of over a mile, so popping away at a sky-lined squirrel scampering overhead through flimsy branches is very unsafe).
No matter what firearm I use, I prefer to focus on a headshot whenever possible, not only to prevent meat damage (and no, I’ve never had a hankering for squirrel brains – a southern delectable), but also because squirrels are surprisingly tough and resilient despite their small stature. When you dress-out squirrels you have shot and remove the hide, you can readily see their very muscular and lean stature which allows them to scamper through the trees as fast and gracefully as they can do. Skinning squirrels used to be interesting for me, because they certainly don’t “peel” as easily as rabbits do, but I eventually discovered an easier squirrel-skinning method which is cutting a slit in the hide across the back of the hindquarters, including cutting through the tailbone, but leaving it attached to the back-skin, then stepping on the tail, grabbing the hind legs, and pulling upward, with the hide peeling off, neat as you please, and then eviscerate the squirrel afterwards.
One thing to always remember when it comes to skinning out squirrels and rabbits is to never, ever bring them into your house to perform the task. It is amazing how many fleas can suddenly appear when a warm room temperature wakes them up. I do all my squirrel and rabbit skinning and slicing and dicing outdoors. Also, it is wise to wear rubber gloves when skinning because squirrels and rabbits often come into contact with poison ivy which doesn’t bother them a bit, but it can be transferred to you from the fur, even during winter (although poison ivy leaves have died and are long gone during winter, the rest of the plant, including vines, can still pass on their allergic residue). I’ve been there, done that, and now always wear rubber gloves for skinning purposes. Poison ivy and I don’t get along at all!
A squirrel hunting method I’ve grown to really enjoy is using squirrel dogs for locating and treeing squirrels, and it can be an action-packed atmosphere. Using dogs has long been a popular squirrel hunting method in southern states, but it has been growing steadily in Michigan. I own two mountain curs and a redbone coonhound, which are ideal dogs with avid squirrel hunting in mind.
The two squirrel species hunted in Michigan are the fox squirrel (which is the largest specie) and the gray squirrel (which often features a black color-phase that some folks assume is a different specie altogether, but isn’t). Here in the Thumb area, the most predominate specie is the fox squirrel due to our agriculture-rich atmosphere it much prefers (and it loves field corn especially). However, gray squirrels (including the black color-phase) have been making a strong comeback in recent years, and one of my favorite local hunting spots features both species, and I don’t mind the variety at all. Once in the pot, they all taste the same, which is always very flavorful, and ultimately the lean meat is fat-free (although the recipes I prefer sort of knock the heck out of being “fat-free”).
When seeking out good squirrel habitat, being able to recognize den-trees certainly helps. Squirrels have their notable leaf-nests, but I have found they usually prefer dens by exploiting holes in mature hardwoods caused by a branch falling off next to the trunk. They are quite snug for winter in this manner, and I’ve noticed large sugar maples are often a favorite tree. A den tree will feature a somewhat sanded appearance on the bark caused by the continual sharp nails of squirrels leading up to the notable hole in the trunk. Some large, mature trees can certainly feature more than one squirrel-den, and these always get my focus.
Nothing beats a fine day spent in the squirrel woods and trust me, folks, it is truly a great winter pastime.
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.
- Enjoying The Outdoors The Air Rifle Way - February 24, 2025
- The Sweet Bounty of the Woodlands - February 19, 2025
- The unique and amazing black bear - February 6, 2025