RAT PATROL

Summertime means lots of things to different people.  But chances are there aren't many outdoor folks that have June 1 on their radar as an important date.  And I'm guessing most people couldn't tell you the significance of the date, either.  That's because it signals the opening date of one of the most overlooked small game species Kansas has to offer.  Squirrel season is open now and there's a good chance you'll have most any public area all to yourself.

I love squirrel hunting.  Or, more accurately, I love calling squirrels.  You can have the "go sit under a tree and wait," as that's not my style and I can't sit still anyway.  Calling squirrels is as exciting, on a relative scale of course, as bugling in a bull elk.  I like to refer to squirrel calling as the "Extreme" sport of the small game hunting world.

Calling squirrels relies on using a distress call.  Tree rats are territorial and overly protective.  Once they think a hawk or owl has one of their own they go absolutely crazy barking and often come running to check out the commotion.  I often joke about having to shoot the very first one I ever called in self-defense, but it wasn't far off.  He was ticked and coming down the tree trunk I was standing against.  Ten feet above my head he met his match.  Bright-eyed and mouth agape I was hooked.

I went out for the first time this season last Tuesday morning and witnessed a gorgeous Kansas sunrise.  I stepped into the woods at 6:05 a.m. and started calling.  At 6:55 a.m. I killed my last in a limit (5) of fox squirrels and was headed back to the truck.  I left several squirrels still barking at the last stop.    

Unusually successful?  Nope.  It often works that way in good habitat.  I don't know that I've ever done anything hunting-wise that worked as well as calling squirrels.  It's a great chance to beat the summer heat, introduce a kid to hunting or just enjoy a nice morning. 

Give it a try....it's a hoot!