Squirrel Hunting Tricks Your Grandpa Knew

There's a good chance the first animal you ever hunted wasn't a trophy whitetail or a bugling bull elk. For a whole lot of us, it was a gray squirrel — spotted from the edge of a hardwood thicket on a cool October morning, the kind of morning where the frost sits on the leaves and the whole world smells like woodsmoke and possibility. Squirrel hunting used to be the backbone of the American hunting tradition, and for good reason. It's honest, it's simple, and it'll teach you more about the woods in one morning than a dozen deer stands ever will.

Squirrel hunting is an old skill that's fast becoming a thing of the past, largely because deer, boar, and other big game have stolen the spotlight — and many hunters these days won't even consider going after these animals. That's a real shame. Because the truth is, squirrels are one of the most demanding and rewarding quarry in the American woods. They've got sharp eyes, sharp ears, and the uncanny ability to make a fool out of a hunter who thinks he knows what he's doing. The old-timers knew how to handle them. And the methods they used? Most of them still work just as good today as they did sixty years ago.

I remember my uncle walking me into a stand of old white oaks when I was about twelve years old, putting his hand on my shoulder, and whispering one word: listen. That was the whole lesson. He didn't hand me a gadget or pull out an app. He just made me stand still in those woods until I could hear what was going on around me — the rain-like patter of nut fragments hitting dry leaves, the flick and chatter from somewhere up in the canopy. By the time the sun was fully up, I had connected with my first squirrel. Everything I know about being in the woods traces back to that morning.

Here's a breakdown of the old-school tricks that have been handed down from generation to generation — the ones that still flat-out work.

1. Slow Down. Seriously, Slow All The Way Down.

If there's one mistake that separates an empty game bag from a full one, it's moving too fast. Still-hunting can be a great way to beat the boredom of a long sit, but it can also be a great way to spook every animal in the woods. Most of us hunt too fast — we walk, stop for a few minutes, and then walk some more. Many hunters treat it like they're on a Sunday stroll.

That's not how the old-timers did it, and it's not how you're going to fill a skillet either. Instead, take a few slow, methodical steps, lean against a tree, and stand still for ten minutes. Study the trees above you. Scan the ground ahead. Ten minutes isn't long enough to settle the closest squirrels, but the ones off in the distance will go back to shuffling through the leaves, giving away their location.

An effective still-hunter spends far more time glassing and listening than moving. Think about that. You're not covering ground — you're covering your eyes and ears like a radar dish. The woods will do the talking if you give them half a chance.

For consistent results, nothing beats careful, quiet, almost lazy travel through the forest. Follow rocky ground if you can, because it's almost silent. Dry leaves are the enemy. Rocky creek beds, mossy banks, patches of bare dirt — those are your friends. Plan your routes accordingly and you'll be amazed at how close you can get.

2. Read the Woods Before You Even Load Your Gun

Squirrels aren't random. They have patterns, preferences, and pantries. Knowing where to look before you ever pull the trigger is what separates a guy who limits out from a guy who heads home empty-handed wondering what went wrong.

When you enter the forest for the first time, seek out nut trees, since these are the favorite feeding grounds of squirrels. Oak, hickory, beech, and pecan are your primary targets. Our part of the world is filled with old, abandoned home places — many of which had fruit and nut trees planted long ago when folks still lived in the houses, and after the folks left for good, many of these fruit and nut trees remained alive and still produce food for wildlife. Those old home places can be absolutely loaded with squirrels that almost never see a hunter.

By asking permission from landowners, squirrel hunters can sometimes find very good hunting by working the old trees still growing around those abandoned spots. Old home places with mature mixed-species trees can be incredibly productive, and quite often the squirrels living around these spots have never even seen a human — they can be very approachable. That's the kind of spot you want to tuck away in your back pocket.

Before you sit or start moving, look for signs on the ground. Keep an eye out for scat — small pellet-shaped droppings usually spotted near food areas or trees — chewed nuts, which appear as piles of shell fragments or partly eaten nuts signaling recent squirrel visits, and leaf nests, which are round structures built with leaves and sticks that definitely point to squirrels nearby. If you see all three, you're standing in the right spot. Get comfortable and get patient.

3. Use Your Ears as Much as Your Eyes

One of the things the old-timers had that a lot of modern hunters have traded away is the ability to just listen. Not for a call on their phone or a notification buzzing in their pocket — for the woods. Check for signs of activity like empty nutshells under a tree and listen for movement, since squirrels are quite noisy animals, especially when they chase one another. Their chewing on the hard shell of nuts is quite a distinctive sound, and their running on the leaf-covered forest floor is often mistaken for the noise a deer makes by some inexperienced hunters.

Early one morning, it can sound like rain dripping off the leaves still hanging from the branches above — but on a clear, still morning without a cloud in the sky, that drip-drip-dropping sound increasing from another location in a big old pecan tree spreading overhead is something else entirely. Yet another limb provides that quiet but definite sound of something falling from above to the leaf litter below. That sound is money. Once you know what it is, you'll never mistake it again.

Squirrels have excellent eyesight and hearing, and they're social animals that frequently communicate, signaling danger long before you spot them. Turn that weakness into your advantage. Use their own chatter to pin down their location before you make a single move.

4. The Quarter Call — Two Coins, Zero Dollars

You want a squirrel call that costs practically nothing and works surprisingly well? Reach into your pocket right now. The two-quarter call really gets a response without just spooking the squirrel into moving. When you rub the two edges of a quarter together, the ridges make a sound like a chattering squirrel — and this oftentimes will actually make a squirrel leave his digging, where it's difficult to locate, and scurry up a tree and onto a good perch to join in on the chattering.

Some hunters use two quarters as a homemade call, rubbing the edges together to imitate the quiet sounds of squirrels chattering as they feed. It's one of those tricks that sounds almost too simple to work — until it does. The first time a squirrel barks back at your pocket change from up in the canopy, you'll be grinning like a kid again.

Squirrel calls can work but should be used sparingly. Bark calls mimic territorial chatter, and distress calls can bring curious squirrels back into view — great for locating squirrels in pressured areas. Don't overdo it, though. A few rubs on those quarters, then go quiet and let the squirrels talk back. Patience is your best calling device.

5. The Cord Trick — An Old-Timer's Secret Weapon

Here's one that sounds like something out of a folk tale, but it is 100% real and it absolutely works. Every seasoned squirrel hunter has been there — you've got a squirrel treed, you can hear him, you know he's up there, but no matter which way you walk around that tree, he keeps the trunk between you and him. It's an old trick for a squirrel to stay on the opposite side of a tree from the hunter. Those little bushy-tailed devils are smarter than people give them credit for.

The cord trick solves this problem clean. One hunter solved that problem by carrying a 60-foot length of stout cord in his pocket. He would tie the cord to a bush or small tree, then walk to the opposite side of the tree the squirrel was in. The squirrel would run around the tree as he walked past. He would wait a full minute, then yank on the cord to shake the tree it was tied to — and Mr. Bushytail would run around the tree again, giving him an easy shot.

It's old, it's simple, and it costs nothing. Stick a length of paracord or twine in your vest pocket before you head out this fall. You'll thank yourself when that first stubborn squirrel circles around for the last time.

6. Dig a Hole — And Then Wait

This one might raise an eyebrow, but hear it out. It's easy enough — you go into an area where you know there are squirrels, maybe they all fled up trees when you entered the woods or you just know the area is loaded. Walk into the middle of the hickory stand or wherever these squirrels live and dig a hole, leaving the fresh dirt exposed. The squirrels are in the trees watching you when you dig the hole and become curious.

Now back off, find a good position, and let nature do its thing. A squirrel's curiosity is one of its biggest vunerabilities (and honestly, the thing that makes hunting them so much fun). The trick is to use the squirrels' curious nature against them. They can't help themselves. Something new and strange in their territory is going to get investigated. That freshly turned earth looks like another squirrel caching food — and they want in on it. Give it fifteen or twenty minutes and you'll likely see movement coming down from the trees.

7. Know Your Gun for the Conditions

The old-timers weren't running around with high-tech gear, but they were smart about matching their tools to the day's conditions — and you should be too.

A trusty .22 rifle topped with a 4X scope is ideal for hunting squirrels, but a shotgun is a close second choice if the leaves are still on the trees. A moving target with a rifle, especially when trees are full of leaves, is difficult at best. Early season, when the canopy is thick and green and squirrels are darting around like crazy, a shotgun is your friend. After the leaves fall, bushytails are much more vulnerable — and that's when a scoped .22 really starts to shine, letting you pick your shot cleanly and preserve the meat.

Small-gauge shotguns or small-caliber rifles are excellent choices for putting squirrels on the ground, but because squirrels are small, it doesn't take much to ruin most of the meat — even a small bullet or shot pattern can significantly damage a squirrel's hide. Head shots with a .22 are the cleanest harvest you can get. Practiced trigger discipline and marksmanship matter here more than with almost any other game.

8. Timing Your Hunt the Right Way

Forget burning the whole day in the woods right off the bat. Good squirrel hunters know when to be there. The best time to hunt squirrels is early in the morning when the sun is just starting to rise — that's when squirrels are hungry and most active. Late afternoon can also be productive as they return to the ground to gather food before dark. The midday lull is real. Use it to eat your sandwich, scout new ground on foot, or just sit quietly by a promising tree and enjoy being in the woods.

If squirrels are abundant, your best bet is to sit down, wait, and then wait some more. Squirrel hunting rewards the patient man in a way that very few outdoor pursuits do. There's no rush here. You're not chasing a rut or a migration window. You're just quietly outsmarting one of nature's craftiest little creatures, and on a good morning in a good stand of hardwoods, there is genuinely nowhere else you'd rather be.

9. Two Hunters Are Better Than One

The old-timers rarely went alone, and it wasn't just for company — though that was part of it. Squirrel hunting as a pair offers distinct advantages over solo hunting. It's a great way to introduce the sport to newcomers, and it can be a useful way to have more squirrels expose themselves to the hunters, increasing the shots presented and the possibility of squirrels harvested.

The concept is simple: one hunter temporarily becomes the eyes while the other hunter becomes the feet and the squirrel distraction. One guy moves slowly through the timber while the other holds position and watches the trees ahead. The moving hunter pushes squirrels into view for the stationary one. Then you switch. It's a time-tested team approach that works especially well on pressured public land where solo hunting can feel like an uphill battle.

The Bottom Line

Squirrel hunting is one of the best ways to build foundational hunting skills — stealth, marksmanship, and awareness of the woods. None of the tricks in this article require a single piece of expensive gear or the latest technology. A good rifle or shotgun, a piece of cord, two quarters, and a willingness to slow down and pay attention — that's really all you need.

Learn old-school squirrel hunting tactics: move slowly, listen closely, pick nut-rich woods, and use simple tricks. The woods haven't changed. The squirrels haven't changed. And the methods that worked for the hunters who came before us? They still work just fine. All you have to do is get out there and use them.

So dig that old .22 out of the safe, toss a roll of twine in your vest pocket, and head for the nearest stand of hardwood timber this fall. The bushytails are out there waiting — and they've been waiting long enough.