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Squirrel Doggin' 20-21

We sure had a heckuva good season this year. had numerous really big days and not very many duds. the last two weeks were the slowest of the entire season, but some of that is due to the weather. I counted a total of 145 tails this morning. 128 Fox, 16 Grey (two of them black) and one Red squirrel. one of our best seasons ever, and I enjoyed sharing it again.

145.jpg


the end(s). :D
 
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Reactions: Wildlife, brock ratcliff, finelyshedded and 16 others
Great season, definitely enjoyed following along. Have debated getting a squirrel dog as a family pet but just wondering what breeds and where to actually get a decent one. Also how much work do they require besides hunting multiple times a season to maintain their skills.
 
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I enjoyed reading along as well as tagging along in the woods. Those dogs and the rats they tree make for great times in the wild!
 
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Hedgelj said:
Great season, definitely enjoyed following along. Have debated getting a squirrel dog as a family pet but just wondering what breeds and where to actually get a decent one. Also how much work do they require besides hunting multiple times a season to maintain their skills.
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most squirrel dogs are some sort of Cur or Feist. I've never owned a Feist, so I can only speak on Mt. Cur, but I've only had two of them, so I'm no expert. These dogs are all pretty high energy and need lots of exercise and attention. If you are not able to run them regularly, are never home, etc., they might not make a good house pet. Mine are wonderful house dogs, but they run almost everyday and are not left alone very often. they are extremely smart and eager to please, so very trainable. getting a good one pretty well requires that you know what you want, how to spot it in pups, that you know people who are turning out well bred dogs and are willing to sell them to you. I'm not really in the "loop" of squirrel dog breeding, so getting another good dog may not be easy.

These dogs have innate treeing instinct. you cannot teach them to do it, per se, but you can certainly coach them along, encourage them, and put them in situations that will foster their instinct. you teach them obedience, but develop their treeing instinct. they are either going to tree squirrels or they are not. my dogs do ok because they are solid tree dogs that I take to the woods constantly. I let them do what they do and try to make them behave. I have the luxury of time to hunt them, and that is about 90% of the game, imo.
 
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That blonde squirrel was pretty cool. I've never seen one. it's great to see people interested in hunting besides the all mighty whitetail, and making wild game a major part of their diet. Fun reading your adventures. Congrats on the season.
 
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@Jamie thank you for sharing this thread with us all, you my friend are a freaking legend!! You have made me want to take my 22 out to hunt squirrels again, sure has been a few to many years. Thank you for letting us ride along!
 
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brock ratcliff said:
Reading through this again is making me want to go chase rats with you and the boys, Jamie. We are going to need to plan an outing around Masons Christmas break. Perhaps we can meet up with him and some of his new buddies over on the Wayne at some point too.
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I'm sure we can make that happen. have those boys find us some nice flat places on the Wayne, ok? :D
 
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