I’ve been doing this long enough to know that when my dogs are not finding any squirrels, they are just not going to be found. Lefty and Slick have proven themselves beyond even my expectations repeatedly. I can only speculate on why, and I have some ideas, but this is shaping up to be one of the poorest squirrel seasons we have ever had since I started.
Squirrel Doggin' 24-25
- Thread starter Jamie
- Start date
You guys must be doing a great job thinning the numbers. Those bow hunting these areas I’m sure will be grateful.
Yeah, and we will ride unicorns to go see these "grateful bowhunters"You guys must be doing a great job thinning the numbers. Those bow hunting these areas I’m sure will be grateful.
Nice day to be out. Slick showed me 6, 5 got to come home with us. Lefty gave some solid moral support and tenderized my dead rats.
First three.
Slick 46
Lefty 6
First three.
Slick 46
Lefty 6
Ole Lefty definitely showing his age….. This is the part of the game I always hated……
cspot
Member
Unfortunately, I can't get out this weekend. Looked a little bit for those vests online but looks like Hurtta may have discontinued them. I like the Riel vest for warm weather, but my feists are so short haired that I wouldn't mine giving them a little help in the warmth Department for colder weather.
Gundogsupply.com sells a really nice vest. I would have bought them if they existed when I got these. Worth a look.
Also, check Ebay. I bought the one Slick is wearing now there.
Also, check Ebay. I bought the one Slick is wearing now there.
27 degrees felt pretty nice today. Slick showed me 5 in a couple of hours of hunting. Two came home with us, one got away on four deflected shots, one got to a hole before I could get the gun off my back, and I walked away from one that would not cooperate. Slim pickings again today, but it was nice to get out if the house for more than two minutes.
Slick 51
Lefty 6
Slick 51
Lefty 6
Even slimmer pickin's today. Lefty stayed home, Slick treed three, a single and a double. I killed the first one he treed, missed the one I shot at on the double swaying pretty good way up in the huge Cottonwood. Both squirrels vanished in a hurry after I shot. Not very many dens today, either. Slick pretty well quit hunting after a couple hours. When this dog stops hunting, there is not squirrel smell at all. Hoping the warmer temps bring them out of their holes next week.
Slick 54
Lefty 6
Slick 54
Lefty 6
cspot
Member
We went for about an 1.5 hrs around lunch time today. Thought the warm weather and sun would have them out. Delta half treed on a den tree, but I think she was just getting some old scent. Nothing else was moving. They were still hunting but I had a few things to do, so I cut the hunt short since the squirrels didn't seem to be moving. Going to hit it in the morning.
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Enjoyed the day with you and the boys, Miller. Thanks for making the trip again.
A great trip as always. The squirrel's mood has not changed much in the last couple of weeks with yesterday being no exception. The dogs showed us only 7 and 6 got shot, one got shot at and missed. I guess we were having too much fun eating summer sausage for a hero pic. 
Dogs are whooped and so is handler. We lay low, stay warm, regroup today. Slick and I go for a short hunt tomorrow, a bigger one on Thursday, wait and see for Friday.
Slick 60
Lefty 7
Dogs are whooped and so is handler. We lay low, stay warm, regroup today. Slick and I go for a short hunt tomorrow, a bigger one on Thursday, wait and see for Friday.
Slick 60
Lefty 7
A short hunt for a few hours this morning. Squirrels still not doing much, and we started pretty early. Slick found three. Two came home with us, one got away on a missed attempt at a shot at 1/2 if squirrels head swaying in the breeze up high in a very large oak. Timbered out straight to a hole. It got really windy after 10 this morning. We go on a bigger hunt tomorrow as it will probably be the last one and the best weather in more than a month. Looking like a washout on Friday.
Slick 63
Lefty 7
Slick 63
Lefty 7
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Yesterday was our last squirrel hunt of the season. Has been a long week for Slick who, for all intents and purposes, is still on the mend from a severely lacerated front foot. Between Monday, Wednesday and yesterday I have walked over 18 hard miles according to my hearing aids, mostly through either crusty snow or slushy snow which means Slick probably went over 50 miles on three hunts on the same crappy ground conditions. Still, he hunted with as much heart and effort as a man could want from any dog. As far as killing squirrels, this was the worst season I have had since Lefty was a pup. We got a late start with Thanksgiving being as late as it could be, we lost considerable time to intolerable weather,10 days over Slicks injury and it would have been more if his recovery had not overlapped the 4 days of ML season. The bitter cold and snow cover for most of January curtailed squirrel activity to a degree that I have not ever seen since I started running dogs after them. I have recounted every hunt this season in this thread, and I just counted a total of 16 squirrel hunts. I'm guessing that is half the number we usually manage to take in the 7 or 8 weeks that we usually have to work with. The weather yesterday was as good as you can as for the end of January. Mostly cloudy, barely any wind and temps reaching 46 by noon. Slick did what Slick does all day and showed us 11 squirrels; one tree was double. The 9 we shot at all got skinned. The other two bailed to the ground before a shot was possible, one provided an exciting ground chase that Slick nearly won, lol. The weather cooperated, squirrels were moving some, the dog did his job, shooters did their job and did it well. Head shots make the skinnin' boy happy. Good things happen when everyone does their job.
First 5.
the rest
Slick 74
Lefty 7
First 5.
the rest
Slick 74
Lefty 7
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Hard to believe season has come to the bitter end already. It’s fun to follow along each year, and more fun to tag along occasionally! You have a pair of fine dogs and they are certainly fun to see in action!