I’d be willing to bet that most of us with a few gray hairs started out hunting by sitting in an oak flat with a .410 or 20 gauge waiting for those gray or fox squirrels to make an appearance. Squirrel hunting is a rich tradition in Louisiana.
Proof? Evangeline Parish doesn’t have class on the first Friday in October. Unofficially known as “Squirrel Day,” the school board long ago decided it was pointless to have class since most of the students and quite a few teachers were headed to the camps and woods for the squirrel season opener the next morning. And that’s a good thing.
With the rise in popularity of deer hunting, some younger hunters may have missed out on how much fun squirrel hunting can be and how good squirrel sauce piquante or squirrel and dumplings taste. The season runs from that first Saturday in October to the end of February. It used to end the same time as deer season, but the LDWF changed it to give squirrel hunters more days in the field.
February is a great time to chase bushytails. Leaves and mast such as acorns, hickory nuts and pecans have fallen, so the squirrels are on the ground feeding and are easier to spot. This is when squirrel dogs get their chance, if they haven’t already.
Card game dog
Cody Laws of New Roads got his first dog in 2001 at a card game at my grandfather’s house of all places. It would’ve made a better story if he won it in a hand of poker, but one of the players had a dog he wanted to sell. Laws bought it and has had dogs ever since. He currently has three and hunts all season, but confirmed February as the best time.
“Most dogs around here are feist or curs.” Laws noted.
There are both Mountain feists and Mountain curs. Other feists are Mullens and American Treeing feists. Other popular cur breeds are Blackmouth, Kemmer and Stephens curs.
“I have Mountain curs but have either owned or hunted with probably all the different breeds,” Laws said.
As for size, feists are generally smaller and weigh anywhere from 12-30 pounds depending on the breed and bloodline. Curs are bigger and weigh anywhere from 40-60 pounds. It all comes down to personal preference in determining which breed is the right fit for the owner.
According to Laws, the training starts with a squirrel tail to get the pup accustomed to the scent and learn its quarry. It progresses to dragging a hide on the ground to a tree, so the pup learns where squirrels head for when pursued. Some trainers will use caged squirrels or “runs” where the dog learns to use its eyes as well as its nose.
The most important factor is that the dog barks or howls when the squirrel is treed so the hunters can locate them both. Hunters must get to the tree quickly before the squirrel “timbers” or moves to another tree. Really good dogs will follow the squirrel if it does. Once the basics are established, simply hunt the dog to finish it. It takes practice. According to Laws, the dogs really hit their stride at 5-7 years.
They’ve hunted enough to know the drill and have the physical ability to hunt hard day in and day out.
Laws hunts dogs by themselves or sometimes with other dogs that have hunted together. They can get competitive, and you want them to hunt independently so while one dog has treed, you want the other dog or dogs after another, he said.
Equipment
As for equipment, GPS collars with “track and train” capabilities are the norm. This gives the option to send a tone or nick to recall a dog to keep it away from a certain area or hazards such as roads. Other items would be dog boxes, leashes and whistles.
A great thing about hunting squirrels with dogs is the group aspect. Laws typically calls the shots for safety concerns and may shake vines to get a squirrel to move if hidden. Hunting with 20 or 12-gauge full chokes with #6s are the norm. He does like one hunter to have a scoped .22 should one climb to the top of a taller tree and out of shotgun range. Sometimes the squirrel will “den” inside a hole and the hunters will just have to move on.
Laws has friends from all over Louisiana and Mississippi who’ve asked him to hunt with them on their property. It’s a great time with a fun group and fast paced for the kids.
There are several Facebook groups that put hunters and landowners in touch as well as helping new folks get started.
I’ll be out there with Laws to get in on the action very soon. Give it a shot!