Squirrelin'

Well I FINALY made a trip into a part of Penn's woods with the intentions of hunting rather than scouting or taking photos.
And I must admit I found it enjoyable and satisfing.
I got into the woods at 3:30pm and was not sure I had made the right decision. I chose an area that I used to hunt this time of year for archery and squirrel. I had not been back there in about 4 years.
Things have changed.. there is a clearing and a gas well there now, but I always saw game there before and my "spot" was still about a 100 yards from the clearing and gas well.
The wind was blowing and my experiences have proven windy is not the best of conditions for squirrelin' for me.
I had made plans to hunt for 2.5 hours, just as that deadline approached a squirrel appeared and I decided to shoot even though it was only a red squirrel.. a year of not hunting must have made me a little trigger happy. ;)
The single shot 410 that my mother-in law gave me after my father-in-law passed away did the job..  It was the first time I had shot the gun. Now I have to clean it. :crazy:
As I was sitting there I kept wondering why more folks do not just enjoy the time in the woods and put so much pressure on themselves to harvest or even see game. I would have been perfectly satisfied if I did not even see a squirrel.
The peace and quiet and time alone without pressures of work, chores around the house, tv , music, budget worries, etc....  made for a wonderful and relaxing couple of hours.
I guess I'm just happy I grew up in a time that was not so demanding... As I sat there waiting I recalled afternoons with my Dad spent hunting squirrels. This afternoon every now and then his voice entered my head....
"remember son, it's a single shot, make sure of your shot, make it count when you pull the trigger."
" remember...you only get one chance"
"relax, just enjoy the time we are spending in the woods"
and my favorite...
"doesn't this beat cleaning your room"
As I left the woods (as my self imposed time limit expired)
I found myself once again being thankful for my life and the fact I had the opportunity to enjoy some time in Penn's woods......

i love being out this time of the year looking for bushy tails. peace and stillness along with the sounds of the forest is satisfying, no doubt!
took my grandson out last sat. he got 2 with 2 shots with his 22. he ended up going 3 for 4. got to see turkey and he got a kick out of it when i was clucking to them and they were answering. great time to be out enjoying our forests here in P.A. ~dt

Yeah, man it's a shame how things have changed in society.  When I was young, my dad and grandfather went small game hunting every saturday through the season.  4 or 6 saturdays.  And we went out in the morning and didn't return until 5-6 at night.  Now, I cannot imagine people committing that much time.  And it wasn't like we had to clear our calendars to do it either.  We just did.
 
There used to be a crew for deer hunting too.  But that dwindled down to a cameo appearance by my dad and me on the first day.  I still hunt as much as possible and schedule vacations around it, but even my father, who is within a year of retiring has lost interest because there is so much else going on in his life.
 
I really want my son to enjoy it as much as I do, but I dont see how that will happen, what with the hectic lives people lead these days, with a thousand things to do on any given day.  It's odd that time has become the limiting factor in the activities of so many people.  When I was young, I had no skill, no transportation to hunting areas, and no equipment, but time was the ONE thing I had in abundance.
 
What the hell happened to the world?
 
 
Sorry if I drifted slightly off topic.

I think squirrel hunting should be intrduced to young hunters before anything else. It gives them the expirence of shooting and basic skills of the woods. Also get them excited about hunting. When I was younger I looked forward to squirrel hunting with dad more than anything else. He still loves to hunt them and I go with him alot. Just being in the woods is nice. Alot of trades to become a good hunter starts with squirrel hunting.

Got to love squirrel hunting. Saturday was a bit windy and not much action near my camp. Besides the ticks, it was a great day. I just love being out in the woods this time of year. I plan on taking my little one for a walk in the woods with me on saturday. he already has fun treeing squirrels in the woods behind the house.