CHENANGO COUNTY – One of the most common stories you hear when you ask someone how they got into hunting, is how they hunted squirrels or rabbits as a kid.
Small game hunting can be a great 'blast from the past' if you haven’t gone in awhile and a great way to introduce new hunters to the sport. There typically are two ways to look at small game hunting, before or after deer season.
Squirrel season is one of the first seasons to open, starting on September 1, each year. This allows you to get out into the woods while the weather is still pretty reasonable. Warm weather lets you take youth hunters who might not want to hunt in the extreme cold of winter. Thinning out the squirrels around your favorite tree stand can be beneficial later during deer season while supplying some meat for delicious stew.
Early squirrel hunting can be a little tricky due to heavy leaf cover on the trees that haven’t even begun to think of falling off. Typically a shotgun loaded with #5 or 6 shot will suffice as it has large enough pellets to penetrate through the leaves with enough kinetic energy to remain lethal. Once the leaves start to fall and the tree tops are more open, a .22 rifle with a scope – or iron sight if your eyes are still good – will allow you to shoot a little farther and more accurately.
A single projectile means you won’t find random pieces of shot in the meat later. When hunting squirrels, pay close attention to your back drop when getting ready to shoot. Especially when a squirrel is up in the crown of a tree.
Once October 1, rolls around, rabbit, ruffed grouse, and pheasant seasons open. Rabbit hunting can be tricky without snow on the ground, unless you have a dog that is trained. Ruffed grouse offer a similar problem but only because their preferred method of escape is to run instead of flying. Ruffed grouse tend to stick around young, conifer-dominated forests. This is why they would rather duck underneath everything rather than try to maneuver through the low tree limbs. A dog that can track them down faster than a person can walk will keep them from running too far before deciding that flying might be a better route. You still need to keep up with the dog the best you can and be ready for a quick, small shot window.
The Department of Environmental Conservation stocks pheasants on public access lands, primarily state-owned property such as State Forests or Wildlife Management Areas. You can typically get a list of what properties are going to have pheasants released right from the NYSDEC website.
Again, a dog is extremely useful to sniff out the birds on the ground. However, a group of hunters spaced apart walking through an overgrown field can kick up any pheasants in the field.
If you aren’t a bow hunter or if the October lull has hit, a trip out carrying your bird gun can be a good switch up. While you certainly can small game hunt during deer season, use extreme caution and wear a lot of hunter orange. Wearing orange while small game hunting is a smart idea no matter what other seasons are open as well.
Being able to wander through the woods without being as careful about your noise and scent as you were during deer season can be relieving. It also is a great way to do a little post-season scouting, especially when there is snow on the ground.
Not only can you see deer tracks so you can try to figure out if you should move a tree stand, but the animals you are hunting are more visible against a white backdrop. A sunny day after a fresh snow storm typically brings rabbits out from their thick hiding places to the outer edges, so they can soak up the sunlight. Sneaking along the south side of a thicket can be rewarding.
On cloudy days you can team up with a couple friends and drive the same thick areas as you would during deer season except you don’t want to have sitters on the far end. Make a line of hunters about 20-30 yards apart, enough so that you can see each other, and walk slowly through the thick cover, making sure to walk right on top of the thickest, nastiest patches to kick out any rabbits that might be hiding.
Usually you won’t see squirrels being too active unless you get a warm weather stretch. Look for them in stands of oak trees that have little or no snow during the warm-up.
With the season coming to an end on Feb. 28, it should be noted that these tips mentioned for small game hunting should be pocketed for future hunting seasons.
As always, know your target and what’s beyond it and wear blaze orange.

– Submitted by Mayhood's Sporting Goods