NH Squirrel Season

[lazypengu1n]

Anyone else hunting squirrel in NH? Got all my permits and everything and looking for someone to tag along with and give this a try. Hoping this will get me ready for Grouse in October.

I'm in the Salem, NH area. I've looked around and it's confusing. I just need to go once with someone and get my feet wet.

Thanks!

 

[whacko]

If I hunted NH I'd take you out for trip. I only hunt mass and maine though.

Good news is squirrel is not a tough one to figure out.

10 rules for squirrel hunting:

1. Hunt early or late. They are active at sun up and 2-3 hours before sunset.
2. find oak stands or even better hickory stands. Just look for some wma land or huntable public land and find the oak trees.
3. when you get out there just move slow and quietly. Look for freshly chewed up acorns and nuts on the ground. If you see that sign.....have a seat on a log or rock for awhile and spend some time there.
4. If it is not windy.......don't look for squirrels.......look for tree limbs shaking......then focus your eyes on that spot and look for a squirrel. If its out of range......stalk in slow. stop often.
5. If it is windy focus your attention on the bottom 1/3 of the canopy.......they don't like to sway in the breeze and stay low with the wind is higher.
6. If he sees you and goes on the back side of the tree (they are masters at staying on the opposite side and out of sight)..........just stop and wait. they have short memory and will move again in 5-10 minutes then you got em.
7. equipment........shotguns are best. 20 or 12 gauge. full choke. High brass #4, #5 or #6 loads. I've been told I'm crazy for using that kind of horse power but full choke and a high brass load will reach the top of any tree in new England. If they squirrel is close to you.....30 yards or less.....either let him run off a bit before shooting or put the bead in front of his nose to hit him with the fringe of the pattern. I never ruin squirrels with my 12G......you just have to know your gun.
8. listen on quiet days with no wind. you can hear a squirrel cutting on nuts for quite a distance. Once I figured out this sound I've stalked in on squirrels by sound alone!
9. be patient
10. have fun


I figured all this out just spending time it the woods and paying attention. Lots of people think squirrel hunting is easy........the ones in the woods are not used to people and you do have to work a little It aint rocket science by any means but you have to put a little bit of thought into it which is what makes it fun. The first couple of seasons I'd get one every now and then. Now I stack em up like cord wood in my freezer.

 

[lazypengu1n]

Thank you for all the tips! I guess my hesitation is not knowing the boundaries of the WMAs. There is one north of me but also the regulations say state wide and isn't restricted to just WMAs as none are listed.

 

[Kevin_NH]

we'd always hunt grays in pairs

6. If he sees you and goes on the back side of the tree (they are masters at staying on the opposite side and out of sight)..........just stop and wait. they have short memory and will move again in 5-10 minutes then you got em.

Definitely easier with a buddy, we'd always hunt grays in pairs, saves on the waiting time.

Thank you for all the tips! I guess my hesitation is not knowing the boundaries of the WMAs. There is one north of me but also the regulations say state wide and isn't restricted to just WMAs as none are listed.

NH is nice enough to set the WMU boundaries along roads and rivers, I'm not sure how Mass does it.

 

[lazypengu1n]

I decided to give it try at the Dumpling Brook WMA

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/maps/wma/dumpling-brook.html

I tried to find the parking lot as stated on the map but it does not appears. States that past Norm's Transmission there is parking lot and that's how you enter the WMA. Looking at the satellite maps on Google Maps, it appears there is something past Norm's but it looks more like a junk yard than a parking lot.

Anyone have experience hunting at Dumping Brook WMA?

I have a hand-held GPS that will help me stay within the WMA boundaries but where to park and how to enter this WMA?

 

[whacko]

Definitely easier with a buddy, we'd always hunt grays in pairs, saves on the waiting time.


NH is nice enough to set the WMU boundaries along roads and rivers, I'm not sure how Mass does it.

Mass has the boundaries wherever private land meets the WMA boundary.......and signs on the boundary are haphazzard. You have to be careful. It helps to look at sat imagery and even print the photos out on color printer and take it with you. There is plenty of WMA land in mass where you can be standing in a legal place to take a shot and see houses through the trees in the distance.

Most of the home owners know it's huntable land behind their home but every now and then you get a whiny little bitch man that has issues. Last Dec I was hunting public land that had a 5 foot chain link fence between the public and private land. I walked the length of the fence line (standing on the public side of course) to get to a spot where I wanted to push in. My gun was unloaded as I knew I was too close to the house. Whiny bitch man comes out and starts yelling "you can't hunt there it's too close to my house". I said very politely "the law says I can't discharge my fire arm within 500 feet of a house and my gun is not loaded I'm just getting from.one place to another right now". He came down off the back deck and started pounding his hands on the top of the fence screaming "you can't hunt here you can't hunt here you can't hunt here". I finally just said "I'm not hunting I am.carrying an unloaded fire arm and walking on public land have a nice day".

Some people get all worked up over nothing.

 

[white feather]

Wrt rule seven, where's the love for the new Henry .410?

 

[whacko]

Wrt rule seven, where's the love for the new Henry .410?

I'll be using the 410 this year. I'm giving advice to the new hunters.

The 410 is going to be a challenge......gotta get closer. Should in theory make me a better hunter.

 

[tuna]

Mass has the boundaries wherever private land meets the WMA boundary.......and signs on the boundary are haphazzard. You have to be careful. It helps to look at sat imagery and even print the photos out on color printer and take it with you. There is plenty of WMA land in mass where you can be standing in a legal place to take a shot and see houses through the trees in the distance.

Most of the home owners know it's huntable land behind their home but every now and then you get a whiny little bitch man that has issues. Last Dec I was hunting public land that had a 5 foot chain link fence between the public and private land. I walked the length of the fence line (standing on the public side of course) to get to a spot where I wanted to push in. My gun was unloaded as I knew I was too close to the house. Whiny bitch man comes out and starts yelling "you can't hunt there it's too close to my house". I said very politely "the law says I can't discharge my fire arm within 500 feet of a house and my gun is not loaded I'm just getting from.one place to another right now". He came down off the back deck and started pounding his hands on the top of the fence screaming "you can't hunt here you can't hunt here you can't hunt here". I finally just said "I'm not hunting I am.carrying an unloaded fire arm and walking on public land have a nice day".

Some people get all worked up over nothing.

That's where you tell him if he has a problem, call the game warden. The look on his face when cited for hunter harassment will be priceless.