Does anyone small game anymore?

[wsgts]

I have to admit it, I don't do much deer hunting anymore. I suppose mostly because if requires a certain level of preparation that I don't seem to have time for anymore, but chasing some bushytails or rabbits, I only need enough time to put on my boots and drive 15 min to the nearest WMA (pine log forest in Bay County Florida).

Anyway, I hunted for 4 hours today, trying to figure out where the bushytails hang on this particular WMA. I saw several squirrels between 8:00am and noon. Jumped several deer wishing that this particular WMA had deer in season.

What was strange, at least to me, was that I saw no other cars, hunters, or anything of the sort. Seems to me that free hunting would mean that at least a couple of people, but I had the whole 6000+ acres to myself.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has noticed a lack of interest in small game?

Later,
wsgts

[popplecop]

Son and I went rabbit hunting today. He called me up and suggested with the fresh snow we should skip deer and chase bunnies. Glad he did cause will have fried rabbit tomorrow night. Big facto to me is that when you shoot a deer your work is about to start, easy to clean my squirrels and bunnies as I shoot them. I get enjoyment out of hunting , but small game, grouse and waterfowl are the best now. Come spring it's turkeys of course.

[Swift]

I used to be an avid squirrel chaser but now that I own 2 beagles ( and gettin a third in the spring) I feel guilty leaving em home as they whine while they see me gettin in the truck dressed to hunt with the gun.

So the three of us chase bunnies together!:D

[Lilred]

Brown its down ...flies it dies!
Kiddin..
I love small game huntin. I'm an every year all-faithful squirrel hunter..rabbit too..er anythin else small and edible.
A pack of beagles on a rabbit is truly the best thing since biscuits & gravy..and lemme tell ya..I'm downright serious bout my biscuits & gray...

[gumpokc]

Yeah Lil red ha steh right of it.

when i was in high school, a friend of my dad's near Gilbert Ark, had a beagle who loved to hunt. the only problem, was his favorite thing to hunt was the lil black kitty with the white stripe down his back :D

but back to small game, sure do when i have the chance.
Mostly squirrels and rabbits, you know, the basics :)

[GoodOlBoy]

I actually prefere small game hunting. These days the only time I get a deer is when one of them commits suicide by stepping out of the brush while I am squirrel hunting. . . . . . . :p

GoodOlBoy

[drummer]

I'd rather bird hunt/rabbit hunt than deer/turkey hunt any day!

[GoodOlBoy]

Back to the original thought though, yes there has been a dramatic decrease in small game hunting in the US in the last 30 years.

From American Outdoors

The number of squirrel hunters in Texas has dropped from more than a quarter-million in 1980 to about 100,000 today. And that number is almost sure to continue spiraling downward if current trends aren't bucked.

Texas parks and wildlife estimates show and even bigger margin. From what I remember they placed '80s figures at 385000+ squirrel hunters, and Y2K figures at less than 85000 squirrel hunters.


GoodOlBoy

[drummer]

The result of lost habitat and lost access to quality hunting areas.Herbicides, heavy duty tractors,the human population explosion and ensuing development.All this has put a lick on small gamers.

[GoodOlBoy]

Thats true Drummer, BUT there is also a major decline in INTREST in small game hunting in East Texas. We have more squirrels around here than you can shake a stick at. Heck there are at least fifty dead on the road between my home and work, and twice or three times that many runnin around. Everybody wants that Boone and Crockett buck, very few of us just want a game bag full o' squirrel and such any more. Now rabbits we are finally seeing a comeback on, BUT that also has to do with the danged coyote and wildcat populations on a steady rise. I saw two live yotes this morning standing on the side of the road not scared of nuthin. . . . had I been on the FM roads instead of the danged highway at that point there woulda been two less yotes in Texas.

Me I use the Betty and Crocker scale. Lets see thats lowry's seasoning, little garlic, butter. . . . . . . flour. . . . . . salt. . . . . pepper. . . . . . .

I love small game. Just like my favorite fish bar none is perch.

GoodOlBoy

[wsgts]

I do think it's that lack of interest in small game hunting. I believe that people use small game as a means to introduce youngsters into hunting, but never really as the primary game that they hunt.

I guess it's hard to brag about the squirrel or rabbit that you got. Don't seem any of them mounted anymore. Can't stand around the water cooler and show pictures of the squirrels you bagged.

Oh well, more busytails for me and the Ruger Mark III !!

Later,
wsgts

[drummer]

I agree that the loss of interest is there. No "glory" in a squirrel with no antlers is there. Let me find you boys an article a good friend of mine wrote a few months ago.

The gist is, alot of kids just do not get into deer/turkey hunting but will go bonkers for rabbit and quail hunting, where you can move around and talk.Trying to get a hyper kid to "sit, sshhh, and be cold" can burn an active kid out, whereas that kid will learn to wear you and a pair of pointers out once he gets his first covey rise.:D

This same guy also said "The tape measure is ruining hunting."

[drummer]

"Take a Kid quail hunting!"_ Rick Allen

A beautiful clear day, the air crisp, the German shorthair pointer casts both left and right searching for its quarry. In an instant from going at full gallop to a rock solid point the dog has found it’s prey. The hunter loads a trusty 20 ga. Browning over and under with a load of 7 ½ shot, steps forward, flushes a bobwhite quail, with fluid instinct, mounts the gun, takes aim and folds the speeding bird. The hunter breaks open the action of the shotgun, kneels and awaits the retrieve. Upon bird in hand, it is bagged; both hunter and dog go forward, both knowing in their heart that a long time hunter, Fred Bear said it best, “it is not about the kill, but how the day was spent”. A story from 30 years ago when quail abounded in the state, when small game was the dominate species? No, it was a scene from this past February when I had the pleasure of escorting Miss Alison Yeager on an annual quail hunt that is sponsored for the youth group of the Blue Grass Sportsman’s League. This was Alison’s first attempt at bird hunting and her first time in the field shooting over a dog. I am proud to have escorted Miss Yeager on her first quail hunt for she handled herself as a seasoned veteran. While this may have been her first quail hunt, she is quickly becoming an accomplished hunter. The young 11 year old successively killed her first deer this past year with her mother Amy as her guide. Alison, daughter of Jim and Amy Yeager was also named the BGSL Youth Sportsman of the Year for her past accomplishments.
The annual youth quail hunt was hosted by the Pointer & Setter Division as a way to introduce today’s youth in the inherent fun of working dogs and hunting. The Division has hosted this event for several years; they provide the birds, dogs and dog handlers. One great way to introduce a young person into the sporting world is to take them hunting with a dog, for kids and dogs go together naturally.

Picture for article

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/GSP/IM000550a.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/GSP/IM000550a.jpg

[wsgts]

That is my new saying "tape measure is ruining hunting". I also spearfish a good bit, and it's the same thing, everyone wants to picture for the wall. Never seems that anyone wants to spearfish just to get some good eating fish, and have a good time in the process, we got to measure the fish and try to break a record.

Oh well, if the seas are too rough tomorrow, going to go pop a squirrel or two.

Later,
wsgts

[tooldummy]

I really enjoy squirrell hunting. I also coyote hunt pretty hard. We have a lot of deer on our property, but I just can't get into it anymore. And when I want to watch something on one of the hunting channels, it's always deer, turkey, and ducks or geese. I wish we had rabbits around here again, some of my most memorable moments afield were with a good beagle.

[drummer]

Tooldummy,
Making rabbit habitat on private property is as easy as falling off a log.And they respond really well.:D

[rick savage]

love to chase bunny,s and squrriels. just don,t have alot of time after hog hunting

[drummer]

I went hog hunting last April.I can see where it would become totally addictive.:)

[Redbeard]

I think another reason small game gets ignored is the many more opportunities to deer hunt. Here in Michigan you can hunt deer from the first of October, through the New Year. I am lucky enough to have some family owned private land to deer hunt on and I don't want to disturb the deer for myself or other family members by tramping through it for a month before the firearm season. I have access to some quality state land, but many people who do not have access to private land bow hunt there and I would feel bad for disturbing their hunting opportunity. I do make use of this land to waterfowl hunt...I haven't seen any treestand out on the lakes. By the time the deer season is wrapped up the weather is really turning cold and small game opportunities seem less attractive.

[squirrel hunter9292]

i am 13 years old and man do i love to squirrel hunt. i got my first
shotgun a few years back [ Remington 870 20 gauge youth model] for Christmas. me and my dad have had a great season this year. mostly cat [ or grey, i dont know what you all call them] and a few fox squirrels. we even got my beagle into squirrel hunting. i know beagles arent ment for squirrel, but she loves to hunt, and you gotta give her credit for that. lol.

[GoodOlBoy]

I tell you what buddy, if a dog likes to hunt a critter reguardless of weather or not thats what that breed is for you gotta go for it. If you got a good squirrel beagel don't knock it. Squirrel dogs ain't easy to come by as it is, and a good one that naturally wants to hunt them is even rarer. Ain't nothin' wrong with cat squirrel cept it takes a couple dozen of 'em to make a mess for supper. I am glad to see you are squirrel huntin', 13 or 30 in my opinion there ain't no better huntin' out there. Myself I am 31, and have been huntin' squirrels since I was 6.

Good luck, and any time you wanna talk about squirrels feel free to post here buddy.

GoodOlBoy