October isn’t just for waterfowl and upland birds—it’s prime time for squirrel hunting. For hunters with versatile gun dogs, chasing tree squirrels offers fast-paced action, exciting challenges, and incredible bonding opportunities in the field. From studying squirrel movement with trail cameras to using e-bikes for covering ground and choosing the right gun and ammunition, this guide dives into proven strategies, gear recommendations, and expert tips to help you and your canine companion find success this squirrel hunting season. For Kona, my male Pudelpointer, his favorite hunt of the year is for Western gray squirrels. He almost always spots them before I do. When I cut him loose, he chases them through the forest as fast as any animal I’ve ever seen. And when he finally trees one, his man-bark kicks in. Though the season is brief in some states, the addiction to hunting tree squirrels runs deep.
Studying Squirrel Movement with Trail Cameras
Having hunted Western gray squirrels for several years–and using the information from trail cameras to study their movements–I’m amazed at how cyclical these critters can be from year to year. To answer the question “when are squirrels most active”, understand that most movements hinge on a shift in food availability, and predators force others. In a few of the top tree squirrel areas, I know where gray squirrels will be this time of year based on the casting of acorns and other mast crops. I’ve learned what routes squirrels travel in the hardwoods and where they search for food in big stands of coniferous timber. These are the places where I increase the number of trail cameras during hunting season to maximize the odds of locating squirrels. The country I hunt is big, mountainous, and thick with tree cover, so trail camera information is valuable. I rely on Moultrie Mobile trail cameras year-round to monitor squirrel movement and populations. Trail cameras provide timely and immediate feedback of where squirrels are and this is especially important this time of year, when the hunt is on.
Cover More Ground with Hunting e-Bikes
Walking overgrown roads is how we often find success. I’ve turned to an electric bike to cover more ground the past three seasons. These eBikes are silent and allow me to cover ground much faster than on foot. I’ve successfully used them on remote logging and farm roads, when traveling horizontal ridges in the mountains near home, and when hunting in semi-open hill country. They’re fast, quiet, and Kona can keep up with me; actually, I can keep up with him. Covering ground is key to tree squirrel hunting success, and the QuietKat allows that to happen. The pedal assist is excellent for pulling hills, and the battery life has always lasted the duration of our hunts. Be sure to take extra water for your dog when hunting on an eBike, as they’ll cover several miles a day and need to stay hydrated.
Best Locations and Times for Squirrel Hunting
In some areas we hunt, where deciduous trees meet conifers, it’s thick with brush. There are lots of squirrels in this habitat, but stalking them can be a challenge. Once treed, the shooting window is often brief. If I know there’s a squirrel, I’ll slowly move in with Kona heeling. If there’s a time of day when squirrel movement is high, based on what trail cameras are conveying, I’ll slip in a couple of hours ahead of that time and sit against a fat fir tree with Kona at my side. We sit where visibility is maximized, and when a squirrel is spotted, Kona gets to work.
Choosing the Right Gun for Squirrel Hunting
If shooting in thick cover, a .410 might be the best gun of choice. I like tungsten loads over standard lead loads as their pattern is much more dense and their killing power, greater. HEVI Shot’s Hevi-XII in 5-shot is hard to beat. If the habitat is semi-open and the trees are not consumed in thick, brushy limbs, a .22 rifle is ideal. My go-to squirrel gun is a Browning T-Bolt with a laminated stock and stainless steel barrel that’s suppressor-ready. It’s topped with a Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire scope in a 3-9×40. The added magnification of a 3-9 scope on a .22 is much needed when picking a small shooting window on a tiny target high in a tree. A Silencer Central Banish 22 Suppressor completes this precision shooting setup. This is the most accurate .22 caliber hunting rifle I’ve ever owned, and the suppressor has been a game-changer.
Why Suppressors Improve Squirrel Hunting Success
Suppressors spook fewer squirrels, period. Before suppressors, if Kona treed two or three squirrels, we never got a shot at more than one of them. With a suppressor, we’ve pulled off many doubles, and last season, a triple on three of four squirrels Kona put into some fir trees. The suppressor also makes it easier to communicate with Kona. He doesn’t get amped up at the shot, but instead, looks to me for direction, as needed. Much of the time, Kona doesn’t even hear the shot if he’s moving through brush or panting heavy from an intense chase. Not until a squirrel starts falling through the tree or hits the ground does Kona even know I pulled the trigger.
Best Ammunition for Squirrel Hunting
With the long-overdue suppressor craze in the U.S., CCI has stepped up and delivered a complete line of specialized suppressor rounds for .22 enthusiasts. Their Subsonic Hollow Point Small Game 45 grain bullet, moving at 970 FPS, is a great tree squirrel round. It’s very quiet yet offers a light, lethal hits and very minimal meat damage for a hollow point. CCI’s Sub-Sonic 22LR Lead Hollow Point Small Game 40 grain bullet is moving a tad faster at 1,050 FPS. It’s only a fraction louder than the 45 grain option, hits a bit harder, yet results in minimal meat damage. This is a great ground squirrel load if looking to anchor the varmints before they make it back to their hole, so your dog can retrieve them. A killer load–pun intended–for both tree and ground squirrels is CCI’s Suppressor Max. This segmented 45 grain hollow point is moving at 970 FPS, yet hits with authority. It’s super quiet and deadly accurate.
Check out CCI Ammunition – HERE
The next three loads are dubbed for targets, but I love their performance on squirrels as well as starlings that were plucking cherries from our trees this spring. I shot a number of invasive birds and ground squirrels with the CCI Clean-22 Suppressor 45 grain bullet. Moving at 1,000 FPS, this load is very quiet, shoots tight groups, and kills with conviction. The same is true of the 40 grain Clean-22 poly-coated lead, blue, round nose bullet. Moving at 1,070 FPS this load–as well as the 45 grain option–offer impressive downrange accuracy and energy. Both routinely dropped varmints out to 75 yards and beyond. The Quiet-22 in a 45 grain round nose flies at 835 FPS. It’s whisper quiet and punches through squirrels, quickly and smoothly. Very minimal meat damage results from this load. It’s a great tree squirrel load.
Investing in superior gear that consistently delivers means quality hunts for you and your dog. With bird seasons kicking off, don’t overlook the joy of hunting tree squirrels with your versatile gun dog. It’s one more fun hunt that fall offers.
For more Gun Dog content, check out Scott Haugen’s regular column.
