The hunter creeps forward one cautious step at a time, moving so slowly that only a concentrating eye could detect motion. With gun half raised and eyes trained on the cover that holds his quarry, he slips smoothly to the left to clear yet another tree that blocks his path

Suddenly the animal stops feeding and snaps to alert. Has some tiny sound from the hunter’s footstep or a limb that slid across a jacket sleeve precipitated the caution? Or was it the sixth sense that is characteristic of these wary game animals? Whichever is the case here, the moment of truth has arrived and the next few seconds will determine success or failure for the hunter.

A Cape buffalo bull at the edge of a foraging herd in South Africa? A grizzly bear feeding on a moose carcass in Alaska? A whitetail buck finding acorns on a Mississippi hillside? None of these. Rather an equally wild and cunning creature of the forest; a gray squirrel.

There is very little difference in a hunt for any of the above-mentioned animals, the primary one being the size of the gray squirrel as compared with the others. The execution of the stalk is, for practical purposes, identical.

Therein resides the essence of squirrel hunting for me. Little is lost to the hunter of big and dangerous game on a stalk for gray squirrels. If you are a big game hunter and have not stalked southern squirrels, give them a try. But wait. Ask yourself these questions first. Is patience one of my best hunting traits? Can I handle frustration from failure and move on with confidence in my ability to try just as hard on the next stalk?

If the answers are yes, you have a chance to become a good squirrel hunter; a standing that is highly regarded among hunters. Every squirrel season opening finds many hunting clubs, or just groups of hunting friends, going into the squirrel woods for a Saturday hunt that has become a tradition. Typically the kill is converted to a huge stew or heaping piles of fried squirrel served late in the day to arriving families. The talk is always centered around who killed the most squirrels.

Whether they will admit it or not, each hunter of the group aspires to be the squirrel champ of that year. There are jokes and excuses and tales of the hunt. But the one who brings in the biggest bag won’t forget his notable accomplishment for a long time and neither will his or her pals. All is done in fun, but everyone knows that there are serious skills that must be applied with a degree of excellence to consistently bag gray squirrels by stalking.

In the early and middle part of last century, rural Americans depended heavily on squirrels for sustenance in the fall and winter months. At least one member of the family was a regular squirrel gatherer. Most of these hunters of necessity became very good squirrel hunters. Perhaps that is where respect afforded good squirrel hunters today has its roots.

And there are those today who can stalk a squirrel with praiseworthy adeptness. I have an East Texas friend who beat me every time we went into the squirrel woods. I cannot recall a single time that I bested him stalking squirrels, intermittently hunting together for 20 years or so. He joins a group of friends each fall for one of those opening day squirrel hunts that has become highly competitive. I know he took top honors for most years.

My friend is also a good hunter of other game. And this is the crux of my discourse here. It is no light matter that if you can successfully stalk and bag gray squirrels, you can stalk and bag other game as well. Many of this country’s most renowned hunters began learning to stalk game by squirrel hunting.

I have suffered frustration more times and, perhaps strangely, just as thoroughly while stalking squirrels as while hunting any other game animal. And that includes losing a turkey gobbler or a whitetail buck that I have spent a morning tailing. Gray squirrels have my lifelong respect.

Squirrel season for East Mississippians is open now. If you want a hunting challenge, go into the hardwoods and test your skills by stalking some squirrels. Your other hunting pursuits will reap the benefits.

Local Area Squirrel Seasons

Mississippi Hunting Season Oct. 1- Feb. 28

Daily bag limit – eight squirrels

Alabama Hunting Season Sept. 15- March 5 

Daily bag limit – eight squirrels