Jeffrey Wood’s squirrel dogs treed a squirrel high in a tree last Friday morning on a rainy day in the Bogue Flower Hills to the northwest of Meridian. The squirrel was hidden so high that it took a trained expert to spot him.

Russ Blakeney pinpointed the big squirrel and took fine aim.

“Ka-boom” roared his shotgun as the squirrel tumbled end over end to the ground below. Though the squirrels weren’t moving much Wood’s prized mountain curs from Etehoma Creek Kennels were more than up for the task at hand and actually “winded” a few squirrels and a raccoon who was hiding in the upper branches of a pine tree.

Joe Giles took aim and squeezed off a shot from his Ruger .22 rifle.

“Pow”. . . . Ka-whump, sounded the boar coon as it crashed to the ground. In mere seconds the dogs were on top of him and they had a fight almost unrivaled. The coon fought wildly but was no match for the dogs.

Jeffrey Wood was raised up in the swamps and in the woods and waters of central Mississippi and quickly learned the ways of the wild and how to find and harvest all manner of fish and game.

Wood, owner of Swamp Boy’s Custom Calls, went hunting with his father at an early age and learned how to train squirrel dogs, specifically treeing dogs. Both his father and grandfather owned treeing dogs, so it was in his blood.

By the time he’d gotten out on his own he was a champion trainer and making hunts across the southeast, many to the Mississippi Delta while appearing on the Mississippi Outdoors TV shows with the likes of host Melvin Tingle and many other celebrities.

These days, Wood is still training champion dogs and hunting squirrels, while also making innovative game calls and products to enhance his hunting opportunities.

But the bottom line is enhancing the hunting experience so that hunters will be successful. There’s nothing much better than taking kids on a successful squirrel hunt with dogs or making a turkey call or deer call that helps hunters harvest that old buck or gobbler.

What started as a passion for the outdoors has led to a successful career in making calls to help pursue almost anything that roams the woods. During the early season his squirrel barker is just the ticket to locate and harvest squirrels.

Buck grunts and doe bleats

Wood grew up hunting public land gobblers and deer and during the pre-rut a couple weeks ago Wood and Blakeney both called him several deer with the Swamp Boys deer grunt and estrous can.

“I was hunting my way back into the woods when I spotted some deer and took out a doe,” Wood said. “I put her in the creek to keep her cool and went further into the national forest woods and took a stand about 30 feet up a tree.”

Wood surveyed the land around his stand and promptly started working his deer grunt and doe bleat and enticed a nice buck into range of his primitive weapon.

“Tic-Boom” roared Wood’s rifle and another public land buck was history.

“A lot of people think the woods get too crowded but that’s not true,” said Wood. “If you get away from the roads and put in your time scouting you can find and harvest deer and turkey on our national forest land. It’s not always easy but if you put in the time and know how to hunt you can be successful.”

In addition to making deer calls, Wood has a selection of box calls, scratch box calls and excellent pot calls. I used one of his glass pot calls around the country this past spring and enticed several gobblers to the gun.

Wood has also perfected a squirrel skinner that makes it easy to skin squirrels right by yourself.

For more information on hunting squirrels with dogs, or about his or about calling up a buck with his grunt calls and doe bleat can or for a skinner give him a call at (601) 479-3979 or view him on Facebook at Swamp Boys Custom Calls.

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email .