Squirrel Hunting A Different Way

I used to be a dedicated squirrel hunter and thought that I would hunt them until I went to my grave. Many a beautiful autumn day was spent afield with .22 rifle in hand, in pursuit of the wily "Grey Ghost" as they are often called, but I have not hunted them or anything else, since 1998 or so, when I became addicted to wildlife photography.

The bad part of this is that although I do photograph squirrels at feeding stations, I have not actually pursued them in a hunting type situation for several years. I had no intentions of doing this today either, but while on another photographic mission, I ran into a concentration of squirrels feeding on hickory nuts and witch hazel.

Prime Squirrel Habitat

Alarmed Squirrel

I quickly pressed my "squirrel rifle" into service and for a time I relived the old days with the exception that the squirrels are still alive to be photographed another day and I do not have the hard work of cleaning a "mess of squirrels".

My Modern Day Squirrel Rifle: Canon 40-D with 500mmF4

A Classic Squirrel Shot

These are not world-class squirrel photographs, as the range was long for such a small animal and I cropped the photographs severely, but it was wonderful to experience a favorite sport from the past, with what is now my "weapon" of choice. "Now if I could just git some good video of them there pesky squirrels"!