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Squirrelin'
Rhode Island Style
Jim Gwiazdzinski
South Kingstown, RI
March 11th, 2002
Before I get into the squirreling thing, I must first state the following:
I do not think for a Yankee minute that I'm a squirreling guru or
what I'm doing is anything above or beyond what squirrel hawkers practice
in woodlots across America. Bottom line - there are, and always will
be, (squirrel) hawkers out there catching more game than me, who are
probably a lot more proficient at the sport than I. Also, in praising
squirrel hawking, I am not down playing serious rabbit hawkers, accipiter
fanatics, longwing flights on grouse or any other method of hawking
or falconry. For me, squirrel hawking is my preference. Take it or
leave it.
My
ideas, theories, and methods are not mine alone, either. They are
a culmination from falconers in Massachusetts such as Steve Aldin,
Damian Folch, Don Adams and Dick Morrison, to name a few. Of course,
I can't forget the squirrel-hawking guru himself - Gary Brewer. He
was always enthusiastic about my tales of squirreling and encouraged
me to push the envelope. I'd like to thank him for the big phone bill
as well!
What
brings my ideas and methods together is time in the woodlots of Rhode
Island and Massachusetts. A lesson always proves to surface. I'm either
learning from my bird, myself, or any falconer I'm hawking with while
time is spent hunting. It is during this hands-on time that observing
my bird and listening to those I'm hawking with gives me ideas of
how to try something different and new, and then adjust it to my own
style of hawking. Sometimes it's just a matter of incorporating someone
else's idea into my style of hunting and seeing if it works. In the
end though, the only way to get better is to be in the fields and
woods practicing the sport - hunting. I know of no other way.
Some Facts and Figures
Here's the low down. My redtail is a tiercel, and he doesn't have
a name like Spirit of the Wiind, or Gone with the Wind, depending
on the day we're having. I call him Bird, or a multitude of vulgarities
that shouldn't be repeated. So my bird - Bird and myself, caught 45
gray squirrels and one duck this past season. That's a total of 46
for individuals such as me who don't categorize math as their strong
point (you should see me trying to convert grams to ounces without
a calculator). I've also included myself in the caught-and-bagged-game
category, because quite frankly, I provided some heavily-assisted
squirrels for the bird.
Along
with providing assists, I also climb trees. I do the free climb thing,
no ropes or tree spikes. I'm more scared of those things than climbing
a tree. I enjoy the view and fresh air from 40 to 50 feet up. When
it came to the height gene in my family, I was sold short. Any additional
feet or inches I can gain are very much appreciated.
What
I have found from my tree climbing antics is an extremely strong bond
that I share with my bird. Bird directly associates me with squirrels.
It's that simple. I also have to say there are times that my bird
follows me, and there are times I follow the bird. When you get more
that 20 feet of terra firma, you can see why our birds, aside from
their superior vision, are able to see game moving well before we
do. Squirrel can be much easier to see on the move from up above if
they go to ground, rather than planted a mere five to six feet off
the ground. The sights are a lot less cluttered when perched from
a 40-plus-foot vantage point.
If
a squirrel goes to ground, I can easily see where the squirrel is
heading, and let any falconers below know where it's running for cover.
It certainly isn't foolproof, and squirrels do get away, however,
it's another advantage to help put game in the bag.
Trust
the bird. There were times that my bird would bomb ahead and then
flare up at the last minute. I would run to where the bird landed
and sure enough, a squirrel would be flattened to the side of the
tree he was perched on, or the squirrel would be in an adjacent tree
not far from the bird. More often than not, when your bird pushed
up ahead of you, he is chasing something with a furry tail. That's
assuming your bird is at hunting weight and isn't spooked by people
or dogs. Another issue, another article, for someone else to write.
Again,
sometimes you follow the bird, sometimes the bird follows you - trust
the bird. Know the bird's body language. Knowing your bird's behavior
reveals what the bird's motives are. Is the bird in hunting mode?
Or is it out to recess? If you are having a difficult time trying
to conceive what I'm getting at look at the cover of the March 1997
- Vol. 6 issue of American Falconry. The photo, taken by Paul Schnell,
speaks volumes. That's the look you want to see in your bird. I don't
care if the bird was getting ready to fly down to a lure. That bird
is focused on whatever has its attention at that moment. If your bird
has that look when you're hunting, you will put game in the bag, no
doubt about it. The falconer needs to pay attention to these signs
in order to make an optimum day of hunting.
Give
your bird a chance to set up. One such setup is a laddering up by
the bird. This may happen when the bird has the squirrel pinned to
the top of a tree and is below the squirrel. Don't rush the moment.
You will find a sequence of events, if you will, that entails the
beginning, middle and end of the setup. Allow the bird the time and
freedom to work its way form the initial position to the intermediate
position is obviously better than the initial perch; higher, more
advantageous, but not the final sweet spot. The bird then moves in
to the sweet spot position to make a flight at the squirrel. The bird
may or may not get the squirrel on the first try, but the chase is
now on and you should do everything you can to promote your bird's
success. When the situation presents itself, recognize it and do everything
you can to enable a bagged squirrel to be the end result. During the
first half of the first season with Bird, he didn't associate me with
squirrel nests. After a full season of climbing trees and getting
squirrels to pop out of their meatballs (meatball:/ meet-ball/ n.
A neat, compact, leaf nest that has been well maintained and most
likely occupied by a bushytail.), the bird wedded to the idea of me
climbing a tree and providing a slip for him, which resulted in the
bird having yet another chance to bag a squirrel.
The Squeeze
Before I reminisce about a few particular days spent squirreling,
I thought I should mention the squeeze. One thing I do not do is wait
for the bird to kill the squirrel himself. This, I am certain, minimizes
the chances of a nasty squirrel bite. It also equates to reinforcing
a strong bond between bird and falconer. Since my bird's first squirrel
kill, I have intervened and jumped right into the mix of things. I
get to the bird as soon as he reaches the ground with the squirrel.
In many instances, I'm either rushing in or sprinting full speed at
my bird to put the squeeze on a squirrel - he doesn't flinch a bit.
Bird tolerates my intervention and will hold on and wait until I get
to him. There are also times when I'm up in a tree and can't get to
the bird and squirrel immediately. This is when the help from other
falconers is essential. My bird also tolerates another falconer to
reach in the put the squeeze on the squirrel. Just don't reach in
bare handed. Tim Holland, a falconer from Massachusetts, learned the
painful way on this one. Sorry about the missing finger Tim.
Squirrelin'
Some of the reasons I enjoy and prefer pursuing squirrels are pretty
straightforward:
1. I'm directly associated with part of the hunting team.
2. I'm directly associated with, the chase and success of my bird
catching game.
3. I get to see the chase. I'm up close and personal.
4. It's FUN!
Rhode
Island: I was hunting an area that had a decent population of
squirrels and worked toward the corner of the woodlot. The bird was
behind, but was watching the trees for any squirrels I might spook.
I saw a meatball that was nice and tight and looked like it might
have an occupant. I began to climb the tree and the bird immediately
flew over to a tree that was next to the one I was climbing. When
I reached the nest I gave it a poke. Out came the squirrel. The bird
waited as the squirrel made its way to the thin branches at the top
of the tree and then locked in on the squirrel.
When he committed, the chase was on. Bushytail came corkscrewing down
the tree with the bird corkscrewing around the tree in pursuit. Ole
bushytail had his sights set on the nest from which he had just escaped
- I was still there at eye level.
As
the squirrel tried to get to the nest, the bird blew through the leafy
ball, leaving a blur of leaves, fur and feather. As bird and squirrel
continued down, the squirrel was quickly caught at the base of the
tree. I slid down and provided the squeeze. Cool stuff. Those are
the kind of flights that I get to enjoy. I was right there in the
front row and was able to see the chase from beginning to end. I wasn't
just a spectator, I was part of the hunt.
Rhode
Island: A few weeks before the season ended, my bird tangled with
a big male squirrel. I had climbed a birch tree and pushed a squirrel
out of a nest, which came down the tree, past me (actually over my
arm) and ran for a hole at the base of another tree.
A
quick tangent here - when a squirrel goes to ground, watch out. It
means he's running for something. A squirrel using the ground as a
means to evade the bird is a deliberate move. Scan the area as quickly
as you can and try and get a fix for where the squirrel may be running,
because he's running for cover or a hole. If you've already hunted
the area, remember where the escape hatches are and try and cut the
squirrel off so he doesn't hole up.
Back
to the story. As the squirrel made a dash for the tree, the bird nailed
the squirrel within inches of the hole. Their momentum carried them
past the tree with a few somersaults included. When the two finally
stopped rolling around, the bird was still getting a bronco ride,
but wouldn't let go. He had a nice head and shoulder hold on the squirrel
and he knew it. I made my descent, ran to Bird and gave the squirrel
the squeeze. The ride was over.
Two
positive things came out of this situation. First, I assisted the
bird by gaining control of the squirrel. Second, Bird received a nice
crop from the kill. Bird associates my role and importance to him
receiving warm squirrel meat - a win/win situation.
Massachusetts:
While hunting a pine stand with Steve Aldin, we came up on a squirrel
nest that was the very definition of a meatball. Wouldn't you know
the nest was at the very top of the pine tree! I began to climb and
when I got halfway up, I gave the tree a bear-hug shake and pop! A
squirrel came out. I yelled, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Bird was already
in flight. The squirrel jumped to another tree, but quickly jumped
back to the original tree once the bird gave a stoop at him and missed.
Into the nest the squirrel went, with the bird in hot pursuit. The
bird laddered above the nest to one of the few top branches, and as
I began to climb the tree, I gave the tree another bear-hug shake.
The bird saw the squirrel move in the nest and pounced into the leaves
to grab it. Leaves and sticks fell to the ground as bird and squirrel
duked it out. Well, after realizing the bird wasn't coming down any
time soon, it was time for me to start climbing. I didn't want my
bird to get all chewed up, so to the very top I went and there they
were - squirrel balled up and the bird trying to get a good hold on
him. I gave the squirrel the squeeze and once I knew it was over,
I tossed the squirrel and Bird down to the ground. The bird parachuted
down and began to pull fur as I made my descent. Again, I was a direct
link to the hunting team, not only getting a squirrel moving, but
also helping him contend with a tough quarry. It would have been nice
if Steve had offered to climb the tree, but no such luck.
Great Escapes
Squirrel hawking is exciting. I've seen squirrels bail out of a tree
well over 40 feet, hit the ground and keep moving like nothing happened.
I've witnessed squirrels disappear into thin air while I stood there
scratching my head like an idiot. Any critter that can go aerial,
jump from one tree to another, run straight up or down a tree, hang
upside down from a branch, use any escape device whether the cover
of bull briars, brush, leaf nests or a hole to elude a redtail, gets
my full respect.
I've seen squirrels hide under cars, as well as car tires left in
the woods by some moron. One squirrel in particular scaled the side
of a brick building before jumping back to the ground and getting
away into cover.
Squirrels will also use the tangle of vines running up a tree and
won't budge despite the bird being inches away, or making repeated
stoops at the squirrel. This is when a determined bird will grab the
squirrel through the vines and hang upside down because he can't pull
the squirrel out. Some intervention by the falconer may be needed.
Combine these methods of escape for a squirrel with the flight of
a redtail, and you're
talking fun! No doubt about it, squirrels are tough, agile and smart.
They know the blueprint of their environment and will use any means
of escape to their advantage in order to give the bird the
slip. Fun stuff!
Rhode Island: I was hunting one of my favorite squirrelin'
hot-spots on Thanksgiving Day morning. We already had one squirrel
in the bag, one of those 10-minute jobbies, and were working on a
second, which always fall short of the first 10-minute squirrel. On
average it seems the second squirrel takes at least 30 minutes to
bag. Most times it's even longer - something about that second squirrel.
Let's not even mention triples or quadruples.
We ended up bumping into a confident, aggressive male that knew the
game. Any time the bird flew at the squirrel, he would scurry to the
other side of the tree and dodge the bird. Now the bird would be facing
the side of the tree the squirrel originally was on, and the squirrel
would be on the side of the tree the bird was originally facing. All
right, you get the point - they were at opposite ends. This went on
for 20 minutes or more and then the squirrel changed tactics. The
squirrel began moving up and down the tree, but still going with the
original now-you-see-me-now-you-don't maneuver.
Finally, as we were closing in on an hour, the squirrel decided to
take a gamble and run for cover. As the squirrel came down the tree
and was about five feet from the bottom, the bird did a surprise attack
and raked the squirrel off the tree from the opposite side. This was
the first time I had seen the bird use this technique of stealth.
A day of doubles made for a nice Thanksgiving. A close family friend
and I made our way home and dropped a fresh-kill turkey in the deep
fryer - damn good, too. Best turkey I ever had! And y'all thought
us New Englanders didn't know how to
deep fry. Shame on you.
Rhode Island: I have to say that in one of my favorite flights
the bird didn't even get the squirrel. We came in on a wooded area
that was fairly small. Micro-hawking at its very best. Bird powered
up to a nice high perch and was scanning the area for any movement.
Bird leaned forward and locked in on something I couldn't see. He
readjusted a bit and was off. One thing I love about the males is
their quick, flashy flight. It's as fast as a goshawk, no question
about it. Just kiddin' (about Tim's missing finger, that is). I know
you goshawkers are
trying to get off the floor right now, so I'll let you guys take a
breather and compose yourselves.
Ready?
Back to the storytelling. Bird bombed ahead about 100 yards and smacked
the side of a big, tall oak tree. Bird missed the squirrel that was
now running full-tilt up the side of the tree as the bird regained
himself. The squirrel was running and jumping from tree to tree and
was hell bent for something to do with cover. I was running underneath
the squirrel trying to keep up with bushytail, wondering at the same
time when my bird was going to get back in the game. Just as the squirrel
reached the far end of the lot and jumped from one branch to the other
- wham! The bird nailed the squirrel in mid-air. An awesome shot,
but as Bird parachuted down with the squirrel all balled up, the squirrel
must have given him a nip because he let go of the squirrel. The squirrel
hit the ground and ran straight for what he was probably running for
all along - a tree hollow proved to be his place of refuge. I was
so awestruck by this flight, I forgot what we were hunting for; rabbit,
squirrel, bear, antelope? That mid-air shot was something. I wish
I had a camera for that one.
Weekend Warrior
Next year I hope to get out more often. A new job I took back in September
(just before the hunting season) required me to put in long hours
during the week. I was the classic case of a weekend warrior. When
I did get out though, I hunted hard and packed in a full day, unless
I had a hangover. In addition, getting out in the woodlots with a
bunch of falconers who are serious about catching quarry really helps
put game in the bag.
I also did doubles. In fact, it's safe to say I did doubles 90 percent
of the time. If I didn't, I would've only been able to fly the bird
once a week. Cropping the bird up on one squirrel on Saturday means
Sunday is now out of the picture. There goes my weekend of hunting.
I did manage a few days off throughout the season. Nothing consistent,
but add those days to the holidays and I was able to get the most
out of this year's hunting season. The quality of flights I witnessed
during the hunting season has everything to do with why I'm addicted
to squirrel hawking. If you're even contemplating the idea of hunting
squirrel, I say go for it. Start by reading Buteos and Bushytails
by Gary Brewer, get out in your local woodlots, and have some fun.
Because in the end, no matter how passionate we are about falconry
or hawking, you have to have fun. Being able to do what we do with
our birds is truly the Great Escape.
References
1. Adams, Donald. Comic relief, storytelling specialist.
2. Aldin, Steve. Damn good redtailer, hardcore squirreler, squirrel
behavior specialist, certified tree climbing instructor.
3. Brewer, Gary L. Buteos and Bushytails. GLB Publications. Chandler,
Texas 1995.
4. Folch, Damian, M.D. Damn good redtailer, human or bird injuries
cared for while in thefield - for free.
5. Morrison, Dick. Former sponsor, goshawk fanatic, beginning to take
on many of his goshawk's characteristics.
6. All other falconers I've failed to remember
 
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