Summer 2023
Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs
As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one-and four eyes and ears are better than two of each. Taking to the woods with a hunting buddycan go a long way to leveling the playing field when pursuing bushytails.
Once you’ve identified the feeding area or den tree on which you plan to concentrate your hunt, it’s time to pick your stand. If your target is a den tree, you and your hunting partner should position yourselves on opposite sides. Should a squirrel spot either of you, it most likely will scamper around the trunk, providing the other hunter a shot. The same is true for hunting a stand of forage trees. Additionally, bracketing the sides offers the best chance for spotting a bushytail that is lying flat on top of a limb.
To get a better view of the upper portion of a den tree in hilly country, hunters usually move onto a hillside for better visibility. But that can mean shooting straight across the valley at eye level, which is obviously a bad idea if you’re partner is posted up on the opposite slope. You’re better off with both of you down in the valley, shooting up into the tree.
Additionally, be sure to take the sun into consideration when positioning yourselves. Having a north-to-south setup is best. That way, regardless of whether you are hunting at dawn or dusk, neither of you will be staring into the glare of the sun.
Remaining still and quiet is important, but when hunting with a partner, there can arise situations in which you need to communicate. Calling out to each other will send the squirrels diving into the hollows of the trees. That’s why, when setting up, you need to have a clear line of sight to your partner. Before heading into the woods, establish simple hand signals to use as communication. That way you can alert each other to the presence of the quarry and guide one another on where to look. Just be sure to keep the signals simple to require as little movement at possible.
Jimmy Jacobs lives in Marietta and got his start hunting squirrels with his dad, brother and cousins at the age of 10 around Rockmart in Polk County on land owned by his uncles Paul Baldwin and Wesley Atkins. He can be contacted at jimmyjacobs@mindspring.com.