How to get a squirrel’s attention!
Summer 2025
Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs
You are in the woods in early September planning to bag a couple of squirrels for an evening stew. The hardwood stand still has its leafy canopy in place, so you have opted for using a shotgun, since clear shooting lanes will be rare.
Slipping among the trees, you see just a quick flicker of movement as a bushytail darts around a tree, having already spotted you. You might as well move on since you have been busted, right? Not necessarily. Much like the old angling adage that you never leave fish to go look for fish, the same can apply to squirrel hunting. You know there’s at least one of the critters in your vicinity and you just need to outsmart it.
Now is the time to use the squirrel’s inquisitive nature against it. The tools you need for this is a small leaf covered twig and a squirrel whistle. Resembling a pair of bottle caps glued together with a hole running through them, the whistle can be effective in convincing the squirrels to show themselves. That is, if you know how to use the whistle properly. The idea is not actually to blow the whistle, but rather to suck air through it. And what’s with the leafy twig?
The squirrel whistle is based on the sound made when a squirrel, and particularly a younger one, is being attacked by a hawk or other bird of prey. It is designed to produce the exact frequency of the busytail’s distress call.
When the bird catches the squirrel, it often takes it to the ground to finish it off by digging in its talons. During that process, the bird will spread its wings and beat the ground for balance, while the squirrel gives off that distress call.
The SW-92 Mr. Squirrel Whistle form Haydel’s Game Calls.
Thus, you start by thrashing the ground with the leave covered limb, while sounding off with the squirrel whistle. That’s when curiosity brings the real squirrels out of hiding amid the canopy to look for the predator and its victim. Additionally, the squirrels often bark, making it even easier to locate them. You just need to be ready to make the shot when that occurs. It won’t take long for the bushytail to figure out he’s been fooled.
Does it always work? Not is there are no squirrels where you are hunting. If you are not getting any response, move several hundred yards and try again.
The SW-92 Mr. Squirrel Whistle manufactured by Haydel’s Game Calls is the standard for this product. It comes with a leather lanyard to drape it around you neck, keeping it handy for quick use. The MSRP from Haydel’s for this unit is $14.95. For more information visit their website.
Jimmy Jacobs is the editor of Georgia Outdoor Adventures, as well as being editor/publisher of On The Fly South. He also is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He makes his home in Marietta with his English setters, Luke and Lulu. He can be contacted at jimmyjacobs@mindspring.com.