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walk right up to the sunburned stranger 
and say, ‘‘Hello.” Talk politely, explain 
how you came to hunt in his woods, and 
wind up by telling him that you had taken 
a look at his cattle when you came in, that 
you like cattle and to shoot a man’s stock 
would be the last thing you would be guilty 
of. If he is a reasonable farmer and can 
tell a sensible fellow when he sees one, he 
will more than likely let you hunt all you 
want to. 
The fox-squirrel is the only game 
harvester of the timber in the entire squirrel 
family that makes good shooting. His 
cunning ways, his natural protection in 
his reddish yellow coat, the speed he can 
get up on the ground or in the tree-tops, 
make him a true game fellow and one that 
is hard to reduce to possession when on even 
ground. It requires much skilful hunting 
and patient waiting to catch him unawares. 
Of course, when one gets into a timber 
where there are plenty of squirrels he is 
sure to get one or two just by luck. But 
skilful still-hunting is what counts—hunting 
without the aid of.a dog. It requires skill 
to stalk a squirrel fifty yards or more and 
then get him as he goes tearing through 
the tree-tops, making for his hole just as 
fast as his legs will carry him. This is the 
part of the sport you will most enjoy. 
The best time to hunt for the sly little 
thief—which he has himself proven by 
his audacious marauderings upon birds’ 
nests and his gray brothers’ storehouses— 
is between sunrise and ro A. M., and 
between 3 P. M. and sunset. He is just as 
fearless as he is smart and his size protects 
him against all hawks, whereas the gray 
squirrel encounters a great enemy in these 
birds. The fox-squirrel’s only enemies are 
the wildcat, the gray wolf, the fox, the rac- 
coon and the hunter. 
I have even had lively shooting at both 
fox squirrels and grays after sundown and 
just before dark. This seems a time for the 
young fellows to romp, and as in November 
they are fair game, and on such an occa- 
sion one can sometimes get a-half dozen in 
fifteen or twenty minutes, it is worth the 
tramp out of the woods after dark. 
The squirrels at that time are not so shy, 
but the uncertain light and the speed with 
which they chase one another from tree to 
RECREATION 
tree put the use of any other weapon than 
a shotgun out of the question. The imps 
are here, there, everywhere, all without a 
moment’s notice, and, like when one luckily 
strikes the thick of the duck flight on a 
stormy November day, one hardly knows 
which way to turn for the next shot. 
But the novice must not expect often to 
fall in with the young squirrels at their 
twilight games. It is only a chance, 
although, of course, a better chance on a 
good hardwood ridge where squirrels are 
abundant. 
On bright, sunny days the squirrels love 
to bask in the sun on some high limb, and 
through the middle of the day, in such 
weather, and especially if it be early in the 
season, the hunter with a sharp pair of eyes 
is often well repaid for hunting instead of 
waiting till midafternoon to resume his 
search for game. Of course, there will be 
times when he shoots at a dry leaf that, high 
in the treetop, looks for all the world like a 
fox squirrel’s tawny side, or flickering in 
the breeze, looks like his tail. But again, 
occasionally those long shots made “on 
speculation” bring down a prize. 
In hardwood timber the fox-squirrel 
builds summer nests of leaves, a large 
bunch frequently, and invariably a con- 
spicuous bright yellow; the entrance to a 
warmly lined nest of broken up leaves is 
a small hole on the side. At other times 
they live in holes, using grass and strips of 
soft bark for a lining. , 
In regard to cleaning your game, I 
advise you to carry a knife with you, and 
when you get a squirrel to clean, do the job 
right away. You will find that the skin 
jerks much easier, and you will avoid all 
the clotted blood that would accumulate 
if you waited until you got home. 
Now for a closing bit of information on 
the habits of the fox-squirrel: Let me 
impress upon the mind of the novice that 
the instant a squirrel sees a hunter he is 
going to start right off for his hole; he will 
not stop a moment, and in case he is too 
far away for a shot the thing to do is to 
go right after him. You have the advantage 
in that you can run faster. Then, too, you 
stand a chance of getting him up a small 
tree, as he will always climb the minute he 
thinks you are getting too close. 
