Appalachiannative
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My father in law got me into hunting squirrels with dogs. He uses mountain cur mountain fiest hybrids. Just curious what other folks use.
Squirrel Dog
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Highland Lofts
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I had Jack Russel Terriers for fox hunting thirty years ago in Upstate New York.
I had some homing pigeons in a elevated pigeon coop with one inch x one inch welded wire floor. The grain they tossed out on the ground the gray squirrels would chow down on.
I started live trapping the squirrels and would let them go at the house and let my female Jack Russel chace them back into the woods.
She Adventureland started catching them and killed them.
Once that started happening I started taking her out squirrel hunting and she was a hell of a squirrel dog. When the squirrels jumped tree to tree she would follow them.
I shot a butt load of squirrels with her. I miss them days of yester-year.
I live in Washington State and am in Upstate New York deer hunting.
They have three Jack Russel pups for sale a couple of towns east of where I am staying. Tomorrow around noon I am going to go check them out. If they are on the smaller size I might buy one and take it home with me to train on squirrels, moles and rats.
Rat terriers and fox terriers should also make good squirrel dogs.
My mother in-law had a laso apso or what ever they are called and that would of made a great squirrel dog.
A friend had a big Irish Wolf Hound for squirrel hunting dog. It was a hell of a squirrel dog as well.
The key to any good quality hunting dog is put the time in with the dog, live trap squirrels and get them excited to hunt them down.
Probably any breed of dog would work if you spend the time with them.
When I was growing up in the early 70s a friend had a border collie that we hunted coon and rabbit with. it worked, but we spent a lot of time hunting with it.
I had some homing pigeons in a elevated pigeon coop with one inch x one inch welded wire floor. The grain they tossed out on the ground the gray squirrels would chow down on.
I started live trapping the squirrels and would let them go at the house and let my female Jack Russel chace them back into the woods.
She Adventureland started catching them and killed them.
Once that started happening I started taking her out squirrel hunting and she was a hell of a squirrel dog. When the squirrels jumped tree to tree she would follow them.
I shot a butt load of squirrels with her. I miss them days of yester-year.
I live in Washington State and am in Upstate New York deer hunting.
They have three Jack Russel pups for sale a couple of towns east of where I am staying. Tomorrow around noon I am going to go check them out. If they are on the smaller size I might buy one and take it home with me to train on squirrels, moles and rats.
Rat terriers and fox terriers should also make good squirrel dogs.
My mother in-law had a laso apso or what ever they are called and that would of made a great squirrel dog.
A friend had a big Irish Wolf Hound for squirrel hunting dog. It was a hell of a squirrel dog as well.
The key to any good quality hunting dog is put the time in with the dog, live trap squirrels and get them excited to hunt them down.
Probably any breed of dog would work if you spend the time with them.
When I was growing up in the early 70s a friend had a border collie that we hunted coon and rabbit with. it worked, but we spent a lot of time hunting with it.
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Appalachiannative
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I like the sound of the wolf hound but those are hard to come by. What makes the curs good is they stay with it and make plenty of noise so you have time to catch-up when you here the barking in the distance. Or so I've been told. My father in law advised me against Jack Russells on the premise that they use there vision more than there nose. I know his cur fiest find them without even being able to see them at all but this is kind of annoying I think. Don't like coming up on a dog that's treeing on a big pine with needles so thick that you can't even see the trunk let alone the squirrel. Thinking about gettinge a pure cur or maybe a Norwegian elkhound if I can find one
CoalCrackerAl
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Our one coon hound also treed squirrels. She was a walker. At night she would tree flying squirrels. We used to think a coon fooled her. Until we saw a Squirrel in the tree one night. I don't remember if we used her for squirrels.
I have a copper colored squirrel dog. She chases squirrels up a tree and agitates them to come on my side by jumping and barking at them. And she is very good at it. She has a strange black eyeliner around her eyes that goes back towards her ear. (See photo) When I get tired of playing this game. I tell to go find another squirrel and she does. I noticed one obvious characteristic in her coat. She has a white discoloration running down her back along her spine that raises up and turns walnut brown when she gets excited. I had the DNA done on her, because her Vets have always called her bloodline by different names. Officially she is Beagle, Sheltie, Australian Cattle dog and Rhodesian Ridgeback. I must have the miniature variety weighing in at 52 lbs.
Highland Lofts
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I went to look at some Jack Russels yesterday up in Sidney/Guilford area.it is a puppy mill so I am going to hold off on getting one.
But they have a ship load of Norwegian Elkhounds,close to a $1,000 a pup. Dogs just in pens and bred for the money. Their number is 607 - 895 - 6129.
I don't like puppy mills for the money.
I'd rather buy a puppy from a person that uses their dog for what it was intended to be used for even if it cost more money.
Their Jack Russels are kept in small pens about four foot square with sawdust on the floor.
With as many dogs and horses they have the only attention they get is ship shoveled and food & water shoved at them.
They do the same with the Morgan horses they have.
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Appalachiannative
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I won't spend a dime supporting those kinda scum bags. I'm glad you didn't
Highland Lofts
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They really iritate me in the wrong way, these animals get zero attention and are coopedup in all pens to spitout puppies liter after liter then are disposed of when they can't pump out any more puppies.
FL-NC
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I have hunted some squirrels- I guess my technique could best be defined as "spot and stalk"? I never knew a dog could play a role in squirrel hunting.
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Appalachiannative
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Oh yea it's fun. You turn the dog loose and you casually walk along untill you hear the barking in the distance. Then you pick up the pace. Then it turns into a game of spot and shoot when you get to the tree the dog is barking up. Then if you shoot and it falls down a steep bank or into thick brush no worries the dog brings it to you. Check out some YouTube if your curious. Some dudes in Arkansas ride mules to get to the dog faster but here in the western NC Mountains we just walk
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Appalachiannative
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Muts are always the best. Best family / security dog we ever had was a German shepherd elkhound and god only knows what mix. Got a pitbull dachshund now that's like our kid since we can't have any. Not much of a hunter. Wish I had one like yours for hunting
Highland Lofts
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Most dogs would make it to be a hunting dog if you take the time with it.
I had a friend in north - central Pennsylvania that used his wife's little apricot poodle for hunting.he was a big guy and did a lot of road hunting the last few years of his life. So when he did get something the dog would find it weather it be a rabbit, squirrel, turkey deer or what ever.
He had a small gun shop in his basement and did a substantial amount of business.
There was several deer camps in the area and if someone wounded a deer and couldn't find it they got him and his dog to find the deer.
I had a friend in north - central Pennsylvania that used his wife's little apricot poodle for hunting.he was a big guy and did a lot of road hunting the last few years of his life. So when he did get something the dog would find it weather it be a rabbit, squirrel, turkey deer or what ever.
He had a small gun shop in his basement and did a substantial amount of business.
There was several deer camps in the area and if someone wounded a deer and couldn't find it they got him and his dog to find the deer.
Barbaroja
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I’m a very big fan of squirrel hunting. Probably my favorite critter to hunt. I’ve always wanted to try hunting with a dog but haven’t met anyone with a squirrel dog yet. Big part of that is being in the complete wrong part of the country for it (PNW). I’ve thought of getting my own dog when I finally move down south but I’m not sure I’d have the time and energy to put into training that the dog would deserve . I’d rather not have a dog then have one I don’t have the time for. Maybe one of these days .
entropy
Member
I didn't either, until a friend told me that Jack Russells and Rat Terriers were great squirrel dogs. Make sense, they are bred to catch rats and mice, and what is a squirrel but a big rat that lives in a tree? So, the next time I went squirrel hunting, I took my Rat Terrier (we got on the subject because I mentioned I had one) with me. He heeled well, but when I shot a woodchuck, (I saw no squirrels that day, no doubt because of the dog. I hunted the area we were in for squirrels frequently, and by 'spot and stalk' would get 3-5 on any given day.) he wouldn't go near it (It was dead when it hit the ground-shot it off a limb.) I actually had to put his leash on, and dragged him to the dead chuck, and he promptly licked it's head wound as if to wake it. I currenty have another Rat Terrier, he's even scared of my guns. I pick up a gun, he runs under the bed. He a lover not a fighter.
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Appalachiannative
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If you decide to get one invest in a live trap. Live squirrels are better for training than dead ones. Don't want your dog out looking for corpses
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Appalachiannative
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You can chain him up next to you and shoot something quiet like .22 short and keep petting and rewarding him to fix gun shynessI didn't either, until a friend told me that Jack Russells and Rat Terriers were great squirrel dogs. Make sense, they are bred to catch rats and mice, and what is a squirrel but a big rat that lives in a tree? So, the next time I went squirrel hunting, I took my Rat Terrier (we got on the subject because I mentioned I had one) with me. He heeled well, but when I shot a woodchuck, (I saw no squirrels that day, no doubt because of the dog. I hunted the area we were in for squirrels frequently, and by 'spot and stalk' would get 3-5 on any given day.) he wouldn't go near it (It was dead when it hit the ground-shot it off a limb.) I actually had to put his leash on, and dragged him to the dead chuck, and he promptly licked it's head wound as if to wake it. I currenty have another Rat Terrier, he's even scared of my guns. I pick up a gun, he runs under the bed. He a lover not a fighter.
Kingcreek
Member
When I was a youngster (50+ years ago) I used to hunt my uncles timber. He had a farm dog mutt part German Shepard that would follow me out in the timber. Never had any training but he would circle around and bark at squirrels and they would come around my side of the trees
Had a mountain Feist growing up. Good dog named him skipper. Would bark nonstop! Neighbors hated him. Wanted to take him to my grandparents woods to hunt. But that was a no go. So me being 13 decided to get him a squirrel. Best shot of my life. Squirrel on top of a pine tree. Shot it fell. Had to lead skipper to it. He bit it once and walked away. Kinda disappointed. Figured he would eat it. And he did after I skinned it and boiled it. I miss that dog.
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