Want to be the envy of your hunting buddies and fill your calendar with squirrel hunt bookings? Find and train a dog to tree squirrels and you’ll wear out your pencil jotting down hunting dates.

As deer season begins to wind down, squirrel hunters using dogs to locate and tree squirrels after deer season ends want to be sure the barking of treed squirrel dogs won’t get the squirrel hunter in trouble from deer hunters waiting on that last minute chance at a buck. Squirrel hunters using dogs will be going at it full bore as season lasts on until the end of February.

For Ruston’s George Seacrist, working with his squirrel dogs is a year round proposition. He raises his own squirrel dogs and begins some preliminaries with pups as young as a month old while they’re still in the kennel, deciding which ones of the litter will eventually be sniffing out and treeing squirrels.

“Dogs that have the inborn desire to hunt can be detected at a really young age,” said Seacrist. “I’ll fan a squirrel tail in front of them and watch their reactions. Some have no interest while others want to reach through the kennel gate and grab it. I’ll keep my eye on those that do and start working with them right away.”

“When pups are out in the yard playing, observe which ones seem to have an interest in birds or squirrels in the yard. Once you decide which of the pups seem to be alert to creatures in your yard, sniffing the ground with tails wagging, start right then working patiently with the puppy. I’ll tie a squirrel tail to a string and drag it around the yard so they become accustomed to
the smell; they see it as a game and those that show promise become interested real quick.”

“When you get to the actual training, take the pup to the woods with a trained dog and let him observe how it’s done. If he’s going to make a good squirrel dog, the light will eventually come on and he’ll be able to do it on his own,” Seacrist added.

Even though a dog may learn to tree squirrels, two other possible obstacles have to be faced. Some dogs are hesitant to bark on the tree while others may be frightened by gun fire.

“Sometimes when one of my dogs trees close to me, he doesn’t bark. However, if I step back behind a big tree where he can’t see me, he’ll bark. I’ve learned that when a dog barks after treeing, he’s not barking at the squirrel; he’s barking at me and it’s his way of telling me there’s a squirrel up there and I need to come shoot it out.”

“I had one dog that was gun-shy so I started out hunting her with a .22 or 20 gauge shotgun. I also purchased a tape that plays music and periodically, the music stops and a gun fires. It took awhile but eventually, the dog became accustomed to the sound of a gun shot and now, she no longer has that problem,” Seacrist continued.

Another consideration in deciding which puppy will learn to tree squirrels is the dog’s heritage and blood line. Several species of dogs, such as the mountain cur, usually make the best squirrel dogs, but Seacrist prefers smaller breed of dogs.

“My dogs are a feist and rat terrier mix and they’re worked out really good for me. These are smaller dogs and won’t range out as far as the larger dogs. I like a dog that will hunt close so I can stay in contact with the dog and have a better ‘read’ on him and what he’s doing,” he added.

You want good exercise? Hook up with a squirrel hunter and his dogs. I have made several hunts with Seacrist and his dogs and after a day of tromping through the woods, sprinting  to the tree when the dog barks, I don’t have to be rocked to sleep that night. It’s wholesome; it’s fun and the squirrel mulligan that usually follows goes down mighty nice and easy.

FISHING REPORT

BLACK BAYOU – No report this week. Contact Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707 for the latest information.
BUSSEY BRAKE – Crappie fishing has been fair to good this week on jigs or shiners. Bass has fair flipping jigs and creature baits around structure. For the latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The water is rising with lots of current and there are no fishing reports this week. For the latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – Before the deluge of heavy rains, crappie fishing had been good fishing the channel edges and flats with shiners or jigs. Bass had been best fishing the points on crank baits. With all the heavy rains and run-off, water is high, rising with lots of current. Fishing has come to a virtual stand-still until conditions improve. For the latest information, call Anderson Sport
Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – The water is rising but crappie fishing continues to be good with shiners working best on the crappie in deep water. No report this week on bass, bream, stripers, or catfish. For the latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
CANEY LAKE – Water is rising and fishing has slowed. However, jigging spoons and tail spinners are picking up a few bass and yellow bass bouncing these lures off the bottom in 18-20 foot deep water. Soft plastics and deep diving crank baits have been producing some around humps just off the channels. Crappie fishing continues to be the best fishing the deep tops on shiners or jigs. No report on bream or catfish. For information contact Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498, or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – Crappie fishing has been good this week around the boat slips and on the south end on shiners or jigs. Catfishing is good on a variety of baits. No report on bass or bream. For the latest reports, call Poverty Point Marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – With water rising everywhere else, the water on Yucatan is on a slow fall. Fishing, however, has been rather slow. For information, call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.