If you’re eagerly awaiting the deer hunting season, like Jerry Kiesow, now is the perfect time to start fine-tuning your skills by hunting squirrels.

September may seem a bit early to be thinking about the upcoming gun deer season, but it really is not. Many begin scouting for bucks, and “practicing” for deer hunting with a squirrel gun this month.

Why squirrels? Because they are a lot like hunting deer. Squirrel hunting involves sitting quietly in the woods, albeit not in trees, in camo. What could be closer to deer hunting conditions (and in more pleasant weather, too)?

First and foremost, the gun you use for squirrel hunting should be, except for caliber, the same or close to the same kind and/or style as your deer rifle. I hunt deer with a .50 caliber Hawken, blackpowder rifle. I hunt squirrels with a .22/.410. Both guns have outside hammers. Both are single-shot weapons. Both have outside, pullback hammers. Shooting the .22 is great practice for the Jeremiah Johnson gun.

When I go into the woods for squirrels, I carry the same equipment as I do when I go after whitetails: binoculars, a small camera, shells, range finder, tea in a thermos, maybe an apple or candy bar, and a foam cushion to sit on. (Yes, when I deer hunt, I do it from the ground. I am not comfortable up a tree.) All these items fit into a backpack—except the cushion.

When I am squirrel hunting, I am presented with the same situations, except the leaves, as when I am deer hunting: dropping my backpack making noise, movement when taking a drink or eating, using the binoculars or range finder. You get the idea.

When I hunt either squirrels or deer, I usually sit with my back against a tree (although sometimes I use just a stump). If I have made a ground blind, I will begin sitting there. Once in that blind, my movement will be at a minimum, and I let the woods quiet down. Once it does, the critters move around again.

Just like deer hunting, when I change locations, I do so slowly, still-hunting my way from one spot to another. Yes, when the woods are quiet and wet, you can approach squirrels, and deer, if you move slowly and carefully.

The practice you get shooting will be the same as when you are trying to harvest your deer: one shot. If you can use some sort of stabilizer for that shot, all the better. I carry an adjustable stick: a walking stick.

Some of you are probably saying, “This is all well and good for those who hunt with a rifle, but what about us who still use shotguns. How will this help us?

Well, all the above applies to you, too. The only difference will be your guns and shells. You will still get shooting experience.

The biggest advantage to squirrel hunting is, you have a long season, and with plenty of targets, you get a lot of opportunities to improve your shooting/hunting skills.

That does not mean you should not stand in line two weeks before the season, waiting for your turn to sight in your deer rifle. You cannot ignore doing that. But that is really all you need to do—make sure the gun shoots where you point it. You know you can hit your target. After all, you have been practicing on squirrels for months.

For more hunting insight, check out the fall issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.