I couldn’t. As it turned out, I should have. A group of riflemen in that block bagged eighty squirrels; the trees had come alive when night temperatures dropped and the sun shone at dawn. Had I relied on my only day in those pecans to assess their value as squirrel habitat, I’d have certainly come to the wrong conclusion.

The same caveat holds when you’re able to hunt only early or only late. While I’ve found the best squirrel hunting happens in the morning, late afternoon can be productive—especially just before a storm. I’ve had limited success at dusk. By the time deer are most active, squirrels are where owls can’t reach.

In the South, hunters commonly use dogs to find squirrels. Dogs (and partners) can also keep the squirrels motionless on a limb or tree trunk while the marksman works into position for a shot. Southerners also favor shotguns more so than hunters in the Upper Midwest—and with some justification. Long seasons that start when foliage is still thick in places that are never as open as late-fall woodlots in the North give riflemen little opportunity. Gray squirrels are typically flightier than northern fox squirrels, too.

Still, I’d as soon hunt with a rimfire rifle or a handgun, shooting hollowpoint or polymer-tipped bullets at the head or crease behind the shoulder. I’ve used a variety of .22s for squirrels and enjoyed them all, especially old ones that hide history in scarred walnut and silvered barrels. My leanest days have come when I carried handguns, but squirrel hunting is not a game for score. It is best done with modest hardware.