Fri, Sep 8th, 2023 - 10:13am
November 30, 2020 - 9:13am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
The deer season has ended, ducks are flying south and December is upon us. December is my favorite month for hunting small game as we have just enough snow cover and cold weather to keep the rabbits, squirrels and grouse fairly active. Choose those days that are sunny and windless versus those cloudy days. I watch specifically for those cold snaps that feature that third or fourth day of warmth and sun. All the critters of the woods will be moving after a cold snap.
You can hunt either with a shotgun or rifle by moving very quietly and slowly through the woods or you can choose to sit down and wait for movement. This is the time to be very quiet with no talking and moving with stealth.
A .22 rifle in the long rifle caliber works well but I prefer a .17 HMR caliber which is a newfangled rimfire cartridge that is far more effective out to 140 yards. Ammunition for the .17 is readily available even as we suffer through an ammunition shortage. Once you shoot the .17 HMR you will never pick up your .22 again, it's that much better.
I have been coming across grouse periodically as well which I consider a real bonus and they can be a wonderful surprise when you get the surprise flush! It's really nice to have the rabbit, squirrel and grouse options as you move through the woods.
Squirrels slow-cooked in a crockpot for a couple of hours with a can of mushroom soup loaded with onions is hard to beat. Eating them fresh within 3 days is your best course as freezing them seems to affect the quality of the meat.
Most of use grew up hunting small game and it's really fun to revert back to the sport we used to love.
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
