Floating puts the sneak on squirrels

When dry leaves turn to a crackling carpet of cornflakes and underbrush grows thick, hunters can't easily slip within range of squirrels, but a small boat can open up a lot more territory to sportsmen.

Frequently, people use boats to transport themselves to squirrel hunting areas only to hoof it on shore, but few sportsmen hunt directly from small boats. Using paddle or pole power, sportsmen can silently move along a stream. Quite often, the best squirrel trees grow along the banks of streams anyway.

Regularly, floating sportsmen can approach close to squirrels playing in trees growing near shorelines. Squirrels grow accustomed to seeing anglers on the water and often ignore boats floating past them. All anglers can tell stories of squirrels they saw while floating their favorite fishing holes.

A small wooden canoe or flatboat makes an excellent platform for float hunting. Wooden boats don't make as much noise as aluminum boats. However, carpet on the bottom and along the gunnels of an aluminum or fiberglass boat can reduce the reverberation of unnatural, game-spooking noises.

When hunting alone, a sportsman can paddle while keeping a shotgun handy. When hunting with partners, designate one shooter at a time and take turns for safety reasons. The person in the stern of the boat should act as spotter and paddler. Only the designated shooter in the bow should hold a loaded gun.