Clark County squirrel hunt

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Hello friends, I have often written about the 50 falls in a row that I have hunted deer in northern Juneau County while camping with family and friends and how four people evolved from a tent to 25 people putting up a steel pole barn for two weeks on public land and then taking it down.

When it was just my father, the late Robert Walters, and my brothers Tom and Mike and then Jeff Moll, we would camp next to some Milwaukee guys that were very tough and a whole heck of a lot of fun. Those guys were Lynn Halboth, Tony Wagner and the late Larry Sowle. All three of my eventual pals are about 14 years older than me and took me under their wing when I turned 18 and would stay at camp after my family left. I cannot write about all of the things they taught me or about all the places that they took me, but exactly 50 years later we are still great friends. RIP Larry!

So what am I getting at here? All three of these guys ended up living in Clark County near Willard and I had not seen them since Covid hit. So we needed an excuse to laugh a lot.

I came up with a dandy and that was that I could hunt squirrels on Lynn’s 116 acres of pure paradise and at night we could socialize.

Friday, Jan. 28 High 22, Low 1

In all honesty Tony, Lynn and I have a great connection. When I arrived today every squirrel in Lynn’s woods was safe as the three of us sat in Lynn’s kitchen and talked and laughed for a long time.

Next we headed over to JJ’s Bar and Grill for a topnotch fish fry and then we went over to Willard where my good friend Dean Lesar, “Shoe,” long time publisher of the Tribune Record Gleaner had purchased Freddie’s Bar and we had a great time speaking with a lot of good people about hunting, fishing, farming and everything in between.

Saturday, Jan. 29 High 19, Low 7

I don’t know if you are aware of this, but squirrels are not very active on cold January days. This morning I would be carrying my Remington 597 .22 and Lynn would be shooting a Winchester single shot .22. We were both in kind of rough shape and right away Lynn got his UTV stuck in a snow drift. Then he realized the fourwheel drive wasn’t working. Next we had to walk a very long way across a field that had some pretty deep snow drifts that my old pole climbing buddy (Lynn was a lineman for AT& T) did not like. Once he fell over in a snow drift and it was pure luck that he got upright.

So we hit the woods that is chalk full of deer and squirrel sign but all the squirrels are hiding on us. Eventually we made it back to Lynn’s home without firing a shot. After a snooze I hit the woods by myself. No squirrel action and back to camp at dark, zero festivities tonight.

Sunday, Jan. 30 High 21, Low 4

I am a cured man, was wandering the woods at first light and to be perfectly honest, loving it. When I was a young boy I was as good a squirrel hunter as you could find. Five kids living with just a dad made the .22 and the forest my best friend. I kept having those memories this morning and I also loved exploring the winter version of a Wisconsin forest with heavy wildlife sign.

My first real action of this three-day hunt came with five squirrels in a group of oaks and I am glad I was not being videoed as I was missing. I explored further into the forest and saw gray on white “squirrel on snow.” I did my sneak and the dang squirrel kept going on the other side of the oak tree. I was patient, after 15 minutes it stuck its head out and I sent him to the frying pan. I felt like I just threw a touchdown pass for the Packers.

I kept exploring and once again I saw gray on white. I did a sneak, played the same game, took a shot and out of the old oak tree tumbles squirrel number two. At this point I’ m thinking who needs Aaron Rogers, I can handle the job.

My last squirrel was the best yet. I saw it running on the snow 100 yards away. It climbed a tree. I made a sneak, in all honesty it was a 50-yard shot. I figured what do I have to lose? I am already the next quarterback to take the Packers to the Super Bowl. I squeezed the trigger and walla, we just won the Super Bowl.

Lynn still has not recovered from Friday night and told me he will call when I can make my next visit!

Sunset