“That’s Rivermutt! He is treed!”
The words come from our dog handler, Ronnie O’Neal, and we all take off through the Alabama creek bottom like a herd of turkeys. Rivermutt is Ronnie’s ace squirrel dog, and his frantic barking tells us to get there quickly. It’s Feb. 21, we are at the Squirrel Master Classic near Montgomery, Ala., hunting squirrels with dogs and Gamo air rifles, and we are having a big time.
The event is the brain child of Jackie Bushman, the founder of Buckmasters deer hunting association, magazines and outdoor television programs. In 1986, at age 29, Bushman acted on an idea he’d been developing since he was a teenager. The Montgomery native had grown up exploring the great outdoors and hunting with his grandfather, and he wanted to take the camaraderie of the hunting camp to a national level. He envisioned an association that would encourage a feeling of community, sportsmanship and wildlife conservation while promoting a positive image of deer hunters everywhere.
Contributed photo / Larry CaseIn 2014, Bushman had another brain storm that led to the inception of the Squirrel Master Classic. The decline in hunter numbers the past several years is no secret. Bushman believed, like many of us, that one way to generate more interest in hunting with young people is to bring back an emphasis on small game.
There was a time when most of us started hunting by pursuing squirrels, rabbits and other small game. As deer and turkey populations increased, many young hunters skipped this stage and started on larger game instead. That may not be a bad thing, but learning on small game is where a hunter often picks up the basics such as gun safety, woodsmanship, tracking and finding food sources for game, as well as dressing and preparing game for the table. Being taught all of this on rabbits, squirrels and game birds is a good way to start.