In this video I’m back on a big chunk of public land doing a little squirrel (and technically dove) hunting, and I brought Maple—my German Shorthaired Pointer—along for some real woods exposure. Lately I’ve been craving a return to simplicity. I love geeking out on camo patterns, gear, and tech, but every once in a while I just want to shut it all off and go for a walk with a shotgun like I did growing up. I’m running a 20 gauge 870 Wingmaster with Federal Heavy Field Loads, and I talk through why I prefer a shotgun early season when the canopy is still thick. With all that foliage, sneaking a .22 bullet through for a clean head shot can be a pain, but with a shotgun I can still take a squirrel even if he’s tucked in a cluster of leaves. After we tag one, I take you through my field-to-freezer cleaning process at home: a “few cuts as possible” skinning method to keep hair off the meat, then trimming feet/head and gutting it so it’s ready for the crockpot, fryer, or (my plan here) the vacuum sealer for a future banging squirrel stew.