(music)
>> THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL
LITTLE GUN.
LET'S GO QUIETLY, NOW, MACY.
(music)
THIS IS A GOOD LOOKING SPOT.
I HAVE FOUR DAUGHTERS.
MACY IS MY OUTDOORS PERSON,
SO SHE LIKES TO GO AND...
(bird squawks)
...TROMP OUT IN THE WOODS,
'LONG AS THE BUGS DON'T
BOTHER HER TOO MUCH.
COME AROUND THIS
SIDE OF THE TREE.
>> JOE DAVIS AND HIS DAUGHTER
MACY ARE HUNTING ON THE
GUS ENGELING WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT AREA.
IT'S IN THE HEART OF EAST
TEXAS, WITH OVER 2,000 ACRES
OF PRISTINE HARDWOOD FOREST.
>> THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
AND THE SQUIRREL HABITAT,
I HAVEN'T SEEN LIKE THIS
SINCE I WAS A KID HUNTIN'
IN SOUTH ALABAMA.
I'M NOT SURE I SAW ONE,
BUT I THINK I DID.
>> DAD!
THERE'S ONE BEHIND THERE
THAT STICKS OUT.
STRAIGHT BEHIND THERE.
>> THAT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD ONE,
DOESN'T IT.
(click of rifle)
(rifle shoots)
MACY, BE SURE HE'S DEAD
BEFORE YOU PICK HIM UP.
>> I KNOW THAT!
>> OH, YEA. YEA.
THAT OTHER SQUIRREL HAS
GOT TO BE RIGHT HERE.
>> DAD, PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET.
WHICH ONE, THIS ONE?
WOOOO, THAT'S COOL!
>> SEEN SQUIRRELS AND A HOG.
HEARD CROWS AND WOODPECKERS
AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
(sound of bird squawking)
BUT WE KILLED, HOW MANY DID
WE KILL THIS MORNING?
>> FOUR.
FOUR?
>> I THINK THAT MAY BE RIGHT.
>> THREE?
>> FIFTEEN?
I THINK WE KILLED FIFTEEN
THIS MORNING, DIDN'T WE?
>> NO!
(music)
>> IN YEARS PAST, A YOUNGSTER
LEARNED WOODSMANSHIP
AND HUNTING SKILLS WITH
SMALL GAME LIKE RABBIT
AND SQUIRREL.
IT WASN'T SO MUCH A SPORT
AS A PRACTICAL MEANS OF
FEEDING THE FAMILY.
MANY MOVIES HAVE PORTRAYED
SMALL GAME HUNTING FOR
WHAT IT ONCE WAS -
A RITE OF PASSAGE AS
KIDS GREW TO TEENAGERS.
>> LOOK IT, PA.
THESE HERE'S FOR YOUR SUPPER.
AND I ONLY WASTED TWO SHOTS.
>> THAT'S MIGHTY FINE, SON.
>> I'M TAKING CHARGE, ALRIGHT.
AIN'T I, PA?
EVERYTHING'S COMING ALONG
JUST FINE.
(music)
>> FAST FORWARD 100 YEARS
OR SO, AND THE THINGS
THAT MADE HUNTING SUCH A
SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE
AND NECESSARY PART OF OUR
SURVIVAL HAVE FADED AWAY.
>> TAKE THESE BIRDS?
(guns firing)
>> THE RESULT - EACH YEAR
WE HAVE FEWER AND FEWER
YOUNG HUNTERS.
AND, EACH YEAR, OUR TIES TO
NATURE WEAKEN EVER SO SLIGHTLY.
>> I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 1983
AND I HAVE MORE AND MORE
APPRECIATION THE LONGER
I'M HERE FOR THIS PLACE.
>> HAYDEN HAUCKE IS A
BIOLOGIST WHO SPENT HIS CAREER
IN THE FORESTS OF EAST TEXAS.
OVER THE PAST QUARTER
CENTURY, HE'S SEEN THE NUMBER
OF SQUIRREL HUNTERS DECLINE
BY NEARLY 70 PERCENT.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF US,
I KNOW IN THE WILDLIFE
PROFESSION, YOU GO AROUND
AND ASK THEM, THAT'S HOW THEY
WERE INTRODUCED TO HUNTING,
MAYBE 12 OR 13 YEARS OF AGE
TO RABBITS OR TO SQUIRREL.
AND SO WE'RE WANTING TO
CONTINUE THAT TRADITION IN
THE HOPES OF IN STILLING
CONSERVATION ETHICS AND JUST
THE LOVE OF BEING IN
THE OUT OF DOORS.
>> AND THAT'S WHY HUNTERS
LIKE ORRIN, HIS DAD KELLY,
AND FRIEND SAM COME TO
HUNT AT ENGELING.
>> ORRIN, TAKE YOUR TIME, SON.
THIS IS A DYING THING,
ALL THESE HARDWOOD BOTTOMS.
YOU DON'T SEE THIS MUCH ANYMORE.
>> I LIKE THE HARDWOOD BOTTOMS.
LOTS OF SQUIRRELS.
BE BETTER IF I COULD
SHOOT STRAIGHT.
>> SEE WHERE I'M POINTING HERE?
SEE THIS LIMB COMING DOWN HERE?
I'M GOING TO WALK AROUND.
YOU WATCH HIM AND COME AROUND
TO THIS SIDE, RIGHT UP
HERE AT THE TOP.
HE'S BEEN PRETTY GOOD BOYS.
BOTH MY BOYS.
TURNED OUT PRETTY GOOD.
AND I THINK HUNTING HAS
A LOT TO DO WITH IT.
SPENDING TIME WITH THEM
DOING ANYTHING.
(gun shoots)
GOOD SHOT!
(laughs)
THEY FINALLY GOT ONE!
>> WHAT YA' GOT?
>> ANOTHER LITTLE CAT SQUIRREL.
ROAMING THE TREES.
>> I'M GETTING ME A SQUIRREL
BEFORE WE GO HOME.
>> HUH?
>> I'M GETTING ME A SQUIRREL
BEFORE WE GO HOME TOMORROW.
(music)
>> FOR A SQUIRREL, A MATURE
HARDWOOD FOREST IS A BIG
GROCERY STORE STOCKED WITH
BERRIES, ACORNS AND PECANS.
A HEALTHY HARDWOOD ECOSYSTEM
ALSO CREATES SOMETHING AKIN
TO A HUGE SQUIRREL
CONDOMINIUM, PROVIDING DEN
SITES FOR FEMALES TO RAISE
AND SHELTER THEIR YOUNG.
BUT QUALITY HABITATS LIKE
THE ONE AT ENGELING ARE RARE.
(trees sawed down)
MANY OF THE OLD-GROWTH
HARDWOODS HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN
AND REPLACED WITH HUGE
PINE PLANTATIONS.
(trees falling)
(chain saw)
>> IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT
WE HAVE FEWER TREES.
WE HAVE FEWER OF THE
HARDWOOD TREES THAT CREATE
THE FOOD TO SUPPORT A DIVERSE
WILDLIFE POPULATION.
>> BIOLOGISTS TALK ABOUT
MONOCULTURES AND HOW
MONOCULTURES CAN BE
CONSIDERED WILDLIFE DESERTS.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THE
DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE ON
ENGELING, YOU'RE PROVIDING
LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS
OF HABITAT TYPES.
DIVERSITY IS A KEY
FOR WILDLIFE.
>> MACY'S EYES ARE A LITTLE
SHARPER THAN MINE.
SHE CAN LOOK UP IN THE TREES
AND SAY "THERE'S ONE".
AND I SAY WHERE?
SHE SAYS "RIGHT THERE".
HE'S GOT TO MOVE PRETTY
GOOD BEFORE I SEE HIM.
>> SEE HIM?
HE'S GOING UP THE TREE.
>> I DON'T SEE HIM.
>> YOU DON'T SEE ANY OF THEM.
THERE HE IS.
>> OH, YEA. YEA.
HE'S JUST A LITTLE TOO FAR.
(gun shot)
(music)
BISCUITS AND GRAVY
AND SQUIRRELS,
IS WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND.
I MAY TAKE SOME TO MY DAD.
HE LIVES IN MISSISSIPPI.
AND HE LOVES THEM.
AND HE'LL COOK THEM FOR ME.
I'M NOT SURE MY WIFE WILL
COOK THEM OR NOT.
>> THE POPULATION OF MOST
WILDLIFE SPECIES DEPENDS
LARGELY ON THE QUANTITY
AND QUALITY OF THE HABITAT.
THAT'S WHY SQUIRRELS ARE SO
PLENTIFUL HERE AT ENGELING.
(gun shot)
BUT...
...AS THE HARDWOOD
BOTTOMLANDS ACROSS EAST TEXAS
DISAPPEAR, THE TRADITION
OF HUNTING SQUIRREL -
A PRACTICE PASSED FROM
GENERATION TO GENERATION -
COULD DISAPPEAR AS WELL.
>> I HOPE SHE JUST REMEMBERS
SPENDING TIME WITH HER DAD.
HE WAS WAY UP IN THAT TREE,
WASN'T HE?
I DID THAT WITH MY DAD
AND REMEMBER THOSE DAYS.
AND I HAVE GREAT MEMORIES,
AND I THINK IT'S THE SAME
THING WITH HER.
>> AND JOE DAVIS HOPES MACY'S
GENERATION WON'T BE THE LAST
OF THE SQUIRREL HUNTERS.
(music)
THE ANNUAL PUBLIC HUNTING
PERMIT PROVIDES ACCESS TO
LOW-COST HUNTING
OPPORTUNITIES ON NEARLY
1.2 MILLION ACRES OF LAND,
INCLUDING THE GUS ENGELING
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA.
FOR MORE INFO,
LOG ON TO OUR WEBSITE.