8/30/2007

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources News
Contact: Hayley Lynch
1-800-858-1549, ext. 424

Kentucky Afield Outdoors

Early Season Squirrel Hunting

Frankfort, Ky. – Squirrel hunting when the weather is hot and the trees are still loaded with leaves is a unique challenge. Unlike hunting later in the season, it’s difficult to rely on your eyes – or a squirrel dog – to locate squirrels. Early season hunting calls for a different approach.

The early season squirrel hunter’s first job is to listen for pieces of nut shells falling from trees and look for these cuttings on the ground as squirrels discard them from above. Start near trees where you would expect to find squirrels. Look for stands of hickory, walnut, white oak and beech. Soft mast is also important during early season, such as hackberry, dogwood, black gum and wild grapes, among others.

Early morning and dusk are good times to set up, with lots of squirrel activity happening after sun-up. Many hunters simply set up near a nut tree and wait to hear squirrels cutting or moving from branch to branch. Watch and listen for cuttings falling from limbs. If you are patient, squirrels will give away their location. The thick foliage on trees in early season will help to conceal you from the squirrels. Early season is a good time for stalk hunting, too, because there aren’t as many leaves covering the forest floor to give away your position.

During the early season when the weather is still hot, squirrels retreat to cool areas near water like stream corridors, springs and river valleys. Drought conditions make these areas even more important for squirrels and hunters alike. That makes early season a great time to combine a squirrel hunt with stream fishing. Since it is legal to hunt squirrels from a boat, you may want to float a stream or small river for smallmouth and take a few bushytails while you’re at it. Look for moving leaves in the tops of trees. Be sure to get permission from landowners to hunt and retrieve downed squirrels along the bank. Always be aware of what’s behind your target, particularly if you are using a rifle.

A .22-caliber rifle is a squirrel hunting favorite for many, but rifle hunting is difficult in the early season. The leaves may help conceal you from squirrels, but it works the other way around, too. It’s difficult for hunters to see squirrels well enough for a clean rifle shot. Shotguns 20-gauge or smaller work well for early season squirrel hunting, but a 12-gauge will do in a pinch. In addition to your firearm, early season calls for lightweight clothing and a healthy dose of bug spray.

Squirrel hunters can help wildlife biologists manage Kentucky’s squirrel populations by participating in hunter cooperator surveys. Hunters fill out logs with details about their hunts, then send the logs back into the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at the end of the hunting season. Hunting log cooperators receive a free hunting cap and annual report. For complete instructions and to print a hunting log, go to fw.ky.gov/smallgamelogs.asp on the Internet. Logs are also available by calling 1-800-858-1549 during normal weekday working hours.

Kentucky’s fall squirrel season is going on right now. It closes Nov. 10-11 for the first weekend of modern gun deer season, then re-opens Nov. 12 and continues through Feb. 29, 2008. Hunters are allowed six squirrels per day, with a possession limit of 12 squirrels. Pick up a copy of the 2007-08 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, available wherever licenses are sold, for complete squirrel hunting regulations.

Hunter education is required for all hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1975, except kids under 12 and hunters who are license exempt. However, a one-time temporary hunter education exemption permit is available for $5 online, which allows hunting for one year from the date of purchase without a hunter education card while accompanied by a legal adult hunter. Log on to fw.ky.gov on the Internet to find a hunter education course near you, or to purchase an exemption permit.

        Hayley Lynch is an award-winning writer for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She is an avid hunter and shotgun shooter. 

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