Hunters who aren’t quite ready to pack it in should consider late-season squirrel hunting.
The leaves are down and the woods are clear, so it’s a good time do some casual scouting, maybe shoot a few squirrels in the process. Pick a still, sunny afternoon, and take a walk in the woods.
In winter it’s easy to see how game moves through your hunting area. Deer sign — antler rubs, scrapes and trails — are still visible and turkey scratchings and droppings give clues as to where birds are roosting and feeding while in their winter flocks. Spring turkey season is just a couple of months away. Take the time to re-familiarize yourself with the lay of the land.
Due to the vast, mature woodlands in our state, squirrel numbers are high and the season length and bag limits are generous. Kentucky’s 2014-15 fall squirrel season is 195 days long, with hunting in parts of seven months. The season ends on Feb. 28, 2015. The daily bag limit is six squirrels.
Squirrel hunting during the last month the season is a much different experience than hunting during late summer and early fall.
In winter, the food that squirrels are looking for is mostly on the ground.
“Squirrels create a cache of nuts and seeds,” said Ben Robinson, small game biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “They go back to the nuts they have buried or stashed in tree cavities.”
Kentucky had a big mast crop last fall, so there’s still plenty of food available to squirrels. This will ensure a high survival rate through the winter, with an excellent reproductive outlook.
In August and September, the leaves are on the trees. Hickory nuts, oak acorns, beechnuts and walnuts are just starting to ripen. Squirrels frolic through the leafy treetops, and the spot and stalk method is the best hunting strategy. Shotguns are ideal for the early season because squirrels are in thick foliage and partially hidden most of the time.
In winter, food is in shorter supply, so hunters should key on remaining food sources to find squirrels. “There’s also competition for acorns from deer and wild turkeys,” said Robinson.
With the leaves down, the forest floor is often dry and crunchy. It’s not as easy to walk quietly. Squirrels are on the ground more and are quick to pick up movement. A proven late season hunting strategy is to walk awhile, then sit awhile, and wait for squirrels to appear. Take along some binoculars. Squirrels are noisy, even in the winter, barking and chattering, and chasing each other.
Shots tend to be longer, so .22 rifles and small-caliber muzzleloaders are ideal for bagging squirrels in late season.
Squirrel harvest drops off in the late season in part because there are fewer hunters. Years of data from the Squirrel Hunter Cooperator Survey has found that hunter effort is greatest toward the beginning of the fall season and declines as the season progresses.
Most years less than five percent of squirrel hunts are held in January and even less in February. Hunters typically observe about half as many squirrels in late season, compared to August and September.
Squirrel Stew
Squirrels are muscular little critters because they climb trees. Their flesh tends to be tough, so slow cooking in a Crock Pot guarantees a tender, flavorful meal.
Squirrels make good one-pot meals, in fact during the 19th century in Kentucky, when wild turkeys, deer, bear, and elk were all but gone, subsistence hunters depended on squirrel and other small game to feed their families. Stews were cooked over an open fire in iron kettles.
Here’s a basic recipe for squirrel stew, prepared in a slow cooker. Add or substitute vegetables, and other ingredients to taste.
This recipe ingredients includes: 1 medium white onion sliced, 2 cups baby carrots (or 1 cup of carrots and 1 cup of peas), 4 potatoes, cut into small chunks, 1 stalk celery, cut into chunks, fresh or minced garlic to taste, bay leaf, chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste, 3 squirrels, cut into pieces, and 3 tablespoons flour.
Place the onion, carrots (or peas and carrots), potatoes, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Lay the squirrel meat on top of the vegetable mixture. Pour chicken broth over the mixture to cover.
Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. Stir the flour into the mixture an hour or so before serving. Your meal is ready when the meat is so tender it falls off the bone.
Don’t overlook late season squirrel hunting. It’s a Kentucky tradition and hunting season’s last hurrah.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.