SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 10, 2009) - Whether still, stalk or squirrel
dog hunting is your preference, the beginning of squirrel season is just
around the corner. Often revered as a celebrated American fall
tradition, squirrel hunting provides the perfect opportunity to
introduce youth or a novice to the sport of hunting. Unlike some big
game hunts, the pursuit of bushytails often involves more action for
energetic youth, providing a greater level of interaction with the
outdoors.
Beginning August 15, 2009 and lasting through February 28, 2010,
hunters can pursue both gray and fox squirrels. The maximum daily bag
limit is 12 per hunter.
“Prior to the successful restoration of white-tailed deer, pursuing
squirrels in the fall was a significant cultural tradition in
Georgia,” says John Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division’s Game
Management assistant chief. “Squirrel hunting can provide one of our
best opportunities to introduce the younger generation to hunting and
instill in them our responsibilities to wildlife conservation.
Additionally, it’s fun, less expensive and provides constant
action.”
Squirrel hunting, especially with squirrel dogs such as feists,
terriers and curs, is a great way to introduce youth to hunting and the
outdoors. In terms of number of hunters and harvest, squirrels are the
second most pursued small game species in Georgia, behind doves.
Georgia’s wildlife management areas offer more than one million acres
of hunting opportunity for only $19 a year, and squirrel hunting is
allowed on WMAs at specified times during the statewide squirrel season.
Hunters are advised to check the hunting regulations for specific WMAs
and dates.
The two species
Both the gray and fox squirrels can be found throughout Georgia. The
gray squirrel, abundant in both rural and urban areas is the most common
species. Though mostly associated with hardwood forests, grays also can
be found in mixed pine/hardwood forests. Predominantly gray, with white
under parts, gray squirrels appear more slender-bodied than fox
squirrels, weighing anywhere from 12 ounces to one-and-a-half pounds.
Fox squirrels have several color phases, varying from silver-gray with
a predominantly black head, to solid black, to a light buff or brown
color tinged with reddish-yellow. Generally larger than grays, fox
squirrels range in weight from one pound to nearly three, and are more
closely associated with mature pine and mixed pine/hardwood habitats and
especially in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions.
What about the ‘lumpy’ variety?
This time of year, hunters and wildlife watchers often come across a
few squirrels with an out-of-the-ordinary ‘lumpy’ appearance. These
lumps and bumps are not tumors and actually are caused by warbles, which
are bot fly larvae growing just under the squirrel’s skin.
Bot flies (cuterebra emasculator) naturally parasitize gray squirrels,
fox squirrels and chipmunks throughout the eastern and midwestern
regions of North America. Affected squirrels typically are observed
during late summer and early fall - from mid to late July to the end of
October.
Adult bot flies lay their eggs in the vicinity of the squirrel’s
habitat or directly on the squirrel. Once the larva hatches, it enters a
body opening and migrates to a location underneath the skin of the
squirrel. The larva creates a warble pore where it grows for three to
ten weeks, matures and exits, falling to the ground. There it burrows to
pupate and the cycle repeats itself the following year.
Affected squirrels tend to recover quickly once the larvae exit from
the warbles to the ground.
While the sight of a squirrel with warbles may be a bit unsettling,
they generally pose no threat to uninfected squirrels, other wildlife,
humans or domestic animals, and are perfectly safe for squirrel hunters
to skin and eat.
For more information on the 2009-2010 squirrel hunting season or other
small game hunting seasons, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com, contact a local
Game Management office or call (770) 918-6416.
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