August typically arrives with an end-of-the-summer thump and thud. Lakes and rivers are the temperature of bath water. Fish are lethargic, and so are the fishermen. Most bass men have gone nocturnal. Everyone else has gone indoors. August is a grind.
Then, the third Saturday arrives and a surprisingly large number of us arise before dawn, slather on fistfuls of tick and mosquito repellent, and head into the woods.
Squirrel season, and with it the fall hunting campaign, opens on the third Saturday of August. This year’s opening day is August 18.
Kentucky’s fall squirrel season is the state’s longest hunting campaign. The 2018-2019 season will stretch for 193 days, running until February 28, interrupted only for a two-day break for the opening weekend of the modern gun deer season. The season is open statewide, and hunting opportunities abound. Every public hunting tract in the state harbors squirrels. The daily squirrel bag limit is six. The possession limit is 12.
Squirrels were once the gateway wild game. The squirrel woods were where one learned to watch, to listen, to stalk, to appreciate the value of a sharp knife, to be careful where you step, to make the first shot count. Squirrels and the habitat they prowl provided the training ground for beginning woodsmanship. Deer, turkey, waterfowl and elk all followed. But squirrels laid the groundwork.
Now, thanks in part to the wonderfully successful conservation and restoration efforts that have returned whitetail deer and the eastern wild turkey to Kentucky’s landscape, squirrel hunting doesn’t enjoy the introductory status it once did, although it remains popular.
According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (fw.ky.gov), Kentucky is home to three species of squirrel: the eastern gray, the northern fox and the southern flying squirrel. Gray and fox squirrels are legal game. Flying squirrels (which don’t actually fly but can glide short distances) are off limits.
The vast majority of the state’s squirrel population, including most that prowl city parks, raid backyard bird feeders and fill hunters’ game bags, are gray squirrels.
Their colors range from gray to brownish. Most have white fur on their bellies and white-tipped tail hair. A big one might be 20 inches long and weigh 1½ pounds.
Northern fox squirrels are larger, rarer and a prize for the hunter fortunate enough to bag one. An adult fox squirrel can reach 24 inches or longer, and some bulk up to 2½ pounds. That’s a big squirrel. Their coloring is distinctive, too: typically a salt-and-pepper gray sprinkled with a yellowish or orangish hue. It’s difficult to misidentify a mature fox squirrel.
Squirrel numbers can vary widely from season to season, depending on the weather and food availability, but numbers are generally strong, as evidenced by the long, liberal hunting season. There are no estimates on statewide numbers, as any estimate would be little more than a guess. The critters typically breed twice a year. The gestation period is 40 to 45 days, and the young are on their own at about two months. Squirrels can live up to 20 years in captivity, but in the wild, a 5-year-old squirrel is a senior citizen. A one- to three-year life span is typical, although the annual mast crop drives squirrel numbers as much as any factor. A good acorn crop generally equates to good squirrel numbers. Mast production can vary widely by region.
With help from squirrel hunters, the state conducts an annual fall squirrel hunter survey. During the 2016-2017 season, the most recent for which data is available, Kentucky squirrel hunters took an average of 10.9 trips per season. They spent an average of about three hours in the woods per trip, saw four squirrels per trip and typically bagged a couple. About one in five Kentucky squirrel hunters hunt with dogs. The vast majority of squirrels bagged (88 percent) were gray squirrels.
Game officials need more hunters to help with the survey, which involves keeping a log of your hunting activity. For a copy of the log, go to fw.ky.gov/Hunt/Documents/squirrellogfall.pdf or contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549.
Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com