Cooler temperatures bring hunting opportunities in state

Squirrel hunting should be good in January with winter weather on the way

By Randy Zellers

AGFC Communications

The deer rut isn’t the only game in town when it comes to winter hunts that get the blood pumping.

Winter time beckons an intense period of breeding activity for another animal in the deer woods — many a hunter has seen it happen while sitting in their tree stand.

“Most folks will get on their deer stand during the Christmas deer hunt and see a parade of squirrels, chasing each other, barking, and creating so much noise you’d think there was a herd of deer walking behind you,” said Clifton Jackson, small game program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “You’ll see a bunch of them, nine or more even, all chasing each other around chattering back and forth. What’s going on is that a female is in heat and all the males are picking up on that scent.”

Because they belong to the same family of mammals as rodents like mice and rats, squirrels often are thought of as year-round breeders, pumping out litter after litter of young. In fact, gray squirrels and fox squirrels are seasonal breeders, much like deer.

Squirrels typically only breed once or twice per year, depending on their age and available mast crop. According to “Squirrel Dog Basics” by David Osborne only 20 to 40 percent of adult squirrels will breed twice per year, even after exceptional mast crops.

Jackson says the spring rut usually occurs in mid-May, when squirrel season

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opens in Arkansas. This is when the young squirrels bom in early spring leave the nest and the female becomes receptive again if enough food has been available. The second rut is underway, now that the squirrels have cached a fair bit of acorns and nuts for winter.

Squirrels usually don’t try to cause as much racket when the trees are bare and the leaves are piled high on the ground. They will run along logs, careen off tree trunks and work their way through branches to avoid giving away their position. That is, unless they’re in pursuit of a female in heat. Then they tend to lose their better judgment. The cold may require a little more clothing, but squirrels aren’t too picky about camouflage. After all, they’ve been barking at hunters wearing blaze orange all deer season.

Visit https ://www. agfc .com/en/h unting/smallgame/ squirrel for information on squirrel season dates and limits.

Happy hunting!