Mississippi’s turkey season closed at nightfall on Thursday, but the last chance for spring hunting has not passed.
Mississippi’s spring squirrel season opens May 15 and closes June 1. With a bag limit of four squirrels per day, the 18-day season is an excellent chance to walk the late spring woods with shotgun or rifle in hand before the summer’s heat sets in for good.
“It’s an underutilized opportunity for anyone in the outdoors,” Mark Beason, a lifelong squirrel hunting aficianado and former Daily Journal outdoors writer says. “As a squirrel dog guy, I get to get out and work with young dogs and do some training. If you’re a deer hunter, it’s an opportunity to get out into the woods and learn more about the woods. You may find a new spot for a stand or a new great place to hunt.
“The woods look so much different in the spring than the fall, and really, any opportunity we have to be in the woods, we ought to take advantage. If you get a chance to go, go. You learn so much just from being out there.
“As deer hunters, we’ve hit a groove where we plant the fields, sit in a box, play the wind and say here they come. Our woodsmanship is waning considerably. Small game hunters, those who squirrel hunt especially, learn the woods and know what’s out there. These couple weeks are an opportunity to learn more about your outdoor surroundings.”
Woodland traditions
Squirrel hunting is always a matter of following the food sources.
In the fall, that’s a game of finding mast crops on oak, pecan and hickory trees. With the leaves gone and the crop either dropped or about to, fall squirrel hunting is a listening game as much as anything. At this time of year, though, there are no acorns or other such produce for the squirrels to find, save whatever might be left from last year, which would surely be scant by now. At this time of year, squirrels are eating early fruits and berries, tender buds, insects and mushrooms, a pursuit that takes them throughout the forest ecosystem from floor to canopy. Fresh crops of new, green leaves keep them better hidden as well, so dialing in on a food source, sitting still and watching becomes more important. As the woods heat up, so does the snake and insect activity.
Spring squirrel veterans recommend the first three hours after daylight and the last two before dark, observing legal shooting hours along the way, of course, as the optimum intersection for squirrel activity and hunter comfort. Squirrels may feed more or less all day, but they’re most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Calm days are best, because the squirrels depend on their ears for safety as much as anything. If they can’t hear, they’re less likely to move. Further, they’re more difficult to spot among the moving limbs and leaves that accompany a steady wind.
Find the food
The spring squirrel game is best suited to finding an active food source and settling in, but that’s not to say a spot and stalk approach cannot work as well. When on the move, go slowly from trunk to trunk, always with a mind to how and where you’ll hide when you spot a squirrel. Look more than you move and make a stop of at least 10 minutes every 150 yards or so, especially if you’re hunting from ridge to ridge.
Try to face or move, as the case may be, from east to west in the mornings and the opposite direction come afternoon so the sun will be at your back. Looking up as you will be, having the sun on your side is an important consideration.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
