Squirrel hunting is big in Missouri

Missouri Department of Conservation

Missouri hunters may pursue two species of tree squirrels – fox squirrels, called “red squirrels” by many, and eastern gray squirrels.

Fox squirrels are the larger of the two. They often are found near the edges of timber stands, in isolated woodlots and open woods without much understory, along timbered ridges and uplands, and even in hedgerows.

Grays are more likely to appear in extensive tracts of forest and bottomlands, but it’s not unusual to find both species using the same areas.

Gray squirrels are early risers and become active at sunrise, while fox squirrels tend to come out later in the morning and are active during mid-day. Both species slow considerably in the mid-day hours on hot, humid summer days.

Squirrel Behavior

Gray and fox squirrels use both leaf nests and den cavities. Cavity nests are most often in the hollow trunk or large limb of a live tree, but squirrels will also use cavities in dead snags.

Cavity nests are used more in the winter and during the spring reproductive period. These locations are warmer, more sheltered from weather and predators, and help keep the young protected.

Leaf nests tend to receive more use in summer, perhaps because they’re cooler than den nests. Hunters should not shoot into leaf nests, and they should avoid shooting squirrels peeking out of cavities from where they are unlikely to be recovered.

Missouri’s squirrel season is long, running from late spring through late winter. Squirrel behavior and activity change throughout the year as they respond to differences in weather and food availability. Be observant and adapt your hunting according to what the squirrels are doing or eating.

Getting Started

Those new to squirrel hunting should remember to move slowly through the woods, scanning the treetops for movement, and listening for the sounds of bushy tails jumping from limb to limb or cutting and dropping nut hulls.

Upon finding a lot of fresh cuttings on the ground, find a comfortable spot nearby and sit down awhile – you’ll usually have a shot or two shortly.

Hunters will need a .22 caliber rifle or shotgun, preferably of 410 or 20 gauge. No special clothing is required, but hunters need to be alert and quiet as they move through the woods. Being still is an effective way to find elusive squirrels. Walk slowly through the woods, as quietly as possible. Stop every 30 to 40 yards for 5 to 10 minutes to search the treetops for movement. When taking a shot, approach squirrels from an angle until you can get a good shot. Walking directly at them will make them nervous and eager to flee.

Especially during years of good acorn and hickory nut production, squirrels can become preoccupied with the abundant food sources, but the sound of snapping twigs or rustling leaves will quickly get their attention.

Move slowly and deliberately through the woods to avoid putting squirrels on high alert. If discovered (and it will happen), find a well-hidden spot and take a break for 20 to 30 minutes. This is often enough time for the squirrels to resume their feeding activity.

GRAY OR FOX?

The eastern gray squirrel and eastern fox squirrel are the most common members of the squirrel family in Missouri. The names aptly describe their general coat color. The first is usually gray; the other is usually reddish yellow.

The eastern gray squirrel is slender and smaller than the fox squirrel. The fringe of the tail and belly are white; the back and sides of the body are gray (rarely reddish or all black); the total length (tip of nose to tip of tail) reaches 21 inches.

Sometimes black individuals occur in the same litter with gray ones; these may be entirely glossy black or show various gradations between black and gray. Albino individuals occur occasionally. In some instances where this characteristic is common in the heredity of a local population, small colonies of albinos may be formed.

The eastern fox squirrel is heavy-bodied and larger than the gray squirrel. The fringe of the tail and belly are reddish yellow; the back and sides of the body are reddish yellow mixed with gray (rarely, the body may be all black); the total length (tip of nose to tip of tail) reaches 29 inches. In Missouri, black or albino individuals occur only rarely.

Other members of the squirrel family that live in Missouri are the eastern chipmunk, woodchuck, 13-lined ground squirrel, Franklin’s ground squirrel, and the southern flying squirrel. None of these are likely to be confused with the two tree squirrels described here.

Both of these squirrels occur throughout Missouri, but the gray squirrel is more abundant in the Ozark and Mississippi Lowland region, while the fox squirrel is more common in the northern and western plains.

Feeding And Mating

The foods of squirrels are varied, but of the 100 different species of plants eaten, only a few are important staple sources. These are nuts, fruits and buds of hickory, pecan, walnut, elm and mulberry trees; and field corn. The importance of acorn and nut crops is shown by the fluctuations in squirrel numbers following years of good or bad production. These staple winter foods have an important influence on the physical condition of the females that must produce next year’s young.

In gray squirrels, the mating period begins in late December or early January and again from late May to early July. Pregnancy requires about 45 days. Most litters are born in February or March, and July or August. A litter comprises 1-8 young, but two or three are most common. The young are hairless at birth, have their eyes and ears closed, and possess well-developed claws. They come out of the nest for the first time when 6-7 weeks old, and in another week or so they are weaned.

In fox squirrels, the cycle is similar, but they begin breeding 10 days to 2 weeks earlier than the grays.

Squirrelness

From 600,000 to 700,000 squirrels are taken annually in Missouri. Squirrels furnish a large supply of meat each year for Missouri hunters.

Squirrels provide considerable pleasure for city dwellers who observe them around their homes and in parks.

Automobiles kill many squirrels annually.

Economically, squirrels do some harm when they take food from cornfields.

They may girdle ornamental trees, particularly in early spring when they gnaw the inner bark.

Occasionally, they damage the insulation on outdoor electrical wiring and frequently become a nuisance when they gain access to the attics of homes.

Towns that support large populations of white squirrels (albino and/or white-furred variants of the eastern gray squirrel) have an enduring draw for tourism. Marionville, in southwest Missouri, bills itself as “The Home of the White Squirrel.” Olney, Illinois, and Kenton, Tennessee, also proudly tout their white squirrel populations and sell souvenirs and tee shirts to tourists. In these towns, residents build squirrel houses, feed the squirrels, plant nut trees, and enact ordinances forbidding the killing of their local mascot animal. In some places, they’ve even captured and relocated normal-colored gray squirrels out of town.

Squirrels’ habit of storing nuts in the ground results in the eventual germination of many unrecovered nuts.Thus they essentially plant nuts that grow into trees that furnish not only food and shelter for subsequent squirrel populations, but also timber of economic value to humans. This information can also be found on the MDC website, https://mdc.mo.gov.

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