Cummingetit
Junior Member
Went out yesterday morning and managed to bring home 3. Missed 2 and had a third crawl into a knot hole on me after I shot it, saw probably 8-10 more that I couldn't manage a shot on. All in all a pretty good day!
Squirrels
- Thread starter rooster85
- Start date
Nice job Cummingetit. I went out yesterday morning and saw minimal action from 10-12. Killed number 15. Also had one crawl into a knot where I couldn't bring it home. Binoculars showed blood going into the knot. I know I got it. Just couldn't bring it home. Maybe tomorrow morning I will try again.
PA Bandit
Junior Member
Moved to Ohio this summer....Extremely extatic to be in state that starts squirrel season before deer season. Coming from western PA and then North Central PA and now Eastern OH it amazes me to see the variations in species vs population size in just the couple hours of driving distance.
Mid-South Western PA (Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland, Cambria, Alleghany Counties): A majority of what you see (95%) is grey and red. Fox squirrel around my home are a coveited trophy as you may see around half dozen (6) a year for an avid squirrel hunter. As well when you do they are usual in the same spots as for whatever reason they dont seem to populate well. I have only seen (1) black in my entire hunting life here but have seen a lot of color phase (orange/red tinted greys, white tinted greys) pelts as well.
North Central PA (Potter, Mckean): I would say its about (40%) Black; (30%) Grey; (20%) Red; (10%) Fox. The amount of black squirrels one can see is amazing. Again though they seem to come in pockets and strangely enough acted more like reds in that they seemed to hang around hemlock and pines more than hard woods. I shot a few black squirrels that I could swear were cross breads with a Fox as in they were massive.
Eastern OH (Summit, Stark): From my current season on the limited land I have hunted so far (50%) Fox; (20%) Grey; (20%) Black; (10%) Red. I have actually seen quite a few black squirrels but they are significantly smaller than what I was used to in northern PA. I was also told by a few residents that they were not native and are not like that throughout all of Ohio.
Mid-South Western PA (Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland, Cambria, Alleghany Counties): A majority of what you see (95%) is grey and red. Fox squirrel around my home are a coveited trophy as you may see around half dozen (6) a year for an avid squirrel hunter. As well when you do they are usual in the same spots as for whatever reason they dont seem to populate well. I have only seen (1) black in my entire hunting life here but have seen a lot of color phase (orange/red tinted greys, white tinted greys) pelts as well.
North Central PA (Potter, Mckean): I would say its about (40%) Black; (30%) Grey; (20%) Red; (10%) Fox. The amount of black squirrels one can see is amazing. Again though they seem to come in pockets and strangely enough acted more like reds in that they seemed to hang around hemlock and pines more than hard woods. I shot a few black squirrels that I could swear were cross breads with a Fox as in they were massive.
Eastern OH (Summit, Stark): From my current season on the limited land I have hunted so far (50%) Fox; (20%) Grey; (20%) Black; (10%) Red. I have actually seen quite a few black squirrels but they are significantly smaller than what I was used to in northern PA. I was also told by a few residents that they were not native and are not like that throughout all of Ohio.
Interesting observations about the different squirrel species. I love posts like that as I find that kind of thing fascinating.
Good job to all who have been out hunting this week. I'm hoping to get out some time this weekend. Weather may possibly cooperate for a change.
Good job to all who have been out hunting this week. I'm hoping to get out some time this weekend. Weather may possibly cooperate for a change.
Cummingetit
Junior Member
Thanks for the congrats hicks! Fried 'em up tonight w/ drop biscuits & gravy. Turned out great, even got my wife's picky ass 6 y.o. nephew to try it. Said it was some of the best chicken he's had! :smiley_crocodile:
Appreciate the input PA Bandit. Never would have guessed the differences. Done all my hunting of squirrels within 6 miles of my house. Black squirrels I generally see in the city. Honest to goodness. Not a racial joke. I see them in town. Never seen one in the woods in rural areas. Must be more cross breeding in town. Again, not racial. But if I were to get racial on the subject I might say "I would be afraid to shoot a black squirrel for fear of starting more riots." I don't discriminate. They all eat.
perhaps is bears repeating that black squirrels are simply the melanic color phase of gray squirrels. they are the same specie, Sciurus Carolinensis, to be exact. they do not "cross breed". apparently there are three variants in gray squirrels coloration. the "normal" gray color, the jet black phenotype and the brown-black phenotype. I've heard some people claim that they believe fox squirrels and gray squirrels interbreed, but scientists think otherwise. I suspect the brown-black color phase of the gray squirrel is the one that would make people think it is a cross between a gray and a fox squirrel. I've seen exactly one squirrel fitting the description of the brown-black variant of a gray, and it surely made me think of a cross between a fox and gray squirrel. but they are different species and do not interbreed. this concludes todays biology lesson. :smile:
Dog cleared for take off by the vet, so we headed south yesterday. My buddy and I got 9 grays, but they sure didn't seem to be out very good. dog treed one other that ran into a leaf nest before we could get a shot. we covered every bit of timber on the 290 acre farm we hunt and jumped only one deer. pitiful. had one crazy ass rat bail out of tree from about 50 feet up. Lefty saw it sailing to the ground and ran it down after a short chase on the ground. that was bad-ass right there!
the property I hunt in Licking county has a population of black squirrels, but I am forbidden to kill them. I rarely see them anywhere besides up near the house, anyway. lots of squirrels on that 100 acres, considering only about 40-50 acres of it is wooded. demographic breaks down, roughly, to 60% grey (50% gray color, 10% jet black) and 35% fox, 5% or less red squirrels (aka Pine squirrel, mountain jack).
I killed a black squirrel in Knox county a few weeks ago in a place where we've seen nothing other than fox squirrels. first one I've ever shot. methinks that one might have been relocated from town or something.
Dog cleared for take off by the vet, so we headed south yesterday. My buddy and I got 9 grays, but they sure didn't seem to be out very good. dog treed one other that ran into a leaf nest before we could get a shot. we covered every bit of timber on the 290 acre farm we hunt and jumped only one deer. pitiful. had one crazy ass rat bail out of tree from about 50 feet up. Lefty saw it sailing to the ground and ran it down after a short chase on the ground. that was bad-ass right there!
the property I hunt in Licking county has a population of black squirrels, but I am forbidden to kill them. I rarely see them anywhere besides up near the house, anyway. lots of squirrels on that 100 acres, considering only about 40-50 acres of it is wooded. demographic breaks down, roughly, to 60% grey (50% gray color, 10% jet black) and 35% fox, 5% or less red squirrels (aka Pine squirrel, mountain jack).
I killed a black squirrel in Knox county a few weeks ago in a place where we've seen nothing other than fox squirrels. first one I've ever shot. methinks that one might have been relocated from town or something.
PA Bandit
Junior Member
So if I am interpretting right you are saying that greys that have some orange/red to them similar to a fox squirrel would be brown-black. As well I was aware that blacks and greys were the same species i was more distinguishing the color variations that I see. Also I would suspect that fox and grey's do not interbreed but if I was to show you some of the black squirrels I shot in Bradford PA it might make you second guess as they were every bit as big as a normal fox squirrel.
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
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Anyone know what a squirrel full body mount runs?
My sister has the biggest, most beautiful fox squirrel I've ever seen. It literally is the size of a rabbit. I wouldn't kill him unless I was going to keep him forever!
My sister has the biggest, most beautiful fox squirrel I've ever seen. It literally is the size of a rabbit. I wouldn't kill him unless I was going to keep him forever!
yep, that's what I'm saying. maybe you shot some northern fox squirrels in a melanic color phase in PA?
Thanks Jamie. You educated me. I just shoot them, skin them, and throw them in the shop fridge for my foreman. I enjoy spending time in the woods. He and his family enjoy eating them. Seem to be plenty of them and they aren't going to waste. Spent the day cutting firewood. Somewhat to ensure heat for the house. Somewhat for a work out. Equally for enjoying the outdoors.
Huckleberry Finn
Senior Member
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Finally made it out for the first time this year and ended up with two thanks to my bino's. Scanning the tree tops i spotted them hugging tight to the branches. Could not see them without them.
went out sunday morning on a rabbit/pheasant hunt and never seen a thing. Decided to walk a woods where I always see shitloads of squirrels and, you guessed it, nothing