Scampering across the ground before me, another squirrel makes for the closest tree. Adeptly he disappears against the trunk of the tree. I am now unsure if he is sitting motionless to watch me or if he has hidden himself behind the tree. Standing stone still for a moment I wait for that tell tale movement that will answer my question of his whereabouts.

Ah ha! A twitch of his tail gives him away when he moves into position about nine feet up the tree and lies flat against a lower branch. Now the game begins for both of us. He is sure he has chosen a safe hiding place where he can watch out for my approach. I estimate the yardage and make a few more steps toward the tree. Rays of light from the skyline beyond break through the tree branches as I move forward just a few feet and raise the barrel for a shot. His reddish tail continues to flip almost arrogantly while he crouches stealthily atop the branch. The shot is true and my small trophy falls gracefully to rest in leaves below.

I discovered the joy of squirrel hunting about three years ago. In fact my first squirrel harvest was an archery shot. Totally missing the first shot on my quarry I watched in disbelief as he jumped from the ground to cling to a tree trunk narrowly missing the arrow’s sting. His chattering and barking at the arrow beneath him on the ground afterward allowed me a second shot. Nocking another arrow I drew the bow again and contacted him with a beautiful shot just moments later.

Rarely do I encounter another squirrel hunter on public land. That suits me just fine. It means that I don’t have to share my peace and quiet or compete for small game bounty with anyone else. On second thought there are enough squirrels to go around. It seems kind of sad that few people remember the excitement of squirrel hunting. Maybe like me in my early days as a hunter they have not yet discovered the fantastic opportunities that this season offers. Truly a bag limit of six per hunter per day and a possession limit of twelve will keep hunters supplied with all the dumplings that they could ever want. Missouri's upcoming squirrel season opens Saturday, May 26, 2007 and remains open until Friday, February 15, 2008.

Despite the nation wide decrease in participation of small game hunting that has been previously noted by some biologists, there is actually an abundance of squirrels. Loss of a habitat can reduce numbers and move the squirrel population to another area. Predation can affect small game as well. In a habitat where cover is abundant a thriving population will not cease to exist when some squirrels are taken by coyote and hawk.

Some states, like South Dakota for example, just do not have very much squirrel hunting opportunity. The reason South Dakota is less known as a squirrel hunting state and wildly extrapolated as a bird hunters paradise is that it is primarily a grassland state. While there are mature treed regions along rivers and farmlands, the mast producing trees required to support a squirrel population are not abundant in the state. In fact, Bill Smith with South Dakota's Game Fish and Parks, says, "Mature wood lots are fairly new and not common at all in South Dakota." For this reason there are not a lot of squirrels there. He knows of hunters in the state that do enjoy that portion of  small game season in areas that offer  the right habitat for squirrels. Having grown up in south, Michigan, Bill can reminisce of boyhood days hunting squirrels. "It was the first thing I hunted. We started with squirrel season and ended with cotton tails, somewhere between we  squeezed in deer hunting. Most kids cut their 'hunting teeth' on squirrels in the state of Michigan."

Good management of the squirrel population means increasing participation in the season that lasts nine months here in Missouri. There are two separate mating seasons, one in early January another in late May. Healthy proliferation and the right combination of squirrel habitat makes the season productive. 

Depending upon the mature mast producing trees for food and shelter squirrels will thrive in small thick woodlands and open forest. Crops and natural foods are eaten where available but each species has their favorites. This is true in habitat preference as well, the thicker the ground cover the more likely a fox is to like the area. Grays prefer dense hedge rows next to open fields.

Little is known about the water intake of squirrels. Their habitat is always found near a water supply but MDC documents in an online squirrel management article that both reds and grays can survive many days without visiting water sources. This web article sites dew, frost, snow and succulent food sources all offer water content as well.

A Resource Scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation Lonnie Hansen tells us, "Missouri has 69-thousand square miles. Twenty-two thousand square miles of that is forested. In a research survey that was conducted in recent years, MDC estimated  that there were one and/or two squirrels per acre."  By his deductions one squirrel per square mile in Missouri adds up to an abundant population of 14-million squirrels.

One has to wonder why the small game hunters are absent from the longest and most profitable season of harvest here in Missouri. Lonnie says, "The glory and glitter of deer and turkey hunting it hard for squirrels to compete with."

I only had to ask Lonnie once for a few tips on improving my squirrel skinning abilities. He assured me that easier skinning comes with practice. A squirrel hunters best bet begins with placement of a .22 caliber shot during the harvest. Avoid shots to the lungs and heart. Obviously shotgunning will make this a bit more difficult. Make the first cut behind the tail going through the vertebra at the base of the tail.  Skin the squirrel by pulling the tail from the back toward the head. Then clip the head and feet, step on the loosened pelt and pull the body from the pelt.

Folks that notice the lapse of participation in this once favored season ponder the real reason for the decline of squirrel hunting. Our parents and grandparents were the ones who found such delight in this small game. Did they forget about squirrel hunting? Does anyone eat squirrel dumplings in these times when fast food is a daily table fare? Did we just lose interest in yesterday’s satisfaction of pursuing small game like squirrels and throw all of today’s hunting focus on ‘big game trophies?’

Lonnie offered another perspective on the lapse in squirrel hunting through the years. "I'm 57 myself, it could be old squirrel hunters are dying out." Back in the day growing up in central Illinois that was a way of life for us. When September came around, we were in the woods hunting squirrels and small game. I deer hunt now as well but I get as much pleasure squirrel hunting as deer hunting. My son grew up hunting squirrels also. In fact his first harvest was a squirrel. That is not so much the norm anymore. Kids are entertained indoors now and their attention is held by other interests. Most just don't know the way of small game hunting."

Today the lull in squirrel hunting may just have more to do with how times have changed. A day spent in front of the TV and video gaming leave little time for outdoor activity. IPod and MP-3 thump out waves of sound to fill the minds of the most recent generations that have not yet heard the call of the wild. Or is it simply a lost art that failed to be passed down from the former generation. Think of the enjoyable days you have spent squirrel hunting. If you know the thrill of squirrel hunting my challenge is that you will give a great amount of consideration to sharing that experience with another generation of hunters.