Does anyone here hunt squirrels this early in the year? The season here has already been open for a month now, but I don't know anyone that has gone hunting for them yet. Would you even eat a squirrel killed during the summer?

[JM]

Does anyone here hunt squirrels this early in the year? The season here has already been open for a month now, but I don't know anyone that has gone hunting for them yet. Would you even eat a squirrel killed during the summer?

[huntfishtrap]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

[ozark_ghost]

Yes, I do hunt during this time of the year and eat what we kill during this time as well. You just have to cautious about ticks and chiggers and snakes depending on where you hunt. Pemethrin on your hunting clothes will take care of the ticks and chiggers. Hunting at this time is more challenging because of all the leaves, but more rewarding to some's thinking. Good luck if you decide to go. Carrie a small ice chest with you to ice down the squirrels before you have a chance to clean them at home.

[jhjimbo]

No season until September.

[Okwaho]

NY's season opens on September 1st, and even that seems too early for hunting. Some years, the crisp nights and cooler days start showing up that soon, but usually it's still pretty much summer. We also tend to get a late resurgence of mosquitoes right around that time, and I don't know why, but skeeters in the woods always seem worse than the ones I encounter while fishing. One way or another, I just don't care much for hunting in warm weather.

[Okwaho]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

Completely agree. I've been hiking around in the woods a lot more than usual this late spring/early summer, seeing some really good stuff, but it still doesn't make me want to hunt this time of year. This morning, I had a huge grouse flush at about fifteen feet; scared the bejeebers out of me. Then a while later, I had a doe come running right down the trail, straight at me -- for a second, I thought maybe its fawn was nearby and she was about to kick my butt! Then she saw the movement and veered off, after which she stood there about ten yards away, staring at me until I said, "Hello," at which point she gave me the snort and took off.

[huntfishtrap]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

This spring was remarkably bug-free here, but now the mosquitoes are savage in the woods. I was hanging a couple trail cams last weekend, and they about drained me dry. Must've been bitten 15 times or more, and I was only in the timber about 20 minutes.

[charlie elk]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

I hunt whenever and whatever I can. WDNR issues ginseng farmers, turkey shooting permits; sometimes I can talk them into sharing. But I wait until August to start hunting.

[charlie elk]

Yes, I do hunt during this time of the year and eat what we kill during this time as well. You just have to cautious about ticks and chiggers and snakes depending on where you hunt. Pemethrin on your hunting clothes will take care of the ticks and chiggers. Hunting at this time is more challenging because of all the leaves, but more rewarding to some's thinking. Good luck if you decide to go. Carrie a small ice chest with you to ice down the squirrels before you have a chance to clean them at home.

WI small game opens mid-Sept. I have always wondered what kind of a biological effect summer squirrel hunting has on the population?

[charlie elk]

Interesting timing JM, after reading an article about MO squirrel opener I was thinking of posting a question to you asking about the biological effect of summertime squirrel hunting has the population.
WI opens dove, geese, and teal on September 1, it's usually hot with heavy populations of insects and is some areas the rattlers are very active; whenever time allows I go hunting.

[huntfishtrap]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

It's legal for one person to give a permit to another in WI? Or is that just the case for depredation permits?

[DogSong]

Squirrel hunting here doesn't start till September. Even then I don't like to hunt squirrel till after the first frost on account of the warbles (maggot like insects that can live in their flesh, yech!). They say a squirrel with warbles is perfectly safe to eat, but after cleaning a squirrel with them I find I have no desire to ever eat squirrel again!

[JM]

Interesting timing JM, after reading an article about MO squirrel opener I was thinking of posting a question to you asking about the biological effect of summertime squirrel hunting has the population.
WI opens dove, geese, and teal on September 1, it's usually hot with heavy populations of insects and is some areas the rattlers are very active; whenever time allows I go hunting.

@charlie,
-As you probably know, the conservation department in Missouri was thought of very highly for a long time and did a good job, but recently they have been losing a lot of support and making many poor decisions. Many also believe that the reports and numbers they put out at the end of seasons are not accurate. Plus everything in MO is over the phone, so many animals don't even get checked in. For deer you can drive with a deer in your car before tagging it or checking it in. In other words, people can safely get a deer into their garage without putting a tag on the deer. And if you have a deer in your garage what are the chances of getting caught for not putting the tag on it? I've heard of lots of people doing this and going out to hunt with the same tag.
-Our squirrel season is basically year-round...can't be good for them. From my knowledge squirrels mate and give birth twice a year and our season is open during both of these periods of time. And squirrels are pretty worthless when they are still nursing, so if you kill the mom there is a good likelihood you are also killing the young.

[JM]

Nope. I have never understood why squirrel season opens so early in some states. I personally have no desire to hunt anything when the woods are so hot and buggy.

@hft,
I know what you mean. I was brush hogging and thinning out woods this weekend(after all, our archery deer season opens in September) and I was dying from the heat. Don't know why someone would want to hunt squirrels in it.

[JM]

Yes, I do hunt during this time of the year and eat what we kill during this time as well. You just have to cautious about ticks and chiggers and snakes depending on where you hunt. Pemethrin on your hunting clothes will take care of the ticks and chiggers. Hunting at this time is more challenging because of all the leaves, but more rewarding to some's thinking. Good luck if you decide to go. Carrie a small ice chest with you to ice down the squirrels before you have a chance to clean them at home.

I was always told not to eat squirrels during the summer(before a good freeze), and be extremely careful if kill a rabbit and make sure it looks healthy. I do know people who use pemethrin sprays though. I've never done it, but maybe I'll try it while working in the woods to see if it works.