Spring Squirrel Season
Ten states offer spring squirrel hunting seasons. Hunters can chase squirrels from May to June in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The most opportunity can be found in Texas, with 157 counties open all year to squirrel hunting. Arkansas has the second longest squirrel season, starting May 15th through the end of February. If you are looking to overload your squirrel vest and stock the freezer, Oklahoma provides the most liberal bag limit of squirrels, with a daily limit of 25 per person.
Spring squirrel Season is a great opportunity to get out in the woods one last time before the heat of summer takes over. Although there is not a separate youth squirrel hunting season like in the fall, it is still a great way to get the young ones involved and out in the woods. Squirrel hunting is a great way to introduce young or new hunters to the sport of hunting. It requires less patience and allows for a little more movement than deer and turkey hunting.
Hunting squirrels in the spring is another way to fine tune and improve your stalking and marksman skills. Since squirrels can be found in most places you would find deer and turkey, it’s a great time to scout in addition to hunt. Look for old rubs and scrapes made during the deer rut, that may indicate buck travel routes. Fresh or older turkey scratching’s found while spring squirrel hunting can indicate a good starting point for the next years turkey season.
Hound hunters take advantage of the season to keep their older dogs fresh and get some training in for young dogs in preparation for the fall squirrel season.
Spring squirrel season was once closed in thoughts that it would improve the fall season. Biologist studying squirrels found they can be hunted in the spring without endangering populations. Seasons are timed with the peak in squirrel numbers after the year’s first nest, and typically before breeding begins again. If your lucky enough to catch part of the breeding season, you could find a flurry of action. Females can attract over 30 males from up to 500 yards away.
If you are worried about the squirrels having wolves or warbles while hunting the spring season, don’t be! Wolves or warbles are Bot fly larvae and appear as lumps or legions under the squirrels skin. They won’t be in the larvae stage of their life cycle until late summer and are usually over by the fall season opener.
If you need just one more reason to hunt spring bushy tails, many hunters affirm that spring squirrels taste better than fall squirrels.
Spring Squirrel Hunting Tips
Squirrels in the spring can be found almost anywhere, from digging up buried acorns and foraging mushrooms to eating the tender buds high up in the oak, pecan, and maple trees. Since most of the trees are starting to leaf, a shotgun is usually the weapon of choice. Sometimes I like to carry along a .22 long rifle in addition to the shotgun. If I can get the opportunity, I would much rather a single .22 hole than an array of pellets when it comes time to prepping them for dinner. With a squirrel’s top speed approaching 15mph, a shotgun comes in handy when a squirrel is spooked, or you’ve jumped a squirrel while walking.
Don’t go straight to your fall hunting hot spots. Although limb chickens will forage for acorns they’ve buried in the spring, you won’t find them concentrated there. In the spring, squirrels can be found filling up on soft mast like mulberries, blackberries, seeds of trees, mushrooms, and insects making woods’ edges a good starting point. Finding a hot mulberry tree may be all you need to fill your bag limit.
Be cautious of snakes, but do not let that stop you, your more likely to die from a lightning strike. Fatalities from snake bite in The United States are around 1 in 50 million. If it makes you feel better, snake proof boots or gaiters do not hurt. Most importantly make sure you look around good before plopping down beside a tree.
Like whitetail deer, squirrels are crepuscular, Latin for “twilight”. Meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk. Avoid the heat and hunt during the prime times of early morning and late evening.
Is that squirrel hiding high up on the backside of the tree? Send one person to the opposite side of the tree, while the shooter stays put and still. This will drive the squirrel around to the shooter’s side of tree. The youngsters work great as a driver for this trick since they’re usually the loudest. If your alone or not, Don’t forget about the limb toss trick. Toss a hefty stick to the side of the tree the squirrel is on, he’ll think it’s the predator and swirl around to your side. Be ready though, if he comes, it will be quick.
Mosquitoes! Most likely wherever you are hunting there are mosquitoes and the weather will likely determine their activity. If it’s in the 50’s or warmer the mosquitoes will be out. Put on some bug spray before you leave the truck or carry along a Thermacell.
Calling squirrels during spring season
Since acorns are low on the list of food sources in the spring, cutting calls like the two quarters trick might not be nearly as effective, but can still draw some attention.
A squirrel whistle or bellow style bark and chatter call can be effective to get squirrels to vocalize and give away their location. The whistle distress call gives the impression a young squirrel is under attack by hawk or another predator. When nearby squirrels hear this, they will bark, chatter and often move positions to review the situation. You can also add wing beats on the ground with a leafy limb to enhance the realism. Be aware when using distress calls you can likely call in a coyote, bobcat or other predators. One morning while using distress calls hunting the Mississippi delta, I had a hawk and an owl come in to investigate within thirty minutes.
Youth Squirrel Hunting Tips
Squirrel hunting is one of the best ways to introduce young hunters to the outdoors and hunting. Long sits in a deer stand can put some kids to sleep quick. However, with the sit and go of squirrel hunting, most kids’ attention can outlast the ten or fifteen minutes of still required for the squirrels to start moving. And if nothing is spotted nearby, hop up and move along looking for better sign.
Let kids bring along their own call or use yours. A rogue call to a whitetail might send the deer running, but some bizarre noises from a kid learning to use a squirrel call will most likely go unnoticed or have the squirrels coming to investigate.
Get them their own youth squirrel hunting vest. A squirrel hunting vest to hold their calls, snacks, shells and a few dead squirrels will give them pride in taking part in the hunt and make them feel more independent and helpful. If they are like my kids, they’ll need all of those pockets to come back with all of the pinecones, rocks and acorns they acquire. A spring turkey vest can pull double duty and make for a great squirrel vest.
States that have Spring Squirrel Seasons
Arkansas
Spring squirrel hunting in Arkansas starts May 15th each year and runs until February 29th.
https://www.agfc.com/en/hunting/small-game/squirrel/season-dates-and-bag-limits/
Daily bag limit: 12
Possession limit: 48
Kansas
Like Arkansas, but opening slightly later June 1st, the Kansas squirrel season runs through the end of February providing an extended hunting opportunity.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/When-to-Hunt
Daily bag limit: 5
Possession limit: 20
Kentucky
The 2020 Kentucky spring squirrel season will run May 16th through June 19th.
https://app.fw.ky.gov/seasondates/
Daily bag limit: 6
Possession limit: 12
Louisiana
The Louisiana spring squirrel season opens May 2nd through May 24th. It is closed on the Kisatchie National Forest, national wildlife refuges, corps lands, and some state WMA’s.
https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/small-game
Daily bag limit: 3
Possession limit: 9
Mississippi
The Mississippi spring squirrel season is a shorter one than most but is more than what it had in 2014, which was no spring season. The spring squirrel season created in 2015, starts May 15 and ends June 1st.
https://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/squirrel-program/
Daily bag limit: 4
Possession limit:
Missouri
Missouri spring season is open for gray and fox squirrels starting May 25th through February 15th. Missouri also allows squirrels to be harvested with cage-type traps, but must meet certain criteria and be attended to daily.
https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/seasons
Daily bag limit: 10
Possession limit: 20
Oklahoma
Oklahoma spring squirrel hunting kicks off May 15th and runs until January 31st.
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/seasons
Daily bag limit: 25
Possession limit: 50
Tennessee
In Tennessee the spring season gets underway May 9th and runs until June 14th.
https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/tennessee-hunting-seasons-summary.html
Daily bag limit: 10
Texas
Everything is bigger in Texas, including squirrel season! 157 counties are open to squirrel hunting year-round with no bag limit. In the panhandle and far west Texas there is no squirrel season. In East Texas, 51 counties have both a fall and spring season. The spring season in East Texas runs from May 1-31st.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/
East Texas
Daily bag limit: 10
Possession limit: 20
Virginia
Virginia spring squirrel season begins June 6-20th. Closed on National Forest lands.
https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/smallgame/
Daily bag limit: 6
Conclusion
This Spring, get outside, take advantage of the spring squirrel hunting season in your state or nearby one. If you have kids, take them on a Youth Outdoor Adventure, spend some time in the woods, get off the screens, and put some groceries on the table.
Do you have a great recipe for limb chicken? Have your own tips or techniques for spring squirrel hunting? Post them in the comments below.