No respect for bushytails | Coronavirus

Is it simply me or have a lot of my fellow hunters misplaced their respect for the squirrel as a sport animal? Oh, they nonetheless get pleasure from watching the squirrel’s antics as they climb and scamper all through the forest, however now it’s nothing greater than a distraction as they wait in hopes of encountering the noble whitetail deer.

Why the decline within the curiosity in squirrel looking, you ask? Isn’t it true that the squirrel might be present in good numbers all through the Commonwealth? Isn’t it additionally true that the season is lengthy and affords a liberal bag restrict, making for loads of looking alternatives? and isn’t it additionally true that for a lot of of Pennsylvania’s older hunters their first profitable hunt centered round squirrel looking? So, why the lack of curiosity?

The reply to the decline in curiosity in squirrel looking is easy. Let’s take a look at what modifications have taken place within the final 20 years or so. Right this moment, the archery deer season is for much longer. Right this moment, we’ve got each a Junior and Senior early antlerless hunt. and on high of all of the deer hunts that now happen, the fashionable hunter can simply get a number of deer tags as a substitute of being restricted to 1 deer per yr because it as soon as was.

Are you able to see the place that is going? With so many alternatives to pursue the whitetail deer, the nation’s No. 1 most sought-after sport animal, many species such because the squirrel and rabbit merely don’t draw the curiosity of hunters that they as soon as did.

Once I was a youth again within the Seventies, squirrel looking was way more common. With the lengthy seasons, it was a sport animal that we might simply discover a possibility to pursue. In spite of everything, what did we as younger hunters study whereas looking squirrels? The fundamental abilities wanted to be a profitable deer hunter. That’s proper, you realized to be quiet, to take a seat nonetheless, to make use of the forest to interrupt up your define, to be affected person, and find out how to find resting, feeding and journey routes of your quarry. All abilities wanted to be a great deer hunter.

Do I fault the fashionable hunter for overlooking the crimson squirrel, fox squirrel, grey squirrel and black squirrel? No, however I do suppose they’re lacking out on some nice enjoyable, to not point out skill-building alternatives. Truthfully, the squirrel season is lengthy. It has a beneficiant bag restrict of six mixed species per day, and it’s easy to discover a good looking location. Why not make the most of these items? Oh, and in case you’ve by no means eaten squirrel, it’s a very tasty, very versatile meat that can be utilized in any recipe that usually requires rooster or turkey. Fact is, within the not-so-distant previous, the squirrel was generally discovered on dinner tables throughout rural Pennsylvania.

Right here is my problem to fashionable hunters who’ve by no means tried squirrel looking. Simply someday this yr, overlook about pursuing whitetails and provides squirrel looking a attempt. If potential, do it with an previous timer who is aware of the ins and outs of the game in addition to find out how to correctly put together bushytails for the desk, and I’m keen to be you’ll come dwelling with an entire new respect for these nimble nutcrackers of the forest.

Who is aware of, subsequent factor you recognize possibly it would be best to learn to hunt cottontail rabbits as properly.