As stated last week, I intended to take my bow for a walk when cooler weather arrived. Well, it did and I did. Granted, it didn’t stay cool very long but I took advantage of it while it lasted. I constantly amaze myself when I decide to shoot or not to shoot many times before I even get to my deer stand. On the afternoons that I really don’t have time to clean a deer after dark and I go just to go, I am always presented with shots. Many times when I go with full intentions of bringing home a deer for the freezer, I never even get close. How does this happen?

After passing up five different shots last Thursday, I didn’t even get an opportunity Friday evening. What I did get to see Friday afternoon were more fox squirrels than I have seen in several years. While perched in my climber, I counted no less than a dozen of these gorgeous orange colored bushytails.

The Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) is our largest member of the squirrel family. They range in color from a dull buff to a brilliant orange pelage. Sometimes these inhabitants of our forest trees have a black face and others have a white face. I’m not really sure of the reason for this though; they are both beautiful.

There must be certain geographical boundaries where fox squirrels do not inhabit. I can remember riding down the Natchez Trace with my dad and seeing them all along the parkway. However, when we reached a point somewhere just north of Rocky Springs, all we would see was the smaller gray squirrel. In all our years of hunting the hills around Port Gibson, I never recall seeing a fox squirrel or ever recall one of our hunting club members harvesting one. They may be there now, but they weren’t then.

The fox squirrel’s diet consists of, but is not limited to, vegetation buds, insects, winged samaras from pine cones, acorns, hickory nuts and even grain crops where available. I often see these Halloween-colored limb rats scurrying out of corn fields along fence and hedgerows. Many times there is a string of grain barren corncobs at the bottom of certain den trees. Their sharp incisors can make short work of a tough old hickory nut.

They inhabit trees that are hollow or have at least a couple of tree holes. Here they raise their young which usually consist of two to three youngsters per litter, though they range up to seven per litter. Mating can occur year round, but it usually peaks in December and June. The lifespan of this species of squirrel can range from eight to 18 years, though most die before adulthood from a variety of predators which include hawks, owls and snakes. An 18-year-old fox squirrel would probably be pretty tough when fried. They are very vocal and emit many sounds to communicate with each other. Barks, chatters, and even shrill screams are all part of this critter’s vocabulary.

The fox squirrel was always a prized specimen to bring back home in my hunting vest. In certain areas I hunted in my youth, the range of the fox squirrel did overlap with the much more common gray squirrel. Oh what a great Saturday morning when you could bring home seven gray squirrels and finish out your limit with one of the orange bushytails.

I remember my grandfather not wanting me to shoot anything but the much more tender cat squirrels. Fat chance of that though, I never passed up an opportunity at the coveted fox squirrel. My mother could make, and still can, (hint, hint) wonderful squirrel dumplings with the tough old red ones. In my more mature years though, I just don’t chase ’em like I used to. I bet I can persuade some of my hunting buddies to scrap some up. If you would like to see one of these colorful critters, I would encourage you to take a leisurely ride up or down the Natchez Trace one sunny afternoon and look on the ground under one of the many oaks. I assure you, they will be there. Drive slow, look and enjoy.

Until next time, enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.