Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Squirrels MIA?

Hello,

This squirrel season I've not seen but one. I shot it.

Even in Wabash Town, where they usually thrive, they're not near as thick as previous years.

Been hearing the coyotes pretty close, but I've heard that before and it didn't really affect the squirrel population. (The rabbit population was a different story).

I almost wonder if there was a decrease in town and the woodland critters migrated that way for scraps.

Still plenty of deer, to the point I'm thinking of popping one or a few this year to thin the home herd.

Just the squirrels, and to a point, chipmunks, have disappeared.

I'm hoping for a light dusting of snow here soon so I can track with more certainty.

It's been unseasonably warm. It's near December and still reaching into the 60s some days, so I doubt it's a food issue. Good yield from the apple tree this year too. Plenty for the squirrel, deer, and whatever else.

Figure I'll start spreading food in a clearing to see what I can come up with. Help everything through the winter, too. As I teach part-time, I can come up with all sorts of stale biscuits and such from students who work at fast-food joints. The fat content and carbs should help all the critters through the winter.

But I'm off on a tangent.

Anyone know what's happening with the squirrels? Is this countywide, Indiana-wide, or nationwide?

I'd be interested in hearing from folks in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky as well as Indiana.

Thanks!

Josh

Squirrels a scarce here too. Not sure why. I have 8 or 9 in the bag so far. But it's slim pickin's.

We had a really good red acorn crop in the fall of 2010. This year, a some white oak, a very little hickory and some walnuts but no reds. And no squirrels.

Squirrels have been very scarce in Maryland and West Virginia where I hunt for the last three years. Conventional wisdom blames the poor mast crop over that time period.

You may have the same problem. But if you have plenty of acorns and hickory nuts on the ground, then I suspect there is another reason for the lack of squirrels.

Steve

far fewer this year in my corner of the Southern Appalachians. i attribute to a lack of mast and the summer drought.

second year in a row with a record mast harvest. The dang things are everywhere.

PLENTY here in NJ. more and more chipmunks too, which I figured should be dropping in population what with all the fox, yotes, hawks, and cats.

Last yea the squirrels were not only everywhere, they were BIG.

Around here the Red Oaks only make every other year.

They must have moved south then, 'cause I have at least five rooting around in the 1/2 acre strip of woods next to my house. Plenty more on my hunting property as well.

plenty here in west Mich