General Tree Squirrel Season Opens September 14th
This is a press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
California’s 2019-2020 general tree squirrel season will be open from Saturday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. Tree squirrels may be taken only in the open zone during the open season, from between one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. A map of the state’s tree squirrel hunt zones can be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website, along with the full tree squirrel regulations.
Four types of tree squirrels are game species in California. The Western gray squirrel and the Douglas squirrel are both native to California while the Eastern fox squirrel and the Eastern gray squirrel are introduced and not native to the state. These tree squirrels can be hunted in the open zone during the open season under authority of a hunting license in California. No other validations are required.
A fifth species of tree squirrel, the Northern Flying Squirrel, is not a game species and may not be taken. Flying squirrels are small, native tree squirrels that are seldom encountered due to their nocturnal nature and preference for mature forest habitats with complex canopy structure.
Tree squirrel population levels fluctuate from year to year based on prevailing weather conditions and the annual production of nuts, acorns and seeds for forage.
California received above-average rainfall during 2018-19, with a particularly wet spring season. “With a return to favorable weather patterns, and good acorn production, there should be ample opportunities to hunt tree squirrels this year,” said Matt Meshriy, an environmental scientist with CDFW’s Upland Game Program.
In recent years, approximately 10,000 to 15,000 hunters have reported hunting tree squirrels annually and their combined statewide bag has ranged from 50,000 to 75,000.
National forests provide some of the best opportunity to hunt tree squirrels in California. Bureau of Land Management lands and CDFW wildlife areas may also provide opportunity for squirrel hunting. Please note that nonlead shot is now required when taking any wildlife with a firearm anywhere in California. Please plan accordingly. For more information please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.
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Break out da crock pot Ma! It be squirrel season! Yeeee hawww
I’m gunna get me a big pile of dem! Just loaded me tater gun with pebbles
??There’s a particular one named Sabrina that hangs out with a crew with a bunch of empty boxes of rocks I’d like to see on a menu.?
Thankfully we haven’t seen her or her boyfriend Seymour in quite some time!!! Breaks my little heart… NOT!!!
???
Oh man, can’t wait !!!?
I’m sorry I can’t get excited about people wanting to kill will animals that don’t hurt people I didn’t know there was such a thing is squirrel season
The introduced species are invasive species that prevent native species from using the same habitat.
People eat meat get over it.
~yeah, we’re heavily programmed on the protein, protein, protein story. Just like the cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol story.
Did you know about Puffin season?
Everyday squirrels attack people. They’re hunted for food. What more reason is there.
“Everyday squirrels attack people.”
Okay, everybody in here; Raise your hand if you’ve been attacked by a squirrel.
mmmm squirrell sassafrass… warms the soul! too many dang dopers in the forest n cant get me my squirrel stew no more! Dang hippies wouldn’t know a good squirrel morsel if it came up and bit em! sheeeeeeeeeeeeeit
I hunt tree squirrels every year. It helps to keep their population in check, and provides for some fine eating. They are not easy targets as they can run up trees with great speed, and once in the tree canopy they can really tear along from tree to tree, and disappear in a flash.
I never knew we needed to keep the squirrel population in check. Are they going to rampage?
Only when humans have killed off too many predators
Squirrels are not predators, they eat a basic diet of nuts, pine cones, mushrooms, etc.
I think the point was that if too many predators are killed off, then the squirrel population will increase. Seems reasonable. Used to hunt eastern greys and fox squirrels as a kid in Ohio. Fox squirrels were the biggest tree squirrel. Sometimes called “tree rabbits.” A bit tough over the campfire but very tasty herbivores, especially when feeding on hickory nuts and black walnuts and fruit.
The eastern greys are virtually identical to western greys, but slightly smaller on average. Good survival food in case there’s a Second Term. oh gawd, please, no.
I preferred head shots with a solid point .22. Saves the meat, quick clean kill or miss completely. Hollow points are over-rated on small game.
There are plenty of things that eat squirrels.
There are plenty of people who eat Mr. Bear!
Only when they are after your nuts!
Keeps the population in check, what a crock of crap.. with sods raging away the squirrels are sparse as ive ever seen, dont even know where one nest is anymore, 15 years ago they were numerous nests. humans need to keep ourselves in check.
You are the crock of crap. Bet you have never hunted squirrels in your life. I hunt them every year on my place, and can get all I need in under one hour. I take only what I need and no more. You need to keep your mouth in check.
Mmmm, Brunswick stew.
I prefer Talia Rose’s hunting method☺
Yes! Yes!
Me too!!
I found some non lead .22 LR cartridges that shoot real good out to 50 yards. I’m ready.
There should be open season and no limits on the Eastern fox squirrel and the Eastern gray squirrel. Same goes for Pheasant and pigs.
Very hard to distinguish between eastern and western greys.
The Walker Fire is burning in Plumas County. As of 9:05 p.m., InciWeb is still saying that the incident is 24,040 acres and 5% contained which is basically the same numbers released at 11 a.m. with the containment moving up from zero.
The Red Bank Fire which is west of Red Bluff in Tehama County is 8,838 acres and 15% contained as of 8:17 p.m.
• The Lone Fire in Modoc County is 5,533 Acres and 45% contained. Firefighters made a lot of progress on this incident today.
• The South Fire is west of Red Bluff and not far from the Red Bank Fire in Tehama County. It is 1665 acres and 0% contained as of about 7 p.m. (For more information, click here.)
• The Henthorne Fire, northeast of Covelo about 15 miles and in Trinity County, is 380 acres and 15% contained,
The Swedes Fire east of Oroville in Butte County started today and together they are about 400 acres and 10% contained as of 10:15 p.m.
The Rams Horn Fire in northern Trinity County north of Bonanza King Mountain off Hwy 3, is 250 acres and 0% contained as of 1 p.m.
• The Lime Fire near Lime Gulch in Siskiyou County. It began growing quickly yesterday but today has continued to grow and evacuations are ordered. It is 250 acres and 0% contained as of about 5 p.m.
• The Middle Fire located in Trinity County near the Canyon Creek trailhead could affect hiking areas. It is 100 acres and 0% contained as of 3:34 p.m.
• NEW The Oak Fire in Lake County started west of Kelseyville. (See more on the fire here.) UPDATE: As of Sunday morning, it is still 53 acres but 100% contained!
NEW The Kid Fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness near Kidder Creek, Northwest of Etna in Siskiyou County is 38 acres
• The Cutthroat Fire near Big Bar in Trinity County could eventually threaten travel on Hwy 299 so firefighters are keeping an eye on it. It remains around 15 acres.
• NEW The Duzel Fire near Duzel Rock Lookout, northeast of Etna in Siskiyou County is 15 acres
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41,377 acres. Bye, bye, squirrels, birds, pig, dear -all living critters, creepy crawlies, forest and fauna. We can’t be far behind.
Let’s go squirrel hunting.
Central Hum Cty, I don’t agree with your posts a lot. But I sure do today. I’m sick of humans thinking bec we could invent guns, we deserve everything & “dominion over” all creatures.
And thank you very much for the fire updates!!
The fire updates and praise-be go to Kym:
https://kymkemp.com/2019/09/07/answering-your-burning-questions-a-summary-of-current-northern-california-fires/
They are two days old and not accurate currently.
Not to be overly picky but that’s a copy and paste from my story here: https://kymkemp.com/2019/09/07/answering-your-burning-questions-a-summary-of-current-northern-california-fires/ This was written two days ago and is no longer at all accurate.
That’s why links and attribution can be very important—
I apologize, Kym. I think that readers jump from one thread to the next as i do, and knew it was your article i got the acreage numbers from. I’ll pay better attention.
In this case it would be good to let people know that the article is a couple days old. Fires can change a lot in a short time. I should have immediately stepped in and said something. I’m busy and I got distracted.
~i’m really sorry if i rub you to the nub, Kym. It’s not my intent. Thank you for your patience. You’re busy, i don’t mean to take your time correcting my errors of not posting a link or who said what – and, yes, not pointing out the date of your ‘fire update’ article IS a biggy.
Ima gonna bag me a whole mess of em an pull out my cookbook from 1800s whip me up some squirrel pie
You can’t talk about Squirrel season in Humboldt without mentioning “The Murrel”, too many credible people have witnessed this creature to ignore it.
http://savethemurrel.org/eyewitness-reports/