...and become a real handgun hunter, I can kill more than one at a time.

The squirrels are thick as gravy but they aint movin'. You can sneak right up under their tree and they just hunker down and keep right on cutting nuts.

Its tough. You are consistent!! Impressive hunting

It?s what keeps you going back.

A little off topic but I'm curious.

As we don't have a squirrel season here during the summer months, how are they in terms of parasites at this time of year?

Our season opens September 1st but they always seem to have their fair share of fleas, ticks or warbles prior to the first frost.

Do you find any issues where you're hunting in that regard?

Thanks.

John

A lot of folks on other hunting sites talk about warbbles, wolves or bot fly larva in squirrels, in 50 years of hunting them here in Missouri I have never seen them. I have however seen them literally covered in fleas in some of the hotter years, to the point that I was doing them a favor by taking them. I usually dont hunt them much this time of the year because of the heat but for the last few weeks we have had some great weather, lows in the upper fifties and low 60's in the morning.

Thanks for the reply.

I lived in Kansas for a few years. The rabbit limit was liberal back then and you could hunt them year round if I remember correctly. They were just as flea ridden as you describe in the warmer months.

I've seen more than a few cases of warbles when hunting early fall here in Ohio. Hunting friends claim they are harmless and you can eat the meat once they have been cut out. I've never been hungry enough to test the theory.

LOL Yea I believe I would pass also, Iv'e seen some pretty nasty photos.

Here in MS our season opens 1 October. Early season squirrels are always covered with bot fly maggots (wolves, warbles, or what ever your area calls them). It?s an old wives tale about not being fit to eat. The maggots are in the hide - not the meat. My grandmother loved squirrels, but wouldn?t eat any that had wolves - if she only knew. Deer in the south all have nazal bot fly maggots, but most folks don?t know that or they probably wouldn?t eat them either. There?s not many wild animals that don?t have some type of parasite (s).

I?ve hunted and killed many squirrels in Missouri through spring and summer, but have never seen one with wolves...Not many had fleas.

Thanks KRal.

We open September 1st in Ohio and there's always something on them at that time of year.

That said, and more to the point of the original post, it's nice to see someone getting out there and having some fun. I'll continue to live vicariously through others for now.