# Are Fox Squirrels legal to hunt?



## Mako22 (Dec 8, 2007)

Are Fox Squirrels legal to hunt in Georgia? I have a few of them where I deer hunt and they look like they might be good over a bed of rice.


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## TreeFrog (Dec 8, 2007)

Yes, they're legal.  You just follow the same rules you would use for any other squirrels.  We have a few on our lease too.  I love to watch them.  Wish I had a few in the yard.


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## Nicodemus (Dec 8, 2007)

I`ve found nothin` in the regulations, sayin` that you can`t hunt them durin` open squirrel season. I used to take them when I would see them while huntin` uplands for cat squirrels, as a youngun. I guess I`m gettin` soft in my old age, I no longer shoot em. I`d rather take cat squirrels for the pot, and watch the fox squirrels.


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## Public Land Prowler (Dec 8, 2007)

You can,but most people don't shoot them unless they are going to mount them.They require more open terrain,and are not as plentiful as greys.I know where some are right now,but I am not going to shoot them.One day I may try to get some mounted,one of each color phase...Silver,blonde and black.Can't remember seeing any other color phase around here.


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## Mako22 (Dec 8, 2007)

Public Land Prowler said:


> One day I may try to get some mounted,one of each color phase...Silver,blonde and black.Can't remember seeing any other color phase around here.



This one has a black head, white under belly and flanks with a grayish color on the back and tail. I think I am seeing at least two. Any idea what it would cost to mount one?


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## Public Land Prowler (Dec 8, 2007)

carters93 said:


> This one has a black head, white under belly and flanks with a grayish color on the back and tail. I think I am seeing at least two. Any idea what it would cost to mount one?


Probably in the 150-200 dollar range depending on who you go to.


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## insanehunter (Dec 8, 2007)

*hunt*

i have only shoot one and i got it mounted i wouldnt shoot one unless it was going on the wall


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## bull0ne (Dec 8, 2007)

:





nicodemus said:


> I`ve found nothin` in the regulations, sayin` that you can`t hunt them durin` open squirrel season. I used to take them when I would see them while huntin` uplands for cat squirrels, as a youngun. I guess I`m gettin` soft in my old age, I no longer shoot em. I`d rather take cat squirrels for the pot, and watch the fox squirrels.



Me too Nick...........I had a pair of fox squirrels come to me through the trees the other day and scolded me bad!   

They're not the smartest critter in the woods by far..............that's why they were nearly eliminated back in the depression. They were the biggest piece of meat a young hunter could knock down with a .22 short.


As for the two I mentioned earlier?? I gave em a free spin......... I took they're picture and walked on.


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## PWalls (Dec 8, 2007)

Thoise things are pretty rare down here. Don't see them much. I think they are too big and slow and don't run for cover as quick as a gray squirrel does. On the few occasions that I have seen them, I enjoy watching them. Plenty of squirrel meet walking around without shooting those fox squirrels. Of course I have seen some that would make a pretty mount.


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## Twenty five ought six (Dec 8, 2007)

I just like to watch them.  The poke around like an old man and remind me of me.

Long time ago I ate some, and it falls under the category of "edible", if you were starving.

I know we saw the same fox squirrel in the same tree for 4 years, so they must be relatively long lived.


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## 243Savage (Dec 8, 2007)

carters93 said:


> This one has a black head, white under belly and flanks with a grayish color on the back and tail. I think I am seeing at least two. Any idea what it would cost to mount one?



I normally won't shoot them, but had this black beast jump in front of my shotgun a few years ago in Louisiana.  I went straight to the taxidermist with him and he weighed right at 4 pounds. Biggest squirrel I'd ever seen.    He's lightened up a bit over the years and I think I paid something like $75.00 for the mount.


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## fiftycalsrule (Dec 8, 2007)

I killed one as a kid with a BB gun. He sits proudly on my shelf in my office now. Total black head with black/grey body.


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## merc123 (Dec 8, 2007)

You bet, just got one the other day.  Black head with white snout and white ears.  Gonna have it full mounted.  Got some good meat off of it too.  Had about a 3-4" "tenderloin".

Remember, 22 or smaller to shoot them.


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## Mako22 (Dec 8, 2007)

Okay, if I shoot one to mount what do I do with it then, plastic bag and in the freezer whole, meat and all?


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## Public Land Prowler (Dec 8, 2007)

carters93 said:


> Okay, if I shoot one to mount what do I do with it then, plastic bag and in the freezer whole, meat and all?


Yep


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## merc123 (Dec 9, 2007)

carters93 said:


> Okay, if I shoot one to mount what do I do with it then, plastic bag and in the freezer whole, meat and all?



I skinned it and stuck it in my cooler until I got home, then I put it in the freezer in a grocery bag.

They skin pretty easy.  Really just skin it like a deer.


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## Public Land Prowler (Dec 9, 2007)

I'd rather be safe than sorry...

http://www.taxidermy-supplies.com/skinning-squirrel.html


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## WildBuck (Dec 9, 2007)

Also tasty fried with gravy, eggs, and cathead biscuits.


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## merc123 (Dec 9, 2007)

Public Land Prowler said:


> I'd rather be safe than sorry...
> 
> http://www.taxidermy-supplies.com/skinning-squirrel.html



Here's what I did:

1.  Split the underside from the anus to the middle of the rib cage.  I didn't split the rib cage.

2.  Cut slits on the underside of the legs from the "knee" knuckle to the main slit.

3.  Peel the skin away from the leg bone around the bone and cut the "knee" off of the animal.  This should free the leg from the body and should have most of it skinned.  Do the same for the front legs and use the "elbow" as the reference.

4.  Slowly peel the main skin away from the hindquarters going up the body.  I didn't have to cut any, it peeled just fine.

When you get as far as you can, cut the neck/head from the spine.  You should have the complete skin.


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## Vernon Holt (Dec 9, 2007)

I have been disappointed that regulators, naturalists, tree huggers, and even those who enjoy sport hunting, have not responded to the plight of the Eastern Fox Squirrell.

This squirrell once thrived in the old growth Longleaf Forest of the Southeast which comprised some 92 million acres extending from coastal Virginia southward to Florida and around the Gulf Coast to Eastern Texas.  Due to the handiwork of man, less than 3% of this forest remains.

With the passing of this unique forest habitat, more than twenty species of animals associated with the Longleaf Pine forest have been classified as "Endangered Species".  Yet, for reasons unknown, the Fox Squirrel in Georgia is classified as "secure" (whatever that means), and enjoys the same status as the Grey Squirrel which may be the most common critter in GA.

In spite of this, the fact remains that the population of the Fox Squirrel is just a shadow of the numbers that once existed.  I hold to the position that if there is any basis for the enactment of the "Endangered Species Act", then the Eastern Fox Squirrel should be given its due regard.

As a young Forester, I moved to Southeast GA 56 years ago.  I was employed by an industrial landowner that owned one and one quarter million acres of timberland with most of it being in the native range of Longleaf Pine.  I spent much of this time involved in the harvesting of second growth Longleaf and then converting the land to pine plantations of Slash and Loblolly pine.

In those early days, Fox Squirrels were a common part of the daily scene.  Their disappearance was immediate as the thinly stocked stands of Longleaf disappeared and as plantation management became the order of the day.

The Fox Squirrel has shown little, or no adaptability.  Instead of learning to live in dense stands of pine, they simply disappeared.  While the Black Panther has managed to survive in surprising numbers, the Fox Squirrel is rarely seen today.  It is most common arounds parks, golf courses, and remnant stands of trees older than fifty years.

Under no circumstance would I shoot a Fox Squirrel.  I shot one many years ago and my wife who is a good cook, did her very best with it.  My bird dog had difficulty eating it.  They live up to ten years so they have plenty of time to toughen up to the rigors of life.


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## Mako22 (Dec 9, 2007)

Vernon Holt said:


> I spent much of this time involved in the harvesting of second growth Longleaf and then converting the land to pine plantations of Slash and Loblolly pine.
> 
> Under no circumstance would I shoot a Fox Squirrel.



So you raped the land made a living off of it and destroyed the environment of the Fox Squirrel and now you lecture me on wanting to shot one.


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## rapid fire (Dec 9, 2007)

I don't think he is lecturing you on wanting to shoot one.  I think he is explaining a valid overlooked point about a species that we could easily hurt even worse.  Mr. Holt is a very wise man and his points should be well pondered.


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## DS7418 (Dec 9, 2007)

I would take one to mount it, but I know my grand children might not get to see one, so I will pass. To each his own I guess.


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## Nicodemus (Dec 9, 2007)

That wasn`t a lecture, it was a well spoken history lesson. A large tract of the forested and swampland Mr. Vernon speaks of, surrounded our Family farm that I was raised on, on three sides. We could not have had a better neighbor. I will always regret them not still havin` ownership of it.


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## bull0ne (Dec 9, 2007)

carters93 said:


> So you raped the land made a living off of it and destroyed the environment of the Fox Squirrel and now you lecture me on wanting to shot one.


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## crackerdave (Dec 9, 2007)

It's true that fox squirrels are scarce,and for me,shooting one to mount is not an option because I don't have $200 to waste on a wall ornament. If I did shoot one to mount,I would shoot it from about 30 yards away with a shotgun so as not to make any big holes in the skin,and I would leave the skinning to a pro.


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## REMINGTON710 (Dec 9, 2007)

we have one at my hunting club in south ga and looks kinda like a skunk..

it has an all blach head pretty much all black body, has a whitish strip town its back and has a white strip on each of it legs....if I have a .22 and see that sucker he will be shot


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## Mako22 (Dec 9, 2007)

nicodemus said:


> That wasn`t a lecture, it was a well spoken history lesson. A large tract of the forested and swampland Mr. Vernon speaks of, surrounded our Family farm that I was raised on, on three sides. We could not have had a better neighbor. I will always regret them not still havin` ownership of it.



Okay I apologize, sorry Mr. Vernon, I just miss understood your reply. Please forgive me.


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## roscoe54 (Dec 9, 2007)

I have come to realize with age i see things different.Like Vernon i would not shoot a fox squirrel.You just don't see that many, and when i see one i enjoy  Gods creation.

  Salvation is for all who belive in Gods Word


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## Quercus Alba (Dec 9, 2007)

Excellent post Mr. Holt. Fox squirrels are my favorite animal and I have devoted a great deal of time to their study. With that said, habitat loss will send the species to the grave not the occasional sportsman searching for a specimen.


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## Minner (Dec 9, 2007)

The ones around here in northwest GA are almost always red. The have black heads with varying amounts of white on their faces (nose, ears, etc). I only see these red ones in one certain type of terrain: older hardwoods on the sides and tops of mountains. I've seen 'em both sides of John's Mtn and several places on Taylors ridge. I've seen as many as five different ones in one morning on the side of John's Mtn. Beautiful animals! 

And the ones I've encountered seem to be intelligent critters. They'll walk along and suddenly jump onto the side of a tree and look around for several minutes. Then they'll ease along for a while and jump back onto a tree to look again.


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## Vernon Holt (Dec 9, 2007)

Carter:  No problem, apology accepted.  I will take this opportunity to make a further comment which might add clarity of my post.

Keep in mind that we are looking back for half a century and are looking at the effect that plantation management has brought to bear on one species of wildlife.  At the time that natural Longleaf stands were being replaced with plantations of other species, not a single voice was raised against the concept.  It was simply not well understood how various forms of wildlife would be affected.  Looking back today obviously gives us the benefit of that notorious 20-20 hindsight.

I would like very much to see Longleaf Pine make a significant recovery.  Sadly, The reality is that we will never see it happen.  The cost of land today, along with the cost of maintaining ownership, does not favor growing Longleaf and holding it to grow longer than fifty years.  It would be great if the managers of public land in the Longleaf Belt would take the lead in planting Longleaf on 25' X 25' spacing.

Also, in my feeble way, I was trying to make the point that if some level of protection is being legislated for a wide spectrum of critters (even tho they may be plentiful), why not include this beautiful animal which is struggling to survive.  Just my opinion.


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## Son (Dec 9, 2007)

Plenty fox squirrels on our hunting property, probably because of the larger pines and we don't shoot any
Heads up on skinning squirrels though.
Some taxidermist prefer to make the incision down the back. Consult the taxidermist you might be using.


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## BPR (Dec 9, 2007)

*Calloway Gardens*

I played golf at calloway gardens a few years back and I bet we saw at least 15 different ones over the 18 holes.


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## HorseCreekHunter (Dec 9, 2007)

We have quite a few living in the pecan orchard our camp house sits in.  Maybe they are adapting some.


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## Luke0927 (Dec 10, 2007)

Yes im shooting a half white have/gray squirel after deer season...its not fox its just a gray squirel that its lets and back are white....neat little thing


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## gadeerwoman (Dec 10, 2007)

Growing up I saw them in all colors around us. Sadly their population has taken a real nose dive over the years. Back then my brother and I shot a many a fox squirrel when hunting greys. Now I won't shoot one at all. Like Mr. V, now I find more enjoyment in just seeing them out there than I would shooting one. Same with foxes for me. You just don't see them that often in the wild anymore around me so I would rather see them in their natural environment, alive and thriving.


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## groundhawg (Dec 10, 2007)

nicodemus said:


> I`ve found nothin` in the regulations, sayin` that you can`t hunt them durin` open squirrel season. I used to take them when I would see them while huntin` uplands for cat squirrels, as a youngun. I guess I`m gettin` soft in my old age, I no longer shoot em. I`d rather take cat squirrels for the pot, and watch the fox squirrels.




Same for me.

Killed a couple when I was younger but never plan to take another one.  Would rather see one in a big pine tree than stuffed and mounted.


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## Thunderbeard (Dec 10, 2007)

BPR said:


> I played golf at calloway gardens a few years back and I bet we saw at least 15 different ones over the 18 holes.



Dang BPR, sounds like you play golf like me, always in the woods and never on the fairway


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## marknga (Dec 10, 2007)

I have been seeing one at our lease in Crawford County. He lives in the Pecan trees next to the Peach Orchard and is solid silver with a black head.....very cool looking. He is the first one that I have seen in a long time. Hunting in Twiggs County back in the 70's I use to see quite a few in all different colorations, blonde, red, black and white. Back then I always wanted one mounted but now I have no desire to kill one. Each to their own though.

I use to get frustrated with this one old red/black fox squirrel; if he ever saw me move he would get to barking and wouldn't shut up. Use to tick me off! Closest I ever came to shooting a squirrel with a 30:06! As someone posted earlier: he acted just like an old man.

Good thread.

Mark


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## weathermantrey (Dec 10, 2007)

I use to see a bunch of them when I'd go on the Bussey Point Archery Hunt on Clark's Hill lake, probably because it's a fairly mature forest.  I've also watched a solid black one several times this year on the South Carolina Side of lake russell close to Calhoun Falls.  I've thought about going over there after deer season and busting him since the land above the CORP property is about to get developed.


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## weathermantrey (Dec 10, 2007)

It's amazing to me how much importance is given to some animals while others seemed to be overlooked.  They have made a HUGE deal about the red-cockaded woodpecker over the past several years.  It needs mature long-leaf pine forests to thrive as well.  There is a lot of interesting material about this bird online.  Many development companies have had to pay millions to re locate these birds. Also, many people have been denied the ability to log there own land if a resident population of these birds exist on their property.

Imagine being ready to retire and cut your 1,000 acres of mature pine timber and then being told none of it can be cut because a few birds inhabit the area.  

I guess the good to society outweighs the negative effects to individual landowners; however, you'd think they could be subsidized for the birds since they have property rights to their own land


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## rex upshaw (Dec 10, 2007)

Vernon Holt said:


> Under no circumstance would I shoot a Fox Squirrel.  .



i agree.....not that i am going to blast anyone who does, but i enjoy watching them, not hunting them.


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## Vernon Holt (Dec 10, 2007)

*Fox Squirrels*



marknga said:


> "I use to get frustrated with this one old red/black fox squirrel; if he ever saw me move he would get to barking and wouldn't shut up. Use to tick me off! Closest I ever came to shooting a squirrel with a 30:06! As someone posted earlier: *he acted just like an old man." *Mark


 

And how might that be???


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Dec 10, 2007)

i've only seen 3 ever.  one was a few weeks ago, a solid black one, through my binos at about 400 yards.


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## marknga (Dec 11, 2007)

Vernon Holt said:


> And how might that be???



Well Mr Holt I guess I should have expressed myself a little differently. He was kind of bent over, shuffled thru the leaves, barking to himself, would look back over his shoulder then turn and shuffle back to the nearest tree. With much effort pull himself up to lowest limb and proceed to bark/chatter while bouncing his head up and down till he got tired. He then would shuffle his way down the tree and repeat the whole process.
Actually he kinda reminded me of the squirrel version of Archy Bunker, just grouchy and complaining. Ohhhh well my girls might say I fit that description now. 

There's alot to be learned from old squirrels and old men.

Mark


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