Sunday, February 01, 2009

Meal Time: Eastern Gray Squirrel


An Eastern Gray Squirrel utilizes a hollow log feeder. Building feeders from natural materials enhances the photographic potential of a feeding location.

Squirrels are frequent feeder visitors, welcomed by some and despised by others. During winter the gray squirrel is most active during mid-day. Early to mid winter is also the time of the squirrels mating season.

The gray squirrel is a game animal in Pennsylvania and with that designation comes hunting seasons, bag limits and protection. In game take surveys conducted by the Game Commission, squirrels consistently rank as the most harvested animal in the state. Squirrel hunting once was a very popular sport in our area with many hunters stalking the ridges, mountains, and woodlots. The boom of shotguns and the crack of .22’s would echo across the valleys on opening day.

Today, with the overlapping deer seasons, hunting pressure on these cute little rodents has diminished considerably. Squirrel populations wax and wane according to the availability of food and overall remain much the same as they were during the days of heavy hunting pressure.

6 comments:

  1. Were the squirrels hunted for food? Just curious...

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  2. A lovely post Coy. I hate to hear of things being hunted but I guess it is a normal way of life in some places. These squirrels are all so cute.

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  3. I do love this photo of the squirrel in the log. I think the gray squirrels are beautiful!

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  4. Grey squirrels are cute little buggers! As long as they stay out of my walls.

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  5. Salty: Nice capture of the Gray Squirrel. I don't see much of them with the snow over 24" high.

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Coy