Relive your childhood by targeting tree rats at any of these three squirrel-rich WMAs.
Have you seen all the recent commercials that are targeted toward helping older Americans recapture their youth? Whether hearing about an amazing new cream that’s supposed to get rid of any and all wrinkles for the women or a can of spray-on hair for the men, our society seems obsessed with staying young.
Hunters, who are generally young-at-heart anyway, aren’t immune from the barrage of new age-defying products promising everything from a miracle ear that’s supposed to improve a hunter’s hearing to a souped-up golf cart for pain-free travel to a stand.
Those who are really concerned about recapturing their glory-days, though, need look no farther than the activities that dominate their days. It’s pretty common knowledge that old people do old people things. The young at heart do things that make them feel young.
Take my wife’s grandparents, for example. They were in their 80s when I first started hanging around, and they both had, and rode, jet-skis at Lake Bruin whenever they could. Twelve years later, her grandfather just recently passed, but her grandmother is well into her 90s. I have to think that their attitudes about life went a long way toward their lengthy and active lives.
Hunters who feel like their hunting lives are getting just a little bit stale should take a page out of my wife’s grandparents’ playbook. If you want to feel young and rejuvenated, do those things that you used to love to do as a child.
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite childhood activities was taking my old single-shot 20-guage to the woods to hunt squirrels. There wasn’t an evening or morning that went by in the winter without thoughts of bushytails bouncing through my brain.
I had fun squirrel hunting. And you know what, I can’t tell you the last time I went squirrel hunting. And to be honest, there are mornings nowadays when rolling out of bed to go deer or duck hunting is beginning to feel more like a chore than the beginning of an exciting day. Could it be possible that my hunting life is getting old?
I don’t know of any pills on the market that will help me get my hunting groove back on, so this hunting season I’m going to do what my wife’s grandparents did. I’m going to do something that made me happy when I was young. I’m going to do something that will make my hunting heart young again. I’m going squirrel hunting — with a single-shot 20-guage.
Granted, I’ve got several acres of hardwoods out my back door in Washington Parish that are a valuable asset in my quest to regain my happy hunting spirit. They are the same ones I hunted every day that I could more than 25 years ago, and I plan on taking the same routes I took as a kid.
Unfortunately, not all hunters have the luxury of hunting private land. Therefore, renewing your hunting spirit by trying to find some bushytails might not do anything but make you feel older.
There are some places where you can go, though, that should make your quest just a little bit easier. Louisiana’s WMAs are the best option for hunters with little or no land. In fact, there are three WMAs that might just be the best squirrel-hunting option, even for those who have land. Perhaps hunters have found their Fountains of Youth.
Russell Sage WMA
Squirrels probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about Russell Sage WMA just to the east of Monroe. The first thing would have to be the famous mallard hunting in the flooded green-tree reservoir. While the reputation as a world-class waterfowl hole is warranted, the excellent squirrel hunting can’t be overlooked.
Having hunted at Russell Sage several years ago, I can vouch for what Region 2 Biologist Supervisor John Hanks has to say. His summary of the squirrel hunting at this 16,829-acre tract is that it could offer some of the best squirrel hunting around on any given year — it could also offer the complete opposite.
“Russell Sage has a low diversity of oak species,” said Hanks. “If those crops don’t make, we don’t do so well. Our three main (feed) trees are willow oak, overcup oak and nuttall oak. If they all have a good mast, we have good hunting the next season. If they don’t, it can go in the drink.”
Like any woods in Louisiana, the mast production of one year affects the squirrel hunting of the next. The LDWF survey is completed at the end of September, and the new numbers weren’t available at the time of this writing. However, since it is last year’s numbers that determine this year’s hunting, the outlook might not be too good.
“I would say we had a fair to poor crop last year,” Hanks said. “But we go in cycles at Russell Sage. We’ll have two or three good years followed by a down year. Therefore, I’m expecting this squirrel season to be fair at best at Russell Sage.”
All isn’t lost, though. Hanks said there are still squirrels on the WMA, but they are going to take a little more skill and effort to find. The key is to pattern the squirrels on a particular kind of tree like a bass angler would pattern the fish on a certain kind of cover.
Hunters should go scouting a few days before they plan to hunt. If there seems to be low mast, look for the few trees that are producing. While the overcup and nuttall trees may not be putting out mast, all the bitter pecans might be. Find the trees that are producing, and you’ll be well on your way to beating the down-year blues.
“If all the trees have acorns, then you could do well anywhere on Russell Sage,” Hanks said. “If the mast is limited, only certain areas are going to hold squirrels. And if you find two different kinds of trees producing, then the key is to find which kind they’re cutting. I think the key this year is going to be finding the cuttings on the ground and staying put. And by all means stay away from the trees that aren’t producing any mast.”
The Russell Sage squirrel season is the same as the outside except the WMA is closed Nov. 23-25. Squirrel hunting with dogs is allowed Jan. 5 through Feb. 29. Hunters can access Russell Sage off U.S. 80 and I-20, which bisect the area. For more information about squirrel hunting Russell Sage, call the LDWF Monroe office at 318-343-4044.
Three Rivers WMA
One of the most exciting public squirrel hunting areas for this season has to be Three Rivers WMA in southern Concordia Parish. The reason for the excitement, according to Region 4 Manager Lowery Moak, is because of the good mast crop last fall.
“We actually had good mast at all our WMAs in Region 4 last year,” said Moak. “Our big three food trees are sweet pecan, bitter pecan and overcup oak, and they all produced well last year. I wouldn’t call it great, but it was good.”
The great thing about Three Rivers for squirrel hunters is that the three species of trees are all intermingled and in close proximity to each other. And since this year is expected to have a good squirrel season, Moak said it wouldn’t really matter where hunters go.
“You really can’t pinpoint any one particular place to hunt this year,” he said. “We’ve got some folks who hunt the same places every year and do well because they are familiar with that particular area. It all looks basically the same out there from one end to the other, so just find some good food sources, and you’ll find some squirrels.”
The only thing that can keep hunters out of certain parts of Three Rivers is that some sections will hold water more than others, and they become more difficult to hunt during wet years. However, that shouldn’t be a problem this season as Region 4 is going through its third year of drought conditions, and the WMA is pretty dry.
Hunters should take the dry conditions more into account for how they hunt rather than where they hunt. Crackling leaves and snapping sticks are more than enough to lock down a squirrel and make it entirely motionless.
“Hunt slow when it’s dry,” Moak advised. “Squirrels should be more concentrated in certain areas in dry conditions. On the other hand, when it’s wet, they’ll scatter out more, and that means you have to stay on the move to get them. Let the conditions dictate how you hunt, and you should do well.”
While using a shotgun or a .22 rifle is more a matter of personal preference than anything else, Moak suggested hunters during the early part of the season try a shotgun because of the dense overhead cover of leaves that are still on the trees. Later in the season, after the leaves have fallen off the trees, those who want a little more of a challenge will find a .22 rifle the perfect companion.
The squirrel season at Three Rivers is the same as outside except the WMA is closed on Oct. 27-28 and Nov. 23-24. Hunters can access Three Rivers by LA 15 and 910.
For more information about squirrel hunting at Three Rivers, call the LDWF Ferriday office at 318-757-4571.
Thistlethwaite WMA
Located in north-central St. Landry Parish, Thistlethwaite WMA is the squirrel-hunting version of a “Catch 22.” According to Region 6 Wildlife Manager Tony Vidrine, the area annually produces the highest squirrel harvest numbers of any other WMA in the region, but it can be a booger to hunt because of the dense palmetto understory.
“The mast crop wasn’t all that great last year,” Vidrine said, “but some trees are going to produce every year. Finding those trees is the key to success. We usually have a good mast crop every other year, but the squirrel hunting remains consistent throughout.”
Thistlethwaite squirrels have a wide variety of feed trees from which to choose. The red oaks produce well most years, as do the water oaks and nuttall oaks. However, some of the mast trees like cherry bark, willow oak and white oak don’t usually make every year. It was the white oak that didn’t make so well last year.
“We always have something producing,” Vidrine said. “Our big thing is that the area is owned by private property, and some areas have been cut, which has made the hunting a little tougher in some areas.
“Thistlethwaite also is tough to move around on because of the palmetto. There are several guys who go in there every year and do well, though, so it’s definitely huntable — you just have to work at it a little more.”
Like squirrel hunting anywhere, the best way to find a good hunting spot is to make a scouting trip to look for cuttings on the ground. Vidrine said one of the best places to look for early cuttings is under the hickory trees.
“If you can find some hickory trees with cuttings under them, you’ve got a good chance to kill some squirrels,” Vidrine said. “With the thick understory, it’s advisable to find a good resting spot near a tree with some recent cuttings, and wait them out. Try to put yourself near the cutting tree but in the line that you expect the squirrels will approach it, and you can kill a mess of them.”
The squirrel season at Thistlethwaite is the same as the outside season except the WMA is closed on Oct. 27-28, Nov. 24-25 and Dec. 1-2. Hunters can access Thistlethwaite off LA 10 or the Lebeau exit off I-49.
For more information about squirrel hunting Thistlethwaite, call the LDWF Opelousas office at 337-948-0255.
These three Louisiana WMAs can’t promise to steady your hands to make a shot. They can’t boost your eyesight to help you spot a squirrel. And they can’t do anything about your bum knees after squatting by a stump all morning.
In other words, they can’t offer any miracle elixirs akin to the fountain of youth.
What they can do is help you get back in touch with your inner child by offering a place to hunt the way you got started. A pot of squirrel stew has got to be better than a can of spray-on hair. Wouldn’t you agree?
