Squirrel Hunting Guide >> Squirrel Hunting Tips

Squirrel is the common name of the family Sciuridae; (from Greek skia “shadow” and oura “tail”; “tail that casts a shadow”). In everyday speech in the English-speaking world, it usually refers to members of the genera Sciurus and Tamiasciurus. These typical members of the family are tree squirrels with large bushy tails and are indigenous to Europe, Asia and the Americas but similar genera are found in Africa. However, the Sciuridae also include flying squirrels, and ground squirrels such as the chipmunks, prairie dogs, and woodchucks. The unrelated family Anomaluridae also have “squirrel” in their common name, though they are usually referred to as “scaly-tailed flying squirrels”. The word squirrel comes from the Old French ésqurial, which itself comes from the Vulgar Latin word scuriolus (squirrel). The pronunciation of this animal’s name varies: the British way uses a short “i” while the American pronunciation can rhyme either with “curl” or with “Merril”, varying regionally.

Contrasting rabbits or deer, the squirrels can’t digest cellulose and have to rely on rich in protein foods, carbohydrates as well as fat. The early springtime is the toughest period of the year for squirrels because buried nuts start to grow leaving them no longer accessible and fresh food sources haven’t become accessible so far. Through these times the little creatures rely greatly on buds of plants, especially those of Silver Maple. Squirrels are omnivores; they can eat a large variety of vegetarian food, counting nuts, fruits, fungi, seeds as well as green vegetation, and they moreover eat insects, smaller mammals, eggs, frogs, carrion and even small birds. In the tropical areas these types of food frequently replace nuts.

Squirrels are normally intelligent and relentless animals; in uptown neighborhoods they are infamous for consumption of bird feeders, excavating in preserved plants both for burying or recuperate seeds and for setting-up home in protected areas such as attics. They are every now and then vermin as they chew up on a variety of edible as well as inedible things; the habit helps keep the squirrel’s teeth sharp and also wears them down (rodents’ teeth grow continuously). Homeowners in areas with a heavy squirrel population must keep attics and basements carefully sealed to prevent property damage caused by nesting squirrels.

Until recent times, squirrel meat was considered a favored meat in certain regions of the United States where it can be listed as wild game. Despite periodic complaints about the animal as a pest, general public opinion towards the animal is favorable, thanks to its agreeable appearance, movement and its habit of gathering and storing nuts; they are even popular characters in cartoons and children’s books.

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