Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Sometimes one wants to go hunting just for the joy of being a field. That certainly was the case last January when friend Tim Wimer and I decided to drive to the Potts Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Monroe County to go squirrel hunting. As we left my house, a gusty wind blew across the landscape. The sky was colored cobalt blue, and I told Tim that we weren't likely to see any silvertails, let along bag any.

By the time we arrived, the wind speed had topped 20 mph, and a crusting of snow blanketed much of the public land. Undeterred, we left the vehicle and began still-hunting down an old logging road. Not long after we had entered the forest, Tim and I came across numerous turkey tracks, evidence that the birds had been using the tote road in great numbers.

Next, we happened too close to a hollow tree where a barred owl was waiting out the daytime hours. The owl flushed, and after we recovered from the shock of its abrupt departure, we continued up the road toward a highland flat that was our destination. Our next point of interest was a heavily worn trail where deer tracks and droppings characterized the path.

Last, we stopped at the mountain flat that had been our primary destination. Tim and I found where squirrels had cut some red oak acorns, evidence enough that the bushytails had found the area to their liking. Unfortunately, and certainly not to our surprise, the squirrels were not bounding about the flat because of the inclement conditions.

By then, the wind was whistling through the treetops at some 30 mph, and my friend and I both had begun to shiver. We quickly ambled down the mountain, returned to the vehicle, and turned the heater on high, and sped off to a local restaurant where we enjoyed lunch. Neither of us had glimpsed so much as a tail from a bushytail, but I was very well pleased with our "hunting" that day. (Continued)

If someone is not a late-season squirrel or rabbit hunter, it might be hard for that individual to fathom how our outing could have been such a success. However, consider these findings from the day afield. I ascertained that plenty of turkeys had made it through the fall season and that the Potts Creek WMA might be a good place to hunt the following spring.

I had learned that barred owls live in this particular parcel and that imitating the "who cooks for you" sounds this coming spring might cause a tom to turn on. I had determined where a hot stand site for deer could be, and the evidence of an abundance of acorns meant that the game animals should make it through the winter in good shape. In addition, the squirrel cuttings certainly showed that a return visit in a few days might prove to be a good time to harvest a silvertail or two. Therefore, the day really couldn't have gone much better.

Dick Hall, game manager supervisor for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), proclaims that the gray squirrel and the Eastern cottontail have maintained their fans, even though the pursuit of deer and turkeys is what most Mountain State sportsmen care mainly about nowadays.

"Squirrel and rabbit hunting are still popular," Hall said. "Since squirrel season is the first season to open in the fall, the excitement is still there. If you own a beagle or have a friend who has a beagle, rabbit hunting can likewise be exciting. For the most part, most kids learn to hunt small game first and then move up to big game."

Whether or not squirrels will be abundant depends on environmental issues.

"Squirrel numbers depend on the food condition the previous year," Hall continued. "If the mast crops were good, squirrels usually have two litters the following year (early spring and late summer). If the mast crops were poor, they usually have just the spring litter. Turnover in the squirrel population is extremely high. Studies in the 1950s revealed a 70 percent natural mortality in squirrels, whether hunted or not hunted."

I told Hall that from my experiences and contacts around the Mountain State, squirrels seemed to be commonplace almost everywhere. The biologist agreed.

"If you have a mature oak-hickory forest, you will have good squirrel hunting," he proclaimed. "Squirrels begin cutting on hickories early in the fall and if you can find a tree being used, you will have a very enjoyable day."