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TENNESSEE SQUIRREL SEASON
It’s hard to believe squirrel season is almost here. The arrival of
August signals the arrival of squirrel season in Tennessee each year on
the fourth Saturday of the month. This year you can hit the woods and
hunt busy tails on the morning of August 23. Bag limit will again be ten
daily.
SQUIRREL SEASON OPENER IS FIRST HUNT FOR MANY
By Steve McCadams
Opening day of squirrel season in Tennessee is a special day for a lot
of sportsmen. For many youngsters it will be their first hunting trip at
the guiding hand of a caring dad, grandfather, uncle or family friend.
Someone special will hopefully take the time to rise and shine early,
setting the stage for a memorable outing down dark sand ditches or cow
paths where the busy tails have been cutting acorns high in the
hickories.
The fourth Saturday in August is the traditional opener for busy tails.
It appears hot weather will greet hunters even in the early morning
hours this year but that doesn’t diminish the potential for a memory
making morning.
Every year when squirrel season opens I have flashbacks from yesteryear.
I can’t seem to remember much these days but I can clearly recall
bagging my first squirrel over 50 years ago on opening morning. After
stalking a skittish gray squirrel chomping away in a scaly bark hickory
my dad helped me negotiate an old logging road.
Slipping around isn’t easy for most youngsters as my clumsy feet seemed
to step on dry sticks that cracked and announced my location. Between
the cobwebs and mosquitoes I managed to sneak up under the tall timber
when dad handed me a couple of blue Peters paper shells for my double
barrel 410-gauge.
Little bits of hickory nuts fell to the forest floor, signaling the
whereabouts of my prey somewhere high above but pinpointing his location
was a quite a challenge. It was hard to hear as the thumping of my heart
drowned out the sounds of the woods in my ears.
After what seemed like hours of this cat and mouse game things seem to
settle down as a guiding hand on the shoulder and a whisper helped
locate the illusive critter crawling out of thick cover to retrieve a
morsel on the far end of a flimsy limb. I quickly shouldered the gun and
took aim.
To this day I believe I can still smell the powder from the little gun
that barked out in the lowlight conditions of a quiet woods that quickly
erupted with cries from alarmed blue-jays and sly crows now sounding off
to the world that someone was here.
After a short pause the thud of a falling squirrel hitting the forest
floor signaled success. My first shot was on the mark and an oversized
hand-me-down hunting vest was about to bulge as dad slid him in the
hunting pouch.
There’s nothing quite like the feel of game bouncing against your back
as you walk through the woods, especially when it’s your first squirrel
hunt!
There have been a lot of miles logged and sunrises and sunsets seen
since that late August outing deep in the woods of Carroll County near
Shiloh Church. Every now and then I venture back to the area and pause
to reflect on my special day. The little woods is still there.
Sometimes I hit the recall button and swing by the area to reminisce. I
hope the treetops are still home to a few squirrels and that some
youngster has also maneuvered his or her way down the brushy paths to
pleasant memories.
Opening morning of the squirrel season is special in more ways than one.
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LBL SQUIRREL SEASON
Squirrel hunters who want to get a jump-start on the Tennessee statewide
season can do so at Land Between the Lakes beginning August 16. Season
opens in LBL each year a week prior to the start of the statewide
season.
Bag limit in the Tennessee portion of LBL is ten daily. Hunters must
have a LBL Hunter Use Permit. For additional call 270-924-2065 or send
an email to lblinfo@fs.fed.us.
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