Arizona has more species of tree squirrels than any other state. The tree squirrel season is October 10 to November 23, with open areas statewide, except for Hunt Management Unit 7M and national wildlife refuges. Any tree squirrel may be harvested except the Mount Graham red squirrel.
Concern over Kaibab squirrels prompted wildlife officials to initiate surveys this fall. Trapping will be used to assess recruitment. Those estimates will be compared to hunter-harvested squirrels on the Kaibab.
“Foot barrels, where successful hunters donate a foot from each harvested squirrel, will help department biologists assess the harvest. Squirrel hunters on the Kaibab this year should look for those well-marked barrels and contribute to the effort,” says department biologist Mike Rabe.
Rabe says the best way to hunt tree squirrels is to look for fresh sign such as cone scales, twig cuttings and stripped cones, then start a search from there. “The crack of dawn is not the best time to hunt tassel-eared squirrels. Later morning and evening are best," he says, adding that red squirrels are vocal. “So sitting and listening is the best strategy for them.”
Randy Babb, a biologist and avid squirrel hunter, suggests quietly walking along old logging roads and searching for squirrels on the ground and in the trees. “Once a squirrel is spotted, it may be shot on the ground or rushed so it runs up the nearest tree.” However, Babb says, chasing squirrels up trees at 7,000 feet or more in elevation is more work than it sounds. “Add an uphill incline and you have the makings of a cardiac arrest for some of us older hunters. A well-trained dog makes the job easier.”
Look for Abert squirrels on the ground where they spend a lot of time foraging for mushrooms in the fall.
Gray squirrels prefer riparian corridors of sycamore, walnut and ash. The canyons under the Mogollon Rim are a good place to try for gray squirrels and you'll probably pick up some Aberts as well. Red squirrels are found in spruce-fir habitat and are most easily located by listening for their wurring call.
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