Acorns!

[Hayseed]

Pat,

Cat squirrel is just another name for grey squirrel.

When I was a kid back in the 60's I use to squirrel hunt quite a lot. Back in those days there seemed to be a lot more fox squirrels than there are today. Now about all I see in the woods are cat squirrels. I don't know what the reason for that is. Back home in Ark. the woods are full of cat squirrels... more squirrels than I have seen in many years. They say that squirrel hunting is on the decline. I guess that might account for why their numbers have risen over the past several years.

As far as acorns go, I don't know if they are a preferred food source for squirrels. It seems squirrels prefer hickory nuts, pecans, pine burrs and beech mast over acorns. Of course I could be wrong. It just seems I have seen a lot more squirrels eating all of the above more often than acorns. Even so, with this year's bumper crop of acorns it looks like all the acorn eating critters will have plenty to eat for a little while longer, at least until all the acorns have either been eaten, buried, sprouted or soured.

[Pat]

Chris, Thanks for the note. I find euphemisms, colloquialisms, and folk sayings interesting. I have added "cat squirrel" to my vocabulary. I was pleased to hear the weatherman use the term "Blue Norther" this morning. I was NOT pleased that its use applied to me. My mom's family called them blue tailed northers.

It is about 20 degrees cooler today than same time yesterday but no rival for the record high and low temp for the same day a couple weeks ago. Back in the 80's Oklahoma City had record high and low temps on the same day due to a blue norther. If I recall it went from 86 down to 17 or something like that. Enough to send the squirrels scurrying.

I too hunted squirrels as a lad but haven't shot any since the 60's. Good eating and if it isn't too PC, fun hunting. Sometimes my dad would go squirrel hunting with me. He used a 12 gauge single shot if they were running fast and jumping tree to tree and I used a single shot .22 on the slow or stopped ones. Don't see many squirrels on our "new" place. Just now and then.

If they were plentiful, I'd probably shoot a few but like the Bob White quail that I used to hunt in my high school days (DAZE?) I don't have enough to sustain a harvest so I leave them alone. I'd rather hear the few we have than eat them. Same with the frogs, especially bull frogs. As a teenager I shot a truck load for my parents and relatives to eat (never acquirred a taste for them till I was 25). Now I don't hunt them on my own ponds or allow anyone else as I'd rather hear the last few than eat them.

If I "needed" to hunt for food, I'd take a few deer as we have a considerable surplus.

Think I better get going, my chipper worked perfectly yesterday and started fine 3 times but the 4th time it didn't turn over at alll (electric start). So cold or not I need to do some trouble shoting. PLUS a few minutes ago my mom and wife were getting ready to go to town and the "CHECK ENGINE" light came on and stayed. They switched vehicles and left me the cripple. I don't have a clue!

Later, Chris. Best to you and yours this holiday season.

Pat