How to Put Meat on the Table During the Winter

Considering the fact that Pennsylvania’s squirrel season is open for nearly half the year, running from mid-September through the end of February, you’d think there’d be more squirrels harvested in the Keystone than there are. It’s not like they’re an unworthy quarry. When they hunker tight against an oak tree and slowly shimmy around to the other side to avoid a hunter, just getting a clear shot can be a challenge.

And it’s not like they’re not tasty. Since squirrels love to eat nuts, you’d be nuts not to love eating squirrels. While that may be a play on words, it makes a serious point: squirrels really are delicious. They fatten up eating acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts and more, and that makes for sweet meat. That’s why, once upon a time, squirrel pot pie was a staple meal in rural Pennsylvania.

It’s not like there aren’t enough around to hunt in February, either, and with a liberal daily limit of six, it’s not like you can’t bag enough to make your efforts worthwhile. While many small-game species are experiencing declines in numbers, squirrels are thriving in many places.

There are a lot of reasons to hunt squirrels in February, even though less than 30 percent of Pennsylvania’s 78,000 squirrel hunters hunt them in the late season. In fact, there’s been an overall decline in hunting small-game species in the state. Twenty years ago, 25 percent of Pennsylvania hunters hunted small game; it’s now less than 10 percent.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has been working to try to reverse this trend, first by extending squirrel season by a month in 2019, and then by moving up the opener by a month—to mid-September—in 2020. Beyond that, there’s also a special two-week squirrel season for junior hunters that coincides with the first two weeks of the general season in mid-September for which the junior hunter doesn’t need a hunting license. The only requirement is that the participant successfully completes the state’s Hunter-Trapper Education course. It’s a dual-purpose opportunity that seeks to introduce more youngsters to hunting, as well as to interest more young hunters in hunting squirrels. The PGC is apparently serious about expanding the number of hunters and the number of hunting opportunities in the state.

GREAT LATE HUNTING

Regarding squirrel habitat, Pennsylvania has two main types of forest—beech-birch-maple in the north and oak-hickory in the south. The oak-hickory forest is generally better squirrel habitat because it has a wider variety of vegetation types that produce the foods gray squirrels favor. A mixed habitat of oaks, hickories, maples and beech will likely support more squirrels than a stand consisting of just walnut and chestnut oaks.

Good squirrel habitat has lots of mature mast-producing trees as well as a mixture of other shrub and tree species that provide the seasonal food variety the animals like. This food diversity can also help minimize the effects of food crop failure of some types of vegetation when conditions necessary for good food crop production are compromised by weather or poor tree health.

“Red, black and scarlet oaks regularly produce mast, while white and chestnut oaks are less reliable,” says PGC Small Game Mammal Biologist Emily Boyd. “Although white oak makes better sawtimber, landowners favor the red oak group if they wish to support a large, stable squirrel population. Hickories are great because they’re heavy mast producers. Looking for food is the primary recommendation I’d give to prospective squirrel hunters.”

WEATHER WATCHING

Ethan Weidle has been hunting squirrels in northern Pennsylvania since he was a kid.

“I love hunting squirrels in late winter,” he says. “The most important thing is to scout to know where their food is. Shagbark hickory, row crops, apples, crabapples, hawthorns—they’ll eat it all. The more variety, the better.”

Weidle’s favorite time to hunt is on calm, sunny days.

“When it’s been really cold for a few days and then you get one of those warmer days, maybe in the 40s or 50s, that brings them out to feed,” says Weidle. “They’re almost like people who get cabin fever. I really think they get tired of being stuck in their nests, so they’re ready to get out there and move around.

“When it’s really cold, sneak through the woods and watch the treetops because they’ll come out to sun themselves in the tops. If it’s not sunny and really cold, they probably won’t even be out. While they have to feed eventually, they’re not like whitetails or waterfowl, which pretty much have to feed regardless of the weather.”

In a way, squirrel hunting is a gentleman’s sport. There’s no need to get up at first light since bushytails prefer to wait until the woods warm up.

“Squirrels are more sunny-day feeders and will spend the coldest parts of the day in their nests,” says Weidle. “If you have an area with lots of mast, you’re likely to find squirrels. Scout some, then scout some more.”

When it comes to squirrel hunting, Weidle is not a fan of snow.

“Light snow’s not so bad—they can get through that and look for food. When you get that deeper, crusty snow, it’s too difficult for them and they’re just not out there as much. That’s when they’ll hop from tree to tree and avoid the snow entirely. I don’t think they like getting their feet cold any more than we do.”

Weidle also monitors the squirrel population where he hunts and is careful to not overharvest any spots.

“Once you find them, you can hunt them for a long time if you’re careful,” he says.

HOMEBODIES

With squirrels, bedding and feeding areas are in the same spot. The same mature trees producing mast are also den trees, so grays feed where they live. While there aren’t many leaf nests in northern Pennsylvania, there are in the southern part of the state where Tyler Frantz hunts.

“We have lots of leaf nests down here, and I’ve used them as indicators of where to hunt gray squirrels since I was a kid,” says Frantz. “Once deer season is over, squirrel hunting is the closest thing you can get to deer hunting, except you can get more of them. I like using a .22 long rifle with a scope, and by using a rifle it really does become a lot like whitetail hunting. I always try to get head shots so no meat is spoiled.”

Like Weidle, Frantz believes knowing where to hunt is the key, so scouting for food sources is essential.

“I’ll maybe hunt an acorn stand in the morning, then hunt ridges carefully without making lots of noise,” he says. “I’ll still-hunt, listening for their movements or the noise they make when they’re chewing on nuts. Windy days are no good; the squirrels just stay in their leafy nests on windy days.”

PGC biologist Boyd points out that while gray squirrels can breed all year long, late January and February is typically when most breeding activity take place. This occurrence allows for an interesting twist when hunting bushytails late in the season, one that Frantz uses to his advantage.

“February is the equivalent of the whitetail rut for squirrels,” says Frantz. “The males will chase the females just like bucks chase does during the rut, and it’s common to see multiple males chasing the same female. Last year when I was hunting, I saw five males chasing a female and I was able to bag three of them. During the late season, it’s easy for multiple squirrels to be taken. All that extra action is one of the reasons why I like to hunt them that time of year.”

While it may seem like a bit of a stretch to hunt squirrels in February by keying in on their breeding behavior, Frantz’s consistent success doing this over the years makes it a tactic worth trying for anyone wanting to improve their squirrel hunting success.

Whatever way you decide to hunt squirrels in February, the quarry and the sport is worth your time, as is the resulting epicurean delight.

COOKING THE CHICKEN OF THE TREES

Culinary lessons from a squirrel master.

West Virginia’s Chris Ellis has been a squirrel hunter—and eater—for most of his life. His tips for turning bushytails into delectable meals are not to be ignored.

“All my recipes start the same,” says Ellis. “It all starts by cleaning and cooling the meat in the field. I carry game shears and gallon Ziplocks in my vest. I clean the squirrels as soon as possible, generally right at the tree. I cut each squirrel into parts—front legs, back and hind legs.

“Back at camp, I stack the pieces in a crockpot on low with just some salt and pepper. Once the meat starts drawing from the bones, like barbecue, I let it cool. This entire process generally takes about 3 to 4 hours. Once cooled, you can pick the meat from the bones and use it in any recipe that calls for shredded chicken.

“Think street tacos, soups, stuff like that. I’ve found tacos are a great introduction to game meat and are one of my go-to critter dinners. Squirrel and dumplings is old school, as is squirrel gravy and biscuits. Or you can fry them like Buffalo wings. Squirrels are plentiful any time of year and make wonderful table fare.”

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• This article was featured in the February 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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