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Thread: Where are the squirrels??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
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    Dolph, Ar
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    Default Where are the squirrels??

    Just a general observation and topic I have been questioning to myself this year...

    Arkansas has had a plethora of rain this year as many States have. The nut tree crops are booming and actually hanging tight in the timber. No drought this year has probably influenced this sort of late crop...during a drought, nut trees will drop their crop in order to conserve water.

    With this in mind...I’m not seeing any cutting around the hickory trees, minimal cuttings around the Oak timber. I heard the squirrels are in the Elms cutting the buds...but usually by now, the ground around the Hickory trees are piled with cuttings.

    I asked the group of Old Men that play poker every Wednesday if they had noticed squirrel cuttings. Evidently some Hickory’s have been cut...but I’m in the woods everyday due to my occupation and haven’t seen much if any at all. One of the old Men said there aren’t any squirrels this year...at least not in the numbers that he would have expected or normally seen. I on the other hand have seen squirrels on a daily basis in the multiple States I cut timber in. I think the general population is low. It doesn’t make sense to me though because last Winter wasn’t a hard Winter and this Summer has had plenty of water and not ratchet heat.

    My theory is the nut crop, having ample water has been delayed more than a month and maybe the squirrels are just eating other things that aren’t generally available due to the rain we have had. Still though...I can’t out rule the fact that the squirrel population may indeed be low...but I can’t figure out why!

    I hope to get a discussion started here because this is something I question daily. Something just isn’t normal and honestly I would like to figure it out. Thanks in advance!

  2. Serious fuzzy thank you's to Timberbeast from:

    Diggie's Friend (10-24-2019)

  3. #2
    Join Date
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    North Alabama
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    Default Re: Where are the squirrels??

    I'm in North Alabama and the local squirrels here have just recently starting cutting and burying hickory nuts.

    We had a cold front come through about two weeks ago bringing an end to dog days of summer finally. Some rain with it as well.

    It has sent my locals into nut burying overdrive. They were out in the rain, almost until totally dark today burying nuts. And they wouldn't take time for treats from me. Totally focused on the task at hand!

  4. 3 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to RockyPops:

    Diggie's Friend (10-22-2019), Nancy in New York (10-22-2019), Timberbeast (10-21-2019)

  5. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Dolph, Ar
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    Default Re: Where are the squirrels??

    Your Southern input leads me to believe everything is probably just a little delayed. The squirrels should do well this Winter...all Oak species seem to have plenty of nuts, and the 4 species of hickory we have here, they are loaded as well!

  6. 2 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to Timberbeast:

    Diggie's Friend (10-24-2019), RockyPops (10-22-2019)

  7. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Florence, Alabama
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    Default Re: Where are the squirrels??

    Quote Originally Posted by RockyPops View Post
    I'm in North Alabama and the local squirrels here have just recently starting cutting and burying hickory nuts.

    We had a cold front come through about two weeks ago bringing an end to dog days of summer finally. Some rain with it as well.

    It has sent my locals into nut burying overdrive. They were out in the rain, almost until totally dark today burying nuts. And they wouldn't take time for treats from me. Totally focused on the task at hand!
    Yea the squirrels were scarce until recently and from what I’ve heard others from different parts of the country they are saying the same. I think the shorter days and cooler nights are a way of triggering their instincts to start getting ready for the winter. I think they are busy building dreys and nests ( mating season is coming) is their priority right now. This happens every year this time of year. Not unusual but a strange phenomenon of our little creatures that we just haven’t figured out why.

  8. Serious fuzzy thank you's to BamaHam from:

    RockyPops (10-23-2019)

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