Warm weather makes hunting tough.
The squirrel-hunting season in Mississippi got off to a slow start last weekend, due in large part to very warm temperatures, according to two avid hunters in the central part of the state. Mark Morrison made two different hunts on Saturday (Oct. 13) — one to Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Area that morning and another to Sunflower WMA in the afternoon. Both areas remain heavily canopied because of the lack of any significant cold snaps in recent weeks.
The result, Morrison said, was that he and his buddies didn’t total a half dozen squirrels between them. “It’s never worth much in October,” Morrison said of the squirrel-hunting season. “It really doesn’t get right until November 1. By Thanksgiving, everything typically is rolling. “But the season is going to be fine; a lot of folks don’t go now because it’s too hot.” Morrison, who hunts with dogs and is a member of the Mississippi Dog Hunting Association, said he believes he was only one of two groups of hunters using canines in the areas he visited. “It’s important to start early, regardless of how we do,” he said. “It gets the dogs in good shape and ready to go for when the season really gets going.”
Wood hunted with some friends and their children along the Pearl River near Jackson. He said the warm weather affected his hunt, as well, but that the kids “had a fun time watching the dogs hunt.” He issued a word of caution to anyone wanting to hunt before the temperature cools. “The weather got warmer in the afternoon, and luckily we had plenty of water to give the dogs,” Wood said. “Also, we killed two snakes, so everyone keep a close eye out for snakes while carrying your kids in the woods this time of year.”
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