Black squirrles

[Dom]

Is it me or anyone else notice they are increasing in population.Do they have a season I've read the regulation book and not sure if we can hunt them

[Culvercreek hunt club]

They are a different color phase of the grey squirrels. Have at them. Usually there are pockects of the population. They are on a couple of areas I hunt as well. Penn Yan has a lot of them down that way.

[Rev Ev]

I looked this up a few years ago when I lived in TN. Like CCHC said, they are a mutation of the grey squirrel and legal to shoot during that season. However, nationally, western NY is one of only a handful of places that they occur in regularity. I think OH and MO were they only other areas I remember having significiant populations. They are kinda considered a trophy down south, similiar to a large bass or a non-typical rack would be. On a personal note, that color mutation is on my list to harvest. I've got some in my area that I hunt but can never seem to get one.

[BizCT]

There are tons of black squirrels in Westchester County. I would love to see one when I hunt in Putnam County. Would make a cool mount to go next to my first ever grey squirrel that I have mounted.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have seen them in Penn yan and two different areas in the southern ADK foothills. I saw them this weekend in both those places.

[G-Man]

I have a lot on my property and had one mounted, seem to do better in areas with interspersed pines. Where the black color aids in hiding from hawks.

[phade]

A black squirrel and a blonde color phase raccoon are on my dream list. Why? No idea...but I'd certainly rank them high into my top 10 list of all game/species/type.

[BizCT]

A black squirrel and a blonde color phase raccoon are on my dream list. Why? No idea...but I'd certainly rank them high into my top 10 list of all game/species/type.

Blonde raccoon? never heard of that....sounds cool, I will look it up. I always wanted a black coyote and a blonde colored black bear also.

[greybeard]

I used to see a lot of black squirrels one town over from me on L.I., but haven't seen them there for a while now.

Last year I went to a social event(a rarity for me), which was in Astoria, Queens(NYC) and saw loads of Black Squirrels.. more then I've ever seen in one place..I seem to recall seeing some in the Bronx too.

.Isn't it called something like the melanistic stage, or something like that when a grey squirrel is black ???

I had a mounted one years ago, but needed his tail for some flys and lures, and his fur for dubbing on the flys so I chopped it up.. The tail and fur worked good and I got a bunch of trout, but now I wish I kept the squirrel...

I've shot a few raccoons years back that were pretty yellow, but never thought of them as blond...I'm not sure if that's what's meant by a blond raccoon though..

[phade]

Blonde phase

[Dom]

Wow thats neat looking racoon.It looks like a red headed step child LOL.

[BizCT]

That's a cool looking raccoon. I have 1 mounted, but its of the regular grey/black variety.

[Elmo]

Last year I went to a social event(a rarity for me), which was in Astoria, Queens(NYC) and saw loads of Black Squirrels.. more then I've ever seen in one place..I seem to recall seeing some in the Bronx too.

Bunch of black squirrels in the Bronx. I cut through a park every morning on my way to work and see a few.

[Paula]

Blonde phase

never seen a blonde one, black squirrels are everywhere in warsaw on state land and wyoming. i seen 2 lask week right before hospital.

[Pygmy]

Black squirrels are a color phase of grey squirrels.

I have read that black squirrels can be born in the same litter as greys.

However, there are places where the black phase is dominant. In the area where I hunt spring gobblers in Ontario, Canada, it is rare to see a grey.. Actually, I have seen damn few grey squirrels north of the St. Lawrence...

I have hunted an area near Eldred, PA. where the ratio of greys to blacks was about 50/50..

Here in southern Steuben County, the number of blacks has seemed to increase over the last 40 years..Used to be, I would see a black about once every two years.. Nowadays, I see them frequently enough that I consider them just another squirrel.I have shot 33 squirrels this season so far. 3 of them have been black..

[Jennifer]

I have read that black squirrels were more common back when our forests were mostly coniferous; the darker coloration made the less likely to be spotted therefore predated upon. Now that logging, fire, etc have created mostly deciduous forest, the greys are better camoflauged. The genetics for the blacks do indeed exist in pockets, that's true. We have quite a few of them here. My town takes a great deal of pride in them, of all things.

[arrow nocker]

had a black one in front of my stand at 20 yards multiple times the other day.I only had three rage BH's in my quiver.It only holds three.Need a better quiver that hold 6 so i can put some small game arrow in it.

[carloracer1987]

Ive got a few black ones out here toward ithaca, damn hard to kill for some reason, seem to be a little smarter then most greys and im not to sure why.

[fishuntrapper]

asp (allegany state park) loaded with black squirrels. kill about 30 squirrels a year there. 80% blacks.

lots of blacks at whirlpool state park. killed this one on property i used to own in richburg,ny. not a pine tree in sight. he was in a beechnut tree.

[striperbware]

There are tons of black squirrels in Westchester County. I would love to see one when I hunt in Putnam County. Would make a cool mount to go next to my first ever grey squirrel that I have mounted.

I shot my first one ever, last weekend in Putnam County at the California Hill Multiple Use Area. It is the only one I have seen there. I have also seena few in Fahnestock but did not get any there yet.

[shawnhu]

Cool! Haven't seen any black ones there, but have seen a few in a bow area. Any deer over there at Cali Hill?

[growalot]

Saw two running around the stand last week...pretty little boogers...not sure I would shoot them ...but you can bet after x-mas I'll be out hunting there relatives...

[Red]

Lecthworth state park is loaded with black squirrels

[striperbware]

Cool! Haven't seen any black ones there, but have seen a few in a bow area. Any deer over there at Cali Hill?

Yes, I see at least 1 deer every time I go there, but I don't deer hunt and they are busting it when I see them so I can't look for horns. I shot a big 20 pound gobbler there right on the power line in 1999.

[Suilleabhain]

I heard about Canada too & was told that our's are desendants of migrants that moved down. In Kew Gardens in Queens there were gray, black and blonde all in the same group. Watched the every day waiting for the bus.