With turkey hunting season wrapped up, many hunters will be putting away their shotguns
until fall, but there’s another spring season that gives Arkansas hunters plenty of reasons to
keep the scattergun cleaned and ready. Arkansas’s squirrel season opens May 15, and for
those who enjoy chasing these treetop targets, it’s a great excuse to be in the woods.
Spring squirrel hunting has been an Arkansas tradition for decades, and typically was
available from mid-May through mid-June. In 2013 the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission voted to extend the season for those who wanted to continue pursuing
squirrels from May 15 to the end of February, making it one of Arkansas’s longest hunting
seasons.
The main precautions for hunters looking to explore the spring squirrel woods are the same
as those for turkey hunters. Ticks, gnats, mosquitoes and other biting insects can be
waiting to hop aboard anyone who isn’t prepared. A good bug suit combined with insect
repellent is the best route to take. If a bug suit seems too expensive or cumbersome,
hunters may want to substitute for it by spraying their clothing with permethrin, an
insecticide that will help deter some insects. But a good bug spray using the chemical
compound DEET is almost a requirement to keep the bugs at bay.
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