There was a time in West Virginia the most anticipated opening day wasn’t buck season, nor the first day of archery season. It wasn’t spring gobbler season or even trout season.
Yes, there was a time when we had a season opener on trout in the Mountain State. Old timers will relate how off the chain that became before it was changed. No, not even the quest to tangle lines with your fishing brethern standing less than three feet to your side could hold a candle to the opening day of squirrel season.
It’s hard to believe today in a world where buck antlers dominate our social media feeds and we have entire networks dedicated to chasing big game, there once was a time seeing a nervous twitch of a bushy tail on a limb was what hunters craved most in West Virginia.
“I think it’s hard to find people squirrel hunting. We have more squirrel habitat now than we’ve ever had and we have fewer squirrel hunters,” lamented West Virginia Division of Natural Resources biologist and northern game management supervisor Keith Krantz.
Krantz is one of those still captivated by the allure of a fall morning in the woods scanning the canopy for movement.
“Folks that grew up squirrel hunting were able to identify different trees where mast was coming from,” he said.
Nearly every person that hunts in West Virginia probably started out squirrel hunting. The youth squirrel hunting day from last weekend is still very popular.
“I have three daughters and I taught all three of them to hunt. I learned early when I took them to just leave my gun at home. It was more of a guiding experinece and it was a lot of fun. It’s a great way to introduce youngsters to the woods and to hunting,” he said.
It’s a great chance to help teach woodsmanship skills like identifying tracks or bird sounds. You can spend time identiying tree species and studying how well mast hit among those various species.
Unfortunatly, very few adults return for the opening day of a season which will last from now through end of February.
Mast plays a critical role in squirrel numbers year to year. Squirrels typically have two litters and in a poor mast year, reproduction won’t be as successful. However in a year when acorns and hickory nuts are plentiful, the squirrels will likewise be plentiful the following year. The outlook for 2026 is loads of squirrels since 2025 was a strong year for mast across the board.
During years gone by, the season didn’t open until early October. The Natural Resources Commission decided to move it back a month to open in mid-September. The biggest difference is a lot more foliage which will make seeing squirrels in the high branches a little tougher in the early days.
“I’ve heard people say it’s too hot when the season opens, but I’ve got to tell you if you’re out there first thing in the morning, it’s beautiful. By 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock most people are done hunting anyway and that’s when it starts to get hot. It’s really pretty and you can enjoy some nice time in the woods during those early morning hours,” said Krantz.
But Krantz’s biggest advice to hunters was very simple.
“Just go!!! I get disappointed with hunters so focused on deer, food plots and things like that becuase your’e really missing out on some wonderful time in the woods. Plus if you can take a kid with you, my goodness it is so fun,” he said.