Last Stand of Longleaf Pines In Wake County ?

Longleaf Pines at Harris Lake

Tuesday I planted 100 longleafs and gave Jordan lake State Park 50 seedlings which they are going to plant in a field.
I then stopped by to see what I believe to be the last stand of Mature trees in Wake County.

The Longleaf pine forest used stretch as far west as Cary and Raleigh on the beltline in Wake County. You can still see a few old trees(usually alone and surrounded by Lobllies) along the Beltline between US1 and Gorman St, and a few trees On US1 south of Apex. There is one old flat topped Longleaf  on Gorman St. within site of the Beltline.  There also used to be a nice stand on Hwy 64 Bus, just west of the Neuse River but last time through there it looked like they had been cut.
Several sites in Wake county are being planted in Longleaf but it will take awhile before they are  producing Longleaf seedlings.   This video below is probably the last stand of Mature Longleaf in Wake County. That said I use the term "stand" loosely.  This stand does have Longleafs planted around the mature ones but the mature ones number probably less than 50 trees.

Added: February 26, 2012  ....I ended up planting a total of 300 longleaf pines this winter....I also donated an additional 50 to Jordan Lake State park which they planted in a field. The 300 Longleafs I planted were mostly in  Chatham , Wake and Halifax Counties where each spot got right at 100 planted. ....I did put a few in Lee as well.... Hopefully next year I can add some to these locations and start a few others as well.

Added February 2023

The Planted Longleafs around the Native older ones are now ~25 years old and producing cones.

I visited this area last month and it has turned into a very nice forest, I even found some Fox Squirrel sign!!     I will post some pictures this spring.   Here is a recent google maps photo of the area in Orange and the red areas are where the few mature ones are located . 

Expanded area showing the resoration site. 

Mack

#longleafpine

Fox Squirrels in Eastern North Carolina ( Sciurus niger niger )

Fox Squirrels In Eastern Nc

Published 12/11/11 and updated frequently 

The Fox Squirrel found in Eastern North Carolina are the biggest squirrels in North America . The scientific name for this squirrel is Sciurus niger niger. The Fox Squirrel found in Northwestern North Carolina and a few spots in the piedmont is a different subspecies. Most biologist call Sciurus niger niger the Southeastern fox squirrel or the Southern Fox Squirrel  as it is found from SE Virginia to Northern Florida. In Northern Florida some call it the Carolina Fox Squirrel.

This squirrel favors  Mature Longleaf pine forest that are burned and have a scattering of oaks underneath and also the surrounding bottoms. The can and do live in other habitats like big mature Loblollies that are open(and burned) but the Lonfleaf pine forest is the best habitat. A preferred habitat is some golf courses in eastern North Carolina.  The fox squirrel has to have favorable habitat so some areas have good populations and then others the Fox squirrels are scattered in isolated pockets of favorable habitat.  This squirrel(S. niger niger) always has a Black head with white nose and ears. Some call this a mask. The rest of the squirrel can be any color. North Carolina allows hunting for The southeastern fox squirrel in 21 eastern counties(it is now allowed in all 100 counties). North Carolina allows hunting for the subspecies found in the west in only 2 counties. Here is a list of the 21 Eastern counties and I will add some tidbits of what I know. 
 
Anson- found in predominately loblollies in this county.
Bladen- Good habitat
Brunswick-  good habitat
Cumberland- good habitat especially on Ft. Bragg
Duplin -
Edgecombe- only opened recently-  Edited 2016 - I Saw a big Black one a few miles east of Wesleyan College  in March of 2016
Greene-
Harnett-
Hoke- good habitat
Johnston- most found east of I-95 but a few pockets of them west of I-95
Jones- I have seen a few in this county
Lenoir- I have seen a lot in this county
Moore- good habitat-I have seen a lot in this county
New Hanover- good
Onslow-
Pender-
Pitt-
Richmond-good habitat
Sampson- good
Scotland- good
Wayne- Lots of reports from this area
 
Now for counties where I know this animal exists but hunting isn't allowed. These are usually counties that border the above counties. and I will list then in no particular order.
 
Union- eastern part
Stanley-
Montgomery- candor south mostly
Chatham- Limited to a few isolated "pockets"
Lee-
Wake-Limited to a few Isolated "pockets"  a few found within a few miles of Apex/Cary
Wilson-
Halifax- Edited 8/2016  Getting more and more here,  Most east of I-95 but a few west of 95 as well. A lot near the Community of Tillery.
Northhampton-
Martin-Good reports from there- some on Roanoke River Refuge
Craven- I have seen a lot in this county - I have wondered why there is no season here???
Carteret-
Robeson-I have seen 1 there, it is decent habitat but not great.
Columbus-
Bertie-
Hertford-
Beaufort-
Pamilco- used to be a lot around Minnisott
Randolph-a few reports from very southern part 
 
The counties above defiantly have some , other counties maybe Gates, Nash and a few others.
The key to more Fox squirrels in eastern North Carolina is more controlled burns in the Longleaf  and  The Loblolly pine forest  but to leave some oaks underneath. The restoration of the Longleaf to its habitat it has lost will do a lot for the fox squirrel. The  Loblolly  forest around Jordan lake is being  thinned and burned some  by the forest service and the maturing of that forest may lead to very good habitat in the future.  If you look closely (But be careful while driving) you can see some Longleafs (very few) scattered along us1 in Wake and Chatham counties. Virginia also has some S. niger niger in a few counties above Northhampton and Hertford but it is very rare there.
 
I have hunted and studied  S. niger niger  since 1990 and Even though my favorite animal to hunt is the Fox Squirrel , I would never hunt them in a place where they were not common. if you have some on your land in a county where they are not allowed to be hunted please make sure they are protected and if you can,  plant some Longleafs and possibly do some controlled burns.
Like I said in my last post, this week I am planting 100 Longleafs. 100 is not that many but if every hunter in NC  planted 100 we would be in good shape.

Here are a few pics of ones I have harvested.  I will post some more pictures at a later date.

This is what is called a "saddleback" color phase.  Except most saddlebacks do not have the white tipped tail.

This was my son's first Fox Sq. he harvested about 5 years ago. He spotted it in the top of that big loblolly he is in front of.

This Black Phase Fox Squirrel was the first Black one I harvested back in the early 90's.

This squirrel measures fron the tip of his nose to the base of the tail 17 inches. Then from the base of the tail to the tip of the tail it is 17.5 inches making this squirrel 34.5 inches long!!!!!  When someone unfamiliar with these squirrels sees one they have no idea it is a squirrel because they are twice as big as a gray squirrel. Note - 25 percent of Fox Squirrels in Eastern NC are Black. This varies from county to county but usually 25 percent are Black.  

This Old guy below was a brute  going 3.4 lbs.  His Black face is almost faded out. This is one of the best looking ones I have harvested. You have to see him in person. The color is a blue-silver. I was about to quit squirrel  hunting that evening as I hadn't seen a Fox Squirrel all day so right before dark I went where the Longleafs give way to the thick bottoms and proceeded to call on a dying rabbit call to coax a Bobcat out of the bottom. Instead of a bobcat coming out of the thick bottom I kept hearing something behind me getting closer and closer every time I called. When I finally turned around this old guy was staring me down. Sometimes animals come to predator calls just out of curiosity. 

This is a recent one, This is one of the common color phases. Reddish gray. You can also see really good the black head with white nose and ears that they all have.

Mack

#foxsquirrel

#foxsquirrelhunting

Fat and Sassy Fox Squirrels

Gotta luv Fox Squirrel Hunting in North Carolina.  The Longleaf pine forest is one of the  most unique ecosystems  around. There is only 5 percent of this forest left which ranges from Se Virginia to Florida and then over to Texas.  My favorite animal to hunt is the ole wiley Fox squirrel that is found in this ecosystem.The fox squirrel can live in open burned loblollies but the ideal habitat is the longfleaf pine forest and the surrounding bottoms...I started hunting fox squirrels in 1990 and it is truely a great  game animal. ...If I had only one animal to hunt it would be the  Fox Squirrel .


So Wednesday , me and my buddy Rodney hit up our Fox squirrel hot spot.....Soon as I got there I headed down 1 path and saw a big ole Fox squirrel running from me(a fox squirrel will just run away most of the time staying on the ground) He made the mistake some do and that's after he was a good ways away he jumps 3 ft up a turkey oak to look back. 60 yds out and Kabooooooooom!. I wing him, rush in and finish the job. I am now limited out. Go to another spot and see another big black one. I Can't legally shoot him so I let him climb into his nest and now I know where my son can get one. Right before dark it started to pour so I went and got Rodney and he had just seen a big monster gray one but it ran away without him getting a shot.......It was a good day.....3 seen and 1 harvested. Today I used a 20 double both barrels full choked loaded with #6 shot( I Usually like 4's or 5's for Fox squirrels but was out).

Normally when I  hunt Fox Squirrels  I use a 20 ga single shot(Winchester 37A) with a full choke.
The reason behind this is I guess it brings me back to my childhood when all we ever hunted with was a single shot. I have 3 pump 12 gauges and 3 double barrels but the pumps rarely see a day in the squirrel woods. My shot of choice is High brass 4's,5's or 6's with 4's and 5's being my favorite. I use these as a lot of shots are way up big pines but most are at squirrels running away from you. If you happen upon a big ole Fox Squirrel on the ground a lot of times instead of  it going to the nearest tree they just take off like a deer...You need a good load to stop one of those runners.  I also usually bring along a couple of  3 in magnum shells as you never know when a big ole Fox Squirrel is gonna get 100 ft up a big pine .
Here are a few pictures

If you see cones heaped up in pile that look like these you know a Fox Squirrel is around. Gray squirrels will eat them in different spots but Fox Squirrels gather the cones and eat them in one spot.

Next week I am going to help out with Longleaf pine restoration and plant 100 longleafs.

Thanks Mack

101 Yard Shot with Pistol

Ok, so I cheated with a scope!.......looks like Otto did bring me some good ole luck....sat on the stand today from 2:30  until I Harvested her at aprox 4 pm. Saw several  squirrels and lots of crows and also 1 button buck then this gal came out twice....1st time for just an instant and 2nd time she was moving pretty quick so I had to rush the shot but connected.....I have seen this gal a few times and she is a wary one....101 yards and no tracking...... Gun used was  T/C contender with 14 in barrel chambered in .30-30 winchester shooting Remmington 150 grain sp.

Mack

Hunting with Otto

OK,  I don't fish much in the fall and winter as I am too busy Hunting......This year so far has been one of my worst I have ever had.....Too many acorns in the woods surrounding our property or too many deer being killed in the surrounding area?....Who knows but it hasn't been a stellar year. My son hasn't seen a shooter yet(nor have I ) and neither has his friend whom I have taken twice. My old friend Otto came to my store last week asking  me to take him hunting. I told him that if he wanted to see a deer this year he may need to go with someone else. He insisted that he really didn't care he just wanted to get out and enjoy the outdoors. It has been over 2 years since I have taken Otto hunting as 2 years ago my mother was really sick and this past year I have been busy dealing with all her stuff.




A little background on Otto. He was born in Germany and when he was a young lad his parents immigrated to Queens. For most of his life Otto ran a liquor store in Queens and he is an expert on wines and liquors. He is also an expert woodworker, and last but not least He is also an expert at hunting but now he is pushing 80 and a operation on his back that went bad has severely limited his ability to get outdoors. 

There are several reasons I cant say no to Otto. 1. He is a good friend. 2. He is pushing 80 and we have to look out for our older friends. 3. he is handicapped and 4th he is a Brother Mason.


So, today was the day,(Tuesday Dec 1, 2011)  I pick up Otto at 130 and by 2 I have him in a box stand that sits on the ground overlooking a power line. By 2:15 I am in my ladder stand . I was having a good time watching the birds, squirrels and even saw 1 gobbler and then right at 4:30 I hear some crunching heading my way. He walked straight at me and then turned broadside at about 30 yds. I leveled my Ithaca Deerslayer and sent a Remmington 1oz slug his way.....He never knew what hit him. I have a .270 and 4 30-30's but when that slug hits em you think they have been hit by a tank!..... I then drag the deer to the truck and get him loaded up right before dark. I shut the tailgate and hear KABOOOOOOOOOM!.......Did Otto get one too? Since it was right at dark I drove up to Otto's stand and he says he shot a buck 200 yards out. I go to where the deer was standing and find blood!.....I track the blood trail for aprox 80 yards and find his deer piled up in a heap. 2 guys 2 deer . Cant beat that with a stick. Now, I don't have to work out tomorrow after dragging 2 out of the woods. Here are our deer. Nats Dad, please don't look if u wish to have a good Friday.

Oh, I got a bucktail for Fly tying!!!!

What a nice day. Mack