Fox Squirrels Range Expanding in North Carolina

Great News !!  Yes Fox Squirrels are expanding in North Carolina.   

The Fox Squirrels in Eastern NC are expanding North and west and the Fox Squirrels in our NW Mountains are expanding east.  

They are being seen in places where they have not been seen in years. 

Here is an article from the Appalachin Voice in 2012 where they talk of the populations in the mountains expanding east and the Eastern populations expanding west.   

Read it here - http://appvoices.org/2012/04/18/fox-squirrels-making-a-comeback-in-n-c/

This year (2023) the North Carolina Wildlife resources Commission updated the Fox Squirrel range map which had not been updated since 2011 

I am going to show the 2 old range maps the state has been posting for ~20 years or more

Old Map 1  2011 or earlier

Old Map # 2 2011 or earlier

Here is their Press Release that was released aprox 2pm  on February 26, 2023 courtesy of the NCWRC

Click on the picture to make it bigger

Now , here is the New Fox squirrel range map just released this year(2023) by the NCWRC

New Map updated 2023

If you compare Old Map 2 to the New Map you can see they have added 21 counties to the range map.

This is great and exicting  news for everyone.  

#foxsquirrel

#foxsquirrelhunting

#foxsquirrelrangemap

My 2016 Fox Squirrel Season #foxsquirrel

Hello Guys,   I Fox Squirrel Hunted 3 or 4 times this Season.   The First was with my Dog Pete.
Now, Pete and I had a blast and we saw 2 that day but they both went into holes and eluded us.
They are a lot smarter than most people think, maybe they get a bad wrap from the tame ones on golf courses but these ones we hunt are ELUSIVE.

The next time I went was November the 28th.   This time I took a friend of a friend who had never seen a Fox Squirrel and wanted to kill one and mark it off his bucket list. Lee is his name and it was a wonderful day hunting with a very nice hunter. We met up at 11:00 am and made the 1hr drive south to my  Fox Squirrel hot spot.  You could immediately tell that Lee was an expert hunter  and the pressure was on for me to put Lee on one.  

My plan was to go to good spots and sit at each one for ~30 minutes and if no action to move and repeat. On the first move I spotted a big Black saddleback one ahead of us but he gave us the slip.
This move and repeat process continued until 3pm  when I told Lee That we were in my # 2 spot and we should sit here till dark.  Lee sat up against one big pine and I another approximately 70 yards from him.  There wasn't much happening until 5 pm when I heard something running between Lee and I . I looked that way and a big Silver one climbed a small oak. I  Rushed the tree and Lee was getting there as well. The squirrel then jumped to a big pine and both lee and I had him spotted.  I told Lee that the honor was his and His trusty Winchester 37 in 410 put the hammer on that squirrel.    An awesome ending to a great afternoon in the woods.

Here is the picture of Lee's Fox Squirrel -

Lee then presented me with a Turkey Wingbone call that he made himself from a turkey he killed !!
Wow! what a special present.  Thanks Lee, I hope we can do this again next year.

Fast Forward to 12/12/2016 and I was after one for me.   Somehow I was daydreaming or just not paying attention and I missed my turn to where I hunt.    I went over a little hill and I see what I think is a dead Fox Squirrel on the side of US 1. I have to turn around anyway and as I pull up to it I can see that it is a Fox Squirrel.
 Crap,  I sometimes shoot them but it is a shame when one gets run over.   What a nice example of a Saddleback color phase.  I put the squirrel just off the road in the woods so it could return to the earth.

Now, I was headed in the right direction.   I arrived at my spot and since my time was limited today I chose to make the sit till dark in the same place that Lee and I hunted  a few weeks ago.  I sat down and was about to nod off and in 5 minutes and I hear something in the tree 5 yards in front of me.  I look up and there is this big beautiful Black one coming down the tree not 5 yards from me.   The squirrel gets to the bottom and knows I am something but doesn't know what.   Anyway, I got a video of it which I added the going in and out of the woods.  I ain't  the best movie maker  but watch that sucker check me out from the bottom of the tree.

Here is the video ----

 and a picture,  shot with a 20 gauge Savage S x S using # 6 shot at 25 yards

Though I only got to Fox Squirrel Hunt 3 or 4 times it was a fun season and one I will remember.
Thanks, Mack

#foxsquirrel

#squirrelhunting

Fox Squirrel Hunt with "Pete"

Me and my son hit the Fox Squirrel woods with "Pete" Saturday October 24th.    We only hunted a short time  today this being an evening hunt.    Pete had a blast and we did also.

2 Fox squirrels treed and 1 harvested.  Took almost an hour to finally spot the one if the top of the tall pine and the other, well, we got tired of looking for it and left it for another day.  You would be amazed at how well a 3 lb black Squirrel can hide on a limb or it the very top of a 100ft tall pine

 An hour to find a Black Squirrel in the top of a Pine and not in a hole??  Yes.  I have seen that several times.  We got lucky and finally spotted it and then made  a good harvest.

Date  10/24/2015
Location-  Moore Co. in the Sandhills of N.C.
Hunters- Mack N., Pete and myself

Here are a few pictures.

#foxsquirrel

#foxsquirrelhunting

#Hunting

Fox Squirrel meet 16 Gauge

Well , I finally shot a doe 2 weeks ago to put a close on my most frustrating deer season in a long time but getting in the woods and not killing something beats not getting in the woods. After this deer I knew I may go deer hunting a few more times(twice to take Otto hunting and maybe a News years day hunt in Moore Co) but the rest of the winter I was going to concentrate on small game hunting and predator hunting.

So, on the 18th I headed to my Fox squirrel hotspot and for the first few hours I scouted around awhile to check things out, and then before dark I planned to settle in to a good spot and wait. During my trek though the woods I found 5 fox squirrel nests in an area where I could sit in the middle of those and be within 50 yds of every nest. Now, a fox squirrels nest is pretty easy to identify from a grey's as it is almost twice as big and due to that size it is usually in a fork in a tree instead of away from the trunk. All of these nest were like this with plenty of other sign around. Bout, 4pm I decided to head back and sit near these nest and I notice my camera has fallen off my belt. Crap, its in a camo pouch and I have walked alooong ways! To make matters worse , its not easy to find a camo camera pouch when the woods is full of wiregrass clumps and Longleafs in the grass stage plus I had zigzagged through the woods. I finally found it just before dark so I didn't get the chance to hunt the cluster of nests.

Fast forward a few days later and I get to this spot at 3 pm. Sit down and plan to wait it out. This is where I will see one. 5 minutes later this jet black one comes back and my new to me 16 gauge barks and I am limited out. Not the biggest Fox squirrel I have shot but still a lot bigger than a grey. Gonna be some good eating and the tail will be used for tying some flies. I have 3 pumps but would rather hunt squirrels with a single shot. I guess it reminds me of my younger days.

Date- December 21, 2013
Quarry- Fox Squirrel
Location-  Sandhills of North Carolina
Gun used- Winchester 37A 16 Gauge, 28 in Barrel, full choke
Ammo -  Remington 2 3/4 inch gameloads #6 shot

Fox Squirrel Hunting in North Carolina
Mack

Back To The Fox Squirrel Woods

My son and I headed back to our hotspot for the Wiley ole Fox Squirrel.  Last week when we went my son saw 3 Fox Squirrels but didn't get a shot on one which is ok since Colby got one but he wanted to end the Fox squirrel season right by getting one.
So, back to the Hotspot we went. My good friend Rodney met us there and we split up. We kept seeing lots of grays but I told him to hold out for a fox Squirrel. The day was pretty uneventful until right before dark.  Right before 5 I hit the Squirrel in distress call and had 4 grays charge us and climb up a tree 30 yds from us and they wouldn't quit barking. We probably would of shot them since it was late in the day and they were small we passed on them to let them grow. I told my son lets head to one more spot.
We got there and he immediately spotted one and we chased it up a tree. The ole 37A Winchester barked and my son had a nice silver Fox Squirrel . He was shooting 6's today. The pictures don't do his Squirrel justice as it is a silver one with a red tail . When we met Rodney back at the truck he had also connected on a Saddleback colored one. A nice day in the woods. Mack

Thanks for Looking

The High Cost of Fox Squirrel Hunting

I have been real busy with a new promotion and trying to fill the freezer with Deer meat. The freezer is full  with 2 deer taken this year so now  I can get to what I really like and that is small game huntin.
Todd, Colby, my son and myself  headed to the Squirrel woods in search of some big ole fox squirrels. Last time we did this all four of us managed to limit out which imo is pretty hard to do with Fox squirrels. This time was nearly not as good but it is not always about killing. It is about  spending time in the woods with people u love. We met up at a gun shop around 11am and Then I proceeded to spend over 200 bucks on ammo. OUCH! Then we went To Smithfield Chicken and BBQ and I spent 19 bucks. Then  to a nice tackle shop and I laid out over 100bucks for some lures. throw in gas and Wendy's that night and my lay out was nearly 400 buckaroos. Ouch again.




But, Time spent with son.......PRICELESS



Ok,  back to squirrel hunting. We made it to our squirrel woods by 1 pm. Colby and My son saw 2 Black ones as soon as they entered their Hotspot. My son(Mack also) got 1 gray squirrel and Colby managed a head shot on a nice Saddleback color phase one after a long wait under the trees they were hiding in. Todd and myself struck out but we saw 3 other fox squirrels but with it being windy and the woods crunchy there was no sneaking up on these squirrels. I could of managed a few grays but was holding out for a fox. We saw lots of Fox Sq sign, Deer sign and some Hog sign. Hopefully I can make it there in a few days. A nice afternoon in the woods. Oh, Todd brought along a Winchester Leveraction 9410 shotgun. If you have never seen one of these it looks just like a Win 30-30 but it is a 410. That is one nice shootin gun. I may have to find one of those. Anyway here are a few pics. first is just a pic of a little hotspot I have .

Thanks for looking, Mack

Fishing with Gerald

Gerald and I have been trying to work out a fishing trip for aprox 2 years now. Last week we finally made it happen. Gerald suggested an old North Carolina Millpond that I actually fished a few times in the 90's. An old man whom lived on the millpond used to let me fish there. This millpond gave me my second biggest redbreast weighing 1lb even (my biggest Redbreast came out of Contentnea Creek and weighed 1.2 lbs).
The man who I knew has now passed away and you have to know someone to get into this pond. Gerald knows someone who lets him have access and I immediately jumped at the chance to Fish with Gerald at  this old millpond. We got and early start at 7am after  getting crickets but we would bass fish first and then go after the Bream and Shellcrackers this millpond is noted for. Gerald is an excellent fisherman and he wore me out on the bass using plastic worms and a senko. Here are a few of our bass,

The '"Swamp" areas of this Millpond had quite a few of these, a sign of the ducking hunting that once took place here.

We had decided that at around 9am or so we would switch from bass to panfish and we  proceeded to catch  some of the nice Bream and Shellcracker this place has.

Wow!   I had missed this place.It was like visiting an old friend who you hadn't seen in a long time. There were many highlights on this trip one of them being a Red colored Fox Squirrel that Gerald spotted walking down the bank. Gerald said "look at the long tail on that squirrel" I said that's a Fox Squirrel. Awesome!! I had known for years that Fox Squirrels were in this county but I had never personally laid my own 2 eyes on one in this county.  A big thanks to Gerald for taking me fishing. Mack

#holtspond

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 and more recenty (2025 & 26) have seen bunches along Hwy 64 between Rocky Mount and Tarboro
Greene-  Seen 2 there recently along Hwy 264 (2026)
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.

*****added these counties below you can now hunt them as in the last few years the NCWRC has opened up every county to hunting fox squrrels***  
 
Union- eastern part
Stanley-
Montgomery- candor south mostly
Chatham- Limited to a few isolated "pockets" Especially around Jordan and harris lakes but hunting them there is mostly useless as while they are there they are still "limited"
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.

Nash-  I saw 1 near Spring hope 2025  
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- Plenty arount Choccowinnity and especially Cypress landing golf course and Mauls Pt Rd
Pamilco- used to be a lot around Minnisott - edit 2026  some at Minnesott Golf and country club)
Randolph-a few reports from very southern part 

  
 
The counties above defiantly have some , other counties maybe Gates,  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

Big Bream, Shellcrackers and some suprises....

Since my son is on trackout,  I had promised to take him fishing downeast for some big catfish. I told him the catfishin would be better next month  but he still wanted to go anyway . Thata boy!.....
We headed to one of my favorite rivers, the Neuse.  Now I  will not gona say exactly where we were,  but any blackwater creek off the Neuse between Smithfield and NewBern will give you some really nice bream and the main Neuse  will get you the Flatheads and Blue Cats.. 
We arrived at our destination at 1pm and fished untill 11pm. The Boat for today would be my Trusty 1984 vintage Coleman Scanoe with a Mercury 2.5 hp motor.  
First business of the day would be to fish for Bream.  For 2 reasons, they are fun,  and we need bait.  Bait of choice was crickets on 2 ul rods fished 2 ' under corks on #6 long shank hooks.  Man! did we have a blast and  we really got on to some good bream. My son actually lost one that was 1.5 lbs to 2 lbs and I had a similar one break 4 lb test at the boat!!!!. all of the big Bream were released for another day and a few of the smaller ones kept for bait.  Oh, I did catch a few on my 4wgt fly rod with a yellow popper and a black ant trailer.
Here are a few pics of some of the bream.

Not a big shellcracker but he fought like crazy!

Maybe my biggest of the day

One for the Longrod.... All fly rod caught fish caught on Yellow popper with Ant trailer.

This was probably my sons biggest of the day.

Here is the type of areas we were fishing. Throwing right up against Cypress trees and gum trees.

Right before dark we headed out to one of  my catfish hot spots and set up.

3 rods would be used tonight.

1. An  Abu 7000 loaded with 40 lb cajun line on a 7' mh American Spirit Nite Stik. This IMO is the best catrod on the market.

2. A Shimano 6500 Baitrunner loaded with 25 lb Golden stren on a 7' ugly Stik Tiger Rod. 

3. A calcutta 700 loaded with 30 lb big game on a custom made 8' rod that I can thank my Great freind Todd for!!!

All rigs were modified Carolina rigs with 2 oz sinkers, short leaders and 5/0 hooks. I left the 9/0 hooks at home!

The first spot yielded this decent striper that my son got in fairly easy on the calcuata 700. This Striper hit a piece of cut bream soaked in garlic juice.

After a couple of missed hits,   we moved down to another spot and right away I caught this small flattie.

After  a couple more missed hits we moved down to another spot and nada. 

Not a great day for bottom fishing but can't complain with a Flathead and a Striper caught,  and the joy of the day was seeing my son have fun with  those Big  Ole Bull Bream. Other wildlife seen was 2 Black Fox Squirrels , alot of white Ibis, some ducks and the usual Herons. Oh! on the ride down I did see that one unfortunate Fox Squirrel didn't make it across the rode and now I know someone who may have a red Fox squirrel tail for some Fly tying.

Mack