squirrel extermination

Rules for Youth Squirrel Hunting in Texas

The squirrel hunting season is here! By tradition, the young hunters will be given the chance to make the first kill for this season. Texas Parks and the Wildlife Department (TPWD) of the US have already instituted Sept. 24-25. 2011 as youth-only hunting dates -- older ones should wait until Oct. 1 before they can start their hunting adventure again. All hunters are given the opportunity to hunt anytime between October 1, 2011 and February 5, 2012. The squirrels are allowed to breed afterwards and the hunters are again given one more month to pursue their masculinities (May 1-31, 2012).

The state of Texas acknowledges that squirrel hunting is one of the most effective ways to introduce the youth to hunting as a sport that's why it goes further on by even giving these kids two days when they can exclusively hunt for squirrels on their own. Nonetheless, because the stakeholders are young, the state has already instituted rules and policies to govern their hunting practices. This article will be all about these rules.

TPWD determines the rules and regulations which are meant to be implemented during each hunting season. The department also sets the date during which the hunting will commence and end. Hence, it is also the TPWD that enforces the sanctions and punitive measures against violators. For more information about TPWD, you may want to visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us.

Squirrel Hunting in Different Counties

Now, although everyone is allowed to hunt during the open-seasons, all hunters are still limited to 10 squirrels per day. The following counties will follow the Oct. 1, 2011 - Feb. 5, 2012 hunting season: Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Delta, Fanning, Franklin, Freestone, Galveston, Gregg, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jasper, Jefferson, Lamar, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Marion, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker and Wood.

However, not all counties in Texas follow this provision. Some counties like Brazos, Burleson, Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Falls, Grayson, Grimes, Kaufman, Madison, Milam and Rockwell are open for squirrel hunting every day. The only restriction imposed to hunters is the bag limit which is just 10 squirrels a day.

Unfortunately, there are counties in Texas which do not support squirrel hunting too. These counties do not have open squirrel hunting seasons all throughout the year. These counties are: Andrews, Bailey, Borden, Brewster, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Cochran, Crane, Culberson, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Ector, El Paso, Floyd, Gaines, Glasscock, Hale, Hansford, Hartley, Hockley, Howard, Hudspeth, Hutchinson, Jeff Davis, Lamb Loving Lubbock, Lynn Martin, Midland, Moore, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, Upton, Ward, Winkler and Yoakum.

Hunting Costs

Apart from the hunting apparels that a young hunter needs to prepare, he/she also needs to present his/her own Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit. This permit costs around $48 and is supposed to be renewed every hunting season. He/she needs to pay an additional $7.00 fee for the Youth Hunting License which is a requirement before a young hunter can apply for an APH Permit.
Security Measures

Again, because youth hunting involves "children" who are yet below legal age, it is imperative that they must be accompanied by an adult. However, the adults are strictly prohibited from using the firearm to hunt for himself/herself. The only role that they can perform is to overseer the hunting practices of the young ones in order to make sure that they are safe and that they will not pose any harms to the other hunters.

Top 3 Reasons Why Captive Baby Squirrels Die

There have been many cases when baby squirrels left by exterminated pest squirrels are kept by the homeowners as pet. Baby squirrels have this undeniably cute demeanor that will push anyone who sees them to take them and take care of them; well, many people have been compelled to do so. However, it was also observed that majority of the baby squirrels taken into captivity die even before they become adults. Here are the top 3 reasons why this happens:

1. The squirrels are given the wrong diet

Giving young squirrels inappropriate meals will cause many digestion problems. There are many products available in the market nowadays which claim to be the right "baby squirrel formula" milk, but in reality, they are not. It should be noted that many squirrel rehabilitation centers allocate a huge budget on squirrel food, simply because the right foodstuff is really expensive. Majority of those who keep baby squirrels do not realize this fact and just give the animals cow's milk, which of course can upset their stomachs and lead to diarrhoea and dehydration. For some odd reasons, to make the milk thicker, some people would even add heavy cream which actually contains so much fat! All these "unprofessional" approaches to squirrel feeding have contributed a lot to the deaths of numerous squirrels kept in captivity.

Now, if it is too costly to buy baby squirrel formulas in the market, we can actually make our own. All that we need to do is to make a thorough research about the things which can be added into the mix and we are good to go. As much as possible, it is better if we consult a veterinary or someone who has had experience with taking care of squirrels in the past; that would be the surest way to be able to come up with the best formula possible.

2. The squirrels catching the disease called Hypocalcaemia

This disease is actually just a fancy name for the body condition wherein the blood will have sudden decrease of Calcium content. Squirrels need extra amounts of Calcium in their bodies; in fact, they need higher amounts of Calcium compared to the other animals. They require this much Calcium that its lack can lead to death. They usually get the Calcium that they need from their mother's milk, but in the case of captive squirrels, they are forced to feed on other milk formulas which may not contain enough Calcium in it.

This disease is manifested by lethargy. Sick squirrels are definitely suffering from spine and leg pains, causing difficulty in walking and moving. As a result, squirrels would rather not move in order to avoid the pain. This disease can be fatal too because the lack of Calcium in a squirrel's body can actually lead to cardiac arrest. When this disease strikes, it is almost very impossible to treat it. Thus, the best approach for this kind of disease is to prevent it before it happens. This can be done by making sure that the baby squirrels are getting the right amounts of Calcium.

3. The squirrels have Internal Injuries

Baby squirrels are very susceptible to getting injuries. Sometimes, these injuries are so severe that it can cause internal bleeding or swelling which might not be obvious from the outside. Owners should be observant of their squirrels. Although the injury may not be visible to the eye, the squirrels will definitely exhibits signs that can lead the owner to deduce that something is wrong with it. As an example, a baby squirrel with an internal injury will have rapid respiration and its heartbeat will be a faster than the normal.
squirrel extermination