Jeffrey Wood stood silently, blending into the hardwood swamp bottom as he watched a fox squirrel soaring through the treetops much like a trapeze artist as it swung from branch to branch. Wood barked to the squirrel with his custom squirrel call and turned the squirrel’s attention.

The fox squirrel looked like a tiny dancer as it danced on the slender limbs and swung from tree to tree until it finally arrived at an old hickory tree near Wood. As the remnant from bygone days cut a hickory nut with his teeth, the veteran squirrel hunter took a fine bead at the furry creature high atop a limb.

“Crack-pow! Ka-Wap!” Wood’s aim was true, and the bullet struck the squirrel’s head, and the old red squirrel was dead before it crashed into terra firma. Scenes like this are rarer nowadays, but it is still possible to harvest a mess of fox squirrels in the Mississippi Public Land Swamps if you know where to hunt. There are still opportunities for hunters to slip through the vast mast-producing swamps inhabited by red and black fox squirrels on many public delta lands also.

Noted dog trainer, hunter and call maker Jeffrey Wood, of Stringer, has spent a lifetime hunting game around the state, and he knows how to find and hunt squirrels either by still hunting, calling or using treeing dogs.

“The delta region has a lot of good squirrel hunting opportunities and Sunflower, Phil Bryant and Mahannah WMA’s, along with Panther Swamp NWR are four of the best public land areas to hunt squirrels,” Wood said. “Early in the year hunters can sit by feed trees, like beech, hickory and whatever they’re feeding on and be successful. I like to ease along and bark on my squirrel call and listen for a response.”

If Wood hears a squirrel bark a sharp reply, then he’ll slip towards that direction until he spots the squirrel and then dispatch him after he’s in range.

“I like to be in total camouflage including my face,” Wood said. “After the leaves come off the trees the slip and stalk is not too good, so I’ll switch to hunting with dogs and that’s another great way to enjoy the hunt. You can find a good public land squirrel hunting area almost anywhere you live in the state.”

While the grey squirrels are the predominant species in the state, fox squirrels can be found in pockets around the state where they have mature habitat and plenty of mast. Fox squirrels are still thriving in the Mississippi Delta, and the big black fox squirrels are an anomaly and something desired by many a squirrel hunter. There’s just nothing like harvesting a big red or black fox squirrel, and the opportunity is still there if you have the time to scout them and pursue them.

Delta regions

Mahannah and Twin Oaks WMA’s in the south Delta region always offer outstanding squirrel hunting and opportunities to kill a mixed bag of red and black fox squirrels and grey squirrels. These WMAs are also popular among still hunters and squirrel dog hunters. This writer has harvested many fox squirrels, both red and black phase, at these WMAs and enjoys watching them during draw deer hunts also. There are more than enough to go around if you know how to hunt them.

Panther Swamp NWR

Though long known as a trophy buck paradise, Panther Swamp is also home to a prolific squirrel population and squirrel hunting opportunities abound. Covering over 40,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, Panther Swamp NWR is one of the largest refuges in the state of Mississippi. Dogs are allowed for squirrel hunting and rabbit hunting during February.

Wood has had many successful hunts in Panther Swamp and recommends it to anybody who has not yet tried the National Wildlife Refuge.

Check out the refuge regulations for seasons dates on the different sections of the refuge at fws.gov/refuge/panther_swamp.

Closer to home, we have many squirrel hunting opportunities at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge and at Tallahala WMA, Caney Creek WMA and Bienville National Forest. If you need a little advice on how to call up and hunt squirrels with a squirrel call, then give Jeffrey Wood a call at 601-479-3979 or check him out online at swampboyscustomcalls.com or in his how-to videos on Facebook at Swamp Boys Custom Calls.

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comcast.net.