New Featured Column: Southern KY Outdoors

The Edmonson Voice is pleased to welcome a new contributor to our publication, Mr. Josh Boyd, who is an avid outdoorsman and writer. While he's from northern Warren County, he has several acquaintances and family members in Edmonson County and has plenty of experience in hunting and fishing in EC. We hope you enjoy Josh's bi-weekly column and we encourage you to visit his blog, strive2thriveoutdoors.com by clicking on the header.

Spring Squirrel Hunting

Column and photos by Josh Boyd:
As you set atop a weathered tree stump, the last remaining evidence of where a mighty oak once stood, a tree limb suddenly bobs and sways in your peripheral vision. Upon slowly turning your head to gain a better view, you notice the dead giveaway of the morning sun glistening off of the tail of a fox squirrel. You stealthily shoulder your .22 rifle and ready yourself for a shot. As the meandering bushy-tail stops to assess it's surroundings you seize upon your opportunity and make it count. As you go to pick up your downed game and prepare to settle back in atop your tree stump hideaway, a smile fueled by youthful excitement adorns your face.

Kentucky's Spring squirrel season starts May 18th and many hunters young and old alike will go afield in pursuit of one of America's most celebrated small game species. Squirrel hunting is a classic outdoor pursuit and one where many young outdoorsmen and women got their start. Many adult hunters find enjoyment in squirrel hunting as it often brings about memories of their own first hunts with a parent, grandparent or family friend.

Add to this the fact that squirrel makes excellent table fare and you have a sure fire recipe for an enjoyable Saturday morning in the woods of South Central Kentucky.

One appealing aspect of squirrel hunting is the opportunity that it offers to get children involved in outdoor sporting activities. When squirrel hunting, it is not as crucial to be completely movement free as would be the case in pursuing many other game species. This is of great advantage when introducing young children to hunting who are likely to be difficult to persuade to set motionlessly. Squirrel hunting also commonly offers quite frequent activity which serves well to entertain the oft times short attention span of a child.

​Another reason that squirrel hunting is such a widely popular outdoor pursuit is that in these times of limited and ever more restrictive land access for hunters, great hunting for squirrels can be had on minimal acreage. As little as a half of an acre can yield a limit of squirrels for a crafty hunter. In conjunction with this fact, access to land for small game hunting is commonly still available. In a time where many hunters spend the majority of their outings hunting larger game such as deer or turkey, you will often find properties that nobody is currently small game hunting, although others do hunt larger species of game on the property. In these situations, many times access for the purpose of squirrel hunting can be obtained.

In a modern world full of endless stress and perpetual bustling to and from, take some time this spring to unplug, slow down, and take in all that Kentucky's spring squirrel season has to offer. As the rising spring sun shines down though the canopy of trees above, and you scan for movement amongst the limbs, you can truly gain a sense of appreciation for life's slower moments. You can reflect back to a time of yesteryear when you were introduced to the great outdoors and perhaps you yourself can pass that on to the younger generation. It is not necessarily about the success of your hunt, but rather about time spent with friends and loved ones and the memories made.