Squirrel Fest: An Introduction for the New Hunter

NWTF chapters and volunteers across the nation host a plethora of diverse opportunities for individuals to experience the great outdoors. These events have expanded beyond turkey season to opportunities for individuals to get outdoors and spend time in nature year-round. For new participants, small-game hunts like Squirrel Fest bring fun to the whole family. This awesome event takes place in Oklahoma and continues to see resounding success annually.

The Oklahoma NWTF Chapter its board of directors hosted the fifth annual event in January at Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, Oklahoma. The event involved partnership with state agency counterparts.

“The NWTF’s ability to leverage Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s communication database to reach new hunters has been invaluable in increasing participation and reaching the right audiences for these events,” said Kasie Harriet, NWTF Oklahoma hunting and shooting sports coordinator.

Along with the above, supporting OWDC staff attend and help with these events, making for a great partnership. The event has grown steadily over the last five years. This year over 100 individuals participated, including volunteers. There were 60 hunters and mentors, compared to 33 a year ago.

There are a few prominent areas of this team’s efforts that have made it successful. First, this group works in a true team fashion. With approximately 40 volunteers playing vital roles and capacities to get the event off the ground and running, we see the community effort at the core. Secondly, they share a desire to evaluate their event and grow each year, adapting to the feedback participants provide from the previous year.

Chad Parkey and Evelyn Irick are among some of the dedicated volunteers who help put on this event. Their heart, passion and dedication toward the elements of our organization’s mission shows up in the details of the event, as reflective in their comments:

“We changed things up a bit from last year to be able to serve our participants’ needs better, by not teaching the hunter safety orientation until Saturday morning, just before going afield. In past years we accomplished this on Friday evening, along with supper, raffles and socializing; however, as we discussed with past participants, we found moving it to Saturday morning ensured that all participants were captured and (each) received the same training from the same trainer.

We still had the Friday night get-together with an amazing wild game meal. Saturday morning, we all gathered for breakfast, safety orientation, a question-and-answer session, then the hunters and mentors broke out into the field for their hunt. Around noon the hunters returned and had another spectacular wild game lunch, which included deer chili, squirrel and dumplings, dove, turkey, elk, and many other wonderful wild game dishes. The meals were prepared by the Native Women Fly-fishers, which is a group of ladies who have supported this and many other Oklahoma NWTF events throughout the year. We had raffles, games and giveaways also.

While there are not many squirrels harvested during this event, everyone seems to enjoy the weekend, and several folks have attended every year. We aspire to get as many new and lapsed hunters involved as possible, and this event seems to spark the flame.”

Research has shown that squirrel hunting, along with many small game species in general, has been found to be one of the best introductory ways to get new participants involved in hunting and shooting. In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that when families are pursuing hunting with their children who are new to hunting, a significantly high percentage (81%) choose small game over all other hunting types. More information on this research can be found in the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Survey (https://www.fws.gov/media/2022-national-survey-fishing-hunting-and-wildlife-associated-recreation).

Below are a few benefits of introducing new hunters to squirrel hunting:

Oftentimes with bag limits allowing multiple harvests, as well as the abundance of squirrels, there is an opportunity for the hunter to become familiar and comfortable with the practice of hunting.

In many states, there are a wide variety of methods to harvest squirrels legally that can help you best adapt your hunt to your participants’ comfortability.

Depending on your hunter’s familiarity and comfortability in the field, you can choose a more active, stalk-and-search method for squirrels, or rather settle in for an opportunity to let the squirrels come to you.

Squirrel seasons tend to be longer with a wide array of opportunities to get out in the woods with less foot traffic compared to deer, turkey and other big game seasons. This can introduce a much more comfortable and lowstress environment for new participants.

If your chapter is interested in hosting a small game hunt, contact your state wildlife agency for information on your state’s specific guidelines and permits to ensure legal pursuit and planning when organizing a hunt.