Black Squirrels

[10 Ga.]

While I was out deer hunting today I ran into some black color morph squirrels. I’ve seen these once or twice before and I was wondering how common these are? I wasn’t able to bag one today but I hope to in the future. How rare is the group I found today?

-10 Ga

 

[Justin.44]

I've seen them in just two places.. Hannibal, MO has a bunch. I used to visit a friend up there frequently and I would always see them. Also there's this little bridge near my house and there's one (or maybe there's multiple) that's almost always in or around the trees next to it. I watch for wildlife all the time and that's the only 2 places I've seen them.

My dad feeds the birds and squirrels in his yard and he has an unbelievable amount of white squirrels that come there. They're not albino, they don't have red eyes. I've seen up to a dozen on his back deck at once! Wish I had a pic..

 

[Bnewberry]

There are a bunch here in Southern Michigan.

 

[Spikebuck]

While not too common, I have seen numerous black color phase squirrels over the years. One estimate is about 1% of gray squirrels overall, but a majority in some areas of North America including Ontario and Michigan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel

 

[oldwood]

In Pa. , Black squirrels were occasionally found in the boundaries between hemlock pine and hardwoods , in the north central woods . Of the three species of full size squirrels ,those being fox , grey , and , black squirrels , black squirrels seem the most difficult to hunt. Any time I ran into one , the encounter was accidental. Of the more than a hundred + squirrels , I've killed and eaten , perhaps only four were black squirrels.
These days , all small game is under assault from several predator species . coyotes , Federally protected hawks and owls , newly state stocked Pine martins , etc. .etc. , etc.. I've quit hunting small game , due to the scarcity of it. I come from a hunting family , and from the 1950's until 2000 , before the predator scourge came , small game hunting was good. I don"t see how this sport will come back to anything near what it was like even a few years ago..........oldwood

 

[pab1]

I used to see black Abert's squirrels in the foothills west of Denver.

 

[Spikebuck]

Of the three species of full size squirrels ,those being fox , grey , and , black squirrels , black squirrels seem the most difficult to hunt.

Actually, black colored squirrels are not a separate species. They are a color phase variation based on a recessive gene in both Gray and Fox squirrels.

 

[10 Ga.]

These were black color phase grey squirrels. Found several in a walnut river bottom in Georgia. I have also seen black color phase fox squirrels in Marrysville Kansas. They are known in the area as a novelty attraction. Good to know how common they are. I will probably try to harvest one and leave some to keep that recessive gene in play in the population.

-10Ga

 

[bushytail]

I hope to get a black squirrel this year. Then I’ll have all the color phases of squirrels in PA.

 

[Ames]

Before I moved out of S.W. CT., they had become increasingly common.

 

[Bill Bryan]

I see Fox Squirrels occasionally in the woods of south Georgia. They are generally larger and mostly black. Bill

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

we have fox squirrel in NC

 

[Dave James]

I live within a couple miles of the Great Dismal Swamp, and recently have begun to see a few black squirrels here, have never seen any in the 30+ years I've lived on this place,

 

[Rodd Boyer]

In my NW Missouri backyard. Solid black ones 75 miles north. This is the first one close to solid black that I've seen in my neck of the woods.

 

[10 Ga.]

Very interesting, some of you are mentioning other color phases and how you almost have one of each from your states. I have heard of white and black color phases. Are there other color phases that are semi-common that you guys have seen in the field?

-10Ga

 

[Brokennock]

We have them in small geographical pockets here. If I see one or two in an area of a few acres, I won't see any outside those few acres for many miles. Those areas do change. I never had any in my yard/neighborhood until last year. Now there is one that comes around to feed off our oak acorns and local bird feeders. When it 1st showed up the grey squirrels would frequently try to run it off. Even now a hear or more later they will randomly go after it.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Western Iowa has a heathy population of black fox squirrels. Colorado has black Alberts squirrels.

 

[Mousegunguy]

Downtown Westfield Massachusetts most of the squirrels were black, as well as at forest park in Springfield ma.
We see black squirrels occasionally here on the farm in central Massachusetts

 

[Ranger94]

They are very common in North East PA.

 

[Boatncamp]

My son outside Jefferson City MO has black squirrels in his yard. A decade ago in a neighborhood in Oneonta NY there were a group of albino squirrels.