Originally Posted by
WNCRoberts
Unless something has changed, in North Carolina squirrel season doesn't begin for another month. Wonder why the difference considering we're neighbors?
Not sure. I killed four females and two males. All four females were carrying at least three babies, and some had six. The fact that all of them were carrying and that some of the placentas were as big as a whole peanut shell (but some as small as a lima bean or smaller) makes me believe that the actual mating season has ended. If I am wrong about that, perhaps NC wants more females to get knocked up before the season starts. I am not sure that makes sense though, since a dead, unpregnant female is not going to produce any more babies than a dead pregnant one.
Either way, both of our seasons will still be in after the females give birth. I don't like to think about it, but a dead momma means dead babies starving or freezing to death in the nest. HOWEVER, I wonder how ofter the mothers leave the nest to feed/drink while the babies are still nursing? If much less often, they have less a chance of being killed. If that's the case, the NC season may be necessary to protect the population if it is not as healthy as VA's. They want the babies to be born and their mothers less vulnerable since they may not leave the nest as often.
Just some guessing out loud!