Hey Bob,

First, welcome to the boards and welcome to the exciting adventures to hunting. You're doing the right thing coming to the forums for advice, as I am sure you will receive ample good advice to your questions.

As to worbles (we call them wolves in my poart of Georgia), this is a parasite that gets under the skin of a squirrel. If you look closely at a squirrels skin, you will see a bare spot that is hairless, and it will appear to be a knot on it's skin. These are usually dime-sized and are fairly easy to spot. Under the skin is a grub-like worm which feeds between the skin and the meat. Personally, if I accidentially kill a squirrel that has this on him, I discard the animal. Some older hunters have said that these are the healthy animals, but I cannot get past the thoughts of the grub <img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle> so it is easier for me to justify tossing it. Usually, in the south anyway, squirrels dont carry these throughout the summer, but after the first cool snap you start finding alot of squirrels with them. Then once winter starts, they disappear. Look close before shooting them and you'll spot 'em, especially if shooting a .22 with a scope on it.

Remember, safety first, and good hunting<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>,

Caw

Smack 'em where it hurts!