Several sportsmen have already asked me if I have gotten any squirrels yet. The answer to that question is a big fat no, mainly because I have not been hunting at all. When the temperatures are this warm, I just don’t enjoy myself like I would if it was cooler.

I was talking to a good friend of mine this week, who does a good bit of squirrel hunting in Ohio. He told me that almost half of the squirrels he has taken have warbles. I have had several sportsmen and women in this area tell me when they get a squirrel that has warbles, they just throw it away.

This is simply a waste of small game. While it may look disgusting and nasty, the abscess and swelling caused by the larva that is under the skin doesn’t spoil or taint the meat in any manner.

If the squirrel is thoroughly cooked like all wild meat should be, the hunter should enjoy a meal of fried squirrel or squirrel gravy over biscuits with all the trimmings.

Warbles are the larval stage of the botfly, which infects rodents and other animals. They are usually found under the skin around the legs and neck. They have also been reported on deer, cattle, cats, dogs, hogs, mules, foxes and of course people.

In wild animals, any effort to control or prevent this condition would be totally impractical. There is the possibility of warbles having some fatal effect on wild animals, particularly the young. It has been suggested that warbles may curtail cottontail rabbit populations during years of high parasitism. Research, however, has proven this parasite is not a public hazard. When the meat from infected wild animals is properly cooked, they are considered safe for human consumption.

I remember many years ago before I came to Elkins, I told some cousins of mine that I had two squirrels for dinner. One of the cousins was quick to speak up and say, “I hope they had warbles, and they made you sick.” I don’t remember if the squirrels had warbles or not, but my little cousin did not get her wish. She was only a small child at that time, and she did not like the blood sport of hunting. She is now a mature adult, and her husband of more than 30 years is an avid hunter.

I am going to try to get out next week to get some bushy tails. The leaves are still quite heavy, and most of them are still green. Chances are, I will be hunting with my grandfather’s shotgun I inherited 40 years ago. I have not yet decided on the location to try.

In Randolph County, I have often said there are really no bad places to hunt. White-tailed deer and squirrels are just about anywhere there are natural foods (nuts and berries).

The fall wild turkey season opens next Saturday in 34 counties. Here in Randolph County, the first part of the fall turkey season will run for one week Oct. 11 through Oct.18. The turkey season will reopen in Randolph County on Oct. 27 and run through Nov. 15. Statewide, only one turkey of either sex may be taken during the fall hunting season. Turkey hunters need to remember that it is unlawful to use electronic calls and to hunt turkeys with the use of bait.