How To Have A Better Small Game Hunting Season

Small game hunting is the classification of game hunting which includes small animals such as rabbits, quail, ducks, and birds. To hunt legally a hunting license is required for most species. One small game license may cover all game species but have daily or yearly bag limits. The hunter should check with the local government about the licensing before hunting in a particular location.

Whether you are a novice or a professional hunter, understanding the habitat of these animals can improve the numbers of game you bag in a particular season.

Understanding Animal Habitats

All species have their own habitat: this includes the food, water, shelter and space that they need in order to survive. Each animal has different habitat requirements. Wolves, for example, need a wide area of undisturbed forest, while chipmunks like to live in woodland burrows under rocks and logs.

Knowing the preferred habitat of these small animals will give the hunter a better chance of finding and hunting them...

Let us identify the habitats of some of these animals for small game hunting.

- Doves. Doves prefer to stay in agricultural areas because these places areas can provide bountiful food for them. However, there are also some seasons where you will find opportunities to hunt doves in the desert areas when water and seeds are available in sufficient quantities.

- Quail. Quail may be difficult to spot in some seasons as they may still be nesting. Quails thrive in places where there is significant rainfall. Some river drainage areas also provide decent quail hunting opportunities.

- Rabbits. Cottontail rabbits can be found most often in low and mid-elevation areas. Rabbits like thick brush and tangled masses of briars. They can also be found in desert washes.

- Tree Squirrels. Squirrels thrive mostly in places with abundant food sources, including pine mast, acorns and mushrooms. Red squirrels are usually found in mixed conifer and spruce forests. They can easily be located by their “wurring” call - even from a distance.

Abert squirrels prefer ponderosa pine habitats and spend a lot of time on the ground scavenging for mushrooms during the fall. Gray squirrels like riparian corridors of sycamore, walnut and ash.

- Waterfowl. Waterfowls can best be found on wetlands, reservoirs and impoundments. Ducks often gather in backwaters, on slow running rivers and sheltered areas of lakes; like coves and the mouths of rivers and creeks. Desert stock ponds after a big storm can be a home for some ducks.

- Blue grouse. Grouse are usually found in high mountain areas, especially in places where there are mixed conifers and spruce habitats.

- Band-tailed pigeon. These birds are commonly found in high mountain habitats, usually around pockets of oak trees; places with good acorn supply associated with watering sites are also places where band-tailed pigeons can be found. Their migration patterns are irregular, though, so it may be difficult to locate them at times.

The Good Side of Hunting

Hunting is not at a bad activity. Hunters can actually play an important role in maintaining the balance between the animals and their habitat.

Wild animals depend on their natural habitat to survive. Having a bountiful habitat means a constant increase in the population. If population increases more rapidly than production of new food and shelter, the habitat may eventually be depleted leaving the animals competing for survival.

Hunters help prevent depletion of natural habitat and native vegetation because they help control the population growth of wild animals. Hunters are considered one of the limiting factors to the animal’s population. If wild animal habitats are preserved, there is a better chance to spot these small animals and hunt them.

Hunting can also be made easier by consulting the department biologists in the area where you would like to hunt. Generally these animal enthusiasts know where and when specific animals can be found, usually in groups. But keep in mind the rules and regulations with regard to hunting in a particular area. Rules and legal conditions differ from area to area so always check them first.

Try to find out more about the habitats of other small animals allowed in small game hunting. Studying and understanding them before starting to hunt will a hunter make the most out his time out in the field.