| Across West Virginia the woods will be shaking this weekend as hunters peer through the thick foliage in search of a twitching tail. The squirrel hunting season will open statewide.
Historically, squirrel season was one of the most anticipated hunting seasons of the year in West Virginia. Those were the days before the wide abundance of deer, bear, and turkey in the state.
"It's still popular, they just don't spend as much time and effort as they once did," said Keith Krantz, small game biologist for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in Elkins. "Research is pretty clear after the first week, most people hang it up because they're doing something else."
Those who stick around after the first week will have abounding opportunities. Krantz said the squirrel numbers will vary across the state this fall, largely dependent on where you hunt.
The DNR moved the opening day of squirrel season back a month last season. The change in opening date also changes the dynamics hunters will deal with. Foliage is still thick, making squirrels more difficult to spot in the high trees. However, hunters will find more abundant hickory nuts which are the squirrels' preferred forage.
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