Anyone know where a healthy population of fox squirrels are on public land?

Where are you located

Should be plenty up that way.

Talledega National Forest Oakmulgee Division near Highway 183 Chilton County. They're everywhere. I've killed multiple in the same hunt before

I wouldn’t say everywhere but some in places.

I got a healthy population but it'll cost ya...or we can trade it out 😀

I've seen quite a few up in Bankhead. Big suckers. They seemed to be more active around the end of January where I was though.

You need to look for Longleaf Pines.

I’ve seen the most Fox Squirrels near water or in swampy land. Might try Mallard Fox’s Creek or Swan Creek WMA’s.

I'm from Franklin county

Only one I've ever seen was at Oakmulgee management area about 20 years ago. I've hunted a bunch of at Bankhead but never seen a fox squirrel

We got some long at your arm. Bunch of color phrases

I used to have a silver and a red fox skewers mounted on driftwood...till some sob stole em out of my camp house, along with a 10 pt deer head.

Also seen several at Wheeler Refuge over the years. It’s just more restrictive on where, when, and how you can hunt small game than most public areas.

They are on bankhead in places. Find some mature longleaf pines with a few oaks mixed in thats had the midstory removed and is burned on rotation

Are there Longleaf Pines on Bankhead? I thought Talledega NF was about as far north as you could find them.

I bet you are correct. I always just assumed they were long leaf. Never paid much attention to different types of pines just oaks.

Well the only reason I’ve ever read anything about the long leaf pine is because I’ve always been fascinated in learning about our part of the world pre-European contact and apparently much of the south was covered in humongous long leaf pine savanna’s. They extended up to the Talladega NF area and to the Black Belt but not much further North than that, according to the experts. There’s supposed to be one or 2 old growth LL pines still left in Talladega.

I was mainly curious to know if you were certain you’d seen some at Bankhead, would be pretty cool!

I was certainly wrong lol. I actually looked up a long leaf pine and paid attention the last couple of days out there and you are correct, there aren't any. What I was calling long leaf is actually loblolly I believe

I would love to travel back in time and see the vast long leaf pine savanna's. I think I read there was an estimated 90 million acres, now there's less than 3% of that.