Both squirrel species share some habitat, but each one has its preference
The best places to hunt fox squirrels are open stands of long-leaf pines. The best places to hunt gray squirrels are densely vegetated hardwood drains.
Hunters who want to target fox squirrels can easily change up and look for gray squirrels after taking the single fox squirrel they are allowed to harvest.
While they are relatively abundant at Sandhills Game Land when compared to many other game lands, taking a fox squirrel is no sure thing on a one-day hunt.
Gray squirrels are much more abundant in the drains, where dogs often tree them in hollow trees and nests resulting in no shot opportunities. The bottomland cover is also very dense and often wet, so hunters should wear rubber boots and brush chaps to move close enough to shoot a treed gray squirrel.
If you find a long-leaf pinecone stripped of its seeds, a fox squirrel was the likely culprit. One theory is that their large size evolved so they could carry large, heavy long-leaf pinecones to places where they can consume the seeds in safety.
