Thirteen-lined ground squirrels are one of the animals that damage lawns most in West Michigan. Squirrels can damage patios, stairs, and foundations by digging tunnels. To get rid of squirrels in Michigan, you should first learn the laws to trap and hunt squirrels in Michigan to get rid of squirrels.
Hunting squirrels requires a basic hunting license, which also covers hunting other small game, such as rabbits and pheasants, and is necessary for hunting greater animals too.
A basic hunting license costs between $6 and $11 for a resident between the ages of 17 and 24. This blog tells you how to hunt and catch squirrels on land that belongs to the state of Michigan.
Squirrel Types Found In Michigan
In Michigan, there are five kinds of squirrels:
Grey Squirrel
The eastern grey squirrel lives in mixed hardwood and conifer forests in most of eastern North America. When the first settlers came to Michigan, many of them were there. The grey squirrel has a silvery-gray body, a white belly, and white-tipped hair on its tail. Grays are 8 and 10 inches long and can weigh up to 1.5 pounds.
Red Squirrels
This tiny animal prefers to make its home in a coniferous or mixed coniferous and hardwood forest, where it may feast on pine nuts and seeds. The red squirrel prefers leafless evergreens and coniferous trees for its habitat.
The red squirrel is most active in the early morning and late afternoon. Except when a mother is caring for her young, it is solitary. The red squirrel can choose from many places to nest, such as burrows in the ground, tree cavities, logs, and tree crotches. The red squirrel makes a lot of noise, including chattering, growling, and screeching.
Fox Squirrels
Fox squirrels prefer to live near wooded areas near agricultural land. They populate a wide swath of the state. Most of the state’s fox squirrels live in the southern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. They weigh more and range in length from 10 to 15 inches.
The fox has a black back with tawny brown patches, a long, bushy tail with rusty ends, and a buff orange underbelly. Prior to 1850, the fox squirrel favored grassy gaps in the oak woodlands of southwestern Lower Michigan.
Northern Flying Squirrel
Northern Flying Squirrels don’t store up a lot of food for the winter. Because they don’t hibernate and are active all year, they don’t need to store food as much as other squirrel species do. But when winter comes and the weather gets cold, it’s common for many squirrels to gather together to keep warm.
These squirrels are very bad at walking, so you don’t see them on the ground very often. Most of the time, if a predator comes close, they will try to hide instead of running away.
Southern Flying Squirrels
If you ever come across one in the daylight. you will be able to notice southern squirrels. that its back and sides are covered with fur that is either reddish-brown or grey, while its belly is covered in white cream.
Southern fly squirrels have big, black eyes that take up most of their heads. This helps them see at night. Southern Flying Squirrels often eat sunflower seeds and peanuts at night when they come to bird feeders.
Which Types Of Squirrels Are Legal To Hunt In Michigan?
Michigan has a lot to offer hunters who live there or come to the state just to hunt.
- You can hunt grey and fox squirrels in Michigan if you have a valid hunting license.
- It is against the law in Michigan to hunt flying and red squirrels.
- However, in Michigan, it is against the law to hunt squirrels without the right license.
- Due to the fact that the state of Michigan has classified the endangered squirrel as a protected species, it is against the law to hunt this animal there.
Squirrels Hunting Season In Michigan
Most of the time, you can hunt squirrels in Michigan from September to March. If you have a valid Michigan hunting license, you can hunt Grey squirrels at any time of the year.
Unless otherwise stated, everyone who hunts in Michigan, whether they live there or not, needs an annual base license. Hunters can hunt small games with the base license and buy more hunting licenses.
People can only take part if they live in the area and have the legal right to do so. Hunters can hunt squirrels all over the state at the right time of year, except in places that are part of the National Forest or are marked as such.
Laws Governing The Hunting Of Squirrels In Michigan
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the following are the legal methods for hunting squirrels in the state of Michigan:
- In Michigan, it is legal to hunt squirrels, but there are a few rules to follow.
- Michigan’s whole territory is split into different hunting and trapping areas.
- Online maps for hunting and trapping areas are available.
- Maps are also available in stores, so you can buy them before you go hunting.
- All of the Upper Peninsula is part of Zone 1. The dividing line between Michigan Lake and Muskegon Lake separates Zone 2 from Zone 3.
- Locations in north Muskegon and the area between Ruddiman Drive and Avenue Lake fall under this category as well.
- You can also hunt from Garfield Road to Pinconning Road and up to Lincoln School, Country Road.
- Since hunting is legal in Michigan, the state has set up rules for hunting in specific areas.
Laws Governing The Trapping And Relocating Of Squirrels In Michigan
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has several regulations regarding the trapping and relocation of squirrels:
- In Michigan, it is legal to capture and relocate squirrels.
- There aren’t too many rules about hunting squirrels In Michigan, so people have a lot of room to do what they want.
- All year, you can trap squirrels. You can use any legal way to trap squirrels, like using food and cages to lure them in.
- Also, the people who own private property can do whatever they want with the squirrels.
- They don’t need either a license or any other permission from the government. They can do whatever they want to keep their property clean and free of squirrels.
- In Michigan, you don’t need to get permission in writing. You can hunt on private land in Michigan if you ask the owner’s permission. This is a law that is only in Michigan.
- If the owner of the land lets you track, you can bring your gun and do it. In this case, the police don’t have anything to do with it.
How Can You Shoot And Hunt Squirrels In Michigan?
In Michigan, here are some ways to hunt and shoot squirrels:
- To shoot a squirrel in the state of Michigan, you need a gun with a caliber of 269 or less.
- Typically, nighttime hunting is permitted to protect humans.
- But you should be careful not to bring your guns to places that don’t allow them, like parks or other places where people go to have fun.
- This will put people’s lives in danger, and you will go to jail for breaking the law even though you didn’t mean to.
- State laws say that any building, cabin, or house within 150 yards is in a safe zone. Inside these lines, guns aren’t allowed to be used.
- Inside this area, you can’t even shoot a bird or a coon. The safety zones tell you how far away you need to be before you can start hunting.
Is It Legal To Shoot Squirrels With A Pellet Gun In Michigan?
In the state of Michigan, it is legal to hunt squirrels and shoot them with pellet and BB guns. The real conditions for squirrel hunting are straightforward: the hunter must have a basic hunting license and must wear blazing orange clothing that is visible from all directions. For squirrel hunting, you can use small rifles and shotguns like 22-caliber rifles, pellet rifles, or even small-bore shotguns.
Is It Legal To Shoot Squirrels On Property In Michigan?
Squirrels are called “nongame mammals” in the Michigan Fish and Game Code. The owner or renter can shoot squirrels or other non-game mammals that are hurting crops or other private or public property in any way that is legal.
So, yes, it is legal to kill a squirrel on your property or anywhere else. But how you do this depends on what kind of squirrel you’re dealing with.
Conclusion
People in Michigan go hunting more frequently than in other states because the laws in Michigan are more lenient than those in other states. Squirrels are a common target for the non-locals who go to Michigan for hunting and trapping purposes. However, they must first apply for the license and then put their weapons on display.
Private land property owners are subject to significantly reduced legal requirements. They don’t need a license and can do whatever they want to catch squirrels and move them within their territory.