Big Squirrel Challenge returns to Arkansas Jan. 12-13

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s statewide squirrel-hunting celebration is back for its third year. Get a buddy and get to the woods next Friday and Saturday to take your chance winning prizes and notoriety as the best bushytail hunter in your neck of the woods.

“AGFC Education Division staff started the Big Squirrel Challenge in May of 2021 at J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozarks Highland Nature Center,” Eric Maynard, interim chief of education for the AGFC, said. “It was so popular that we expanded it to a statewide event with 12 locations for people to weigh-in their squirrels and win a prize.”

The official rules are available at https://www.agfc.com/education/2024-big-squirrel-challenge, but here are the main details in a nutshell (or acorn, if you prefer). Teams hunt from noon, Jan. 12-noon, Jan. 13 during legal shooting hours to harvest the three largest squirrels they can find. Hunters are welcome to use squirrel dogs or still hunt for their bushytails.

“They’re welcome to go ahead and harvest their legal limit of 12 per person, but we only weigh the top three at the end of the event, and each squirrel can only be weighed once,” Maynard said. “After the weigh-in, all squirrels will be returned to the hunters to enjoy for supper.”

Squirrels are weighed (skin on and field-dressed) and winning teams are announced at 1:30 p.m. for each region. Each regional first- and second-place team will receive medals and bragging rights for their effort. The top teams in the state will be announced in a press release Jan. 15 and will receive additional prizes, including an Umarex air rifle.

“We have different categories for youth teams and adults,” Maynard said. “A youth team can consist of two youths or one youth and an adult mentor. We also have a category for fox squirrels (which typically weigh a little more) and a category for mixed bag and/or gray squirrels.”

If you can’t find a partner or a youth to take along, you can hunt as a single-person team, but everyone is encouraged to get out and hunt with a partner.

“We want everyone to get outdoors, and that’s always best enjoyed with friends and family,” Maynard said.

No registration or entry fees are required to participate in the contest. Participants just need to show up at one of the following weigh-in locations from noon-1 p.m., Jan. 13 to compete.

CUTLINES:

SQUIRREL WITH ACORN
The 2024 Big Squirrel Challenge is set for Jan. 12-13 at weigh-in stations across Arkansas.

SQUIRREL ON TREE
Fox squirrels tend to be a bit larger than gray squirrels, but there are separate categories so hunters can weigh-in either species with a chance at winning a prize.