Where is there good Abert’s squirrel hunting on public lands in northern New Mexico?
I am not looking to get a bunch, just one to mount. I would prefer a place I can camp.
I live in North Carolina and hunt eastern gray and fox squirrel. I have family in the Albuquerque area that I would like to visit in the fall and shoot some Abert’s. One can get a 4 day, non-resident small game license for $30 plus $10 for public lands. I did not realize you could hunt in a wilderness with a rifle. I thought only bows were allowed there.
My best squirrel hunting stories come from Tassel Eared Squirrels (Abert) I killed in the Gila Wilderness area. They make a strange squeaking noise and I could never find a call for them. As you probably know they are a high elevation squirrel and prefer Ponderosa Pines. I always hunted them with a scoped .22lr, but my best hunting buddy preferred a .22 mag for the long shots that can be had shooting across canyons and up into the tall Ponderosa’s. I have hunted all the different tree (game) squirrels in the US, and Tassel Ear tastes the best. They are also 3 time bigger than Red (Pine) Squirrels also found in your area. There are numerous hiking trails and camping areas in the Gila. You might look at going up around Iron Lake. Although we had better luck closer to Silver City. Watch out for black bear, I never had a negative run in, but they are around so keep a clean camp. Good luck.