EASL Annual Squirrel Rodeo Rules and Events
To compete, a hunter must be licensed with the LDWF and a member of EASL prior to weighing in. This would be an opportune time to renew your membership. For those whose membership has lapsed, or for anyone wishing to join at that time, the fee will be $30.00, this will cover the end of this year and all next year.
The rodeo will be held on the first Saturday of October, opening day of squirrel season in Louisiana, starting at one half hour before sunrise. The weigh-in will be from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The location is Merle Gautreaux’s shed, located at 12400 Fernand Road off Hwy. 74, the second to last house on the left.
Prizes for the Heaviest Bag will be 1st place, $25.00; 2nd place, $15.00; 3rd place, $10.00. The prize for Heaviest Individual Squirrel will be $10.00.
There will be a youth category for hunters under sixteen years of age. Prizes will be awarded for this category. These young hunters must be accompanied by an adult member in good standing to compete.
The winners will be announced at around 4:30 p.m. at the squirrel dinner event on the next day, Sunday.
Jambalaya with white beans and soft drinks will be served around noon on Saturday for participating hunters.
Hunters are encouraged to skin and gut the squirrels immediately after weighing in. If needed, free lessons on this process will be provided. Further cleaning will be provided by the shed crew. By the end of the weigh-in and skinning party we should know if we have enough meat for Todd Breaux to cook Squirrel Stew on Sunday. If we do not have enough squirrels, we would ask any hunters who hunt Sunday morning to add that bag to the pot around at around noon.
The plan is to have the Squirrel Stew ready around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Don’t be afraid to show up early, bring your family and any guest you think we could encourage to join EASL. Sunday at Merle’s is BYOB day, so the guns should all be safely stowed away, and the tall tales can commence at that time. Also, feel free to bring some sort of dessert to be shared. Extra lawn chairs might come in handy. To help cover the cost of the meal, we will have a donation jar set up. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated.
The squirrel rodeo is definitely a very unique event, and one that everyone looks forward to in October. Check EASL Blog for Information on the next one.
