Results of EASL’s 2016 Squirrel Rodeo (photo of squirrel not to scale, also it’s not a real squirrel but enjoy!)

There was some discussion at the September EASL meeting as to the opening date of this year’s squirrel season. One faction contended that it opened on the third of this month and the other held to the first. Several members rose, and reminiscent of Doc Holiday at the O.K. Corral, drew their mobile phones, handily holstered on their hips, to confirm that opening day was in fact October first this year. Seems that those acting as the Clanton Boys were looking at last year’s opening date, an understandable error, and maybe even excusable. But not excusable by the State Game Wardens in a year where the first Saturday in October falls after the third of October and one is caught with squirrels in his hunting sack on the third.

For clarification, squirrel season always opens one half hour before sunrise the first full weekend in October…to simplify, the first Saturday in October. I could be partially incorrect if you bring up the Spring season. The 2017-2018 Fall season opens on Saturday, October 7, 2017.

To get to the business at hand…the rodeo was again held at Merle Gautreaux’s home. The new chairman was yours truly. Everyone was reasonably pleased with the new chair’s performance. He mostly sat in a chair, pointed his fingers and barked out orders. The past chairman graciously agreed to usher him through his first ordeal and was the only one who expressed displeasure with the new administration. The old chairman was appointed weighmaster and was called upon to weigh the bags of squirrels as they arrived. This seemed to interfere with the leisure time that he anticipated spending during his retirement as chairman.

There were seventeen hunters who participated. Fourteen weighed in squirrels. There was a total of fifty-seven squirrels weighed in. Three hunters had full limits. Most consisted of grey squirrels with a smattering of red squirrels.

The winner was Richard Gautreaux with a full limit of eight red squirrels weighing in at ten pounds even. Richard also had the largest squirrel which weighed in at one pound and five ounces. He claimed that he hunted near Opelousas in a section of woods that he had recently scouted.

Second place was Kevin Prettelt with eight squirrels totaling eight pounds three ounces; and in third place was Gary Lass with eight squirrels weighing seven pounds one ounce.

Special thanks to Perry Berteau for cooking the jambalaya and beans for the weigh-in and cleaning party. It was jam up!

Sunday’s gravy was cooked again this year by Todd Breaux. A few more squirrels were added from Saturday evening’s and Sunday morning’s hunts. Total squirrels weighed in was fifty-seven; total in the stew was around seventy-five. There was some talk about the possibility of subsidizing the stew with a couple of Merle’s laying hens in order to have enough for the crowd, but the extra squirrels gave them a reprieve.

The entire weekend was enjoyed by all, with much laughing, joking and retelling of old lies, and everyone went home with full stomachs, even the grumbling weighmaster.

There was one incident on Sunday involving a conspiracy and possible attempted theft of a chicken by one of the cooks…but then that’s another story.

— Byron Gautreau, Event Chair

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