Tree rats

[JohnVH]

ton of those black ones are here too, are they legal to shoot? They are jerks and chase the grey ones around.

[Bob Williams]

Western Grey will be the one wearing the rain coat! 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Good luck telling the difference between the eastern Grey and western grey. 

After looking at multiple photos I decided it would be too difficult to make a distinction in the field.     No squirl hunting for me.

For sure on that one .. I grew up as a squirrel huntin SOB and I loved it as a kid but seriously the squirrel population in Washington is seriously growing ...Mostly in the cities ...I feed 5 in my back yard but i have seen a couple while in the woods too ! but trying to tell the difference between the 2 good luck... The only thing I think I can see is the western grey has a brownish orange color patch under its eye but other than that I have no idea 

[Encore 280]

Taste's like chicken. There was an article in the Seattle Times this Sunday about a gal in Seattle that traps them then drowns 'em and fixes a stew with 'em. Can't remember what section of the paper it was in though. I think I'll pass.

[jackmaster]

the only squirell i can identify is the douglas squirell and the chipmunk, now where i work i see an absolute crap load of big ass grey ones and i work in des moines kent federalway three tree point and parts of burien, whats funny is now there is no douglas squirells around in those areas, i wonder if the big grey ones run the douglas and chipmunks off, i would be for a season on all the squirells except chipmunks, no reason to kill those little fellers.

[lokidog]

So maybe someone can answer this for me. What kind are the house cat sized, coal black ones? I have 15 acres of filbert trees next to me and lets just say I have no shortage of grey or black ones. 

Most likely melanistic (dark phase) eastern gray squirrels.  Look at the map above, and if not in the middle of one of the western gray areas, fire away.   

Squirrels are tasty but tougher than rabbit.  A long soak in the slow cooker is best.

[Fowlweather25]

  melanistic eastern grey! Fire away if in an area legal to do so.