Types of Varmints

Varmints are vermin; wild animals that carry disease, destroy crops or property and kill animals. Hunting reduces excessive varmint populations, provides good practice for beginner hunters and in some cases yields edible meat or useable pelts. These vermin are available for hunting throughout the year, since most types of varmints are not subject to the same U.S. laws that limit hunting seasons on game animals.

  1. Squirrels

    • Squirrel is the common name for edible rodents belonging to the Sciuridae family. These small, furry tree dwellers with long bushy tails are known as varmints because they damage property and carry disease. Squirrels are commonly sighted jumping between tree branches with impressive agility; the four toes on each foot and five on each hand facilitate this ability.

      Most species of squirrels make their homes in trees; some species live in burrows. Their diets consist of nuts; winter stores of food are cached inside hollowed-out trees or holes in the ground.

      Species of squirrel found in the United States include the American red squirrel in northern states, the North American pine squirrel in Alaska, Appalachia and the northern Rocky Mountains and the small antelope squirrel in western states.

    Prairie Dogs

    • Prairie dogs are small burrowing rodents, similar in appearance to their close relations, marmots. Their name comes from the characteristic barking call and their habitat. These animals live socially in complex systems of burrows known as towns, the largest extending over many hundreds of acres. These mainly herbivorous animals are considered varmints and exterminated by farmers and ranchers. This is because they damage crops while clearing away vegetation from the area near their burrows and dig holes which result in injuries to the feet and legs of livestock. Prairie dogs are also carriers of bubonic plague; many colonies have died from catching this disease from infected fleas. Prairie dog towns are found in vacant lots in urban areas, as well as plains and grasslands west of the Mississippi River.

    Groundhogs

    • Groundhogs, also known a woodchucks and whistlepigs, are large rodents of the ground squirrel family, also known as marmots. Woodchucks are classed as varmints because they carry disease, damage farmlands and urban gardens and eat crops. Their large, long burrows undermine structures and damage agricultural equipment. Groundhogs posses strong, short and powerful limbs ending in thick claws, very thick skull bones and have two layers of fur in their coats; an undercoat of dense gray fur and another of long guard hairs. Their diets are made up of wild grasses and berries; they also consume snails, grasshoppers and grubs. Woodchuck meat is edible if the scent glands are removed prior to cooking. In the United States, woodchucks inhabit lowlands in the northeastern and central states.

    Raccoons

    • Raccoons are medium-sized nocturnal mammals, larger than foxes and related to bears, with edible meat and highly prized fur, often made into accessories like coonskin hats. Raccoons are named as varmints because of their habit of continually hunting for food. Engaged in this pursuit, they overturn trashcans in urban areas and raid orchards or backyard fruit trees. Thy also move into garages, attics and empty houses, necessitating expensive repairs. Raccoons have a striking black fur surrounding their eyes that contrasts with the white facial fur and resembles a mask, and gray coats with a long, banded, gray and black tail. Their poor color perception and long-distance vision are compensated for by a superior sense of smell and acute hearing.