SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials say squirrel hunting season will begin this week.

Department spokeswoman Melissa Cummings says squirrel season begins Thursday and runs through the end of February. Cummings says hunters can pursue gray and fox squirrels and the maximum daily bag limit is 12 per hunter.

Officials say gray squirrels are the more abundant species and can be found in both hardwood and mixed pine/hardwood forests.

Fox squirrels can range from silver-gray to solid black, and are found mostly in mixed pine/hardwood habitats — especially in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions.

Chief of Game Management John Bowers says aside from being a Georgia tradition, squirrel hunting is an effective way to introduce young people to game hunting while being engaged in an inexpensive outdoor activity.