Cottontail rabbits can be found in the same type habitat as quail. Gray squirrels and fox squirrels are the most popular small game animals in the National Forests. Gray squirrels prefer stands of bottomland hardwoods 40 years of age or older. The trees in gray squirrel habitat must be old enough to produce consistent crops of acorns and similar food on which they rely. Most major rivers and creeks that flow through the National Forest have these hardwood stands within their floodplains.
Deer are true edge species and do best where there is a mix of stands of various ages.
The season will sometimes determine where you can find small concentrations of deer, such as in hardwood stands during acorn fall. Small, scattered populations of wild or feral hogs live in the National Forests. Although they are not classified as game animals, they provide some limited hunting opportunities, usually incidental to other types of hunting. Hogs are usually found in bottomlands. There is no commercial timber harvesting on the Grasslands and management is directed toward maintaining a stable or relatively non-changing vegetation type.