Squirrel hunters

[Gene L]

Par boil them before frying, and they'll be tender.

 

[tenngun]

I like to call them venison in a tree. The meat is firm and rich in flavor.
I never have taken my limit of any smallgame. Two or three is plenty for dinner. Five is the most I’ve ever taken. So I just grab all their tails together and carry in left hand. I sit under a tree for twenty to thirty min, game laid at my side, shoot or move to a new spot. When I get enough for dinner head for the house. And they will hang well from my hand.

 

[Carbon 6]

Does squirrel taste good? I’ve never tried it.

Taste like dark meat chicken to me, only a little richer.. And they do take a lot of tenderizing. low and slow. a crock pot works good. or a dutch oven. with liquid added.
Cooked right and you can pluck them off the bone, cooked wrong and a leather boot would be easier to eat.

 

[hinamanra]

When I'm out for squirrel it's more like going out for lunch. I'll have them on a stick spit over a bed of coals within a couple of minutes of them hitting the ground. If I do have to carry them it's usually in my hand by the tail.

 

[Brent]

I carry them in a canvas trout fishing creel. And I often skin and field dress them as I go since they skin easier when warm and it's something to do while waiting for another to show up.

I like to take 20-30 per year and have probably 15 or so in my freezer at the moment.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

They take some cooking to tenderize...

For example the last two I harvested..., the larger one was chewy, but tasty, while the smaller (probably younger) was tender. Both were females.
I pressure cooked those..., for very large, older looking squirrels, I like to use a Slow Cooker..., meat falls off the bone!

Make gravy including the juice from the slow cooker, and then mix in the cooked meat, pour this over halves of freshly baked biscuit..., my variation of chipped-beef-on-toast, but it's "Gravy'd Squirrel on Biscuits"...

(I hate dieting)

LD

 

[smo]

A kinda’ stringy dark meat when fried they can be a little tough, the young ones are best or you can pare boil (sp) them prior too cooking.

My favorite is Squirrel & Dumplings!

Don’t let your tongue slap your brains out!

 

[George]

...but it's "Gravy'd Squirrel on Biscuits"...

Yeah. My version.

Spence

 

[Gene L]

Last time I made squirrels, I parboiled them for 45 minutes (though not enough) removed them from the pot, let them dry and floured them well with seasoning...salt and pepper. I then browned them in a frying pan with grease, and once browned on all sides, I poured chicken stock on them and covered the pan and let them cook...can't remember how long. But about 10 minutes before I took them off the heat, I poured in about 1/4 cup of bourbon whiskey and uncover the frying pan. Excellent. Served over rice.

 

[George]

Or squirrel dumplings:

Or baked squirrel:

Maybe teriyaki squirrel:

Spence

 

[George]

Don't forget boiled squirrel on a trek:

Spence

 

[jackley]

And I'll say it again. Man I wish we squirrels around here.

 

[Sicilian Hunter]

I miss the greys from back east but look forward to potting some ground squirrel they have here in the SW.
May try and snare some this coming event in the Gila.
Nothing like fresh meat in the camp

 

[Juice Jaws]

Does squirrel taste good? I’ve never tried it.

They taste just like chicken

 

[George]

View attachment 5712
I made this game bag from fishing net sold at an "Army/Navy Store"...

I like that one. Reminds me of a couple I found in the paintings of Francisco Goya in Spain, late 18th century.

Spence

 

[tenngun]

They taste just like chicken

Two cave men sitting together at a fire with a chicken cooking, one says ‘ I don’t know what the funny looking bird is but it taste like everything else’

 

[Brokennock]

I like that one. Reminds me of a couple I found in the paintings of Francisco Goya in Spain, late 18th century.

View attachment 6055
View attachment 6056
Spence

Wow. Coming from you, Spence, best compliment I ever got. Thanks.

 

[Brent]

And I'll say it again. Man I wish we squirrels around here.

You do. Somewhere in the state, you have a population of Aberts (aka Tassel-eared Squirrels) which are basically extra handsome (and tasty) fox squirrels. They are found most often in Ponderosa pine. I don't know where exactly in WY they are, but they are there for sure, probably in the southern end of the state.

You also have red squirrels - small, but if you can hit 'em they eat just fine.

 

[jackley]

I'm talking any where near where I live. I have to drive 50 miles to find pine squirrels, 300 for fox squirrels. As far as the Aberts I've never seen one. They are not listed in the game rules. And they list red/pine squirrels which there is a season on 10 a day. So I don't think we have them.
Jerry

 

[Lobo]

A blacksmith friend made me a game hook he copied from a picture of an original. Hanging the squirrels tail down eliminates dripping blood.