Winter Squirrel Hunting

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Remembering younger days my dad would come home with the tails tied to the car’s antennae.
( that was b4 - blue tooth, dvd,cd,casette,8 track and FM radios in cars)
😳
Or, seat belts!!!!!

I remember installing lap seat belts in my dad's used '68 Ford Falcon 2-door with the clutch & the 3-speed column shift.
AM radio in the dash. And, with those little corner windows in the doors that pivoted vertically, & were simply latched shut.
 
Hunt was a success thanks to snapbang! Boy was it fun too. Skinning was a bit of a pain. YouTube makes it look so easy just step on the tail and pull my butt. They must not be Michigan squirrel.

Anyway cooked em up last night after soaking in salt water for 2 days and rinsing 2x.

My god are they tasty. As advertised they taste like the best organic chicken you ever ate with a little nutty undertone. Not one iota of gamy flavor.

For this trial I cooked em very simply because I wanted the real unadulterated taste of the animal. I added a pot of water and half an onion. That's it!

Only found 1 flea and all organs looked very healthy while eviscerating.

I Will definitely do this again now that I know how good they actually taste. No off-putting smell while cooking. While skinning though they did have a strange smell which initially made me question if the final product would actually taste like chicken.

There is a dish I used to make and this smelled very similar while cooking. It requires raw chicken be marinated in lemon juice and onions for 24 hours in the fridge.

Now to try batter fried. I also want to shred the meat for tacos and such because looking at little squirrel legs while eating is going to get some getting used to.

If you have never gutted and skinned your own animal it's not for the faint of heart. I always said if i can't gut an animal I should be a vegetarian. I now know I can and will only get better at it.
 
Missouri limit is 11 a day. I can’t recall the possession limit. I think it was a large group.

We have a good healthy population.
 
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I don't soak my squirrels in salt water or anything. Just add a splash of vinegar to the water when first put into the pressure cooker. After 15 min. take them out an wash, if still stiff (not tender) wash the pot out add water squirrels an salt an pressure cook for another 20 minutes or whatever it takes. Then just pull apart, roll in flour, I like garlic salt (no pepper, just me) fry them up in mild olive oil or canola. Best eatin there is.... Squirrel gravy an mashed potatoes go with them too!
 
Hunt was a success thanks to snapbang! Boy was it fun too. Skinning was a bit of a pain. YouTube makes it look so easy just step on the tail and pull my butt. They must not be Michigan squirrel.

Anyway cooked em up last night after soaking in salt water for 2 days and rinsing 2x.

My god are they tasty. As advertised they taste like the best organic chicken you ever ate with a little nutty undertone. Not one iota of gamy flavor.

For this trial I cooked em very simply because I wanted the real unadulterated taste of the animal. I added a pot of water and half an onion. That's it!

Only found 1 flea and all organs looked very healthy while eviscerating.

I Will definitely do this again now that I know how good they actually taste. No off-putting smell while cooking. While skinning though they did have a strange smell which initially made me question if the final product would actually taste like chicken.

There is a dish I used to make and this smelled very similar while cooking. It requires raw chicken be marinated in lemon juice and onions for 24 hours in the fridge.

Now to try batter fried. I also want to shred the meat for tacos and such because looking at little squirrel legs while eating is going to get some getting used to.

If you have never gutted and skinned your own animal it's not for the faint of heart. I always said if i can't gut an animal I should be a vegetarian. I now know I can and will only get better at it.
I can certainly vouch for how tough it is to skin Michigan fox squirrels. Squirrel hide is very tough stuff. It was used for wangs (leather tie up cordage) back in the day. If they were as easy to skin as a rabbit there would be a lot more of them being cooked and eaten.
 
If you want to use the “quick” method where you make one or two good cuts, step on tail, and deglove a squirrel it has to be fresh. If you try to do that after a full morning of walking the woods you might just tear them in half.

I like to make one good cut down the spine and work the hide off from the back. It takes some practice working your fingers in there but overall much cleaner and faster than any other method I have used.

If you have a fresh killed squirrel it is just as fast as any other method.
 
My dad taught me when I was a teenager to skin a squirrel. We cut about 1-2" cut across the shoulder's on the back. Be careful not to cut into the meat. Then work your index an middle fingers on both hands under the hide and pull in opposite directions. If done right the hide will tear down to the belly. Sometimes you have to cut the hide again to separate the top from the bottom. I use clippers to cut the leg's/tail and pull off the hide.
 
My dad taught me when I was a teenager to skin a squirrel. We cut about 1-2" cut across the shoulder's on the back. Be careful not to cut into the meat. Then work your index an middle fingers on both hands under the hide and pull in opposite directions. If done right the hide will tear down to the belly. Sometimes you have to cut the hide again to separate the top from the bottom. I use clippers to cut the leg's/tail and pull off the hide.

I wish I could see this done, I would love to Hunt Grey squirrels someday
 
I don't soak my squirrels in salt water or anything. Just add a splash of vinegar to the water when first put into the pressure cooker. After 15 min. take them out an wash, if still stiff (not tender) wash the pot out add water squirrels an salt an pressure cook for another 20 minutes or whatever it takes. Then just pull apart, roll in flour, I like garlic salt (no pepper, just me) fry them up in mild olive oil or canola. Best eatin there is.... Squirrel gravy an mashed potatoes go with them too!

What does the vinegar water do? This is intriguing to me. I remember My Grandparents talking about Squirrel Hunting (North Carolina) I was always interested, But i have never had the opportunity to try it, Hunting them, or eating
 
My dad taught me when I was a teenager to skin a squirrel. We cut about 1-2" cut across the shoulder's on the back. Be careful not to cut into the meat. Then work your index an middle fingers on both hands under the hide and pull in opposite directions. If done right the hide will tear down to the belly. Sometimes you have to cut the hide again to separate the top from the bottom. I use clippers to cut the leg's/tail and pull off the hide.
yup I do them the same way then put the peices in a ziplock bag in my pack ,sometimes with an ice pack to keep them fresh.amazing to me how few guys hunt them and fewer eat them !
 
What does the vinegar water do? This is intriguing to me. I remember My Grandparents talking about Squirrel Hunting (North Carolina) I was always interested, But i have never had the opportunity to try it, Hunting them, or eating
if you do you will be spending less time at the range I promiss !:elmer:
 
I put them in a pot of tomato sauce,season it with oregano,a little salt & pepper,basil and a torpedo: those little red hot italian peppers ! two if you're feeling real manly 😂. then slow cook in a crock pot till the meat falls off the bones. serve over a bed of linguine with a fresh italian bread, with minced garlic, oregano or basil in olive oil for dipping the bread in, provelone chunks and a nice red wine.great way to pass a nasty winter afternoon when ya cant keep yer powdah dry anyhow.
 
What does the vinegar water do? This is intriguing to me. I remember My Grandparents talking about Squirrel Hunting (North Carolina) I was always interested, But i have never had the opportunity to try it, Hunting them, or eating
The vinegar takes out the "wild gamy" taste and makes the meat easier to wash off any hair and blood that wasn't removed before freezing.
I prefer game meat to be frozen or at least chilled for a while. I want the body heat to be out, just makes better eating. Same with venison.
 

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