Squirrel hunting n eating

[redhawk0]

Spent many hours after school hunting squirrels. Back in the 70's we could still hang our firearms in the back window of the pickup and leave it in the school parking lot. As soon as that bell rang...we were heading for the woods.

I like to clean them right when they drop. Slit the back skin...peel them to the neck, front legs cut them off, peel to back legs and tail...cut them off (keeping the tail for the truck antenna)....then slit up the belly and remove the innards. They would then go into a plastic bag hair free. Once home we'd soak them in salt water overnight, then boil them the next day. Pick the meat off the bones by hand and into pot pies for supper that night. The meat tasted like dark turkey meat (at least to me).

Dad always taught me that trigger control was the key to shooting squirrels with a 22....and if you could master that, then shooting a deer at 100 yards with a rifle would be just as easy. I've lived by that...I don't get to hunt squirrel as often as I'd like now, but I do deer hunt in two states every year.

redhawk

[Elroy]

We always cut a little place about halfway down the back crossways just enough to get a couple fingers in,and pull towards the head with one hand,and towards the tail with the other.We never fooled with the rib cages,and even the dog got sick of them.I remember Mom complaining about all the yellow jackets around because of the ribs,and hides.

[rking22]

Same way I clean them. I also pitch the ribs, the back gets cut into 2 pieces plus the front and rear legs. Like cutting up a chicken! Floured and pan fried, unless they are fox squirrels, they will make your gravy tough! They get pressured and made into stew, yummy.
Since our quail are non existant ,I would rather squirrel hunt than anything else. There was always a 22 in my truck, come to thunk of it, there still is. Never know when there might be an extra few minutes to get in a quick hunt. Fishing rod and some rooster tails too. You remember Mepps adds for buying tails??? Think you got paid in Mepps spinners, they still offer that I believe. Oh, there is a grey squirrel tail on the dash of my truck , as I type this. Not real sure why. But it't there proclaiming my inabilability to be politically correct.

[tazman]

I skin them differently but everyone has a method they were taught and works for them.
I also like to clean them as soon as I shoot them, but it isn't always an option. I carry a couple of plastic, ziploc bags to keep them clean if I get the chance to clean them.