Grey Squirrel

[Marvin S]

Didn't have as much time today but went after some gray Squirrels with the 25WCF and got one. I had to wait him out for about 30 minutes and his curiosity finally made him present just his head at about 25 yards.

Cooked it as soon as I got it cleaned.

[Crawdaddy]

Way to go. Squirrel gravy and biscuits. Brings back memories.

[Link23]

oh wow. im hungry now. thats one of my fav meals


Link23

[Three44s]

That's a fine meal you made out of that "bushy tail"!!!


BTW, ......... you're not gonna' eat the whole thing are ya?????? ............ JUST kidding!!!!


Here's a trick to try next time a squirrel hangs up on you: Get yourself an open reed call such as used for howling coyotes. Use just the mouth piece and not the megaphone.

Imitate a cannine or coyote puppy in distress.

If your squirrels are as curious as our "grey diggers" are here (ground squirrels) you'll feel like a squirrel (snake) charmer!!!!


Our grey diggers can be REAL SUCKERS for wanting to see the "enemy" get their come upin's now and then!!!

Best regards and enjoy!

Three 44s

[Blammer]

HOW, and I am serious, HOW do you fry squirrel so it's not tough when you eat it? I don't know how many squirrels I've ruined trying to fry them and make them tender enough to eat.

[Crawdaddy]

Gently Boil it first.

[Marvin S]

If it is other than a very young one par boil it first.

[Dale53]

I can agree wholeheartedly with par boiling squirrel before dredging with flour and frying. It works wonderfully.

I consider squirrel hunting with a rifle as one of the most sporting activities available. I grew up on a farm and the tactics I learned squirrel hunting made me a successful handgun hunter of deer.

My favorite squirrel rifle is a modern Marlin lever action in 25/20 using the Lyman 257420 flat nose gas check bullet ahead of 4.0 grs of Unique. It is far superior to a .22 rimfire on edible small game.

Dale53

[Blammer]

how long do you parboil?

[fishnbob]

how long do you parboil?

Probe it with a fork until it feels like you want it. We used to cook 'em in a pressure cooker and then add dumplins when they are done, add in a little thickening & seasoning.:redneck:

[KYCaster]

You guys who hunt with CF rifles consider yourselves lucky. Here in KY, if it isn't a shotgun it has to be rim fire.

I have several guns I like to carry in the woods, but during squirrel season it has to be RF.

Jerry (I refuse to shoot tree rats with a scatter gun....just doesn't seem right.)

[Marvin S]

Be nice if someone made another run of 32 Long RF for places that have these rules. I have one full box left.

[waksupi]

You guys could use a nice flintlock, in .32, or .36 for the finest classic squirrel hunting. Order now, you would likely have a new rifle by next fall! I have time to build some.

[Three44s]

I can agree wholeheartedly with par boiling squirrel before dredging with flour and frying. It works wonderfully.

I consider squirrel hunting with a rifle as one of the most sporting activities available. I grew up on a farm and the tactics I learned squirrel hunting made me a successful handgun hunter of deer.

My favorite squirrel rifle is a modern Marlin lever action in 25/20 using the Lyman 257420 flat nose gas check bullet ahead of 4.0 grs of Unique. It is far superior to a .22 rimfire on edible small game.

Dale53


This is why a .25-20 keeps bouncing around in my head!!! But our squirrels are not edible so I "fret" for nothing!!!


Three 44s

[WILCO]

Cooked it as soon as I got it cleaned.

Great job! Glad to see all the cast iron on the stove top too.

[sundog]

Cooked it as soon as I got it cleaned.

Dang, you musta been hungry.

[luna butte]

This is why a .25-20 keeps bouncing around in my head!!! But our squirrels are not edible so I "fret" for nothing!!!


Three 44s
thank goodness!, my stomach started to turn when i started reading this post (thinking you were about to talk about eating one of those nasty semi-canabalistic desert rats that we have ruining all of the grain bins around here):kidding:

i was quite releived to find that you just envy a guys rifle choice.;)

i'll have to ry your coyote call trick the next time i'm out shootin greydiggers. i bet it works really well.

[Crawdaddy]

'dem flea bitten rodents taste great!

[Dale53]

This is for the guys and gals who must hunt squirrels with a rim fire rifle. I have a Hanned Precision (no longer in business) tool that allows you to file off the nose consistently to make Round Flat nose. Using standard velocity .22 rimfire, you would not believe the improvement in "stopping power".

The problem with readily available .22 rimfire, you have a choice of round nose or hollow point. Hollowpoints are high velocity (noisy) and damage too much meat with body shots. They work fine with head shots, but squirrels don't always offer head shots.

The round flat does a perfect job with headshots OR body shots. They kill much better with a shot behind the shoulder (don't want to damage meat) without great damage.

The tool is nothing more than a cylinder chambered for .22 Long Rifle with the nose shortened until you remove just about 3.0 grs of lead (no more). The round flat of the nose works just exactly like it works in a revolver with a RF cast bullet. The .22 is quite soft so expands some, but just not as much as the hollow point high speed (and it is much quieter).

Paco Kelly offers a tool with several different nose designs. You can pick one that does what the Hanned tool did.
Here is a review of the Paco tool

http://www.gunblast.com/Paco2.htm

Dale53

[luna butte]

'dem flea bitten rodents taste great!

i have nothing against eating a "real squirrel", but the bushy tailed rats that we have frequenting the rock piles around here are not squirrels. our "greydiggers" are more like a cross between a prairiedog and a rat. they make great dog treats and exellent targets!

i have never had the oppurtunity to consume a squirrel, though i would jump at it.

just south of here across the columbia river there is another critter that i find fairly interesting called a "sage rat" i have never seen one up close but they appear at first glance to be a midget prairiedog

[casterofboolits]

MMMMMM! Haven't had any squirrel since 1961. Sure do miss it.

My Uncle would call them in with pair of silver 50 cent pieces.

[HBAR2989]

We bread our squirrels in seasoned flour, brown them in a cast iron skillet. Then put some onion slices in with them, a little water, and put a lid on them. in the oven at 325 for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. keep checking so they do not dry out. pan drippings make the great gravy. now I'm getting hungry.

[L Ross]

I really enjoy squirrel hunting and eating them. I use a 36 cal. poor boy flinter, a Stevens Ideal 32-20 with black or smokeless, a Win. Single Shot in 25-20, and a whole parade of 22's. For KY Caster I have an idea. I had a Marlin 22 mag. that a good friend reluctantly sold me because it shot so inaccurately. Like 2" groups at 25 yards with a variety of 22 mag. ammo. I told him I understood but it was good enough for knockin' coons outa the bird feeder. I happened to try CCI 22 WRF ammo in it and oh my gawd it now puts 5 shots into a pencil eraser size group at 25 yards and with a 45 gr. Speer hollow point at 1475 fps it kills with authority but not a huge amount of damage. The toughness of that bullet combined with the modest velocity is just a balanced ticket. This ammo is strictly recommended not to be fired in 22 mag. revolvers as the bullet dia. is .226and they can stick in the bore, but the Marlin micro groove rifle barrel loves it.

Duke

[Marvin S]

You guys could use a nice flintlock, in .32, or .36 for the finest classic squirrel hunting. Order now, you would likely have a new rifle by next fall! I have time to build some.

I have a nice Issac Haines 40 flint that I use from time to time.

[Crawdaddy]

i have nothing against eating a "real squirrel", but the bushy tailed rats that we have frequenting the rock piles around here are not squirrels. our "greydiggers" are more like a cross between a prairiedog and a rat. they make great dog treats and exellent targets!

i have never had the oppurtunity to consume a squirrel, though i would jump at it.

just south of here across the columbia river there is another critter that i find fairly interesting called a "sage rat" i have never seen one up close but they appear at first glance to be a midget prairiedog


I was just joking. I used to live in Wenatchee so I know exactly what you are talking about.

[Blammer]

you guys are gonna get me to get my win 94/22 back in action again after them treetop whitetails. Currently favored firearms choice for them sneaky grey's is my Rem 541T and rem golden bullets. The low vel hp's, they do a bang up job.

[Marvin S]

I hear em calling you, well actually barking.

[Blammer]

:grin:

[DrB]

Regarding calling, they also make a squirrel "barker" call. I was confused about the purpose of it (it can sound similar to an alarm call so thats no good) until one year I noticed the boar squirrels chasing each other late in the year (dec-feb). They make a short barking sound just like the call.

[a.squibload]

That squirrel looks good, but somehow looks better in the second picture!

Granpa had 'em eatin' out of his hand. Taught me to trap some air in my cheek,
then tap it with a finger for "chirp chirp chirp". Can do it just with your tongue but
not as easy.

Gimme one o' them biscuits, wouldja?

[dale2242]

To make the old tough greys edible, my wife pan frys them until golden brown, then puts them in her small pressure cooker until tender.
I took 3 tough old greys and slowcooked them until the meat fell off the bones and mixed the meat with BBQ sauce and served on grilled buns...yum...dale

[BAGTIC]

Everything is edible. Not everyone knows how to cook.

[Bulltipper]

Going Western Grey hunting here in about 1/2 hour. Made a great soup the other day, pressure cooked the squirrel for 30 min, cleaned out the bones and clipped the meat small with scissors. Added diced red potatoes, cilantro, 1/2 jalapeno diced, diced onion, garlic salt and a pinch of chili powder. Threw the lid back on the pressure cooker for 40 min and presto. Even SWMBO liked it!

[crappiejig]

Took my daughterSaturday for her first trip with her new Rem 597 she got for Christmas.Got 3 of those boogers.She can't wait for next Saterday!

[JJC]

I'm planning on taking my son this Sunday weather permiting. I know a guy who looks at me funny when I told him we eat the squirrels we shoot. Mind you he eats road kill.

[Reload3006]

If they climb in trees and eat acorns and hickory nuts they are real squirrels and I sure will eat them. I love em fried I love em in a pot of dumplings. Shot in the head with a 22 the best but I dont mind picking out shot either LOL. Great eating ... Now I am hungry.

[Marvin S]

One of the best things I think about hunting them is it's relaxing. Just requires some patience.

[fliintlock555]

I enjoy hunting the little greys here in Georgia. I shoot mine with shot gun (well 56 cal smooth bore Renegade) and find that is plenty of challenge. Fried squirrel (the best)well maybe rabbit(well maybe pheasant) Guess I just like them all.

[Gun Junkie]

As a teenager (in the seventies) I took my 50 T/C Hawken squirrel hunting with round balls (home cast of course) on my Grandfather's farm. Had a bead on a gray and was pulling the trigger when a hawk flew over casting a shadow and causing the squirrel to move. (that's my story and I'm stickin to it). Bullet took the squirrel a bit far back. But with a 50 it was still an instant kill! Funny thing there was no hole. The squirrel's skin ripped going in and comming out. The result, no blood and a very small slit in the tummy that wasn't easy to see.

As I past my Grandfather on the way back, he looked at the squirrel, didn't see the tummy slit and said "Barked 'em didn't ya?"

I never told him any different ;-)

[Larry Gibson]

Numerous "squirrels" in my neck of the woods but only two are worth eating and only one is usually legal to shoot. The ground squirrels typified byt the Belding, the California Rock squirrels (greydiggers) and the red diggers of NE Oregon aren't worth trying to eat. However the Eastern Grey and the Silver Grey squirrels are good eating. The Eastern greys are imorts and found in cities and parks, thus they are not leagal "game". However, the Silver Greys are large tree dwellers and are prized for eating. There is a season in some counties in Oregon on the. I like to quarter them and stew them in a crock pot all day in a couple cans of mushroom soup (add water occasionaly) the same as i do snow shoe rabbits.

I use .22LRs a lot with the rounds swaged and HP'd with either the Paco tool or the Waltz die. Headshots are all I take on the Silver Greys and I want them DRT so they don't get away into a hole. I also use my 25-20 Savage M23 with a dead soft cast 257283HP over 2.7 gr Bullseye for 1090 fps and minute of squirrel headsot to 75 yards. The dead soft 80 gr HP wops them good and they are definately DRT. I also use the Lee TL314-90-SWC or the Hornady swaged 90 gr LSWC in .30/31 CFs over 2.8 - 3.2 gr Bullseye (depending on case) for 800 - 990 fps and excellent accuracy for squirrels. Mt little Mauser MK X in 7.62x39 is a favorite for that.

Larry Gibson

[selmerfan]

The CCI sub-sonic HP load makes a GREAT squirrel and rabbit round. Doesn't mess up meat, but kills very cleanly, and I get 1/2" accuracy out of 5 .22LRs with it. I've switched to this round from the CCI Hi-Velocity Short HP load.

[ghh3rd]

Seems like I see squirrels every time I'm quietly sitting in a tree. I am on high alert as the sun starts showing, listening for any noise, and they always fool me for a few minutes before I spot them. Then when they spot me, they harrass me for the next hour, barking and chattering, and telling everything in the woods that I'm sitting there.

It's probably time to shoot a few of them so I can at least say I brought something home. I suppose I should bring a .22 with me, as the 45-70 might be a little bit of overkill.

[palmettosunshine]

What's the worlds worst flavor of ice cream?

Squirrel

[whiteoak]

What's the worlds worst flavor of ice cream?

Squirrel

have to disagree OPOSSUM :kidding:

[miestro_jerry]

I am using a nicely set up Savage Striker for my Squirrrel gun, 3 to 7 power. Front Bipod and accurate in the range of my squirrel problems.

Nice little 22, the price was right and this summer, I will be out on the deck sniping at squirrels.

:2gunsfiring_v1:

Jerry

[**oneshot**]

Cut off legs, remove back meat, lightly dreadged in flour, slowly fried in pan. At the end pour your favorite hotwing sauce on them and cook for a few minutes. Serve just like hot wings.

MMMMMM MMMMMM GOOOOOD!!!!!!

[Marvin S]

Season is over for the year here. Time to work on some other loads just in case a coyote comes in.

[wolfe28]

Everything is edible. Not everyone knows how to cook.

Amen!