I've never eaten squirrel

[Bill in Oregon]

And after reading this article, I am thinking I need a small-bore flintlock Southern Mountain long rifle.

https://www.foodandwine.com/squirrel-po ... 0YXOlE7Ngg

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ve killed in excess of two dozen squirrels in the past month or so. The dog is totally sold that his life’s mission is to find me squirrels to shoot.

I ate squirrels, rabbits and all sorts of wild game when I was a child. But there’s not much chance of getting my spouse to eat squirrel.

[AJMD429]

.
First time I had squirrel it wasn't really squirrel....

It turned out to be groundhog. A truly 'hermit' neighbor had it on his stove deep-frying, and offered me some. The bones were little and yet bigger than I thought squirrel would be. I guessed 'rabbit' - and he said nope - but it eats the same thing.

Was good eating for sure.

Since then, I've had squirrel and it was good too.

Always a good excuse to buy a new gun though...!

[JimT]

I have eaten squirrel and ground hog and mice. In Africa some tribes .. not all ... consider mice to be "snack food". Squirrel is just a larger rodent. Oh .. the mouse was all white meat.

rat on a stick.jpg

[Mark in MO]

In my teen years and into college we hunted and ate a lot of squirrels and rabbits. A friend’s dad would take us small game hunting every weekend. We’d often give some of our take to an old widow who lived nearby. She was German and would make squirrel sausage out of them. Now that I am retired I hope to do more squirrel hunting this fall. I always loved it.
I also ran a trap line one winter while in college. We would often eat the raccoons we caught and actually they made a pretty good BBQ, kind of like pulled pork. Never tried a ground hog though.

[wvfarrier]

We eat a lot of them but the wife wil NOT

[AmBraCol]

Back a couple of decades ago, we were given permission to hunt an old abandoned farm in SW MO. The place was loaded with fox squirrel, very few grays. I had better luck with the old Ruger SS than I did with a rifle that year. My wife and sister-in-law cooked them up, shredded the meat and made coxinhas for everyone. Good eating! Two Colombians making Brazilian snack food with united statian squirrels. THAT'S how you do international fusion food!

hammy.jpg

hammies.jpg

[Scott Tschirhart]

This afternoon:

It’s a levergun.

[GunnyMack]

I haven't eaten squirrel in a long time. In highschool we would go camping out in the woods , just a sleeping bag and our 22s. The plan was to shoot our meals. Most times we didn't shoot enough to fill our bellies and drive to town to get cheese steaks.
We tried it one winter , no squirrels but Tweety birds were tasty.

[Pat C]

I’ve killed in excess of two dozen squirrels in the past month or so. The dog is totally sold that his life’s mission is to find me squirrels to shoot.

I ate squirrels, rabbits and all sorts of wild game when I was a child. But there’s not much chance of getting my spouse to eat squirrel.

Well did you make squirrel gravey?

[Ysabel Kid]

First and only time I had squirrel was also the first time I shot a shotgun (but not the last ). My best friend had moved an hour south of us. Both his parents had grown up on farms, and just couldn't wait to get out of the suburbs and get some land. He was a scientist with Eli Lilly. Anyway, they bought a 60-acre farm with a 5-acre lake on it. It was outdoor sports heaven.

We woke up one morning and his mom told us to "go get some squirrel for lunch". So he grabbed a shotgun and out we went. He got several, which we brought back and his mom fried up. I learned a few things that day:

I really liked fried squirrel
Never hold a shotgun away from your shoulder when shooting it
You may find a piece of shot in anything killed with a shotgun

I just have never had a chance to have squirrel again.

[Gunstore Commando]

The subject line of this thread is grammatically incorrect.

The proper way to conjugate that sentence is "I ain't never done et squirrel".

[JMick]

I grew up and most of my life eating squirrels; fox and grays.
Where I live in Wyoming we have these little pine squirrels not much bigger than a chipmunk.

[Bill in Oregon]

Jim, were those meeces cleaned and skinned first? Did you eat them bones and all? What did they taste like?

[JimT]

Jim, were those meeces cleaned and skinned first? Did you eat them bones and all? What did they taste like?

They were cleaned and cooked with the skin on. I peeled back the skin and pulled the meat off the bones. White meat. No particular taste. Needed salt.

[Bill in Oregon]

Hmmm. Maybe best left to the cats, eh?

[Drawdown]

I've ate em all my life, still consider em amongst a favorite! Gray n Fox both good, but grays are better. Squirrel meat is for most part neutral, and that's a plus, seasoning to taste! But growing up, all men of my family and most friends were Squirrel Hunters, it was truly a way of life. My mom was absolutely the Squirrel Chef, and several ways of cooking em was all good! We'd skin n clean em, then she knew what to do. Young ones usually fried, and this is my favorite by far, at least when she was the cook. Heavily salt & peppered, soaked in milk and flour & seasoning! Ummm!!! But older squirrels where fixed on gravy usually and cooked till plenty tender.
We couldn't wait till Squirrel Opener here, 3rd Sat in August and ran thru Dec here back then, thru Feb here now. But we opened every season on the road, bunch places in central and northern KY, all way to our favorite on banks Ohio R. across from Madison, Indiana, our Fox Squirrel paradise, cause here at home it's 99.9% Grays. Next weekend was Tenn Opener, and our places there was our most productive! Easy low hills and ridges at all these places made hunting so easy, as compared here at home, highest points in KY, steep and tough, but great hunting back then, logging over years has depleted it greatly! My Dad and Btothers, Uncle and Cousins, plus plenty friends. Camping and living at its best then! Most of us kill over 100 on a bad season, but often 150-200+, each. Still hunting from opener until late Oct when leaves fall. Then we'd usually hunt with dogs, and it was often 2-4 us every weekend, behind dogs, come in with 12-20 squirrels! Clean em fall over dead by afternoon. Mom cook em all, sorted out for young squirrels fried, old squirrels cooked slow with gravy. Life was good, Praise the Lord, I do miss em!
Nowadays, I either cook em in slow cooker & Barbq, or Slow Cooked on Cream or Mushroom, both ways are good!

[JBowen]

I grew up hunting and eating squirrels much like Drawdown. We used shotguns when we went to the Mountains to get Grays. They were fast and hardly ever sat still. Some years you could catch them in migration and have your limit of 8 in less than an hour. The years that there were no acorns or hickory nuts they would eat pinecones and they
tasted like pine trees and wasn't near as good, but we ate everyone we got. When we hunted in the river valley and near farms they were mostly Fox squirrels and we would use dogs if we had one. I would get to use my Grandpa's old model 67 Winchester single shot .22. Dad carried his then new Nylon 66. The young grays were delicious fried and the old grays and most of the Fox squirrels were slow cooked and made into squirrel and dumplings. We never cooked the heads, but one time we visited my Great Uncle Keelan's deer camp, and I killed a squirrel and brought back the skinned squirrel for my Great Aunt Ardith to cook for lunch. She asked me where was the head? I said I threw it over the hill with the hide. She promptly sent me back to get the head and skin it for her. She said she loved squirrel brains!
After I was grown and married, the wife complained about the shot she chomped down on onetime and I started using my Mode; 190 Winchester semi-auto plus it was a lot more challenging. About ten years later I wanted a bolt action and bought a used Revelation (Mossberg) single shot bolt action and it turned out to be a very accurate and I used a scope on it. I didn't get my limit near as often, but it was way more challenging. Eventually life got busy with kids and work and I got out of the habit of going squirrel hunting. I need to change that this fall and take my Winchester 9422 and teach it how to shoot squirrels .

JBowen

[Drawdown]

JBowen, my Squirrel Road about identical to your description, and 00's other young men here back then! Our Mountain Ancestors were no doubt, the best shooters ever walk this planet, with their handmade Southern Mt Rifles! I always said since time i was in my late 20's, I was gonna get me a good custom made Southern MT Muzzleloader, but i never did. I grew to love all them old 22's of the day, the Mod 67 Win being a top choice, along with the Mod 69 & Box Mag!
But we most all started with Shotguns by our days in the 60's and 70's, graduated later to 22's when we got rid the competition thoughts amongst friends, "always after our limit of 6", every time we hit the woods!
I don't go after em anywhere near the intensity I did back then now. Hey, aint capable, too soft now, squirrel hunting consistency is for the young & strong, legs & lungs! But I still love it, my occasional days in squirrel woods, there's nothing like it! Small Critter but BIG GAME!

[Bill in Oregon]

This right here.
https://kiblerslongrifles.com/products/ ... -price-950

[JimT]

Hmmm. Maybe best left to the cats, eh?

I am not a good one to ask about taste. I do not have an educated pallet. I always thought School Cafeteria food was good!
The mouse meat was about like any other white meat I've eaten.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Cafeteria food in my High School was actually pretty good.

[Walt]

For many years I hunted squirrels in the Sam Mateo Mountains of central New Mexico with a friend and his wife. She was a wonderful camp cook, making fine meals with Dutch oven and frying pans. We hunted Tassel-eared (Abert's) squirrels, which are slightly smaller that reds or grays. We used .22 revolvers mostly, rifles less often. His wife was a darn good shot with her K22 Smith, often bringing back more squirrels than my friend or I.

For years prior to that we hunted Red Squirrels (Chicarees) in the Jemez Mountains, closer to home. There were only small populations of Tassel ears in the Jemez at that time but the numbers seem to be growing. It takes quite a few of those Red Squirrels to make a meal.

We also tried prairie dogs cooked in a crockpot, having to pay close attention to the tiny bones which were sharp as needles. We gave that up after bringing home a batch of doggies in the spring. The sage was blooming and they tasted just like chewing on a sagebrush branch.

[Blaine]

One very broke summer/fall in 85 about the only protein I had was squirrel and channel cat from the forests and the lake on Ft Harrison, In....

[Drawdown]

Bill, I've looked those Kiblers over several years back, downright Lustful! Wish I'd gotten one, or it's equal, maybe Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders, or few more similar! Just wouldn't be beneficial to me now, my eyesight, those great iron sights on them! But I know, I'd had time my life in my younger days, if I'd gotten one! I still consider a Tenn Mountain Rifle in 40Cal, be great for deer, squirrels, or turkeys! Boys, that's hunting at its best!

[JOG]

Back in my teenage years, 3 friends and I went canoe camping on the Carmens river on Long Island N.Y.
We brought shotguns, fishing pole, canned corn along with a few canteens of water.
We also took a bottle of Jack Daniels along with a few cases of canned beer!
I pulled 3 or 4 nice trout out of the river. My buddy John shot three grey squirrels.
We marinated the squirrels in Jack then cooked them on an open fire.
I didn't think it was very good eating myself! Still filled my belly!
The trout were good with corn and Tennessee whiskey!
Great memories, since all have passed away!
Johnny

[TedH]

I ate squirrels, rabbits and all sorts of wild game when I was a child. But there’s not much chance of getting my spouse to eat squirrel.

Same on both counts. I hardly bother with squirrel hunting anymore unless I'm wanting to just woods stroll with my 1895 manufactured Marlin 1894 32WCF, because then I can't hit them anyway because of aging eyesight.

[Paladin]

I have eaten my share of reds and greys in Ohio and WV. I used to take my nephews to the farm on weekends to have a contest to see who could get their limit first. Great times, with the Best meal being Shepherd's Pie, mom made us one weekend with mashed potatoes as the top crust. Caught a couple in snares during S.E.R.E school, cooked on a stick over a fire. I have been lucky enough to have had lots of game to eat, from Moose to much smaller. Much safer than the meat on a stick I ate in a few countries.