[Mr.Brown16]

Well I have never went squirrel hunting but sounds like a lot of fun.
A guy I know sead he hunted them with a pellet gun and ate them too.
Sead they tasted like chicken.
Well if I do decide to eat them how do I know they dont have any diseases ill get from them? :confused:
People hunt them with a .22 but ive got a 20 Gage.

[Crazy Uncle Al Gore]

I don't believe their diseases are transferable to humans (just as most animals). Although, I'm not a doctor.

As far as eating, squirrel tastes wonderful.

Your 20 gauge shotgun will work perfectly. I personally use size six shot. Go for it, it's tons of fun.

[Sunray]

"...sounds like a lot of fun..." It is. However, tree rats in the bush aren't like the tree rats in the city that scamper around in parks. Everything that eats meat in the wild eats tree rats. Makes them very wary.
There's two ways of hunting them. Sitting quietly near a food or den tree and waiting or stalking. When stalking, don't look for the whole animal. Sometimes all you'll see is a wisp of tail or a flash of black or grey. Walk very slowly, stopping frequently, and watch the trees for that bit of black or grey that doesn't belong. Then move until you have a shot. Or if one scoots to the other side of a tree, toss a stone or stick to the other side to get the rat to change sides.
Use the 20 guage, but know how it patterns with the ammo you're using.
Remember that not all tree rats are legal to hunt in Canada. Depending on where you are, of course.

[Vern Humphrey]

Squirrel tastes like squirrel.:D

Get some good recepies and enjoy.

[Nikdfish]

Just an aside, using a .22 makes cleaning/eating easier (no pellets to dig out!), and headshots make for more of a challenge :).

Growing up, we were always under the impression that you were more likely to contract something from handling (dead) rabbits than squirrels.

A quickie recipe is line up a bunch in a cassarole dish & cover with a mix of cream of mushroom & cream of celery. Bake 'til tender & browned ...

Nick

[Vern Humphrey]

Growing up, we were always under the impression that you were more likely to contract something from handling (dead) rabbits than squirrels.
You can buy a box of latex gloves from any drug store or hospital supply store. I generally use those.

Another point -- squirrels are susceptible to bot flies, which lay their laervae under the skin. These are often called "wolves" or "woofs." They look horrible, but don't affect the eating. They aren't found after the first frost, so many people like to hold off squirrel hunting until then.

[Sunray]

"...no pellets to dig out!..." If you've hit 'em right with a shotgun, there are no pellets to dig out. The pellets are in the innards.

[Guido2006]

I know my dad couldn't clean rabbits because he'd get poison ivy from the rabbit's fur. No such problem with squirrels, at least that I have seen.

[MCgunner]

Shotguns are cheating. I prefer .22 handguns, myself, but I've used a rifle a LOT for hunting squirrel. When I was a kid, I took bunches of 'em with a .22 short. They're not hard to kill and easier to eat. :D

I got the worst case of poison ivy in my life shimmying up a tree to check out a squirrel nest. I got about half way up and noticed the ivy. "DANG, this ain't gonna be good", says to myself. I was right.

[Geno]

Tastes like chicken? Only if they had wings. :D

I prefer a .22LR with a reddot sight.

[.41 magnum man]

When I was about 15 or so, a friend and I were squirrel hunting. I shot one out of a tree and it came plummeting down, kerthump. I ran to get it and it was still alive. So I decided I would stomp it. So I brought my size 12s down on that booger, and he flopped over on his back and grabbed the bottom of my boot and started chewing on it! I was hopping around on one foot shaking the other leg trying to get that squirrel off, but hung on tight. All the time he was growling and snarling and just eating my sole off. I just knew I was going to feel his teeth sink into the bottom of my foot at any time. My buddy yelled, "I'll get him!" and I thought he was going to shoot it off my foot, so I started hopping and kicking faster, screaming, "DON'T SHOOT!" Meanwhile my friend had found a big stick and came at me trying to knock it off. He hit me in the ankle and I gave a great big kick and that squirrel let go and took off running through the leaves. The only thing on my mind was I couldn't let that squirrel get away to terrorize someone else, so I blasted him again and took him out. Then I hopped over to get him because my ankle was swelled up and I couldn't walk on it. I turned around to show my buddy the squirrel and he was laid out cold as a cucumber. Evidently I had knocked him in the head when he hit me in the foot. So be very careful if you go squirrel hunting. All sort of bad things can happen! :eek:

[Dave McCracken]

Shotguns makes sense for squirrels. :Less chances of overshooting. A 22 can carry for a mile.

6 shot is typical. Go for the head, the best meat is the hindquarters.

They do NOT taste like chicken. They are much better.

I usually wait until after first frost. No ticks then, no "Wolf" worms.

And, it gives the newest litter time to get a little meat on them.

[Roadkill]

I use a 12ga, low power #6s. Swats them out of a tree like the hand of God.

[Big Daddy K]

av a old fox 16 sxs. Squirrel killin machine. My 11 year old is using it this year. I'm gonna use my 17 because I havent really shot anything but targets with it. Will be using cci fmj.
I have a cool 10/22 delux with good wood and no barrel band. Topped with a simmons 22 mag 4x shooting cci standard velocity. Good little hunting rifle for squirrels etc.
Opens 10/1 here with a 10 per day limit.

[1911 guy]

I've been known to use a shotgun when the leaves are still on the trees and go to a .36 caliber flintlock when they come down.

My favorite recipe:
Line the bottom of a crock pot with onions. Skin, bone and rinse squirrel meat, place on top of onions. Put potatos, carrots, etc. on top. Cover and cook for several hours.

[Floppy_D]

I'm with this guy^^^, the crockpot is magical. I've found their flavor to be closer to pork than chicken. I use a 22/45, and sit in an acorn rich area, quietly. They usually show up in droves.

[MCgunner]

I chunked my crock pot when I got a dutch oven. :D Actually, that's a bit of a fib, the crock pot broke, got this dutch oven because I wanted it, decided it works as good or better than the crock pot and just haven't bought a new crock pot. LOL

When I was about 15 or so, a friend and I were squirrel hunting. I shot one out of a tree and it came plummeting down, kerthump. I ran to get it and it was still alive. So I decided I would stomp it. So I brought my size 12s down on that booger, and he flopped over on his back and grabbed the bottom of my boot and started chewing on it! I was hopping around on one foot shaking the other leg trying to get that squirrel off, but hung on tight. All the time he was growling and snarling and just eating my sole off. I just knew I was going to feel his teeth sink into the bottom of my foot at any time. My buddy yelled, "I'll get him!" and I thought he was going to shoot it off my foot, so I started hopping and kicking faster, screaming, "DON'T SHOOT!" Meanwhile my friend had found a big stick and came at me trying to knock it off. He hit me in the ankle and I gave a great big kick and that squirrel let go and took off running through the leaves. The only thing on my mind was I couldn't let that squirrel get away to terrorize someone else, so I blasted him again and took him out. Then I hopped over to get him because my ankle was swelled up and I couldn't walk on it. I turned around to show my buddy the squirrel and he was laid out cold as a cucumber. Evidently I had knocked him in the head when he hit me in the foot. So be very careful if you go squirrel hunting. All sort of bad things can happen!

Wasn't that a scene in the movie "Ernest Goes to Camp"?

Squirrel, pork? The other, other white meat? :D

I've been thinking of getting one of these 1200 fps air rifles from Gamo for squirrel hunting. Those sound as powerful as a .22 short! I bet you could take a squirrel with one out to 40 yards. They're a little expensive, but I could legally practice in my back yard. :D

http://www.gamousa.com/images/rifles/product_whisper.jpg

[.41 magnum man]

Quote "Wasn't that a scene in the movie "Ernest Goes to Camp"?"

If it was, they must have been hiding in the woods watching, or read it somewhere else I posted it in years gone by. Maybe they owe me some money!

A dish I like to make with squirrels is squirrel dumplings. Yum Yum. :)

[acousticmood]

Out here in california the squirrels have been known to carry bubonic plague.

Wouldn't want to eat that.

[mjb]

If your 20 guage is a full choke then a shot to the head will work. I use a 12 guage Ithaca 37 12 guage before the leave fall. After that I use a Ruger 96M .22WMR with a redfield scope when the leave are down. I like to boil them for an hour, then add brown rice to it. cook it fir another 1/2 to 1 hour after that. You will have tender squirrel and rice with squirrel flavor. YUM YUM!

[351 WINCHESTER]

Using a shotgun is cheating fellas. Personally I prefer a single shot scoped .22 with subsonic bullets.

[ABTOMAT]

Reports are that Gamo's Whisper isn't all that quiet, and Gamos are fairly low quality airguns anyway. I'd get the best basic rifle I could without any bells and whistles.

[koja48]

If we could hunt 'em here, I'd shinny up the trees and take 'em on hand-to-paw with a hat pin . . . or, mebbe I'd remember how old I am & just settle back with a scoped 22 . . . nothing against scatterguns, just happen to like really accurate 22s . . .

[308win]

The biggest - but not only - disadvantage to a shotgun is the noise. Shoot a shotgun, even a 20GA, in an area holding squirrels and everything but the wind goes deathly quiet and stays that way for awhile. Shoot a .22 and if it is windy you might not even notice it a hundred yards away; it certainly doesn't disrupt the natural like the shotgun. Shotguns have their place for sure and I use both but a .22 whether you are sitting or stalking is hard to beat if you can shoot straight. My .02.

As for squirrel tasting like chicken - not any squirrel or chicken I have ever tasted. A squirrel that has been properly field dressed and taken care of is as good as any meat wild or domestic. And, a big old boar squirrel is tough, gamy, and just not very good when fried and that is the only way I like them with mashed potatos and gravy, sweet corn, a mess of wild greens, and sweet tea.

Anywho, I am going to get a mess next week if I can get a scope mounted on my bubba gun. I have an old .22 that I decided to make a project gun out of and I can't get scope mounts to fit the receiver grooves. Any suggestions?

[Guido2006]

Even better with the .22 is if your state allows suppressors.

Generally I'll go with shotgun in the early season when the leaves are still up and a .22 later on in the fall/winter once the leaves come down.

[Mr.Brown16]

Nope my province doesnt allow suppressors.

[easy]

Best squirrel info available.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35

[Joshua C]

Yes, Squirrels. Took one just a couple of days ago with a shotgun.

[one-shot-one]

MCgunner
be aware that iirc texas no longer allows air rifles to take game.
double check the reg's!

[cpttango30]

I grew up in CA and you can not eat digger squirrels (Ground squirrels) but gray or fox squirrels are good to go. I would go with a 22 with shorts or CB longs and keep it in close if in a populated area if you are in a sparsly populated area go with 22 lg. I think Savage make a combo gun that has a 22lr 20ga O/U

[Big Daddy K]

Look out you tree rats, I'm ready this time!
http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/28367/2000246696151969499_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000246696151969499)

[Charles S]

1911 guy, that sounds like a great recipe....

I am with you, I prefer a shotgun for early in the season prior to the leaves falling off, and a 22 after the leaves are gone. I prefer the 20 ga with #5 for most situations, although a 16 ga with #5 is really nice if you are hunting big virgin timber with longer shots. I do love to hunt and eat squirrels. Young squirrels for breakfast with biscuits and gravy!

When I have all the squirrel in the freezer I want I will often hunt with my Thompson Center Contender with the 22 LR pistol barrel, if I really want a challenge I switch to my Ruger 22/45 with open sights.

Try this recipe..

3 squirrels cleaned and cut up in frying size pieces.

Fry 4 slices of bacon in your dutch oven, remove and set aside. Pour out 1/2 of the bacon grease and save. Season the squirrel with salt and pepper then brown each piece of squirrel without crowding the pan. Remove and set aside. Add the rest of the bacon grease back and sauté a couple of stalks of celery, an onion, a bell pepper, and some garlic that have all been chopped in the bacon grease until clear. Put the squirrel back on top, then the bacon crumbled and 1/2 a cup of red wine. Cover the top with foil, then the lid and bake at about 375 for 1 hour.

Serve with rice....a glass of iced tea or a nice soft red wine accompanies this well.

One can totally change the character of the above recipe by adding about 1/2 a cup of flour prior to the sautéing of the vegetables and browning it to make a chocolate rue. After the rue is browned to your liking then add the vegetables and cook until clear. Omit the wine at the end and add about 1 cup or squirrel or chicken stock. Finish the recipe in the same manner.

[Orr89rocz]

i love squirrel hunting.... i have taken them with my shotguns and 22's and air rifles. But now i like to hunt them with a bow, since squirrel season overlaps archery season. i have taken a few squirrels with a bow, its quite challenging and fun

[308win]

I imagine bow hunting for squirrel is a challenge. If you hit them just behind the ribcage with a broadhead it probably just about cuts them in two doesn't it? We never used shotguns much unless the area we were hunting was getting a lot of pressure and the squirrel were prone to take off through the trees at the first distrubance - it is much easier for me to hit a running/jumping squirrel at 25-40 yards with a shotgun than a .22 (in fact have never accomplished that with a .22 and don't expect to).

[Picknlittle]

Squirrel tastes like squirrel.


This is true! And chicken taste like squirrel too!:):neener:

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Use CCI slow rounds that shoot 710 FPS. Those will never go a mile. Oftentimes will never penetrate through the squirrel.

[351 WINCHESTER]

I used to love squirrel hunting when I was a kid. I had a remington single shot model 514. No scope, but the sights were dead on. Later on I took up deer/hog hunting. That was about 40 years ago and I'm thinking of letting the kids have the deer and the old man have the squirrel. I can think of nothing more challenging and sporting than shooting one with a good single shot with a nice scope. Well, I might take off to the woods with my .22 and my .30-30 or maybe my .303 cause you never know what lurks in them woods.

[kir_kenix]

i like a .410's when the leaves are still up if im "stalking." otherwise i like to just pick a good spot and sit back and wait for them to come out. ive used and had excelent resuts with .22 shorts, .22 lr, .17 mach 2, .17 hmr, .22wmr and .410 bore shotguns. its also alot of fun to bring someone along with u. it really makes it easer stalking because u can have ur buddy walk down the path a little bit and it ur still the squirrel will forget ur there and move around on ur side of the tree for a clear shot.
o, i like to field dress right away too, its so much easier then trying to gut 10 stiff squirrels when u get back home.

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

My $0.02 worth:

- Pound-for-pound, squirrels are the best game animal in North America. While not inherently difficult to bag, doing so involves all the best features of true hunting. A morning of stalking bushy-tails in the woods is, for my money, far more fun than sitting in a blind waiting for a whitetail to wander into view.

- Generally speaking, I prefer a .22 rifle for fox squirrels. By using calls I can usually get them to hold still long enough for a clean shot. This offers a decent challenge and the advantage of no potential for lead pellets in the meat.

- Greys/cats, on the other hand, tend to be more skittish and won't hold still for long, so I like a shotgun (20 or 12 ga.) w/#6 and a mod. choke for them. I've not had any problem with locating more greys after a shotgun blast, provided I hold still and wait a few minutes afterward.

- Squirrel tastes nothing like chicken. It's more reminiscent of turkey dark meat than any other domesticated food animal.

- If the weather is sufficiently cool that you can delay skinning your squirrels until you can get them someplace with clean water you'll be doing yourself a favor. Squirrel fur has the adhesive properties of Super Glue, and if it gets on the meat (and it will, especially during your first few attempts at cleaning them) it's a major pain in the arse to remove, which essentially requires that you pick it off one or two hairs at a time. Dunking the squirrel in water first (or hosing it down) mats the fur down and helps prevent it from coming loose and sticking to the meat when skinning.

- Here's the best tip I can give you, and one I doubt you'll hear from anyone else: My son (the real squirrel predator in the family) and I discovered that the greatest delicacy squirrels have to offer is their liver and, to a slightly lesser extent, heart. When cleaning your squirrels, locate these organs and save them in a platic baggie for later. When ready to cook them (we like them as an appetizer) rinse them in cold water, slice the hearts in half length-wise, and *lightly* dredge everything in some flour with a little of your favorite seasoning mixed in (we like a Cajun mix, but to each their own.) Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat (I suppose you could use olive oil or some such if you're trying to avoid butter and margarine, though we've not tried that yet) and sauté the livers and hearts for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain and immediately salt to taste. The results are magnificent. I detest beef liver, which is strong and bitter to my tastes...but squirrel livers have a delicate, soft flavor that is similar to goose and duck livers. Most types of heart are delicious, and squirrels' are no exception. Try this once and you'll thank me.

[Vern Humphrey]

What I like about squirrel hunting is that you get so much more hunting. The bag limit allows you to stalk all you want, and go out the next day and hunt more. And you don't worry about messing up your one chance, so you can try things that you wouldn't dare if your quarry was a 6X6 bull elk.

[Mannix]

Yeah, squirrel hunting is quite fun, unfortunately I haven't been able to get out to my cousin's in awhile, so I just settle for taking out rabbits and tree rats in my back yard with an air rifle. Not quite as fun though :(.

Though catching a rabbit in the act of eating the roses or a squirrel messing with the bird feeder is pretty satisfying :D.

Only problem is, I feel a little guilty just wasting the meat, anyone know if there is anything city cottontails and grays carry that rural critter don't?

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

Only problem is, I feel a little guilty just wasting the meat...
Then by all means, don't waste it. You do have some flour and a skillet, don't you?

, anyone know if there is anything city cottontails and grays carry that rural critter don't?
Not that I'm aware of. The only serious problem I know of is Tularemia in rabbits, and even that is fairly rare.

[GunTech]

Depends on the squirrels. When I was in DC. I saw squirrels the size of cats. Out here, they are only slightly bigger than chipmunks, and hardly worth the bother of skinning. But they are plentiful and fun to shoot.

[Vern Humphrey]

Depends on the squirrels. When I was in DC. I saw squirrels the size of cats.

Are you sure? Pimps wear fur coats, you know.:D

[Bartkowski]

For some reason around me, 7 1/2 shot is more common and cheaper, so I buy it mostly for small game, and it works fine for rabbit and squirrels.

[birddog]

I've killed most of my squirrels with a 22LR or 22 MAG. On single outings though, I've killed MORE squirrels with my full-choked .410 loaded with 2.5 inch #6 shot. It's still a challenge, but the kill / shot ratio is much much higher. If you want to hone your shooting skills, go rimfire. If you want a bag full of squirrels to clean, use a shotgun. I've killed several with 20 and 12gauge loads too (I'm very opportunistic while bird and rabbit hunting) and have never thought either one of those loads were overkill either.

Squirrels are fun to chase, and great on the table.

[birdv]

my favorite new toy is the marlin 981T. It holds 25 shorts and is alot of fun.
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Images/photo_981T.jpg

[borrowedtime69]

as the title says, i hunt squirrels, almost to the exclution of all else. i used to hunt them in SD where they were big, fat, corn-fed beasts. now im stuck in CO hunting those little REd or Pine squirrels.

i had been a .22 rifle hunter scince the begining and had always used the .22's. lately, to add some pazzaz to the experiance, ive started using my Ruger 678 MK II 22/45 w/ a trueglo 2X red dot scope. handgunning for squirrel is very challanging!

as for a good tree rat reciepe, i fix them up as hot wings. just clean and quarter them, mix up some butter and hot sauce to flavor for taste and heat. put them in a glass cassarole dish and baste heavily with the hot sausce mix. place in the oven at 400 degrees and baste occationally. - Eric

[ruger_martin_mastermag]

I shoot 12 ga. at them and they were just fine if you aim alittle toward there head. I have also shot them so bad you couldnt tell it was a squiral

[Selfdfenz]

There is evidence in the literature that eating squirrel brains may be a poor gastronomic option unless getting something akin to mad cow disease is an acceptable risk.

I haven’t followed this topic too closely in the last couple of years but IIRC hunters in MS and KY that consumed squirrel brains developed an affliction/dementia very much like mad cow in humans. Must be either a regional deal with the prion or a cultural deal with the frying pan but tossing the head [which is what most folks do anyway] is probably a smart move. Frankly eating the brain of any animal may be a wise move as more prions are being discovered in more species as time goes on.

Having said that, late fall squirrel hunting with a rimfire near a spent cornfield that’s next to a stand of hardwoods is just about as much sport as you can find anywhere.

Almost forgot...there is a short video clip linked up over on rimfirecentral if you poke around a bit that shows a very slick way to skin a squirrel w/o getting a ton of hair on it....and it's way fast. I could never explain the process as well as that video.

Best,

S-

[MCgunner]

I have the same tack drivin' Remington M512X that I've shot multi dozens of squirrel with since age 9. Honestly, I have no idea how many squirrel that old rifle has taken, but in about the last 15 years, I've sorta been infatuated with handguns and squirrels, so stopped using it. It's almost MATCH grade accurate even with CB shorts! I couldn't eat the brains of a squirrel if I wanted to when using that thing because the brains are usually splattered all over the tree trunk. :D

IIRC hunters in MS and KY that consumed squirrel brains developed an affliction/dementia very much like mad cow in humans

Jeez, how do they know it's not just the inbreeding????? :D

[308win]

Skinning a squirrel usually isn't a big deal if you have a sharp knife. The old tough ones can be a chore occasionally. I have used two methods - one entails making a cut at the base of the tail down to the ankle joints on the rear legs being careful to cut thru the tailbone; stand on the tail and pull on the hind legs and the other involves making a cut across the back; work your fingers under the skin on both sides of the cut and pull - either works if you have a sharp knife. If you are careful to keep your hands clean you don't normally get a lot of hair on the carcass. If you happen to get an old tough one you'll know and I usually toss'em as they are not the best tasting anyway.

[intruder]

A 17 hmr is great medcine for squirrels. Doesn't destroy to much meat and I think it's quieter than a 22. There is nothing better to sit by a big old tree on a beautiful fall day and shoot at bushy tails. Click two quarters together and watch them come running.

[Joshua C]

^may have to remember that....

[sadlsor]

Yeah, cleaning one usually isn't a big deal... unless maybe it's your first one.

Man, did I make a mess of cleaning this one. Cut through the tail, step on the tail, grap the hind legs, and... oops! Why is the tail under my foot, while I'm holding this tail-less, hairy rat in my hand?! :banghead:

Aw, crap. What a pain when you mess up.