[AL9426]

Me and my friend were out walking around the woods on his property and came very close to killing one? But how do you clean them, attract them, and whats a good recipe. Also, the same thing with squirrels.

We are using a semi-auto and a single shot .22 lr

[MCgunner]

They skin very easily, skin tears such that you don't even need a knife if they're warm. Just cut under the tail and up the sides of the legs, take the skin from the incisions up over his head and up his front legs. That will leave him wearing fur pants. Pull the skin off the hind quarters. Cut legs and head off with the skin/tail. Gut him and wash him out. If it's a young cottontail, fry 'em up. If he's an old tough buck, smother him or prepare stew or dumplings. Same applied to squirrel, but that their skin is quite a bit tougher than a rabbit. Best get 'em warm. If they cool, you'll have to stand on the tail and pull on the hind legs to get the skin off the upper body. Young squirrel fry delicious. Stew and squirrel dumplings are always good. My mom made the BEST dumplings. I don't do dumplings, just cut cheap biscuit dough into dumplings. It's okay, but it ain't mama's dumplings.

I'd rather hunt squirrel on a spring day in the woods than just about anything. The eats ain't bad, either.

Oh, you don't "attract" rabbits, you have to get out and find/jump 'em. Best done with a shotgun. A good beagle or beagle pack is a super fun way to hunt rabbits, but I don't have a dog. Cottontail love briars, dew berry patches, anything with thorns that's thick. They'll hang out around any dense cover, but such thorny patches deserve special attention.

Jack rabbits are actually hares and they're much easier to spot on the open plains/desert out west. They're not the table fare that cottontails are, though.

[marksman13]

We hunt rabbits and squirrels with dogs. MCgunner hit the nail on the head with the skinning method.

[Limeyfellow]

Nice tips. I always find skinning rabbits one of the easiest animals to do. They are all over here so I don't have to do much searching for them. My beagle has however declared war on them with his rat terrier partner in crimes and having a running war with the squirrels.

[22-rimfire]

Rabbit hunting with a good beagle is pure bliss if there are rabbits around. Enjoyed it more than any other type of hunting and after a couple years of plastering them with shotguns, I switched to 22LR (rifles and handguns) and it is so much fun.

Gut them immediately after you shoot them. Cut with small pocket knife from annus to ribs and sling the guts out. Very easy after you have done it a couple times.

Soak both rabbit and squirrel meat in salt water over night before cooking. It helps to take some of the gameness out not that rabbits are very gamey in the first place. But we always soaked them in a pot (meat cut up of course). You can fry or bake. Good either way.

Enjoy!

[AL9426]

I still can't get over how close the shot was...the snow was pouring (kentucky) and we got 2 shots off but we were startled and missed barely...man it was a letdown.

[mossberg]

How many bites do you get out of a squirrel?

[Sergeant Sabre]

How many bites? I dunno. Two or three squirrels will make stew for two people, though.

[MCgunner]

This is legal in Texas and very productive. After dark, take the truck down the farm roads on your ranch (okay, you need private land). There'll be rabbits out feeding. You pick 'em off in the lights with a good .22. We've enjoyed this here with .22 handguns as well as rifles.

On deer leases I've had, I'd take camp meat about any morning with a handgun, either my .357 K frame loaded with wadcutters or a .22. I've even taken 'em with a snubby .38 Rossi. Easier to find 'em this way if you want MEAT and ain't out there for sport necessarily, but you'd best check rules in your state. In Texas, rabbits, like hogs, aren't controlled as game animals and are legal to hunt at night, from a vehicle, whatever, so long as it's on private property. In fact, during the day, you can hunt DEER from a vehicle, though there has to be a lot of deer before that can be very productive and the cover has to be such that still hunting is viable. Between the two, I'll pick still hunting on foot every time over riding around in a "Texas war wagon". LOL

[hossdaniels]

We always run em with beagles and shotguns. Try boiling them for a hour, before grilling them marinated in italian dressing. mmmmmm. They are also good fried with gravy.

[hopkin]

Oh, you don't "attract" rabbits, you have to get out and find/jump 'em.

You can lure them by hiding in a bush and making a noise like a carrot.

[MakAttak]

You can lure them by hiding in a bush and making a noise like a carrot.


I'm so ashamed...




I actually laughed at that

[MCgunner]

DAMNIT, spilled my coffee. Bwaaaa, ha, ha!

[omcjf]

How many bites do you get out of a squirrel?

The fewer the better is what I like to say.:) Stick with rabbits. They taste much better.

[TreyNC]

For rabbit: cut them into quarters, place in container(zip lock will do), add olive oil, salt , pepper, fresh garlic, and rosemary(key). Let marinate and grill when ready!!

I have found that rabbit is my favorite wild game period.
Too bad my wife wont let me bring them into the house, something about college pets or something.

[MCgunner]

I can't tell the difference in a fried young squirrel and rabbit, personally, far as taste goes. Squirrel are fantastic. You just have to get past the rodent thing. I guess I never thought of 'em as tree rats, just grew up eating 'em.