squirrel cleaning advice?

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edze

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Well, I just got back from my first "successful" squirrel hunt. Got one, attempted to skin it, and then cried when i lost about half of it.

I tried to skin it in a stream, because I heard you want to get the guts out of it right away to prevent the "gamey" flavor. This didnt' work so well, and I think i got some dirt on the meat.

I think I'm going to do the actuall skinning in a sink from now on, with a clean cutting board and running water. But I'm not very experienced with cleaning game, and was wondering if anyone could give me a run down of how to do it.

Also, is there anything I should watch out for, like diseases? I know how to recognize rabbies, but is there anything that squirrels might have that one needs to be careful of?

Thanks in advance!
 
Well i clean mine from the tail, make a cut just behind the vent all the way threw the tail bone , cut no more of the skin than you have too, then stand on the tail up close to the body, and pull on the back legs it will come rite off, some people skin them from the back, you get hair all over the meat that way, or i did , take them after you gut them and put in a bowl of cold water and let them sit in the frig for 24 hrs, this makes em tender! now you done made me hungry!!!:D *csa*
 
sorry i'm new at this... whats the vent?

And let me see if i got this straight, you skin them first, and then gut them?

Do you just leave all the bones in for cooking them, and eat around them like with chicken?

thanks for the reply too :D
 
The vent is the ****, A hole, or whatever you call it. Skin it first then gut it. The was a great video, I'm thinking on this forum showing it done. Can't find it anymore.

Steve
 
I know just the video your talking about. DIdn't think it was here though. Have been looking for it, thought I had it bookmarked
 
In case the links don't work.

Slice above ****, below tail. Slice the skin along rear of legs. Cut along genitalia. Remove skin from legs. Step on tail, pull body up. Cut away skin from body, peeling it like a sock you were unrolling from your foot. Pull skin off front legs, cut off head. Slice open ribcage and abdomen CAREFULLY. CAREFULLY split pelvis. Remove innards, genitalia, etc. by pulling down and out. Cut off feet.

This is my simple attempt to describe the process. Photos are better, but this should help some, in case you can't follow the description. Use a sharp knife with a short, narrow blade, and make as many cuts as you need to. Make them shallow anytime you're entering the body cavity.

Squirrel is GOOD eating. Best of luck.
 
Also, is there anything I should watch out for, like diseases? I know how to recognize rabbies, but is there anything that squirrels might have that one needs to be careful of?
Click to expand...

You probably already know what a healthy squirrel look like. When you hunt and clean them you will get an idea of what everything looks and smells like. I would avoid anything out of the ordinary. If the animal looks unhealthy, patches of missing fur, anything way off in color or smell, just don't eat it. The first time I went quail hunting, I shot a quail and it had white cloudy eyes, and according to my dad and his friend it smelled different. How should I know, I never smelled quail before. We all agreed it was probably not wise to eat it.
 
thanks for all the great responses guys, they all help a ton.

I'll update with the recipe I use later, once I get some more of em on tuesday :D

happy hunting!
 
The secret to tender fried squirrel, and there ant nothing better, is to fry them real slow with low heat, just sort of sizzling.

Another great way to enjoy squirrel is to boil them until tender in water seasoned to your taste and wonce they are tender add rice and continue boiling until rice is done. UMMM!.
 
Good video, but that really isn't the way I've always done it.

I prefer to slit the belly open, take the guts out, then cut off all four feet and the head. Then I'll pinch up some fur on his back right in the middle and make a cut there, and then get your knife under his hide and roll the cut around both sides until it reaches the incision where I emptied his guts out. Kind of making a ring around the squirrel, so to speak.

Then I just roll the fur back in each direction from that ring, grab one side in each hand, and pull both ways. Hide comes off in two big pieces, about as slick as you could hope for.
 
one more question:

what do you do with the skin and guts? Put em in a ziplock and pack em out, or is it alright to just bury it?
 
Good video. That's how I've always done it up until the point he pulls the front legs and head out. At that point, I usually leave them attached and cut them off with a knife on the neck and by the feet. Then, you will have a little fur on both the back legs remaining. You can pull that back towards the feet and cut off at the ankles/feet. At that point, you have a squirrel body with head and 4 feet cut off. Slit the stomach and pull the guts out.

I then will rinse off the meat in the sink and let soak in a bowl of saltwater (3-4 cups water and teaspoon of salt) for an hour or so. I forget the reasoning for the soak besides that's the way my dad taught me. I think it has something to do with sterilizing the meat or tenderizing it.

sorry i'm new at this... whats the vent?
Click to expand...
:D When I saw CSA 357 refer to it as the "vent", I knew you were going to ask what the "vent" was. I'm still laughing at that.

what do you do with the skin and guts?
Click to expand...
I usually just tossed them aside and let the family dog or scavengers get them. I used to cut the tails off and tack them on a board by our garage too.
 
If you know someone who ties their own flies for flyfishing, offer them some of the hide/tail. I used to know a guy who claimed that certain lures really worked well when made with squirrel hair.
 
ha, well happy to entertain.

I think I'll still pack the guts out, since I'm hunting in a public area at the moment, with lots of hikers. Maybe chucking them a good bit into the woods would work though.

thanks for all your help guys, going hunting again tomorrow! clear day, high around 60, low winds... should be great :D
 
'Card

thats how i was taught also, kinda like takin off his pajamas.
guess that proves there more than one way to skin a sqrl.
 
Guts and skin can be buried or left on the ground (if on private land). I hunt with beagles, and they like the taste of squirrel innards. Don't let dogs get a skin, though--they'll swallow it whole and choke.
 
my squirrel experiance

for squirrels, i do the following:
1. shoot them, head shot usually.
2. put them in a breathable bag of some sort to allow them to cool.
3. when i finally get my limit i either find a stream or take them home
and get a bucket of water.
4. i get the squirrel good and wet to mat down the fur to keep it off the meat
5 i cut off the head, tail, and all four paws.
i cut a 1-2 inch tear in the back of the squirrel accross the spine. i then take the two sides of the cut and pull hard in both directions and peel off the skin from front and rear of the squirrel.
6. once skinned, gut and clean the insides.
7. next cut into quarters and either prepare for cooking or store the meat in a baggy in freezer.
8. Cooking: find a large glass casarole dish, lay the squirrel peices in it close together. mix up a small bowl of butter/margarine with Red Hot or Tabasco sauce, pepper and any other spicy spices you like. bake them at 375 for 40-50 minutes, basting the squirrel every 5 minutes, turn the peices half way though cooking.
9. enjoy and eat like hotwings with beer and nachos.
-Eric
 
Skinning a Squirrel

I've watched my Dad do it a hundred times and the first thing he would do was to skin the squirrel. He would start by cutting the skin on the back and make a circle around the squirrels body. Then He'd pull the skin towards the head first and then towards the tail, kind of like pulling a coat over your head with out unbuttoning or unzipping it. When he got all the skin to the neck and front legs with out completely pulling it off he'd cut off the head and the front feet and do the same with the back feet and tail. then he'd gut the squirrel and wash it out with cold water and if it was for dinner he'd get the skillet going, if not it went into a baggie in the freezer. Hope this helps.....Jerry
 
I cut a small hole in the back stick in a couple of fingers and pull. When you get to head,tail,or paw cut it off.slit the belly and dump everything out.






one shot one kill
 
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