Squirrel hunting

[sorny]

I haven't seen many posts on it, but surely theres some other squirrel hunters here. It's all the hunting I do because right now I can't really afford a deer rifle or all the stuff to do it. I can bag quite a few squirrel with the .410 I already own just by getting up in the morning and walking in the woods w/o $200 worth of camo or anything. But I usually give the squirrels away to friends who eat them but would like to skin them and everything myself and cook 'em up at home.

I was wondering though, before I get too deep into it, if a shotgun blast from a .410 with #6.5 shot is going to be a pain to remove from the meat? Am I going to have to pluck out every single bb or does it just depend on the shot? Is this why people usually use 22's for squirrel?

 

[countertop]

Whether you have to pluck the shot out or not is entirely dependent on you.

I prefer not to eat shot (or break my teeth chewing it) so I would. Actually, thats one of the reasons I don't use a shotgun for squirrel. A .22lr works fine, and lord knows you can get them and a box of bulk ammo cheap enough.

Strive for head shots. It makes a quick, easy kill, or if you have a larger caliber rifle, try to Bark the squirrel . . . . hitting the tree right next to him and killing him from the shock waves. Makes for a very clean kill.

Squirrel tastes good, especially in Brunswick Stew. Its nice that you share it with your neighbors, but do yourself a favor and keep some for yourself.

 

[Ol' Badger]

squirrel hunting? Here?

Maybe a few!
Heres a Fox Squirrel w/a Charter Arms .22 I love this little break down .22 It goes in my truck and is very accurate.

 

[sorny]

I had a .22LR (Remington Model 597) but it was stolen a few years ago and I'm really tight for cash right now (thanks to Xmas) but I might just try some conservative shots with my .410 and see what I can do. Maybe try barkin' 'em like countertop said.

I hate eating bones with anything pretty much, would rather just have lean cuts of meat. Trimming the fat is no big deal, but what would be the best way to get the meat from the bone prior to cooking? I've heard of boiling in water until it about falls off the bone then cooking that meat however I wanted.

 

[Swamprabbit]

Yeah, with a .410 you will tend to get more shot staying in the meet. When I use a 12 gauge with #5 shot, I don't have much problems. When shot does stay in the meet, it isn't hard to find and take out.

I ditto the preference for the .22 (actually I use the .22 Mag) but when the leaves are still on, they just aren't as practical as the shotgun.

As for hunting, hey, I'm from KY so I love squirrel hunting. It is also the favorite of my two boys as well - makes for great family fun. In my area, we didn't have any hickory nuts this year so the squirrels started cutting acorns in early August. Back then, we would count 8-10 cutting in a single tree! Now that the acorns are gone, the critters have moved somewhere else and I haven't found them yet.

 

[countertop]

Maybe try barkin' 'em like countertop said.

Dont know if it will work with a .410, but let us know how it turns out.

In my area, we didn't have any hickory nuts this year so the squirrels started cutting acorns in early August. Back then, we would count 8-10 cutting in a single tree! Now that the acorns are gone, the critters have moved somewhere else and I haven't found them yet.

Usual locations were all nutted out early this year. Not sure whats going on, my wife thinks we are gonna get a HUGE winter. Since early summer the squirrels have been busy and by the end of September seemed to have harvested all the nuts and then jumped into other goodies. I'm still searching, but its beena fairly uneventful fall for me. Luckily I can buy food at the grocery store. I'd be real thin If I was dependent on what I shot.

Actually, the only active colony's of squirrels I have really come across are the 3 dens living in 4 trees in my front yard. . . .but the wife won't let me shoot them (and neither, I don't believe, will the local cops).

 

[sorny]

Well, I've got a 12 gauge Mossy 500 that I could use but always thought it'd be overkill and more trouble than its worth, but would using a larger shot on the 12 gauge be better then the .410 using the #6.5 shot I have stocked up? How big is big enough? Would using buckshot tear the critter in pieces? Sure wouldn't be hard to find the shot in the meat then

 

[Flinter]

I love to hunt them.....around here we call them "tree rats".

My weapon of choice is a Remington pump action .410. Mostly I use #4's or #5's. With as small of a payload as is in a .410 you need mass to your pellets. Six's will work, I just have better luck with 5's.

Most of the pellets you will find will be right under the skin. The few that will make it's way into the meat are easy enough to locate. There will be a little red hole in the meat, just dig into it with a small knife and they should roll right out.

I tried to debone squirrel once.........it curled up into little strips while I was cooking it. It was just horrible.

All squirrel should be boiled before you fry it. They are tough little critters and it makes the meat more tender.

Good luck!

 

[Cosmoline]

I am one of Alaska's only squirrel hunters. My time in the deep south addicted me to the practice, and since Alaska has about five million red squirrel I've had no shortage of targets. They tend to be gamey and I've started taking only the smaller females for meat and smoking them over mixed alder and fruit wood. The older male red squirrel are tough as nails. I'm still looking for better ways to cook them as they are such an underused meat source here.

They are so abundant in AK that one fine morning this summer I woke up to chittering outside my shed. Opened the door to see a squirrel barking in a tree about fifteen feet away. Brought out the CZ 452 and bang. Hung it up and went back to bed. Fifteen minutes later, same thing. Then another one after that, and so on until I had gathered a bag of six totally wild squirrel (I have no bird feeder and live in the woods) without having put on my boots.

 

[Mannlicher]

Squirrel hunting remains my favorite type of hunting. In the early part of the season, with the leaves still on the trees, I like a 12 Ga. with #6 shot. In the late season, with most of the trees bare, I switch to a .22 rimfire. For many years, I used a Remington 521t bolt rifle with a Weaver K4 scope. The past few years, I have switched to a Ruger full stocked 10/22, with 4X scope.

 

[Roadkill]

I live in N. Ala hardwoods, damn things are everywhere. I use an Anshutz 1451 .22 with a 6x scope, my dogs help me tree them then keep the occupied till I get a shot. I have a female lab mix that catches them before they hit the ground. They love to eat them. Folks down here skin & dress them then boil them to get the toughness out, debone and make a stew with onions, potatoes, whatever they have, season with garlic and its pretty damn good.

rk

 

[gbran]

Greys in central CA mountains

I hunt quail and squirrel on the same trips. I use a 12 ga for my quail and carry a 22WMR scoped revolver which can take the little beasts at up to 50yds away if I have a good rest. Sometimes I have to use the shotgun if I don't have a good shot with the handgun or if I have to shoot quick. Using 5-7 shot over 25 yds away, you have darn few pellets, if any to dig out. I think a 410 would be just fine except for those really close shots. Of course, a 22 rifle works best on the long shots.

 

[sorny]

Well, I'll try the .410 out the first time and see how it goes. Maybe pick up a box of shells with a little bit bigger shot then I have now. I wish .410 shells were as cheap as 12 gauge!

My wife also said she wasn't cooking squirrel, so it was up to me to do it. That's fine with me as I'm picky about the way my meat's cooked anyways and I enjoy some cooking (bbq'ing and stuff).

 

[MrFreeze]

I've used a 12 ga with #6 and 7 shot...very effective and nearly no shot to pick out of the meat...it is almost all lodged just under the skin, so cleaning them takes care of most shot. You can also get them a bit easier with the shotty over a rifle/pistol, as I've had tons of them jump up real quick when you stumble on them, and it would be impossible to hit them on the run with anything but a shotgun.

That said, I'm going to start with a 22 this year...I think it will be a rewarding challenge.

Travis

 

[Newt]

I almost always use a .22 of some sort to squirrel hunt with. Those grays are the best eatin', but they're sometimes a challenge to kill with a .22. I've used a 20 ga. one time to squirrel hunt with, and it was fun, but just not as fun as pickin' 'em off.

As for cooking them... we've always just cut the legs off at the torso and fried 'em up. If you've got bacon grease handy, that's the best.

 

[sorny]

Ok, now I have a couple of questions about field dressing the squirrels. I've never seen it done but I've read some on it, and tell me if this sounds ok:

I'm going to carry one of those buckets that have the seat top on it (seems like I never can find a downed tree to sit on where I want to rest/watch). I'm going to keep a jug of some water in the bucket, some paper towels, my knife, and some ziplock bags.

Now, I plan to take the squirrel, pour the water all over it (or maybe pour the water in the bucket and slosh it around in there) to keep the hair from flying everywhere, skin it, cut off the legs/head, degut it and it in the ziplock bag, one for each squirrel.

Is that the right way to do it? I know I don't HAVE to do it all out in the field, but normally I've got a few minutes for them to "reset" and start coming back out after a shot anyways, plus I"ve gotten it overwith and don't have to scare the with with squirrel guts on the front porch. I'm just making sure this would be an ok way to do it because I take meat handling VERY seriously and know that if I screw something up that I and everyone else that eats it could get seriously ill. . . and I don't want sh*tty tasting meat either

 

[halvey]

Boy, this thread brings up great memories...

My dad and I used to go with a .410 and a .22. If you need to use the .410, try aiming at the nose and you will get a clean head shot. That's what I do for rabbits and get little to no shot. Besides, if you do hit the rib area, there's not a lot of meat there anyway that will be wasted.

Most squirrel I've had was in stews. Here's a recipe for you:
Boil squirrel until meat falls off bone with 1 bay leave. Use base and add 2 cans of evaporated milk (or cream, or heavy cream). Add 1-2 mroe bay leaves. Add about 6 skinned cut up potatoes, more if you like. Cook slow. Serve in bowl and add a teaspoon bit of vinegar. Don't add the vinegar to the soup while cooking or it'll curdle.

Growing up with a Czech grandma who needed to cook for 13 people in her family, this was a fall staple. I've eaten the above with beans, other vegatables and organ meat like heart and chicken gizzards. But just kind of plain is the best for me.

Hmmm....
I have a couple rabbits I need to do something with, so this may be my weekend project.

 

[gbran]

Sorny

Cut it and then degut it......
Then skin it.......
Then wash it and your hands (just take a gallon jug of water with you).......
Put it in a large baggie......
You can wash it a little better when you get home, then rebag it....

It's no big deal, but if you have a freind to hold onto one end, it's easier, faster to skin.

 

[Swamprabbit]

As for dressing gray squirrells, all I do is, at the middle top of the back, make a large enough cut in the skin to get my fingers into. I then work fingers in from both hands and them pull the skill apart toward each end. I may have to make another cut of the skin at the belly on older squirrels. I then work the legs out of the skin at both ends. Then I only cut off the legs for the meat. This way, I don't have to gut the things and, especially with grays, I'm really not wasting much by not trying to use the back.

What hair that does get on the meat easily washes off.

For cooking, the boiling idea before frying is a good idea because sometimes they do get tough. When frying, I just mix up some flour in a bowl, salt and pepper to suit myself, and add about a heaping tablespoon of corn meal mix. Mix this up well and use this mixture to roll my meat cuts in. I fry the meat in a covered skillet using vegetable oil (bacon grease does taste much better but I do have some family heart problem history to think about ).

My kids love it this way and, actually, my wife likes it too.

 

[sorny]

Thanks for the tips guys! All the cooking ideas are really helpful. But now with my luck I won't bag a single squirrel to try all of this out Might surprise the wife with a squirrel lunch saturday morning if she's up to it. I think I can convince her to try it as long as she doesn't see me ripping a "cute" squirrel apart and tearing the guts out.

 

[Newt]

I skin mine exactly the same way Swamprabbit does. It just takes one cut through the hide on the top of the back just big enough to get your fingers into and then pull in opposite directions. That hide will come off like a sock inside out. There's no need to even worry about gutting one this way. There's no meat to speak of on the back anyhow.

My first squirrel when I was little ended up looking like a hollow torso with legs still attached. My mom, not knowing any better, threw the hole thing in the frying pan and then almost freaked out saying "It looked like a little baby in there, and I'm not cooking any more." This coming from a woman who's father hunted her whole childhood. It's better for you and your wife if you just cut the legs off and go from there.

 

[Ol' Badger]

I do it this way! One slash across the bung and tail meet and I then make cuts around the back legs. I step on said back legs and grab the tail and pull upward. Everything comes right off. Do a wee bit of gutting and wash off and in the frig. About 2 minutes a Squirrel tops.

Note: The heads make for great Dog chew toys too. But my bro's wife gets made when I throw them to her dogs.

 

[Matt G]

I used to hunt them with blowguns. (I lived in the city, and they were thick as hell there.)

Let me tell you right now: A blowgun is not sufficient to stop squirrels reliably. Sadly, I wounded a few before I finally came to that conclusion. I did find, however, that a simple Crossman 760 .177 pellet gun kills 'em effectively. I had some urban Brunswick stew from that pellet rifle.

I've killed squirrels mostly with .22's, though. I've used CCI MiniMags (work well, but more than needed), Stingers (Jelly-maker at the location of the hit), standard velocity (excellent for squirrel), and even crimped-nose rat shot (has to be used within about 15 feet or less). But my favorite squirrel-killing round is the CB Cap. They're quiet, and don't disturb the woods or your neighbors, if you're hunting in suburban or only semi-rural environments. They DO require a careful shot, and they don't shoot as flat as other rifle cartridges. But they're quieter than Shorts, and they will knock 'em down.

With shotguns, I've found that the larger bird shot is best (4 to 6). Oh, a load #9's will certainly work, but you're increasing the number of pellets that are going to be in your squirrel. (In an ounce of #5 shot, there's 170 pellets. In an ounce of #7.5 shot, there's 350 pellets. In an ounce of #9 shot, almost 600 pellets) The bigger shot tends to pass through. Consider, most of those squirrel are probably going to be sitting still when you shoot 'em. You're going to center 'em!

And as a guy who lost his great uncle to an errant .22LR bullet that had been fired into the air about a mile away, I'll beg you: PLEASE make sure you've got tree behind your squirrels when you shoot a rifle! A .22 fired in the air will go almost 2 miles at a surprisingly low angle. You'll possibly never find out about the life you took if it drops into someone else's life, but that doesn't make it any less grim, does it? Pass up shots without a backstop, please. (All the more reason to use a shotgun, I guess, but I like the practice for deer season of using a bolt action rifle and stalking up on 'em.)

 

[Ol' Badger]

Matt G is correct!

I blew 5 darts into a bushy tail once! I had him trapped in a small tree in my yard. I felt bad and I ran inside to grab the rifle and he ran off with 5 darts in him. I felt stupid.

:banghead:

 

[halvey]

Kind of off topic...

When you guys get squirrls or rabbit while "hunting" vs. while say in your yard, do you handle it differently?

If I'm hunting and get a rabbit, I will eat it. If I get one around my place, I let the hawks take it.