Originally Posted by MOGC
Here is a cut-n-paste from a post i replied to when asked the same question. I do basically the same as Jim.

The very first thing you do and it is MANDATORY to avoid getting hair on the meat - DIP THE SQUIRREL COMPLETELY IN CLEAN WATER. I take my squirrels to a creek, river, lake, or pond to clean them. I especially like a flowing creek or clear river, the clean fast moving water is nice to wash your knife occasionally and tidy things up. I PROMISE you that if you will submerge the squirrel completely before you begin to clean and use the following method your messed up hairy meat days are over. Dipping the squirrel and using this cleaning method solves the hair problem completely and speeds things up a bunch. A video clip a feller made to look over...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AVwthXgMA&feature=fvw

I do things a little different than the video, DIP THE SQUIRREL! Then I cut through the bone on the underside base of the tail. Just about through the anus is the place. Carefully find the joint in the tailbone and slip the knife blade easily all the way through the bone and cartilage of the tail - but be careful not to cut through the skin and don't slice the tail off. Widen the cut left and right a little bit across the top back of the legs. Doesn't take much, a cut through the tailbone and about 1 1/2" wide is fine. I then step on the underside of the tail up tight against the body and pull the back legs straight upward until the front half is nearly off. Just clear the hide past where you want to cut off the feet and head - it isn't necessary to completely remove the hide and then cut off the head, ect. Then while still stepping on the tail grab that little sliver of hide left on the squirrels belly from the first operation and pull upward on that and you can skin the rear half upward and off in a nano-second. I don't pull the hide completely off the squirrel, I just clear where I need to snip the feet and the head off, then I use game shears to quickly snip the head and front feet off, reverse the squirrel and snip off the hind feet. Using game shears saves the knife edge and keeps it sharp.

Use your knife to gut, a swish or two in the creek helps clean things out. I then use the game shears to snip and separate the four legs and back from the rib section and pitch the ribs. The legs and back go on ice and it is on to the next squirrel. With a little practice you can skin, gut and separate a squirrel completely into cooking/serving size pieces in a couple minutes per squirrel. That cut across the back method just doesn't hold a candle to what I described, not even close.


I have been skinnin' these dudes for years this same exact way.. Works better than any other method known to me.

Every once in a while, when you get an old buzzard that has nuggets the size of Neptune and a cigar in his mouth, you have to struggle a bit more to "undress" him on both ends.. but it usually still works using this method.

dave