Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Need help from avid squirrel hunters

It seems there are some folks out there who really love there squirrel hunting. When I was a youngin' me and a friend shot a couple, skinned them and handed them to mom. Mom, while raised on rabbit and venison, was not the best wild game cook. She put the whole skinned squirrels on a foil lined cookie sheet, covered in Bar-B-Q sauce and threw them in the oven. Havent shot a squirrel since.

I noticed while deer hunting this year, Im over-run'd with squirrels and there is no ravenous 12 year olds with .22's to keep them in check, so flirting with the idea of taking my 6 year old daughter out for some mid-day squirrel hunting. So...whats the secret for those who like to eat them? Was thinking about trimming the meat off and making a good stew similar to the rabbit stew I make (Celery, Onion, rice, etc.) Ideas?

If they're young, they're generally tender, and can be battered and fried like chicken. If they're older, they can be tough and chewy, and it's better to stew them or use a pressure cooker. My grandmother liked to stew them for hours with various seasonings. She'd end up with tender, pink meat and a delicious gravy that she spooned over rice. I tried grilling them, but the meat is too lean and dries out.

How do you fry them? Quartered?

Two front legs, two back legs and the saddle, or lower meaty portion of the back. No ribs... Check YouTube, there are lots of squirrel cooking videos there with some pretty decent recipes.

What MOGC said.

And one more time. Gotta have gravy and HOMEMADE biscuits..

When I was a kid in PENN I would hunt squirrels with a rifle and give them to my Grandma and she would cook them until the meat fell off the bones and she would make patties out of it. Would give a large sack of money to have those days again.

My favorite squirrel recipe is Ted Nugent's "Limbrat Etouffee", which I've tweaked a bit over the years. I make a BIG crockpot of it every year and take it to work (gun shop). Never bring any home. It's pretty time consuming to thoroughly bone the 5 or 6 squirrels I put in it, but it is worth the effort.

Thanks will check Youtube and the Nuge's recipe.

Quarter,roll in flour salt and pepper, fry on medium heat in butter. Make gravy , eat with potatoes or biscuits. NOTHING better!

Squirrel and dumplings are an old staple too, for the older, tougher ones. miles

That looks pretty good ingwe. Took my daughter out for about 45 min today before she got cold. None spotted, cold and windy. Have another go at it next weekend. Need a good sunny day I think. Buggers were everywhere in archery season.

I ve got lots of memories hunting red fox squirrels in Missouri with my grandfather's single shot 22. Nothing is more sporting for a kid to hunt than tree squirrels! The grey's were fun also, but there was always something special outsmarting a red foxe squirrel. Ingwe's pan brings back good memories....

Lot's of good ways to fix squirrels. For the young ones, fried is always awesome.....








with gravy......








so is squirrel pot pie......





sometimes corn bread with it is good.....









maddog

Here is a link to the thread about squirrel chowder, or as I like to refer to it as "organic limb chicken chowder"....

Great way to use up old squirrels, after you pressure cook them and de bone.


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...94/Fantastic_squirrel_recipe#Post6855994


maddog

Ketchup on the gravy? Really?


Skwerl pot pis is good.....

Don't knock it til ya tried it......sweet baby ray's works good too....



maddog

Give me hell about ketchup, never had squirrel pot pis s.....just sayin'.......



maddog

I feel stupid now.....

All the classics have been covered. I always sort the young fryers from the taco/stew senior citizens.

If you're camping or have a backyard fire pit, try this method. Once you get them dressed, drizzle with a little vegetable or olive oil, salt well, stick a garlic clove in the cavity, and wrap in foil with a twig of rosemary. Toss the package in the fire. Once you hear it sizzling, hold out as long as you can--longer for the old ones. Rolling it around with a stick can't hurt. Unwrap and gnaw off the bones.

Ella