Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game 2023 Squirrel Season

They're too damned tough to just cook them without tenderizing. At least to me. I soak them in a freezer bag full of salt water for half a day, then in some water and vinegar for a couple hours. I usually put them whole on the grill and baste them with some olive oil and seasoned with garlic salt. Or just BBQ them on the grill like a piece of chicken. Or cut off the meat and my wife will throw them in a pot pie crust with veggies and make a pot pie. The latter is my favorite but probably the way I do it the least. Just about any way you cook chicken you can cook these. IMO, the trick is to get them tenderized first.

I've tried butter milk for tenderizing but butter milk seems very harsh. I ruined a few by making them completley unapetizing after taking them out of butter milk and seeing the mess it made.

I am going to head out tomorrow. It's supposed to be cool and dry and sunny. I'm taking my .410 this time.

Hey 10glocks, have you ever tried a crock pot for squirrel? I have not, but the squirrels out here are tender enough for me. Alan

Got out this afternoon with the HW100S; the wind was blowing some making it hard to see movement in the trees and there was a lot of little birds hopping around harvesting acorns too but I managed to get three. Not great pictures as it was dark thirty.

I have tried a crock pot. Just not in t long time. May have to try that again.

I went out today a few hours. The woods are still green and only the very tops of the tallest trees are showing any signs of color change. It was in the mid 70s toady and humidity was low, but the mosquitoes were out in force. And those big Ord Weaver spiders are everywhere.

I only ended up with two, again. And they were kinda small. There was some activity early in the morning but by about 10:30 am of so, it was pretty quiet. Saw a few more out in the distance, and it was pretty clear they were active in the tree tops, but with the understory so thick, it's hard to see up high. We need our first frost to get the leaves falling and to kill off the mosquitoes.

First blood for my new Browning BPS .410.





I killed these with #6 3" rounds, and it made me remember why I hate anything smaller than #4 for squirrels. I shot the first one at about 15 yards and he was so peppered with shot all four legs were broken. Luckily, most of the shot passed through.

What choke on the 410??

The standard FULL that came with it.

I haven't used a shotgun in a while. I loaded my own shells, 12 gauge, one ounce of fives at 1165 fps. All pass throughs and low recoil in my double. I hate shot in the meat too.

I like #5's for squirrels for that very reason, less shot in the shell and it passes completely through so there is less shot in the meat. I have a little 1968 Beretta 20 gauge SxS 28" choked Mod & Full that should be a squirrel-killing machine. Just for kicks, I'm going to take it out the next time I go.

That's one sweet looking shotgun, MOCG.

No 5's are excellent, that's all my late Dad used for squirrels. He used No 6's for rabbits.

That is a sweet double....

Tip!----Don't shoot squirrels at 15 Yds!!!

Hip

Wife made a squirrel pot pie yesterday afternoon.

It can be done with a tight shooting gun and holding out just on the tip of the squirrel's nose when broadside. Only the edge of the tightly clustered ball of shot will hit the squirrel in the head. Shot like that, the squirrel won't have any shot in the body. Gotta be broadside though, otherwise, you'll blow the heck out of them.

Dang, that looks good!

Yes it does ! I need to try that .

I LOVE me some squirrel pot pie..I make a couple every year.

Man that pot pie looks good. I haven’t had squirrel pot pie in years, might have to look that up. When I take a shotgun I use low brass #4’s. Pretty much same for rabbit. As others said, less pellets and they are bigger so tend to pass through.

The pot pie do be looking mighty fine!
Yesterday eve hunt..

👍👍👍👍

What are the details on the rifle and scope?