Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Maddog's 2014 limb chicken thread........

My plans exactly Mike. I haven't gotten any old ones yet, but when they check in, it will be crock pot/pot pie!

Well, I pressure cooked 17 of the old rascals. I let them cool and went to boning them out. There was one in there that after 30 minutes and 10 lbs. of pressure, you still couldn't get the meat off the bone. He went in the waste basket! Coulda made shoe soles outa that ole bastid!


maddog

I soften the older ones separate sometimes. One went three hours once before it gave in and tendered up.

We got some cold weather, but decided to do something different than the Maddog chowder this time.

First squirrels of '14:

That looks good, what is the recipe?

I'll second that, it looks good.

maddog

And I'll second it again. Ended up with 8 gray squirrels Sat. Hoping I can get a few more this week..

Get after em schoolmarm! I hope to get out at least once this week, with my peep sighted 10/22. The weather doesn't look too cooperative.


maddog

Thanks. It turned out pretty good, but it�s no maddog chowder. Don�t really have a recipe, kinda put it together by taste. Simmered the squirrels until they were softening up but not too tender. Took the meat off the bone. Strained the broth, kept about � and added some stock we�d made from turkeys we shot last spring. Put the deboned meat back in the pot, added a little wine, salt, pepper, garlic. Some mini-taters went in about � hour before the end. Onions and mushrooms added for the last 10 minutes or so. And rosemary and thyme from the yard.

8 beats my all time record for a day.

Ella

Ella that sure looks and sounds just too good. Will try that.
Sat, I saw/heard at least 35 squirrels. May not do that well next Sat, will be taking my 4yr old grandson.

I'm jealous of all you all who have your kids to take hunting.

Them limb chickens are definitely in high gear. When I went out this past weekend, you could hear em all gnawing at the pecans and beech nuts, sounded like locusts. Nutshells raining down everywhere. But getting eyes and sights on them was a challenge.

Good luck Sat.

Got these two this morning before 7. It hadn't been daylight enough to see for but around fifteen minutes before spotting them, both males, both in the same tree. They took off running, and each caught a few #5's from my 1 ounce loads.

Grulla 209E 12 gauge

Went hunting this morning. It was beautiful in the woods, although a little breezy. I decided to take my peep sighted 10/22 for it's first run of the year. Hadn't been in the woods more than 15 min., and saw my first one. Took a bit, but I finally got the peep on him. One shot and a red head to boot!




Pretty proud of my self, until I went on and missed two....


Went on, and finally found a barker setting low in a tree. He's a red head too, although it took more than one shot. If I'd taken my scoped Sportster, I'd prolly shot a limit...oh well.

Two for the morning.






maddog

Dagnabbitt, you and Ella killing squirrels and having fun. I get to give 9weeks tests. Last year fo' sho'.

Great squirrel hunting morning. Rained Fri night, quit just before we got in the woods. Very little wind and the limb rats were out in piles. Still too many leaves for .22s, so my son and I carried shotguns. My old trusty m11 Rem 16 came through again. I got 8 grays and my son got 6 grays. Didn't see any fox squirrels. Got back home before 10:00. Next Sat is my sons Bday and he wants Squirrel and Dumplings. Done deal. Leaves are starting to turn and a few falling so I'll be breaking out a .22 soon.

Bah! All these happy hunts and good pictures.

The only good thing to come of this am is this tale. So I figure I might as well share it.

It was the first day of regular gun season for deer on public land, so I thought I�d kill two beasts with two stones and garner a mixed bag. I set up in a spot I figured other hunters would push deer into, had a .22 for squirrels and a .45 colt Blackhawk for the deer. Given how thick the area is and how frequently shots are fast and short range, I�ve done as well with the pistol as a rifle out there the last couple of seasons. I was feeling pretty smug about my upcoming double dip, clever even.

Of course, after an hour and a half of gunshots going off way down the valley and nothing coming my way but a couple dozen scampering squirrels intent on raining beechnut and acorn shells on me, my temper and my equipment, I figured heck, holstered the sidearm and chambered a round in the .22.

At the snick of the bolt snapping back, every squirrel�even that fat little rascal that had been scampering around the tree I was sitting against, at one point giving me the eye from 10 feet away�every squirrel disappears into the thick leaves at the tops of the oaks.

I ease up and start sneaking over to a spot where I have a better view of and a clear shot at the treetops, and a couple of does and a nice little buck come charging out of the bushes about 30 yards downwind of me. They skid to stop. I�m frozen standing in the open with the .22 in my hands. As they wheel around, I try to get the pistol out and on �em. No such luck. I drop the .22 and go charging across the ridge to cut them off but get there only in time to see their white tails disappearing into the heavy thicket along the creek.

Needless to say, the squirrels never reappeared. I stuck around for a couple of hours and spent another hour slow-hunting back to the truck. I got one long shot at a limb chicken way up in a pecan tree and missed.

The moral is something about a squirrel in the hand or venison in the freezer or. Think I�ll start my own Laurel and Hardy show.

Well, bow season is open, but gun season is about 5 weeks away. Took a buddy hunting with me today. He got a free hand shot at one, and missed. I dumbed around and heard five, saw five shot at three, and got two, both head shots. Shoulda had the third, but I shot too quick. Fun day!





maddog

Nice shooting. We don't get those orange colored ones down here. They look like a couple pounds of eating each.

Ella

Went out for a couple of hours this morning. The skinny fryer showed up as I was getting out of the truck. Took four shots to finally get his little noggin. Got the big stew boar in a stand of pecans and beech nuts. Saw a couple of others, but it was gusting wind, and I couldn't keep them in sight to get a shot.

Ive been in and out a lot, so I didn't set the trap.....errrrr I mean the Norman Bates Squirrel Motel until this afternoon. Had one client check in already. That makes five in the freezer....

Ella, nice shootin'

Tom, keep going to get enough for some fall LC chowder!


Been raining here the last 3 days. puts me over 23" of rain since Aug. 21st. Fall harvest is way behind. May not get to hunt til sometime next week.


maddog