Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Does one type of squirrel taste better than another?

I watched those video's about skinning, it appeared they were demonstrating on squirrels shotgunned. If you try that on one body shot with a .22 you most likely will end up with a gutty mess.

I occasionally shoot squirrels in the chest and they still skin out just fine with the tail-pull method.

My apologies, I shouldn't have commented on the tail pull method. It looks like a pretty neat way to skin one.

I've always used the pinch the hide in the middle of the back slice through for a finger hold, and pull in opposite directions method.

Tree squirrels taste like steak. Ground skwirls taste like hamburger. Hence the 'ground'......



See?.......

Ok ground squirrels are offically off the list

Not a burger guy, huh?....

Actually, I prefer the Ribeye Squirrel, griled medium well, with baked Sweet Potato and Salad.

I sometimes get Grey's and Fox out of the same woods - often wondered about crossbreeding occurring between them- never tasted any noticable differance. Any more they all go into the crock pot- got tired of TOUGH squirrel. I've been told that squirrels fattened on walnuts get a distinct and favorable taste to the meat.

So why not ground squirrels. They're grass fed. The only tree squirrels we have here are reds and they are tough and tiny. I ate them a couple of times when I was a kid. Then I figured out I am really allergic to them and rabbits so I quit hunting both.
pete

I have had Red Squirells in Washington State, somewhat gamey flavor but good.

Young grey (cat) squirrels and fox squirrels are delish chicken fried or grilled or roasted over a campfires coals.

For a change, try browning the quarters or venison steaks in lard in a skillet, then put the pieces in a covered cooking dish with 1/4 inch of water in the oven at 350 for 45 min or until the meat falls off the leg bone.

"Ground" squirrel is what you get with Stingers or similar. Or shotgun with full choke at ten yards.....

We have gray and.fox here. Fox are bigger and tougher but I think they taste better. takes a little longer simmering for them to be tender.

Depends on what they’re cutting. I’m a big time,, long time squirrel hunter; grew up in the Mississippi Delta hunting fox squirrels in river bottoms and hardwoods. Never killed a gray until I hunted in the hills. Ever eat a squirrel that been cutting cypress balls?You can taste the cypress ball in the meat. Or a grey that been eating young pine cones? Same gummy turpentine like taste to me. Fox squirrels have large musk glands under the armpits you gotta remove or they taste musky, especially the males. Young greys taste the best to me. I guess I just have a discerning palette. Being southern, I grew up on good cooking and real fast food- deer, rabbits, squirrels,ducks, and doves. They all run or fly fast!

Fox or grey eat better than pine squirrels or Aberts

Most of ours here are gray and I love them fried. Have any of you ever tried them in the crockpot? I wonder if that would work well.

Guys in Idaho used to call a small ground squirrel Picket Pins. What exactly are they?

We have fox and Grey's.

Best ones are those killed at season opener in late May. Those that have a tail bigger than their body are the young of that spring and are very tender.

younger gray squirrels are succulent they are the finest eating ,regular gray squirrels are good , fox squirrels are good but tougher , red squirrels taste terrible .

I have learned that if I boil the meat for 20 minutes or so before I fry it that i can tell zero difference between a Fox or Grey squirrel but if not that a Fox squirrel is generally tougher...The best eating squirrel IMO is like many on this thread have already stated ....nothing beats a young grey squirrel....Hb

Sometimes even the gravy is tough with a fox squirrel