No crows today but got a couple squirrel

ADVWannabee · 01-29-2011, 02:17 PM

Well today is the last day of small game season. I made a sweep for squirrels this morning, saw three but didn't get any shots. I turned my attention to crows, as you can see in my other post, but didn't get any of those either.

I almost didn't go hunting this evening but decided to do it. I am glad I did. I got these two squirrels, missed a third one and didn't get a shot at a fourth one. The owl I saw this morning was still in the same spot this evening.

I hate to even mention it, but it was a real gun battle for the first squirrel. He was high up and apparently shotguns don't work well very far. I am using a 26" Ruger O/U 12 guage with I/C and MOD chokes. I nicked the squirrel a couple times before I finally brought him down. I must limit myself more next time.

7.62NATO · 01-31-2011, 06:15 AM

I killed a couple of squirrels that day too. Actually, today is the last day of small game season, but I'm at work. Anyway, it was my first time out for squirrels this season, and the first time I had taken my CZ 452 (22LR) out hunting. Man, that gun is a tack driver. I got squirrel #1 at 25 yards in the head. Despite the fact that his eyes popped out of his head, he lived for at least 30 seconds. Squirrel #2 was a 45 yard shot in the vitals. He was on the ground and stood up for me. I should have killed two more, but one I couldn't see b/c my cheap Simmons scope fogged up, and the other I missed because I didn't have time to take off my thick gloves and squeezed the shot off before I was ready.

This is only the second time I have been squirrel hunting. I went one time for a couple hours last January but never saw a squirrel.

So does anyone eat any part of the body? After skinning them, I noticed most of the meat was on the legs, and that bodies didn't really have much on 'em at all. I fried up the legs and one of the bodies, but I didn't eat the body b/c I really couldn't find any meat on it.

By the way, I WISH I had some shots at crows, but I can never get close enough to 'em. I HATE those birds. During deer season, I think that I hate squirrels...until the crows come out and dominate the soundscape. Kill 'em all, I say!

ADVWannabee · 01-31-2011, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7.62NATO

This is only the second time I have been squirrel hunting. I went one time for a couple hours last January but never saw a squirrel.

I use to squirrel hunt a lot until I got into deer hunting. Now I spend all fall deer hunting. I forgot how much of a blast (pun intended) squirrel huting is.

I must find a way to do more of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7.62NATO

So does anyone eat any part of the body? After skinning them, I noticed most of the meat was on the legs, and that bodies didn't really have much on 'em at all. I fried up the legs and one of the bodies, but I didn't eat the body b/c I really couldn't find any meat on it.

I skin them like the video shows in the sticky thread at the top of this forum. I use to skin them the hard way until I found this video. Once skinned, I quarter them and only keep the 4 legs. Like you said, there isn't much meat anywhere else. Here is what a plate full looks like.

7.62NATO · 01-31-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADVWannabee

I use to squirrel hunt a lot until I got into deer hunting. Now I spend all fall deer hunting. I forgot how much of a blast (pun intended) squirrel huting is.

I must find a way to do more of it.

I skin them like the video shows in the sticky thread at the top of this forum. I use to skin them the hard way until I found this video. Once skinned, I quarter them and only keep the 4 legs. Like you said, there isn't much meat anywhere else. Here is what a plate full looks like.

Yeah man, squirrel hunting is a blast!! I didn't think it would be all that fun, but I had a great time. Too bad my time out was limited...I would have done it all day! I like the fact that I don't have to worry about the wind, and that I can sneak through the woods with less caution than with deer hunting. But still, despite how much fun it was, I dunno if I could give up a day of deer hunting to go out for tree rats. If I could hook up with a silenced .22 and subsonic ammo, I might be tempted to pick off squirrels while waiting for deer.

I imagine spring squirrel hunting is quite a bit different with all the leaves on the trees and probably very little mast left on the ground. The majority of squirrels I saw were on the ground or near it. I bet spring hunting is pretty tough, and you probably can't pull it off with a 22.

That's what my cooked squirrel looked like. Tasty, but I wish I had let it age for a week in the fridge. I did not care for the texture (a bit too chewy), and the squirrels seemed quite young. Glad to know I wasn't wasting anything by tossing the bodies.

ADVWannabee · 02-01-2011, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7.62NATO

That's what my cooked squirrel looked like. Tasty, but I wish I had let it age for a week in the fridge. I did not care for the texture (a bit too chewy), and the squirrels seemed quite young. Glad to know I wasn't wasting anything by tossing the bodies.

I am no expert, but the way I cooked my squirrel they were tender. I boiled it for 15 minutes then rolled it in a flour/spice mixture and pan fried it in olive oil. My grandmother use to do that with chicken and it was tender as can be. My squirrel was too. You might need to increase the boil time for more than 1 squirrel.