Ummmmmmmmm ........ we shoot ours. My Dad and I use a .410.

I use a 20 gage with 2.75" #7.5 shot through a modified choke .

When I was a little tyke, my grandmother used to tell me that if I could get really close I could sprinkle salt on their tails and they would hold still so I could catch them. I spent many, and I mean many hours in her backyard with a salt shaker...LOL.

Ummm...you gotta shoot'em first

I too boil them until tender with a fork. Use the squirrel in cut-up pieces. I find about a cup of cider vinegar in a large boiling pot of water leaves them ready to fall off the bone, and very tender. They are then ready for a quick trip to the BBQ grill with the sauce of your choice, or brushed with beaten eggs, rolled in flour, and fried SLOWLY in a skillet with melted butter. Yum, yum!!

I use a cast-iron dutch oven. It has a heavy lid, and works similar to a pressure cooker, also similar to crock pot only faster. I cut the squirrel up in pieces, dredge in seasoned flour, then brown in the dutch oven. If you're doing a whole mess, take the brown pieces out and set aside as you do more. When all brown, put em all back in, add half a beer, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Others who have responded are correct in that there is a lot of variability with squirrels. Some are very tough, usually older ones, some very tender. Anyway, after simmering until tender, cool and debone the meat. Then add onions, mushrooms, a little more liquid, and make like a stroganoff. It is delicious.

Anything can be made tender and breaded and fried.Just debone it and beat it with one of those meat tenderising hammers.Heck,if they work on aboloney and squid,they will work on anything.

with a .22 or shotgun

i like to soak it in a brine overnight,
basic salt pepper seasonings brine

Parboiling is a sure way to make squirrel tender...Simmer it in water , covered, over low heat long enough and the toughest old squirrel will become tender..

However, my favorite recipe will do the the same thing, and I think the flavor is better than when simmered in water..

Shake the squirrel, skinned and disjointed, in a bag containing flour and whatever seasonings you prefer..I usually use salt, coarse black pepper and poultry seasoning...

Brown the floured pieces in a skillet in a combination of butter and cooking oil..

Place the browned pieces in a single layer in a baking dish...Pour some liquid in the dish to a level of about 1/2 inch deep...I have used wine, beer or chicken broth...Water would be okay too, but I think the other liquids provide better flavor....Slice up a medium onion over and around the squirrel pieces..

Cover the dish with foil and bake at about 300 degrees for about two hours OR until VERY tender.. You may have to add a little liquid if it cooks down too much...When tender ,remove the foil, turn up the heat a bit and let the squirrel brown on top... Thicken the drippings from the baking dish with flour or cornstarch and make gravy..