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RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Squirrels are darn good eating, not only is it unethical to kill something just to leave it lay, its also illegal.Wanton waste of game!!!!

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

trapper dave said it all !!!!
if you are not going to eat it,don't shoot it.squirrels are game also.there are a lot of hungry people in this country,so don't waste there food.be it crows,or squirrels. crows are good to eat also.

if you need pratice, go to the range and punch paper.

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Hello, As I've posted under other topics here on hunting.net, I'm newly licensed and awaiting the N.J. squirrel season opener Sep. 28 and my first day afield as a hunter. But I believe I already have something to offer you and it's possibly important: Simply this;
If this is a "practice hunt" for you, and you will move on to deer and expect to eat them, Have you considered what it might be like to gut and skin your own game animal? I expect that for me at least, the most difficult adjustment I will have to make in becoming a hunter will be retrieving that first dead squirrel and sticking in that gutting knife. Shooting the squirrel? no problem, it's a target and I'm a long time gun owner. Cooking and eating that squirrel? I don't expect a problem as I've eaten supermarket meat 'most all my life. Skinning and gutting it? HEY... I'm from New Jersey and from the more urban areas as well. I've never had to do THAT!!! Noone in my family hunts! And I will even admit that I'm a bit less macho that some of you real guys out there.
I don't know if when I try to gut that first squirrel or two, I might experience the type of revulsion that will send me scampering back to the indoor pistol range shooting paper and eating pre-killed animal flesh at the McDonald's next to the range, or, if I might easily deal with it and go on to be a regular hunter. But I do know that if I'm not sucessful and I abandon my first kill or two because I can't handle the gutting, I will not shoot any more animals and I have only wasted a small animal as opposed to a large one like a deer.
My opinion: Don't eat that squirrel if you don't want to BUT DO gut it and clean it and bring the meat out. Give it to someone who will eat it or even to a hungry dog. Even if you are hunting with others who will process your game for you, there will come a day when you will wish you could do it yourself. (I'm obviously assuming you have never done this either)
Good luck!
May your game bag always be full...
BB

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Good points IAMBOB. I'm also a VERY new hunter. Went hunting for the first time three weeks ago. Tx dove opening day.

I too have never gutted or cleaned ANYTHING!! I went to the gun store today to find a book on how to do clean game... and how to cook it... I'm used to the microwave generation and it didn't matter how many feathers I pulled off the bird I still couldn't find the directions. heheh... Fortunately, I was with another hunter who got tired of my inefficient method of 'cleaning' the bird... grabbed it from me.... and promptly ripped the breast out and threw it back to me.

This weekend however, it's going to be significantly different. It's only going to be me and my 11 yo son. [He's never cleaned and gutted anything either.] So it looks like it's going to be a trial by fire for BOTH of us. I can't back down from the gutting because I don't want him to think I can't.... he won't back down from the gutting because he doesn't want me to think he won't... <img src=icon_smile_8ball.gif border=0 align=middle>

I think I can manage based on what that book said on how to clean it without destroying the carcass too badly. But WHEN do you clean it? Right after you shoot it? If not right then - what do you carry it around in? And what do you do with the meat? How long will it last before it spoils? How can you tell??








<img src=icon_smile_8ball.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_8ball.gif border=0 align=middle>

Houston, TX

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Hi JC-1, Hopefully the more experienced people will jump in and help us, but here is what I'm hearing and learning so far;
Carrying game: Some folk use &quot;game bags&quot; or &quot;game vests&quot; inquire at your local sport store. However, Some folk leave game exposed, tied to or pierced on a stick or pike or something like that (after gutting) to help it cool down. I'm told that dissipating the natural body heat is very important to preserve a good taste in the meat. Here in NJ, they want us to keep our harvested animals out of sight when possible to avoid offending non-hunters.
I'm also told that gutting the game as soon as possible, especially when you think you have hit the animal in the stomach or intestines or pierced the urine bladder etc, will mean a better tasting meal. If you don't gut and clean asap, the meat will be basicly &quot;marinating&quot; in urine and feces and will be more &quot;gamey&quot; tasting.
Of course you will be hunting birds and different rules might apply? but I'm sure there are accomplished hunters out there that will soon post here.
Good hunting! Safety first!
BB

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Squirrels are pest? If you don't want to eat them don't shoot them. You just want to shoot something, is that it? Try a peice of paper or a clay target. Don't waste them. At the very least give them away.

Guns cause crime, like flies cause garbage.

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Here's my advice on when to clean,skin,etc. With squirels, skin them first (2 inch slit across center of back, insert first two fingers of each hand and pull-one towards head one towards tail. when you get to the wrists,wack em off along with the head. You now have a naked squirrel minus head and feat, now slit open from stem to stern and pull out the guts n such, rinse and soak overnite in pan of salt water in frig, now cook or freeze in freezer bags)..If its really warm when you are hunting skin and gut on the spot,put in freezer bag and put in a cooler of ice(the small igloo cooler you use to take your lunch to work are great-take a couple pops in and bring the squirrels out) when you get home,rinse,soak,freeze. You will find its easier to skin right after the kill. Hope this helps,good luck-good eating-good day <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

So do you carry the cooler around with you? Or wait until you get back to camp possibly hours later?

We'll be hunting this saturday in Houston. It'll be prolly in the 80's. So is that an instant gut issue or can it wait?

Houston, TX

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

take the cooler with you, might want to camo it,an old camo t-shirt will do in a pinch. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

[Deleted]
 

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RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Outdoorsman: You would eventually have some very fat and lazy scavengers!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> (I'm laughing in my mind about a crow too full of squirrel to take off...LOL! Crow is thinking: &quot;Now I know why they called him 'Rocky'!!&quot;)

Trapper: Thanks! sounds good to me, do you frequently find you accidentally puncture the stomach or bladder when gutting this way? If so, is it a problem assuming I follow your method? (maybe the salt water takes care of it?)<img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>

One last comment: I'm still wondering if Outdoorsman has ever done gutting yet...in 36 hours or so if all goes well I will be....<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>
BB

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Good luck guys. It's kind of refreshing to read posts by honest new-be hunters. Please don't be shy about asking any questions you may have. There is lots of good advice here - but remember to gather all the info. you can and digest it for a while. Throw out some and keep some of the info.. Only time and experience is better than our advice. Have fun and hunt safely.

Elsie
&quot;Downsize government - all government!&quot;

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

man tree rats(squirrells) are some good eating! i wouldnt kill them for fun...to me i think thats unethical to take somethings life and leave it lay there....i myself killed geese...pheasants...chuckars(raised in pens for dog practice my friend took me to hunt once) i had no wil to eat any of them....i wanted to eat the pheasant but nobody else would eat them but me so i didnt make them because i didnt know if id like them and couldnt finish them....so i came home with them...cleaned them and put them in the frezzer and my dad took them all to a guy he knows at work that loves wild game...i suggest you do something of the sort instead of killing them and leaveing them lay...maybe poking it with a stick but still just wasting it...tree rats arent really pests...they can do some damage but nothin major at all...IAMBOB...good point about cleaning the game and them trying to swallow it thinking about how it was once running around eating on a tree limb until u blasted it...just that thought keeps people from hunting...and more people from eating their game...thats something for all new hunters to think of....good luck...if u dont want the meat find someone in the area that does or contact the game commision...PA has a program for hunters willing to help the needy...your state might...if not ask around if someone wants some squirrells that are cleaned and skinned and ready to be cooked....hmmm i cant wait to eat some rats!

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Leaving squirrels lay is just wrong no matter what way you slice it. They are very good table fare and if you are just out to shoot things, then that doesn't say much for you. Shoot crows or groundhogs that are more readily accepted as being inedible. There has to be someone that will take them off your hands rather than leaving them lay.

And for all you new guys, good luck this season I hope all works out well for you. One never knows how they will feel after killing thier 1st animal, sorrow to elation, or a little of both.

Some things are true whether you believe them or not.

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Whatever you decide, don't leave them in the woods. If you do that, then you have no business being out there in the first place. Find someone that will take them, and do it before you go out hunting.
I have some family members that will eat deer and turkey, but won't eat squirrel or rabbit (they are non-hunters). So I will boil the squirrel/rabbit until it is done, peel the meat off the bone, then make a big batch of pork BBQ and toss the squirrel/rabbit meat in. They never know the difference.

--Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs--

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Whew... WHATADAY!!!

Saw 3 squirrels!! Took 2 shots - bagged 2!!

I told my son - 'There he is... right there! Shoot!@!'
He raises his .22 - 'Where?? Where?? I don't see him.'
'Right there. In the tree on the right. Near the top. See where my gun is pointed?'
'Geesh Dad. You sure there's one there? I don't see him.'
**KA-BLAMO** goes the 12gauge. 'Right there.'
'Oooohhhhh that tree.' says my son as the squirrel does a swan dive from the top of the tree.

And WOW!!! Those little male squirely's have got some HUGE DADGUM EQUIPMENT!! My first thought was - 'Geee.. that's a funny place to store acorns.'


On a side note... was talking with a few hunters last night in the camping area... there were all friendly and stuff until they found out I was very new to hunting. <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>

In the USMC - they taught us how to put 10 outa 10 rounds in an area the size of a man's chest at 500M. They just didn't follow up those classes with instructions on how to gut them. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> If I can see it - I can hit it... If I can hit it - I can kill it.... If I can kill it - Then WTF do I do?? hehe...


What did I learn today??
<ul>[*]Skinned, gutted, and cleaned both of our kills. And the hints on here made it a WHOLE lot easier... Thanx guys. [*]GPS's are wonderful inventions.[*]The shortest path through the woods is not always the easiest.[*]Two boxes of shotfun shells in your pocket is overkill for squirrel.... and heavy...[*]Orange is not my most flattering color.[*]Motocross folks are generally CRAZY!!![*]Saw my first 8pt buck in the wild.[*]Saw my first deer rub and bedding area.[/list]
Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!!



Houston, TX

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

id say you did great your first day out hunting! took me a long while to learn the shortest way is almost NEVER the smartest...ive gotten poison ivey allover my body...had to walk through giant puddles while dad was nice and dry and still beat me...had to back out because i could never get through....bust a giant patch of jagurs or cross a creek my waders couldnt handle so the jagurs got hte best of me....and a gps can be good...but you were in the marines what do you need one for? a compass should do you good i would think...but gps sounds great i may get one even though im being trained little by little on navigationg with a compass....and seeing an 8pt and knowing what a ruband bedding area looks like and finding them is great! hope you and your son have a good time in the great outdoors...me and my dad do!

mauser06

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

JC-1: Congradulations to you and your son! My first day went with out a shot but at least I got up and got started. More on my first day over on the squirrel season opener topic thread.
I enjoyed your post!
BB

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Mauser - A GPS makes land nav sooooo much easier! :-) The topo maps and the aerial photos I found were 20+ years old and quite outdated. Anyways - it was easier to walk an extra 10 miles looking for a landmark or recognize the terrain when I was in my 20's. Now I'm older & wiser [not to mention lazier] and can afford to cheat with electronics. hehe.... Got a compass in my emergency kit but as long as the GPS works...

I assumed that what we found was a bedding area. It was about 10a and I had FINALLY gotten my son to stop stepping on every damned branch he saw. <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle> He got the hand signals down and we were communicating just fine!!! Step.. step.. step.. look and listen.... I'm scanning the trees on the right and he's scanning the trees on the left...

The instead of making a click noise with his mouth to get my attention to give me a signal - he hollers out 'DAD!!!!' I turn my head ready to chastize him for noise discipline and 'WOW!!' THERE'S A SHOOTER!!! Geeesh...and there he goes... and that buck could reallllly run FAST through all that brush! <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

We went to where we saw him so I could mark the spot on my GPS to transfer to the map later and that's when we noticed the depression in the grass on the ground like he'd been laying there. Gun season in Texas doesn't start until 11/2. So, I figured a buck that big on a WMA must be smart cuz he's sticking to the outa da way places. So we started looking for his water and food areas. Well, we were on a squirrel hunt so looking for acorns was kinda dual purpose. hehe..

We then found a trail WAYY back in the bush and a rub when we were walking towards some oaks we saw in the distance. About 20m past that we found a little creek and our first squirrel of the day!! WOHOO!!

Marked 'em all on the GPS and just now marked it on the map. Looking at it I think he's been sticking to the low brush covered depressions for both his food and water.

I think one more trip to scout out the area between the two places and I can find a good ambush spot. Where we found the signs there was nothing but solid brush and no good lanes of fire. Of course we'll thin the nut eatin' squirrel population a bit while we're there. hehe... Gotta leave the food so that buck will hang around for a month or two more.

On a more technical note. What sounds to squirrels make?? We were stalking what we thought was a squirrel only to scare off some damned bird. The squirrels we saw were quietly munching on nuts and not making any noise - well, except for the *THUMP* sound they made when they hit the gound. hehe.. We spotted them from the movement and when they rustled the leaves. If we knew what to listen for - we prolly coulda gotten more.




Houston, TX

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

the spot u described sounds like how me any my dad hunt...only if theres shooting lanes we dont hunt there...too open for us lol...the way we hunt a 50yd shot is long! most are about 20...sounds like the area was clear cut or is just all bush....our areas are usually clear cuts that grew up and we see atleast 5 big bucks a year back there not in season because they dont have to come out of htat brush so they arent killed...smart deer!...them tree rats kinda bark at you...a real deep like weezie bark...if you walk slow looking and listening you will hear them barking before you see them usually...walk a bit farther in its direction and sit and wait...shoot him and maybe his friend or 2 and move 50-100yds or until you see or hear another or find an area they just HAVE to be in...good luck!

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

Hunting squirrels is a high point in my life. I was brought into the hunting world at 5 years old with my Dad and Uncle Roy, and today I am 52, and still get the squirrel fever every season. I have brought my son up the same way, at the same age and he is 30 and still go every season.
Now my opinon on any kind of hunting live aniamals, is if you are going to eat it, then if it is legal then take it. But dont ever just shoot an animal, and throw it away. That is a total waste of life.
Have you ever watched Ted Nugent on the outdoor channel on Tuesday night? Try it you might like it. He and his wife run the show, and I think he would roll over in his grave if he knew people just shoot animals for practice and then throw them away. Try a shooting range for Gods sake. Or go skeet shooting.
This is all my opinon I have on this topic
Swampchopper

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

ALLWAYS EAT WHAT YOU KILL OR DONATE IT TO A GOOD CAUSE.
It is unethical.

Squirrel Master

RE: Ethical hunting of squirrels?
 

I was reading a magazine that showed how to filet a squirrel and it looked pretty easy. I love the way squirrel tastes but really hated to clean them cause they're a bit tough. But with this filet method the mess is cut down to little to nothing. If you're going to shoot them that's fine but give them to someone who will eat them. Let those foxes and coyotes find their own food you don't need to help them.