mcf

I've read conflicting things about what to do with your squirrel after shooting it.
Shoot it, field dress it, then put it on ice right away
Shoot it, field dress it, then put it in a bag
Shoot it, don't do anything to it, put it in a bag, and wait to clean it until at home or by vehicle

What do you do to keep all the meat from spoiling while reaching your daily limit? The place I'll be going is about 15 min from home.

Wingbone

In my opinion squirrels are easier to skin before the innards are removed. It's usually cool enough when I'm squirrel hunting that I can wait to clean them when I get home. Either that or I skin and gut them on the spot and put 'em in a plastic bag in my game pouch. BTW, they are a b*tch to skin. Years ago an old guy showed me the easiest way to do it. You cut through the tail from underneath, leaving the tail well attached to the skin. You then grab the hind legs in one hand and the tail in the other and pull. If the squirrel is warm, the front half of the skin will come off like taking off a t-shirt. You then grab the flap of skin on the underbelly still left on the animal, and the front legs, and pull. The back half of the pelt comes off like taking off long underwear. Good luck.

Bocajnala

The easiest thing to do is to skin them immediately. The longer they sit the harder they are to skin. Skin them and put them in a bag.

I skin them the same way as described above.

-Jake

Fyrstyk54

I skin and clean them shortly after shooting them. I put the cleaned carcass in a plastic bag which contains a small cold pack to remove the heat from the carcass to prevent spoiling.

Father Forkhorn

I generally treat them like wingbone says and clean them when I get home.

That skinning method is demonstrated on youtube.

you can certainly gut and skin them as soon as they're shot if you are concerned about spoilage. A few freezer bags are helpful for this. 1-2 squirrels per bag, and you'll have plenty if you take as many as your daily limit.

mcf

Season in Indiana begins in August. Do any of you hunt in the warmer temps? What are some good ways to keep meat fresh on warm days? I'm assuming a lunch box with ice in it would work?

Fyrstyk54

In CT, the early squirrel season begins on Sept. 1. Sept. can be a very warm month, so I always pack a couple of freezer packs in the day bag so i can put my skinned and field dress squirrels in a plastic bag with the freezer packs to keep the meat cool so it does not spoil.

Father Forkhorn

That will work. For instance, sit in a chair with a lunchbox in a stand of oaks and pick 'em off with a .22 as they come out.

I have a small, soft-sided lunch box with a strap that one could walk with slung over the shoulder if that is a preferred hunting style.

mcf

Thank you everyone for your help.