There is no better way to get a kid started as a hunter than hunting squirrel.
Next to archery deer, squirrel hunting is my favorite. My sons and I almost always use a .22. But early season, when all the leaves are still on the trees, I will some time carry a 20 gauge.

Fried squirrel is one of my favorites.

Squirrel hunting is a blast! (see what I did there ) but they've always been a pain for me to skin.

Ducks-squirrels-deer. In that order for me. All are equal when it comes to eats.

Love my squirrel hunting i use 22 shotgun bow too hunt them depends on my mood

running my cur for squirrels has become one of my favorite pastimes since a buddy made me a rack to deep fry them in my turkey fryer..yummy

here ya go!

one method which I like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUUR6lxnAME

I've watched all the videos read all the magazine article about skinning squirrels. They are still always a royal PITA to skin. Whatever I try it never works out.

I've also tried every squirrel recipe in the book except for ones that require a pressure cooker. No matter what I try, squirrel meat is always tough and rubbery for me. And that taste of it has never been very appealing either.

I really enjoy squirrel hunting and that is probably the game animal that I have access to and which is reasonably plentiful in my area. I sure would enjoy it more if they were better to eat and easier to clean.

I bet you haven't shot many turkeys in the head

I'm practicing or trying to learn how to post a picture

HA ! It WORKED !!!!

They don't get tough from frying them?

Look like chicken wings....I could probably fool the family if they're not rubbery.

That's fine looking plate of squirrels you got there VH60!

......that's your problem, you never tried the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for a few minutes(let cool a little or the meat will fall off the bone) then dip in egg, batter and fry

One tip that helped me from pulling off the tails while skinning. After you cut through the tail bone take the point of your knife and lay it flat against the back and go straight down and work it to the side of the back. Pull your knife back up and go back in and do the other side.Plus extend your cut up the back of the legs a little. Think of it like having a stuck radiator hose and you take a screwdriver and slip it under the hose and work it back and forth around the neck. Thats what your doing with the knife flat along the back.

Now on the cooking side of it once you got your squirrel cleaned and quartered up. Take your knife and score it like you would a carp. You increased your surface area a bunch for breading/flour and the oil gets down in the slits and the meat cooks up lot better easier to eat.
Justin

Tweed , my best friend growing up was from the backwoods of West Virginia . They moved up when his father got transferred to work at a local gas pipeline station . I ate over his house one time and his mother made a plate of fried squirrel . I was from a family of rabbit hunters and you DO NOT shoot squirrels in front of a rabbit hound !!! Or else !!! LOL . I'd never had them before . They were better than rabbit IMO . They were tender and had great flavor . His mom told me that you have to par boil them first till just tender , allow to cool then coat and fry . They are to this day my favorite game meat . PS . i also learned how to make cornbread from her . Combine the two and it can't be beat !

I have a .22, but I prefer the .32 rocklock...



( wife would kill me if she knew I posted a photo of the bed unmade. LOL )

Mike

Great gun man!

How successful are you squirrel shooting with that?

To skin a squirrel easy, get on it the minute it hits the ground. Cut through the base of the tail and make sure you just cut through the two white sinews and not too deep into the hide. Stand on either the tail or back legs and pull, hide will come off in 2 pieces. If you head shot the squirrel with a .22 you can do this and gut the critter without even getting your hands bloody.

Zim

I agree VH60, squirrel tastes better than rabbit. My daughters and wife agree, probably their favorite wild game meal.