Cleaning / Skinning / Gutting Squirrels?
I agree with J.D. that they are not likely to spoil within any reasonable time. Squirrels, like most game, have very little fat on them to go bad. However, I have hunted on days in the early part of the season when it was pretty warm out. On those days, I just took an ice chest with some milk bottles that I filled with water and froze in my freezer. I just skinned and gutted the squirrels when I came out of the woods and put them into the cooler. I made sure that I buried the guts and skins so they didn't start to stink in a day or so. Farmers appreciate it when you don.t leave your gut pile there to start stinking. Most llikely, the squirrels would have been OK even if I had brough them home to skin and gut them. Never put them on ice before skining them. Once the little buggers get cold they are a pain to skin.
I just killed a squirrel and it has fleas. Can I eat it?
Yes, you can eat it, if you must. But a couple of questions: did the squirrel look healthy when you got it? If it looked sick, don't risk it. Is rabies or other animal diseases common in your area? You can look that up on your states fish and game websites. If so, don't risk it. Rabies and Black Plague and Junta Virus exist in my area, so I would not risk it here. Leave the squirrel in a cool place, outside, for a couple of hours. The fleas will leave it as the body temperature cools. Move to another location when you skin it, so any fleas left in the area don't jump on you. Wear rubber gloves if you have em while working with it, put your clothes in the wash right away, and take a shower to be sure you don't take fleas into the house. Rinse and pat dry the skinned critter. Here is a recipe for squirrel stew. This squirrel recipe is so versatile. You may add other vegetables if you wish. Downright delicious. OLD-FASHIONED SQUIRREL STEW 1 squirrel, cut up 1/4 cup flour 3 TBS butter or oil, for frying 3 bacon strips, fried and crumbled 7 cups chicken broth 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional) 3 potatoes, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 cans crushed tomatoes with juice In a dutch oven, heat the butter on medium. Sprinkle salt and pepper on squirrel, then roll in flour. Fry in butter until brown on all sides. Add all (except the tomatoes) and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Add the tomatoes and juice to the pot and simmer another hour. As you can see, this recipe will cook the heck out of it, making it safe. And good. Enjoy.
Back when I was a hunter, especially in my teens, I was pretty successful at luring squirrels into range of my .22 by mimicking their calls. If you study some online squirrel noises or listen in the woods, you’ll find that there are some that are fairly easy to reproduce on your own, with your own voice, lips, tongue and teeth. I hope that if you are hunting squirrels, you plan on eating them, as killing for pleasure has no moral or ethical justification. If you’re not prepared to find good recipes for squirrel (wild rabbit recipes are well suited to squirrel, especially those heavily herbed and immersed in a gravy), I suggest you choose some other game animal to hunt that is more acceptable for putting on your dinner table.
How long can i keep squirrel meat for?
I shoot and eat the pest squirrels who eat out of my garden... I normally just cook them after I kill them or a couple hours later for lunch or dinner. I got a whole bunch of them this week though, So I quartered them and put the pieces in the fridge. Now I was going to cook it all, but it just struck me that squirrel may not keep for up to a week (Ive got a bunch of unmarked baggies from different days this week). Does any one know how long it is safe to keep refrigerated wild squirrel? Also I have two unskinned squirrels from yesterday morning, that I threw in some water and put in refrigerator to skin a couple hours later, but were forgotten about till now, are they still safe to skin and eat?
How do I get into deer hunting when I don't know any hunters?
It depends on what state you are in for what weapons/means of take and where you can hunt. I grew up in North Idaho, so I had plenty of public/Forest Service area and elk,deer and bear available. If you are in places like Virginia,Ohio and other states the access to public hunting lands is pretty scarce, so you need to do your research. There are hunting "clubs" in many states where you buy into a lease,etc. That you have completed a Hunter Ed course is to your advantage,but don't be afraid to look at a few on-line programs to re-fresh your knowledge,especially firearms safety and target acquisition. Some states have a mentoring program for beginning hunters,not age dependent. Dressing & skinning a deer isn't too difficult as long as your shot placement is proper (into the chest behind the front leg,1/3 up the body-there are deer vital area picture/targets),and you normally wait to skin till you get home because it is easier/cleaner that way. Plenty of You Tube vids to show how to do the dressing/skinning, I can't access them just now,but there is lots of good info;biggest thing is making sure you don't pierce any internal organs and then dealing with the anus,esophagus, and alimentary system,having string comes in real handy for these things. Trophy animal skinning is going to be different than common dressing so be aware of those differences. EDIT: First place to get info is your state F&G / DNR website;then any local offices available to you. Idaho has a decent site that gets you maps,harvest reports and other resources which I linked to. If you have a local gun shop or shooting range it is always good too.
Take a recognized course in hunter education. The Saskatchewan (Canada) Hunter Education course that I taught for more than thirty years is similar to many others taught in North America. It includes a wide range of topics and trains beginners for most of the skills that a hunter needs to know. Basic wildlife biology and conservation principles. How to handle and care for game meat, Firearm and bow competence and safety. Conservation laws and firearm laws. Hunter ethics and responsibilities. Outdoor survival and wilderness navigation. Game identification. Hunter - landowner relations. etc. etc. In many jurisdictions, such courses are mandatory for all first time hunters. In Europe the hunter education courses are more comprehensive and require a couple years of study and apprenticeship. In my opinion, in places where a hunter education course is not mandatory, it should be. It is the best way for a beginner to spend time preparing for a hunt. Competent, ethical, mindful and safe hunters are a benefit to both wildlife and society. Uneducated and ignorant hunters are not.
How can i get all of the hair off the meat of the squirrel fast and easy if possible?
put the skinned squirrel in a pan of cold water that has had about a table spoon of salt dissolved in it. Leave it in the fridge over night. It will take any blood out of the meat and makes the membrane and fat loosen to let hair float. Water will be red after doing this but the meat will actually taste better after the salt "bled" it. My grandparents, parent, and I have done this for quite a number of years. Just don't use the salty water when done.
Can you kill rabies in meat by cooking it?
Brianna, The rabies virus is easily killed in meat by heating as are almost all viruses. Squirrel rabies in the USA is almost non-existent and is related to a squirrel bite when saliva containing the virus enters the human body. I am not sure the hunter story is accurate, but cooking medium-well to well-done would absolutely have destroyed the rabies virus and almost all viruses.
Is it safe to eat the squirlles and doves that i kill?
Rule number one: never shoot any animal you don't intend to eat, unless it is sick, trying to hurt you, or destroyng crops/animals. Rule number two: never hunt out of season. BUT, as a young boy, from a VERY poor family, living on a ranch/farm, I grew up putting meat on the table, regardless of season, but it was a question of survival, and I sure would not do it today. Rule number three: never hunt squirrels before the first heavy frost of the season, or after the cool weather ends. Just like rabbits, there are nasties that can infest them when it is hot, plus bubonic plague etc appear with hot weather. Dove are delicious, but mainly the breast with it's tender delicious meat is used, and marinading it is the way to go. For squirrel, the best recipe I ever found, was good old original style "shake and bake" . just follow the directions, and it was tender and juicy. we also used them in stew and by adding home made noodles it became more of a soup dish. But again, NEVER shoot an animal and let it go to waste. That is not only unethical, but often times illegal. And taking any game animal out of season is just plain wrong. I can't answer on ground squirrels, as I have never had an interest in harvesting them. shoot safe