Leeboy mentioned that squirrel were a pita to skin so...

Here is a video that needs reposted for those that haven't seen it.

Mr Squacks Skins A Squirrel

Pretty cool. Though I do pretty much the same thing, this seems a bit easier.
Thanks.

Thanks for a GREAT tip!! Best way to clean one that I've seen so far. Good shooting! Mike

That si the way I was taught to do it.

My grandfather would grab them by the back and tear like tearing a telephone book. No knife or bending over needed. Same for a rabbit.

That's quicker than what I have done, nice and clean and no mess......

Great method! Thanks for sharing, SF.

Many thanks for that. I've never seen that method, very quick ! I'll go out and shoot a couple of squirrels this weekend and give it a go.

I've got hundreds of squirrels just outside my door and I shoot them on sight as a pest. if they are as good eating as you guys say then I will no longer waste them by throwing them away.

Regards
Leeboy

I shot three yesterday and just got done eating a big bowl of squirrel stew. Good stuff, except I have to par boil the fox squirrels.

I use the same method but with the aid of a squirrel skinner that I made. The skinner is nothing more than a V made from a ¼†stainless rod that is sharpened on the tips. The V is welded to a frame that that supports it and holds it about 3†from the board that the frame is attached to. The board is nailed to a tree. This way there is no bending over involved.

That is the way my grandfather taught me to skin one but with two people and not just a one man show. The only bad part about that is be sure and don't cut the tail completely off when cutting through it. Then things get a bit more difficult. Also a helluva lot easier to do it on the young ones.

quote:

Also a helluva lot easier to do it on the young ones.

Yup, that was a young squirrel in the video. Try that with a couple year old fox squirrel and it ain't that easy.

That video is a good one, I have been skinning squaks like that for a long time. One good way of cooking them is to brown them in a skillet and then put them in a casserol dish with spegitti sauce on top, and bake em for an hour when thats done boil some spagetti noddles and enjoy sqagetti. pasta and rodent yum.

quote:

Originally posted by ireload2:
My grandfather would grab them by the back and tear like tearing a telephone book. No knife or bending over needed. Same for a rabbit.

That's the way I once did it. Works on rabbits too.
Sometimes a small slit across the back makes it easier.

Swamp_Fox:

Thanks for the post I have heard about it many times but always thought it was like snipe hunting just a BS story. I will have to show it to my father he has never seen it done either.

While I have been the PH on a couple of snipe hunts I sometimes work in something usefull.

I use the same method. BUT, skin the squirrel right away while warm. If you wait until you are done hunting you still need half a stick of dynamite.

I, too, am of the opinion that senor squirrel was still warm, and was probably still nursing when shot. It typically just ain't that easy!

I agree. That guy has cast iron fingers!

i use a home-made device (for lack of a better term), made from a long, uncoated welding rod, heated then bent and spot welded so there is a place for each hind leg, and also a cradle for the head.

try to envision a triangle with a v-slot at the top (larger for the head/neck), then a v-slot (smaller for the rear knee joint) at the bottom left corner and another at the bottom right corner.

hang this squirrel cleaning thing from a rope/chain, anything to get it about eye-level.

i use a 5 gal bucket of water as well.

the process is:
1. put each hind leg in the bottom v-slots, cut the tail as shown in the video, pull the hide down to the front legs and head. cut off the front feet, pull hide off the front stumps and head.
2. then dip hands in water (removes all hair).
3. remove hind legs and put head in the top v-slot. pull hide off rear legs and remove rear feet. dip hands again.
4. taking a pair of sharp small garden shears, remove both back legs then separate them.
5. cut up on both side of the backbone then cut over to get all the spine meal along the backbone.
6. then, with you knife, remove the front legs.
7. no gutting as all the guts remain with the head and the front belly/ribs.

takes about i minute to complete the process.

dips hands in water everytime you touch hair.

i also wear surgical gloves.

everyone has a different method, this is just the one i have adopted after cleaning squirrels for about 45 years. ymmv.

forgot to add that i also put the squirrels in a 5 gal bucket of water to await cleaning. dramatically cuts down on hair problems.

Don't know if you guys know it or not, but SHELDONS (Inc?) the maker of MEPPS spinning lures buys squirrel tails ! Don't know what the going price is now, but years ago I sold to them and pain for my .22 ammo! Tou probably could do a search for their website or contact someone on the trapping forum!
Hell---If they pay for your ammo that's great!

Hipshoot

A small slit on the back and then pull! If you have a fluid motion, you will avoid getting hair on the meat. Make a good head shot and skin and clean. The best laugh I had with my father was when I pan fried some old buck squirrels instead of par baoling and baking them with chicken. He tried to take a bite out of one and it was like trying to bite off part of your shoe. After a few minutes of this, we just put down the squirrels and started to laugh. My dad was an old German man and wound not disrespect me and my culinary skills so you had to be there to appreciate the moment

I cut a slit just thru the skin between the base of the tail and the vent.
I put a foot down on the tail and grasp both hind legs in one hand and pull.
Skin comes off in one piece and I stop when I get to the head.A little knife work and you are done.
No hair to fight with.

great tip. I wish that Montana had good eating squirrels. The local pine squirrels taste horrible.

I've shot lots of squirrels in N. Calif,I was taught to make aprox 1.5 inch across the back thru the skin the insert my right index & middle fingers and my left index & middle fingers and pull in opposite directions,free the skin from the abdomen then pull the skin over the forelegs & hind legs pulling the tail bone from the hide, then open the abdominal cavity & empty it then cut off the feet & head & the tail bone .Wash it out.I quartered my squirrels seasoned them with Johnnys' Lamb & Game Seasoning http://www.johnnysfinefoods.com ,added some oil to my pressure cooker & browned the pieces,then added some liquid and the pressure cooker lid and cooked them about 15 minutes under pressure.Results are very tender tasty squirrel.Did the same thing to a grouse in Colorado I introduced my 3 hunting friends to grouse for the first time.BTW we've always carried a pressure cooker with us on hunting & fishing trips to make stews,soups,chili,short ribs,chicken & dumplings,etc.

holy crap!
you got BIG squirrels!take 5 of em here to make a sandwich!that is a way cool way to skin,you say it works on rabbits?i GOTTA try it! thanks!

That's the way i've always done it except i cut off the front feet and head and leave them with the hide. I always have somebody hold them by the back legs while i cut through the tail, to avoud bending over or getting on the ground like he did in the video.

My dad taught me to skin them that way.I just hold them by the base of the tail and cut the bone while standing up.This method of skinning works very well.A lot less hair on them.If you hunt with a rifle,shoot them in the head.If you shoot them in the body they can be pulled in two.(messy)

Skinning warm is best, but not necessary. Wrapping skinned squirrel in bacon after marinating it, then igniting it with 151 is mandatory...this is Flambe at it's finest. Kill many or there will not be enough for the family. I've always viewed squirrel hunting like crawfish trapping...you better be good if people are gonna eat!

M

quote:

Originally posted by Hipshoot:
Don't know if you guys know it or not, but SHELDONS (Inc?) the maker of MEPPS spinning lures buys squirrel tails ! Don't know what the going price is now, but years ago I sold to them and pain for my .22 ammo! Tou probably could do a search for their website or contact someone on the trapping forum!
Hell---If they pay for your ammo that's great!

Hipshoot

Here's the link......you'd need to kill an awful lot of squirrels to make it worth your while...

http://www.mepps.com/squirrel_..._program/payment.php

If you hunt them for the tails you are wasting your time.
If you kill 500 to 1,000 squill in a normal season the money is a plus.

Incredible method on squirrles - wich I'd seen that when I lived in Ontario as a kid - very similar to doing a grouse, except no knife needed for the bird.

Stand on it's wing butts, breast up, and pull up on the legs. The legs, guts, hide and feathers leave the breast meat attached to the wings between your feet. Break and pull the wings off - done- no feathers - breasts in your hand - about 10 seconds.

quote:

Originally posted by Swamp_Fox:
If you hunt them for the tails you are wasting your time.
If you kill 500 to 1,000 squill in a normal season the money is a plus.

Swamp fox - you talking about ground squirrels, ie; gophers? - both rats but big difference. I can't imagine eating a damn gopher. guess I'm not hungry enough - hope I never am - but they are sure fun to shoot with .17 CF's- up to 400 a day around here is a really good day. Better in the Prairies.

Takes me back 40 years or so - in India. I used to shoot the small striped squirrels with a sling shot and skin them with a biology dissection set! We had to be careful to pull out the tail bone without losing the tail. Then we salted and dried the skin & then treated it with alum. Most school friend were townies who had never see this & my skins were in great demand for a while.

The cooking...just cut off the head & feet - remove the guts and marinate it with turmeric, pepper, salt, ginger & garlic and fry in very hot oil until crisp. You can just chew the ribs etc. like crisps! Those squirrels were about half the size of the American ones or even smaller.

quote:

Originally posted by Daryl S.:

quote:

Originally posted by Swamp_Fox:
If you hunt them for the tails you are wasting your time.
If you kill 500 to 1,000 squill in a normal season the money is a plus.

Swamp fox - you talking about ground squirrels, ie; gophers? - both rats but big difference. I can't imagine eating a damn gopher. guess I'm not hungry enough - hope I never am - but they are sure fun to shoot with .17 CF's- up to 400 a day around here is a really good day. Better in the Prairies.

They only buy Grey, Fox and Blacktail squirrel tails.