Our season runs to the end of March. I went out yesterday and got 4 fat red phase fox squirrels.
Will make a nice meal for Kare and I bacon wrapped baked YUM.

Al

Ours runs through 15 Feb. and if any have moved in I'm going to hopefully blood a "new to me" Rook rifle before the season ends. Gotta wait til this weather straightens out.

Locally they have been exceedingly migratory of late. One day I'll see a half dozen on our bird feeders then not see any for a week or more. Deer season was the same. One day they were all over the place then none for the next several days.

Ours runs through Feb 28. I'll be gearing up after the end of deer season.

Out for the first time since deer season closed last week. Had 4 on the ground in the first 15 minutes and ended up with 6 in an hour. This is hunting in a pecan grove creek bottom.

We are fortunate in our county here in south-central Texas---no limit and no closed season--and, lots of squirrels.

quote:

Originally posted by alleyyooper:
Our season runs to the end of March. I went out yesterday and got 4 fat red phase fox squirrels.
Will make a nice meal for Kare and I bacon wrapped baked YUM.

Al

Alley,

I'd like to see that bacon wrapped baked recipe if it's not too much trouble. I don't have a good squirrel recipe to put them to use- but I love hunting them!

I would like the recipe also. I made a trip back to Kansas, where I grew up, in November to hunt squirrels. I hunted mostly public hunting areas and found squirrels every place I went. This was a really fun trip, and I plan to do it again next fall. A biologist with the state told me they have very few hunters anymore. The only other hunter I saw was a bowhunter looking for deer.

Just finished taking 1600 ground squirrels in southern Alberta. The farmers are getting to know us and are calling US. Lots of challenging shooting and doing a good service for the farmers. One 60 acre field produced 510 in about 6 hours!

Jim

It's unfortunate that many beginning hunters don't begin their journey with squirrels. As a child growing up in Ohio, this was the first season to open. Some of my fondest memories are of me following my father through the hardwoods of our farm stalking fox and gray squirrels. Then came the special day that I was trusted to hunt on my own, with a crack-barrel 20 ga. single shot. I can still remember my first squirrel, almost as vividly as my father's excitement when I walked into our house and produced my accomplishment.

I can still remember, like yesterday, the crisp, still mornings when the yellow and orange leaves were looking for an excuse to fall to the ground. The sight of this in mass signaled the activity of a feeding squirrel, and the stalk was on.

I didn't learn to hunt big game by hunting big game. I learned to hunt big game by hunting squirrels.

While the scrub and live oaks of our Texas hill country are not the same as the massive oaks and hickory I knew as a kid, I still enjoy taking and eating a few fox squirrels each year. When I do, the childhood memories rush back.

Thanks for the post!

(1.Bacon Wrapped Honey Roasted Squirrel

squirrel, skinned and cleaned

10 slices bacon

3 Tbsp honey

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp onion powder

Sea salt and pepper

Cut the legs off of the squirrel then cut the body into the front section and back section. Throw away the front section which consists of the ribcage.

Marinade the squirrel pieces for 24 hours in a Ziploc bag in the following marinade:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 Tbsp salt; cold water to cover meat

When ready to cook, preheat your broiler to high.

Remove meat from marinade and rinse in cold water. Dry meat with a paper towel, discard marinade.

Rub honey all over each piece of meat and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Mix dry ingredients together and top each meat piece with the mixture. Broil on high for 7-8 minutes each side. Remove from broiler and set your oven at 350 degrees.

When squirrel is cool enough to handle, wrap each piece with a slice of bacon and place on a wire rack. Place the wire rack on a cookie sheet and fill the cookie sheet with 1 – 2 cups of water. Bake for 1 hour.


(2. Bacon Wrapped Squirrel


squirrel legs, front or rear, amount depends upon how hungry you are
~ beer
~ garlic powder
~ pepper
~ salt
~ minced onion
~ hickory smoked bacon



Soak the legs in beer for 2 – 3 hours. Remove and drain.

Sprinkle to taste with garlic powder, pepper, salt and the minced onion (or if you have a favorite dry rub for grilled squirrel you can use that instead).

Wrap each leg with bacon. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.

Place on hot grill (charcoal grill recommended for a nice smoky flavor, although a gas or electric grill will do the trick). Cook over medium heat until cooked through, tend to the meat as your cooking to make sure you do not over cook.



Al

Hey Alleyyooper,
I believe that Squirrel are the most fun game in Michigan. But a couple of years ago the DNR changed the season to end on March 1st. Check your regulations now and then, they change things without notification to previous Small Game license holders.
Doug

Alleyyooper:

Thanks for posting the recipes.

I just got back two days ago from my fourth trip to Africa, but still really enjoy hunting fox squirrels.

The season here starts in about 3 weeks.

That's good because it is too darn hot right now.

yup.

Yum bacon wrapped baked squirrel

Al

I just restored an old Winchester 1890 this summer for the sole purpose of making it my "squirrel gun"..

cant wait to get out in the woods this fall and take a few..

Those recipes look awesome! I will be out this week trying to get some squirrels to try them out on! Hunted archery too much this fall to get out after the squirrels much, but I will fix that in the late season!

Have not hunted squirrel since I was a kid. Ran into a game warden last week who has a good squirrel dog and was looking for a place to hunt would be a great opportunity to take my 11year old nephew who I am trying to get involved in hunting. I am getting excited about going back to the basics

I don't know why, but so many folks seem to think of squirrels as only suitable for kids, but they are great hunting opportunities for anyone and can be done during the nicest parts of the day, in the nicest pieces of timber, and produce the tastiest (by far) dinners.

Besides, no one starts their kids on squirrels and rabbits anymore. We have 5 yr olds whacking bucks and bigger for their first kills in the 21st century. Sort of too bad in my estimation, but so it is.

Gad, Brent, also doing your squirrels with a Ballard. Bravo!

I had two kids at my place over the week end. It was their first hunt ever. I had hoped to let them whack a hog each. Unfortunately, over the course of the prior week, the hogs had vacated the place.

It became readily apparent to me that it was not going to happen based upon my trail cam pictures. I came up with an alternative plan. We would stalk the feeders looking for squirrels.

Damn was this fun. It was real stalking to get close enough. The kids shot a few each. The look on their face was priceless. They loved it. I think they are hooked.

larryshores, That sounds like a much better first hunt for a kid than a pig hunt in a blind. More activity, and just a lot of fun and action with small caliber guns that are easier and more fun to shoot. I thought all kids grew up hunting squirrels but that's not the case these days. Those two you took out will always remember that trip.

gotta love those boots!

quote:

Originally posted by Brent:
gotta love those boots!

Yea, she was so funny, I told her ," I see you have your COWBOY boots on. She said , " No sir, they are cow GIRL boots. Vance Wood brought his dog and his daughter and her friend, the four of us had a great time. I just went along for the fun and to shake vines. One thing I see is shooting squirrels in old growth timber will make you a better shot. Those squirrels get WAY up in the top, a shot gun won't reach them. I'm looking forward to doing some more, I plan on taking my 11 year old nephew to get him out and involved in hunting.

I am no expert on raising kids or grandkids, but I do think learning to hunt squirrels with a rifle does a heck of a lot for installing the concept of precision shooting. It ain't like Hollywood would have you believe.

Then you can teach them how to skin them. A trick that took me a long time to find. And, of course, there is nothing finer than squirrels for dinner. Best wild game of all time.

Have fun with them.

Took me for ever to learn the fast way to skin a squirrel too. Used to be It took me a good 15 minutes to skin one today I think if legal I could skin 15 squirrels in 15 minutes.

how to skin a squirrel youtube

Now that fellow has to be a lot younger than I and not have titanium knees like me. I have a standing bench where I do all the knife work then a small chunk of 2x6 the tail goes on and then stand on to pull the skin off.


Al

I wish we had squirrels in New Zealand ... :-(

Our squirrel season runs til 15 February. HOPEFULLY I will shake this head cold before then and get to try my Jeffrey Rook rifle on them.

I don't think Ive ever shot a squirrel, and don't think Ive eaten squirrel, mostly because I wasn't exposed to them in the Sonorian desert.

Today I have some in my yard and trees, but they are my pets more or less.

Well, you've missed out, Ray. they are the best eating wildlife on the planet, and among the most fun to hunt. Being from Sonora, you would be well centered to have taken advantage of that location to and could even have been the first to complete the North American Squirrel Slam.
https://www.fieldandstream.com...to=4#node-1001458293

One day, I will do this, but with a rifle.