How to Field Dress a Squirrel

[Canadian-guerilla]

How to Field Dress a Squirrel

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/01/16/how-to-field-dress-a-squirrel/


http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads//2011/12/trim-head.jpg

[hoarder]

To make it faster and easier, use an anvil pruner to snap off the paws.

[Tumbleweed]

To make it faster and easier, use an anvil pruner to snap off the paws.

Anvil pruners are damned handy for taking turkey legs apart at the joint too. I use them all the time for lots of things they weren't intended for.

[SWRichmond]

par boil then pan fry in bacon grease. Yee haa!

[gunDriller]

how much meat do you get off parts other than the legs ?

[hoarder]

how much meat do you get off parts other than the legs ?Some cajuns like squirrel gumbo. They put the skinned and gutted rodents in whole. It's not bad. When you go to the pot and fill your bowl, the object is not to be seen when you carefully spoon out the legs and leave the rib cages for others.

[osoab]

how much meat do you get off parts other than the legs ?


You haven't picked up squirrel roadkill yet?

[big country]

Most of the meat is on the legs and there is some on the backstraps. I love squirrel, it is very tasty...probably my favorite wild game. The bad part is a grown man needs 2-3 to make a meal! Though if you make plenty of sides you could probably get away with just one.

Also I find that the method in the post is the best to use...especially if you can shoot a squirrel in the head. If you take a body shot (and especially if you sever the spine) this method doesn't work as well as the squirrel ends up pulled in half instead of the skin coming off.

That method is that I always use when I make clean headshots with a .22LR. I also soak the squirrel overnight in salt water to draw out the extra blood from the meat. Takes away some or most of the "gamey" flavor if there are those opposed to that.

[hoarder]

Also I find that the method in the post is the best to use...especially if you can shoot a squirrel in the head.Some of those East Texas boys say the brain is the best part. I never tried one myself.

[Canadian-guerilla]

Meet the middle-aged, middle-class woman
who traps, butchers and eats squirrels in her Seattle backyard
27th January 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092809/Melany-Vorass-urban-forager-butchers-eats-squirrels-backyard-Seattle.html

[osoab]

I took out 27 last year. Didn't eat a one.

[zap]

I was told by a old man that the best eatin' squirrel was the grey one not the red ones?

I don't know never ate one .

[tater]

Some of those East Texas boys say the brain is the best part. I never tried one myself.

Oh man does that bring back memories. When I was growing up my younger brother and I would get the job of cleaning the squirrels. The old man (pops) would give explicit instructions to not throw away the heads. Mom would fry the head (minus the eyes of couse) along along with the rest of the pieces. Pops would crack the skull with a fork and dig out the cooked brains. The taste wasn't Godawful or anything but when the old man passed away I never saved another head and neither has my brother.

The squirrel in the pick is what we call a fox squirrel. They generally made for good dumplings, especially when they had a sack as big as that one. The little greys we called cat squirrels and they made for the best frying.