2020 Squirrel Season

[1nderbeard]

Seeing a lot more activity this week. Wish I had a day to get out and kill some more.

 

[freekforge]

I shot 2 today and a ground hog with the hatsan striker edge.

 

[Redskinsfan]

Patience0830, What rifle is that? Congratulations on getting the limit, I have never done that.

 

[patience0830]

Patience0830, What rifle is that? Congratulations on getting the limit, I have never done that.

The rifle is a Sako Quad in .22lr with a Lilja Sundberg taper barrel. Stock filled with lead balls and expanding foam. Couple of chainsaw files and some epoxy stiffen the forend. Adjustable Kydex cheekpiece by me. Custom bolt handle from one of the vendors on Rimfire Central. If it had a Bix-n-Andy trigger it would be about perfect. Uglified with Duracoat and an airbrush. 3-9 Bushnell Elite 4500 I think, as the scope. Hunting with your ears as well as your eyes and learning to stand or sit still will eventually show you a limit. Killed these all less than 100 yds from the truck. First three about 25 yds in.

 

[larcat]

So all, the DNR seems to have cancelled all their squirrel workshops this year.

Anyone have any good resources for starting squirrel hunting for someone who has never hunted?

How to dress them, how to cure preserve the hides/cook them etc etc. Totally neophyte but I've really got a bug up my butt to try this.

 

[yetti462]

So all, the DNR seems to have cancelled all their squirrel workshops this year.

Anyone have any good resources for starting squirrel hunting for someone who has never hunted?

How to dress them, how to cure preserve the hides/cook them etc etc. Totally neophyte but I've really got a bug up my butt to try this.

dressing: cut off feet, tail and heads, cut skin perpendicular to spine in middle of back, pull and skin comes off easily. pull out guts.

find a tree they're cutting on. right now on my farm red oaks are getting hammered. was in a woods yesterday that had shag bark hickory getting cut. ..

i think best way to see squirrel is to deer hunt.

when leaves drop, my favorite way to go is with my mountain feist and a decaputating 17 hmr.

 

[patience0830]

dressing: cut off feet, tail and heads, cut skin perpendicular to spine in middle of back, pull and skin comes off easily. pull out guts.

find a tree they're cutting on. right now on my farm red oaks are getting hammered. was in a woods yesterday that had shag bark hickory getting cut. ..

i think best way to see squirrel is to deer hunt.

when leaves drop, my favorite way to go is with my mountain feist and a decaputating 17 hmr.

I can show you a better easier way to skin and prep. That middle of the back stuff won't fly on an old fox squirrel. Old fox squirrels don't give up their hides easily.

 

[patience0830]

So all, the DNR seems to have cancelled all their squirrel workshops this year.

Anyone have any good resources for starting squirrel hunting for someone who has never hunted?

How to dress them, how to cure preserve the hides/cook them etc etc. Totally neophyte but I've really got a bug up my butt to try this.

I'll try and make you a video on cleaning when next I go out.


And from here forward, keep your butt covered.

 

[larcat]

Cut is just "they're grabbing nuts and chewing off twigs" right?

dressing: cut off feet, tail and heads, cut skin perpendicular to spine in middle of back, pull and skin comes off easily. pull out guts.

find a tree they're cutting on. right now on my farm red oaks are getting hammered. was in a woods yesterday that had shag bark hickory getting cut. ..

i think best way to see squirrel is to deer hunt.

when leaves drop, my favorite way to go is with my mountain feist and a decaputating 17 hmr.

 

[larcat]

That would be amazing. I've watched a few but they all make it look y easier than I imagine it really is.

Also, repping cause I laughed out loud.

I'll try and make you a video on cleaning when next I go out.


And from here forward, keep your butt covered.

 

[patience0830]

Cut is just "they're grabbing nuts and chewing off twigs" right?

Cutting nuts is a common terminology for eating them. There are "cuttings" ,AKA little pieces of nut hull, on the ground under a tree they're working

 

[Bigtanker]

So all, the DNR seems to have cancelled all their squirrel workshops this year.

Anyone have any good resources for starting squirrel hunting for someone who has never hunted?

How to dress them, how to cure preserve the hides/cook them etc etc. Totally neophyte but I've really got a bug up my butt to try this.

Tagged because I'm in the same boat.

 

[Bigtanker]

I did find this.

[video=youtube_share;uBcokkJh6n4]http://youtu.be/uBcokkJh6n4[/video]

 

[patience0830]

[video=youtube_share;YcwuLF8fkMY]https://youtu.be/YcwuLF8fkMY[/video]

Mighty cold day. A friend of mine made this one. He's neater when he's warmer and not sniffling.

 

[larcat]

Really good video, lotta detail and not as sanitized as most of the "professional you tuber" ones.

When he cuts the back of the abdomen before pushing the guts aside, is there some trick songs doesn't puncture something and foul the meat

He's basically keeping the two legs/shoulders/thighs and discarding the ribcage, yeah?

Thanks for posting all this up.

-L

[video=youtube_share;YcwuLF8fkMY]https://youtu.be/YcwuLF8fkMY[/video]

Mighty cold day. A friend of mine made this one. He's neater when he's warmer and not sniffling.

 

[patience0830]

Really good video, lotta detail and not as sanitized as most of the "professional you tuber" ones.

When he cuts the back of the abdomen before pushing the guts aside, is there some trick songs doesn't puncture something and foul the meat

He's basically keeping the two legs/shoulders/thighs and discarding the ribcage, yeah?

Thanks for posting all this up.

-L

I usually stick my shears in on both sides of the anus and cut forward thru the pelvis. Two snips then raise that section of gut up and cut forward through the belly meat on each side. Rake the guts forward then it's all in one piece when you cut the ribcage loose. Easier to show than tell you about.

 

[HoosierNation33]

[video=youtube_share;YcwuLF8fkMY]https://youtu.be/YcwuLF8fkMY[/video]

Mighty cold day. A friend of mine made this one. He's neater when he's warmer and not sniffling.

Heck of a good video. I always passed mine over to my neighbor to dress and prepare. But maybe I'll surprise him and do one myself now.

 

[patience0830]

just remember to cut enough hide loose under the tail to get your boot on. The tail by itself pulls right off. You can make boot laces out of the hide though.

 

[1nderbeard]

check out youtube for the dressing. It can be challenging. Experience is the best teacher. Just get out in the woods and learn as you go. Pretty low risk activity.

 

[Ark]

Been out stackin' bodies with the York this year instead of the 500 Tactical. Easier to cart around, fixed modified/improved choke reaches out better than the cylinder bore. Need to rig up something to stop the buttstock cover from displacing forward under recoil.

Tell you what, though, it's kinda hard to get into the mood out in Yellowwood with constant chainsaw and diesel noises coming across the lake starting at 0600.