First Day of Squirrel Season....WV

[Penny_Plinker]

It was hot. I got 3 squirrels and my hubby got 1 and one of his made it to a hollow tree and got away. I can shoot better than him so i prob shouldn't have taken the best rifle, but he wouldn't get out of bed so he couldn't be choosey, LOL! Anyway, they were all head shots, pretty good, i could have got 5 if i'd of used a shotgun instead of a .22 and he could have gotten 3 but we like to use the .22.s.

Like i said, it was hot and then hubby just went off to do his "important work" HA! and i'm left skinning those 4 squirrels with flies buzzing around. The weather isn't right; I won't be squirrel hunting for awhile, not till it cools down. But, it's hard to resist the first day.

Penny

[Rancher]

I had to smile reading your post on skinning squirells.

Perhaps you already have a good way but if I may be of help, please let me explain how I have skinned and dressed hundreds of squirells over nearly 70 years. Anyone can skin and dress a squirell in less than a minute this way. I have been timed doing it over 45 seconds.

1. Cut off the front feet with your knife. Lay the squirell belly down on the ground. Stand on its hind feet to hold it steady.
2. With a sharp knife (I just use my pocket stockman's knife) cut through the tail bone from underneath, being careful not to cut the tail off. Leave as much skin as possible after cutting through the tail bone.
3.Using the point of the knife, cut the skin of the squirel's "hip" from the tail bone over the hind leg toward the belly for about 3 or 4 inches, angling down towards the belly, on each side. Just slip the knife blade under the skin to cut these cuts.
4. Now turn the squirell over onto it's back.
5.Stand on the tail and pull the hind legs up to peal the skin off the squirell to the head. Do not pull the skin all the way off the head. At the front legs, use your finger to slip each front leg out of the skin. You should now be standing on the squirell tail, holding the hind feet and the body suspended between your hand and your foot.
6.Now, with one hand holding the squirell's hind feet, take the triangled shape of skin still draped on the squirell's belly, with your other hand, and pull it up, bringing the skin off to the hind feet. Now you are holding the hind feet and skin in one hand while still standing on the squirell tail. The body of the squirell will now be completely skinned.
7. While holding the squirell in this position, use the point of your knife to rip the belly of the squirell from butt hole to neck. A flip of the squirell will cause the intestins, heart and lungs, to fall out. A couple of nicks with your knife may be needed sometimes here, but usually the insides fall out without help.
8. Now cut off the head. This removes the skin still attached to the head.
9. Now cut off the hind feet. This removes the skin attached to the hind feet.

You now have a clean, fully dressed, squirell ready to take home to eat.

Handled this way the carcass remains clean, there is no hair on the meat and the meat never touches the ground. Also, your hands remain clean with no blood or debris on your hands.

I skin and gut each squirell as soon as I shoot it and put the clean carcass into a plastic bag and into my coat pockets, or a bag, so that when I get to the house the squirell is ready to cut up and cook.

[DM]

Rancher,

That's the way my dad taught me to do it about 45 years ago, and it's the best way i've ever seen to deal with them...

DM

[Penny_Plinker]

Rancher,

Thanks a lot for that information. My squirrels each took a half hour, plus it was kind of messy. I printed your instructions out and will try it next time. Thanks a lot, and i really mean it.

Penny

[kawalekm]

Be careful with those head shots! Mad-squirrel disease has been documented in West Virginia.