Squirrel Season

[DaveS]

Good Evening everyone. Just wondered who all has been readying things for the up coming squirrel season? I spent some time today sharpening rifle flints, getting powder horns checked out and even sharpened my knife and hawk. Every thing appears to be in good order. Hunting "Tree Rats" has always been a family tradition for us, plus they are fantastic served with fried taters, greens and corn bread!

[Guest forklift]

Personally, I'm excited for August 22nd. Going to take the brother who's never hunted out with me. Can't wait!

[DaveS]

You can't beat Squirrel hunting for the first time hunter. Just brave the bugs, and go for it!

[Guest GunTroll]

Where's the invite?

[DaveS]

Lets go for it!

[Guest GunTroll]

Well I'm here in TN finally. I'll PM you later.

[DaveS]

OK....just had one question for ya. You can PM me the answer if you don't want to answer here. But, do you drive a dark colored SUV? Blue or black? Would of had a child or two and I think a dog riding around on post Saturday? Who ever it was looked kinda lost, like they were learning the post. I just kinda added 2 and 2 together and thought of you just moving here.

Dave

[Guest GunTroll]

Naw, not me. I have seen the gates but haven't gone within. I'm the one looking lost driving around Robertson Co. Specifically west Springfield area near Flewellyn rd.

[DaveS]

LOL My bad!

[Guest Bluemax]

Ok, there are two types of squirrel hunters..old school ( like my Dad ) who would have everything ready, p/u a sack of Hardee's biscuits, find the perfect tree to sack out under and have a Louis Lamour western stuck in his sack in case the action was slow Ohh Ya and hunted with a D/B 16 Ga or are you the type that deploys at 0500 on a belly full of only black coffee with a fresh cut high and tight, ready to unleash hell on the rodent world at 100yrds plus ???

[DaveS]

I don't do Hardee's bisquits, and 100 yards is a little out of range for my .36 cal flintlock Kentucky rifle. But a little jerky and a shell of water suits me just fine. And if I'm really in the mood, a small fire and a roasted squirrel does me just fine too. I don't read too many westerns while I'm out hunting. Usually the action is pretty fast and furious...so no time for books!

[Guest Bluemax]

I hear ya WD, my Dad and I used to have a lot of fun squirrel hunting, I lost him a few years ago and can't tell you how much I miss those times. Toward the end of my Dad's hunting days, he couldn't get around or see very well but he still got excited and was ready to go as soon as the weather started to cool off. I think he enjoyed getting out in the woods and getting away from Mom whether we shot anything or not. I do have to say that you are the first person I've talked to that hunts squirrels with black powder, that must be a heck of a challenge and I might give it a try som day. In the mean time I'll be the one leaned up against a tree in Sevier Cty with a 22 across my lap listening to the leaves in the tree's I only hope the squirrels don't figure out that the smell of a Hardee's biscuit is not their friend

[DaveS]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds like you and him made alot of memories together. I guess thats what it's all about. I'm a pretty traditional hunter, and my friends all say I was born about 200 years too late. So be it, but I can still hunt, camp and eat while out hunting as our forefathers did. But, I guess a bisquit and a .22 wouldn't be a bad thing.

[Guest Bluemax]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds like you and him made alot of memories together. I guess thats what it's all about. I'm a pretty traditional hunter, and my friends all say I was born about 200 years too late. So be it, but I can still hunt, camp and eat while out hunting as our forefathers did. But, I guess a bisquit and a .22 wouldn't be a bad thing.

WD, if I could type worth a crap, I have some stories I could tell (Possums don't always play dead ) but seriously you are the first person I have heard of that squirrel hunted with black powder and it's kind of got me interested. Dad and I always tried to find a good tree with a lot of acorns or walnuts that had been fed on and also look for nests in the tree's. I guess what I'm asking is at what distance you are able to put something in the bag using black powder. I'm not trying to pick your brain but I would like to give this a try

Oh yea, haven't roasted one over a fire but grew up on squirrel gravy and biscuits

Edited August 12, 2009 by Bluemax

[Guest Fenris]

I am a mixture of the two types. Love the biscuits and book, but also love my Browning .22 with the 3-9x scope.

It may be different here in TN, but growing up a little farther south in AL, I have a hard time hunting squirrels until after a hard frost due to what we called "wolves", or wasp larvae. Maybe it's not a problem here in TN like it was where I grew up, but I hated to waste the meat.

I plan on taking my daughter, 4, with me at some point this season as well. I'd love to get her a .22 Cricket for Christmas or her birthday next summer.

[Guest Jcochran88]

Wolves are a problem sorta, have been out killed 4 all 4 had wolves and then been out again and killed 3 all where clean. So not really sure how bad they are but worse than the wolves are the stinking TICKS!!!

But nothing beats some fried squirrels and gravy!

[Guest Bluemax]

No, it's the same deal here, except the old tmers called the larvae " warbles".. They felt like small bb's under the skin of the squirrel. Thats why Dad always insisted we wait until the weather turned before we started hunting

Good luck with your daughter, there are a lot of things including squirrel hunting that should be considered a lost art as they are not being passed along to our younger generations. I hope that others will take advantage of squirrel hunting as a way of letting their children get to know about the enjoyment and responsibility of hunting

Goog luck with your little girls first hunt and please let us know how it goes

[Wingshooter]

I am going to take my son this year. He is 6 and so far he has only been on a couple of scouting trips with me for deer.

I told him that we would go squirrel hunting when the season opens. Now, that's about all he can talk about. We are both looking forward to it. I have hunted squirrels before, but I have never cleaned one. I've gutted a lot of other types of animals but no squirrels. Maybe I can find a little how-to on YouTube so I don't feel like such a newb . What kind of cuts do you get from a squirrel anyway, fillets?

I plan to take the .22 or maybe .410 depending on how he does with that at the range and the size of the stock.

[memphismason]

I grew up calling them "wolves"' too, and to this day my dad will not shoot a squirrel until after the first frost. That rule was fine when I was younger, but now the first frost is sometimes in deer season. So the last few years years I have been waiting until the weather "cools" down a little from the summer heat before I go out. I think I might out earlier this year in the name of deer scouting.

Nothing beat frying up a mess of squirrels and then making some gravy. God that is eating. As far as getting any "cuts of meat" off a squirrel, we usually just have the four legs and the backs or whatever is left from those parts after shooting one to close with a shotgun.

I like go use a shotgun for early season hunting (while leaves are still on the tress) and a .22 for late season hunting (bare trees). Black powder would definitely be interesting.

[Wingshooter]

How do you guys cook 'em?

I'll be doing it for the first time this year, so it could be interesting. I've hunted them but always gave them to friends. It seems like you can't get very much meat for the effort. I know that a lot of people love them, so I will give it a chance this year. Pan fry with some gravy?

[ncomarc]

I'll be hunting with a .22 when the time comes. A lot of time I normally get lost watching the scenery and my buddy will get on me about all the squirl that were scurrying around me. I hunt for my in-laws, they know how to cook the hell out of them. I'm kinda wishing it was here already.

[ShaunM]

I like squirrel brains and scrambled eggs or squirrel and dumplings. I usually don't hunt them until it gets cool.

[Handsome Rob]

Try hunting 'em with a longbow! It's about the most fun you can have

I'll be out next weekend with my bow, a bucketfull of old arrows & a skwerl call.

Mmmmmmmm skwerl stew....lovely!

[memphismason]

How do you guys cook 'em?

I'll be doing it for the first time this year, so it could be interesting. I've hunted them but always gave them to friends. It seems like you can't get very much meat for the effort. I know that a lot of people love them, so I will give it a chance this year. Pan fry with some gravy?

I make a flour batter and drop them in a frying pan. That is the only way I have ever had them. Then after they are finished cooking make you some gravy with whats left over in the skillet.

Oh God, I am getting hungry.

[DaveS]

I used to hunt them with my compound bow with "flu-flu" arrows and "karate" points. Scared the crap out of several, but never got one with bow. I'll stick to my "lead launcher" thank you!