A Few Squirrels

[scruffy]

So far this season I'm 8 for 8, 8 shots, 8 squirrels. Here are a few of the ones I've taken. The first pic is a couple I took with a browning bps micro 20 gauge with truglo fiber optic sights shooting #4 shot and a mod choke.

[scruffy]

Another shot of the browning with truglo sights. I really like this shotgun, it's a youth 20 but I really like it for the squirrels, 22" barrel, short stock is great for point up into the trees, etc. It's my favorite put squirrels in the pot gun. :D

[scruffy]

A couple squirrels taken with my nef sportster 22 mag single shot, weaver high rings, bushnell banner 3-9x50 scope (extra scope, but it works well), shooting remington premier 33 grain vmax, very destructive but it's what I use on foxes and yotes so it's what the rifle is sighted in for. I aim for the ribs since I don't eat the ribs on a squirrel, not much meat there.

[adaman04]

Nice shootin' Scruffy. I also have a youth model 20 ga. that I love for squirrel! They're nice and compact and really fit the bill. Good for rabbit too!

[scruffy]

If you noticed those are some big squirrels you are right. I shot only the big ones on my place. I have a hardwood timber with a ton of mature oak and walnut and hickory trees, as well as some hedge. I have tons of squirrels, so many I say they run in gangs, LOL!

On opening morning of bow deer season I sat in the stand for 3 hours before having to get down. In that 3 hours I saw probably between 20 and 30 squirrels from my stand in an oak tree that about 30" in diameter (I have BIG oak and walnut trees and hundreds of smaller ones).

This guy harassed me the whole time I was up in the tree. Others did "dive by" where they would sneak up and try to scare me out of the tree or bark at me as they jumped from branch to branch around me. But this guy was the worst. He got in a branch 15 feet above me and tried to pee on me!!!! :angry: Fortunately his aim was off!!!

When he went down to get a nut off the ground around 9:00am Mr. Muzzy said hello at 18 yards. :ph34r: The little bugger kept hiding behind trees, twigs, woldifloral rose, etc so I had to hunker down and lean to my left and shoot through a small hole to stick the squirrel. Not a perfect shot but he won't be trying to pee on me again. <_<

[adaman04]

Lol, nice shot Scruffy. What kinda bow you shoot?

[ShootinDave]

Gotta love the tree rat shootin. Thanks for the pics.

Dave

[scruffy]

A few more from new years weekend. I got a new to me 870 youth 20 gauge that I'm building a "lil turkey rig" out of. Since the pic I've swapped the remmy mod choke for a remmy full choke (.582") and put a set of truglo xtreme fiber optic sights, the set with the .25" rear ghost ring. I'll be using 20 gauge 3" #6 hevishot for the turkeys out the remmy full or a primos tight wad extended ported turkey choke (.570").

But first things first, I wanted to see how it handled 3" mag hevishot loads so for the squirrels (field test subjects) I used some 20 gauge 3" mag #4 hevishot I had laying around. They cycled fine and recoil wasn't bad at all.

This weekend I plan to field the new sights and the full choke. Squirell season is open till the 31st and I hope to have a box of #6 hevi turkey load, patterned with the full and possibly the primos choke (or other chokes) if the full doesn't cut it for pattern desnity, and then field test the whole 'lil turkey rig' package on the squirrels. A little preseason testing warm up for for turkey season. Both for the gun and for the crockpot. B)

later,
scruffy

[stooxie]

Originally posted by scruffy@Oct 6 2005, 04:32 PM
So far this season I'm 8 for 8, 8 shots, 8 squirrels. Here are a few of the ones I've taken. The first pic is a couple I took with a browning bps micro 20 gauge with truglo fiber optic sights shooting #4 shot and a mod choke.
Hey scruffy,

What do you do with your squirrels? I want to go squirrel hunting but I feel like I should be eating the suckers or using the skins to make... well, something..

Any good rationalizations I call tell myself? ;)

-Stooxie

[TPW]

Never ate squirrels. How do you cook them and how do they taste? How do you tell if they are rabbid or not?

[ShootinDave]

I cut off the head and half the legs, then skin it. Gut it. Wash it with salty water. Then bake or fry it like any other critter.

I have never seen a "rabbid" squirrel, I kinda laughed when I read that. I have shot a few with little hair or large growths on them.... I just chuck em to the side and try again for one that isn't nasty.

- Dave

[TPW]

Thanks, I'll have to try it sometime!

[scruffy]

I just eat the back legs. My wife won't touch them, so going out for an hour and getting two or three yeilds 4 to 6 back meaty legs, which enough for one meal for me with a couple different sides.

So I skin the back half, cut the meat at the back and around the hip and twist and cut until the leg comes off at the hip socket. I use also cut the leg off at the "ankle" or whatever it is. (my dogs eat the rest, nothing wasted, natural dog food.)

I then let the legs soak in salt water for a couple hours usually. My favorite way to cook them is in a small crock pot I have with some type of soup or broth, usually cream of chicken. I cook the legs in the crockpot until the meat falls off the bone, then pull out the leg bones, throw away the bones (cooked bones don't go to the dogs), and pour the meat/soup over some mash potatos or toast or something of that sort.

I've bbq'd it, fried it, etc, but the crockpot is the most tender by far.

later,
scruffy

[TPW]

Your make'in me hungry. Sounds like a real good stomach pleaser! I like to use a crock pot also. Never ate squirrel though. Sometimes I'll pour a can of beer into the mix, try it, it has a nice taste.
:beer: