I've read some posts that frown upon eating squirrels in certain areas. I'm not sure why the caution. Hazardous Waste? That brain disease? Does anybody know of any problem with eating squirrles in the north-central Ohio area?

The last time I ate one was back in 1992. Seemed OK to me. But these days you never know. Any comments?

A lot of people don't eat them because they saw on Animal Planet that they were rodents, I personally just don't care for the taste. Now I will eat dove, quail, deer, turkey and rabbit!!

yep, rodents all right.  Great moving targets though[50]

I haven't heard any warnings about eating Squirrels here. I am in Stark county and am a Squirrel hunter. I will call Tim Jordan at the ODNR tomorrow. Mmmm, Squirrel gravy, Mmmm, Squirrel stew, Mmmm, shredded, barbecued Squirrel sandwiches, Mmmm, Squirrel spaghetti sauce.

I killed one at my Grandmas house once with a BB gun when I was a kid..

She MADE me eat it!

She actually cooked it and made me eat it!

"you killed it, you have to eat it!"

YUCK! [puke]

rodent is just a word. so is tasty. [:P]

============================================

Stark County..........!!

thats where i grew up, there & Wellborn Fla. also.........

i once floated on a raft down the Tuscarawas River, shooting squirrels out of trees, it was very quiet & most challenging, as everything is moving.......

A great way to cook squirrel is "Squirrel n Dumplings". Prepared the same as Chicken n Dumplings but the chicken is replaced by squirrel. Squirrels are much leaner than Chicken so some lard or bacon fat will need to be added to richen the flavor.

Even an older and tougher squirrel can be enjoyed if you slow stew the squirrel, then strip the meat from the bones before adding the dumplings.

Thanks for your comments fellas.

Sukebe, let me know what he says. I've e-mailed ODNR and have asked them if they know any problem with eating squirrels. I'll see what they say. BTW, I like your attitude on squirrels. I'm sure you cleared those feelings with PETA. [:D]

There have been some reports of folks who eat the brains of squirrels getting diseases similar to "Jacobs-Kreuzfeld" (spelling?), the stuff known as "Mad Cow Disease."

I'm sure someone with more info will wander along soon...

Squirrels IS good food!
AB

Hunting Squirrels is great. The only thing bad about them is that they are SOB to skin, It makes rabbits and deer seem like peeling a banana. They taste good but are sticky

Squirrel is good to eat? I would say you could eat them, I would not say they were good, and don't give me none of this it is how you cook it stuff, a turd can be cooked many ways also. If you kill it hunting, well eat it, but don't give people the idea they are yum, yum good. I will take steak over tree rat anyday. If you like to eat squirrel, you would love eating Starlings and making a black bird pie, yummy.

Ok, you seem to be the guy to ask, what does Nutria taste like and don't say chicken.

Let's be sure to acknowledge that there are 2 varieties of squirrels, those that live in trees and those that live in the ground.


I will agree that the squirrels that live in trees are generally pretty clean animals, lower numbers of parisitic insects like fleas and ticks.


But if you try to tell me that a ground squirrel is a clean animal I am gonna curl over and barf on your shoes.    Those things are downright FILTHY!    Atleast all the Ca. Ground Squirrels that I know are filthy little vermin and they absolutely positively deserve the fate that I give them when a 40grain Vmax at 3400+fps impacts their fleshy bodies.


All too often I've walked out to a "splat mark" after hitting a squirrel only to see what's left have about a million+ fleas jumping off as they sense the heat depleating from their host.


What's more, some areas of Ca. where squirrels are high in numbers have been designated as plague infested and will have little warning signs telling you to avoid the squirrel population.


I've also watched the local ground squirrels turn into cannibals, I'll splatter a squirrel acrossed the hillside only to see it moving again later.   A view through the scope will confirm that one of it's little brothers or sisters has come out to munch on his body.



Basically, if it's a ground critter that lives in a burrow all day long to let the parisites feed off of it and desease it, I don't want it on my dinner plate.


I've also heard of similar reports about prarrie dogs being found to carry the plague.



I do however respect the tree squirrels as a valid game critter and will honor the hunting seasons set aside for their taking.

[b]PETA[/b] = People Eating Tasty Animals

I would much rather eat a little pussy than eat a little squirrel.
Lebrew

I have never tried it. How do you cook yours?

Bill

My family used to eat squirrels (both fox and gray) when I was young and money was tight.  We’d usually fry them and make gravy out of what was left in the skillet. It was pretty good with biscuits.  You could really tell the difference from a young squirrel and an old squirrel.  The young ones were tender, but the old ones were tough and stringy.  We often put the old ones in the pressure cooker to make them more tender.

I had a lot of fun hunting them on our farm when I was young.  I felt that I was doing my part to help put meat on the table. We also ate rabbits, quail, deer, fish, and an occasional snapping turtle. Now that I live in the Chicago suburbs, I don’t have much access to hunting areas.  I probably wouldn’t hunt squirrels even if I did have access.  It’s just easier to go to the local market and buy one of the many varieties of meat there.  I don’t even want to think about what my wife would say if I asked her to cook a squirrel.

I believe it's the squirrels brain that should not be eaten. really.I think it is kind of a mad cow type problem. the rest should be okay unless there
is a problem in the area. Myself I like Ozark mountain squirrel. tomato, onion,garlic and mushrooms simmer till tender. Yum...

- the brain thing is from an article I read about some mountain folks in Tn eating them and having ill affects.

I ferment mine, a little Daves Insanity Sauce, a little pork sausage, a smidgen of olive oil, and you have one fine BM.

Tim is on vacation but I spoke with another Wildlife Officer. He advises that there is no consumption warnings on Squirrels for the upcoming season.

You have obviously never eaten Squirrel. Go ahead and say that you have but your comments prove that you a liar. Anyone who has eaten Squirrel prepared by a reasonably competent cook will tell you that they either liked it or that they didn't like it. This can be said for any type of food. No one will tell you that is inedible. Any food can be bad if prepared by a bad cook.

brain is for tanning hides, not for eating.

I enjoy hunting squirrels and I think they're passable to eat, but have avoided hunting them for a few years now because of skinning difficulty.

Does anyone have a _good_way_ to remove the hide?  I'd rather skin a deer than a half dozen tree rats, or even three.

I always knew there was something different about New Yorkers. It's what they eat.

Never ate one but as a kid we shot a few for pelts. We didn't know "shit from shinola" about skinning and cut into the stomach while trying to remove the skin. The most foul smelling putrid green bile ran out. We promptly abandoned the fur trade.

That experience convinced me I would never eat a nutria.

I did, however see a show on the food channel where somewhere on the Ohio river there is a restaurant that serves muskrat. The rats are imported from Canada since our FDA won't inspect muskrat. Evidently the Canadian Govt. will

Go figure.

ROFLMAO [:D]

I was born and raised in SE Louisiana. This isn't a smart assed reply, but nutria tastes like nutria. It is a little gamy and some find it strong, but if you like bison and carabou, you will like nutria.

Squirrel is my favorite game to eat and hunt, followed by deer, rabbit, quail, dove, turkey, etc.............

Squirrel is my favorite small game animal.  I love to hunt and eat squirrel.  Good stuff.    As far as game (and non-game) animals on our menu at home: Deer, Elk, Moose, Antelope, Squirrel, Cottontail rabbits, Jack Rabbits, all upland fowl, all waterfowl, Ground Hogs (otherwise called Marmot or Rock Chucks for ya'll who don't know), and Racoons. I refuse to eat an Opossum or a DakRat (Prairie Dog), nastiest critters alive.  I don't eat brains from any animal, as someone said previously, those are for tanning.

Squirrel is some fine dining.  The one important thing to remember is to remove their musk glands on the inside of the rear legs as soon as possible.  After that simply marinate in some vinegar and honey, skewer, and then slow roast him over the BBQ pit.

 My compliments. Good one, almost choked on my drink with that responce.

Ok thanks, yeah they eat muskrat, in some parts it is called swamp rabbit. I would think maybe nutria tastes like muskrat, they have a real dark meat, gamey as you say. Again thanks

Here a description of technique as taught to me by father, who is a retired telephone lineman. If you have ever seen a veteran lineman  use a pair of "snips" lineman scissors then you will appreciate this. Game shears will work but are not as sturdy.

1)first cut thru the skin all the way around the torso making sure not cut into the meat.

2)take your 2 hands and put your fingers under the skin opposing each other .

3)Now pull out and the skin turn inside out but not come off at the feet, head, and tail. (picture breaking a the plastic of a six-pack)

4)take your "snips" cut through the bones of the neck, feet, and tail. These cuts should be right where the skin stops. The hide, head, feet, and tail are in 2 neat pieces.

5)Insert your snips in the rectum and cut forward thru the ribs right up to the neck.

6)Gut the Squirrel.....Done

This technique will take all of 1.5 minutes in the practiced hands of an old school expert like dad.

My 8 year old son started squirrel hunting last fall. My mama never would cook my squirrels so I had to give 'em to the neighbors, so I swore I would always cook anything my son shot. It had been about 25 years since I had cleaned squirrels so the first two kinda took awhile. We got 'em dressed and in freezer bags and were headed home. We were hunting at our new house that we are renovating, and as we got to the garden spot, it was full of deer. It was doe day so I picked out one that looked like it would make good eating, killed her, loaded her up in the back and headed for the deer cooler. I don't process my own 'cause I don't have anywhere cool to age the carcass. Anyhow, I asked the old boy doing the skinning if we could hang around a little while and watch him. This particular deer cooler prefers to gut the deer themselves since so many folks hack 'em up so bad. After the boy finished gutting and skinning the doe, my son, who had been intently studying the whole process said, "Daddy, that man just cleaned that deer in less time than it took you clean my squirrels." I'm feeling about two feet tall when he pipes up and adds, "and he didn't get a bunch of hair all over the meat either!".  I reckon that cleaning squirrels is a little bit like riding a bike, you never forget how, but it helps to stay in practice.
Since I also got out of the fur business while in my teens, the easiest way I've found to skin 'em is to get a real sharp blade (I used to use box cutters before they got banned), pinch up some skin on their back and make a cut, then continue the cut all the way around their body. Then pull the front portion over their head, kinda like taking off a shirt, and the back portion you pull off the back end, kinda like a pair of pants. Pull the front section until it goes about to the chin and feet, then cut off head and feet. Repeat on backside, removing the tail and feet in like manner. Then take the guts out and cut 'em in half just below the rib cage. You don't have to cut 'em in half, but if you don't they look a little too much like a skinned cat. Soak in a white vinegar, lemon juice, and water solution and wipe away stray hairs with a dry lint free cloth (a clean dishrag works good). Then put the meat in a crock pot or slow cooker and cover with the barbeque sauce of your choice and cook for 4 or 5 hours. Pull the meat off of the bones, which requires very little effort.  Whatever you have left over can be put on a bun or some loaf bread the next day for one of the best barbeque sandwiches you can get without cooking a pig in the ground overnight.
   Sometimes, here in Georgia, if we don't get a good hard freeze during the winter, there will be a grub like worm under the skin around the shoulders. We called these thing wooves when I was growing up, but I don't know their scientific name.  If you spot these things and mash them with the skin still on, the will bust like a big ol' festered up zit. If you miss it before you pull the skin off, you'll see it after skinning. These are the ones that the possums and coyotes get a free meal off of, as I won't continue to dress 'em beyond that point.
Oops, hope nobody was eatin' while reading this![:D] John

Now, what the heck, that big, worm like grub thing is just a weevil, yeah it looks like a busted, festered, pused up zit, but squirrel is good eating. Heck, hot dogs , no thanks give me the chance to eat squirrel. Those worm like grub creatures that looks like a pused up festered, busted zit cannot hurt you, it is just an insect larvae. And people eat bugs right, grasshoppers , ants, grubs. Oh when you shot them if it hasn't been cold they sometimes have fleas on them to.   Ok price break down----hunting license 16.00 /shot gun 100.00/ shells 10.00/ camo clothes/ 20.00/ there could be other costs involved gasoline to hunting area etc etc. but final cost is 146.00 to eat something with a worm like grub, covered with stray hair, squirrel, squirrel hunting is for kids and it does teach them good sport ethics, but I will say I don't understand adult squirrel hunters at all. But if you like to hunt them, go for it but do not try and delude yourself and others that they are good eating. They taste like garbage.

If you like squirrel,you will Love
Warf rat!

The squirrel meat is ok, just dont eat the Brains, that is bad in Ohio. Why, I dont know,but read it in local paper. I would like to know why does one eat the brains ? [shock]

Good tasting game depends on the species, age, diet, climate, sex, handling and preparation.  

I used to make a mean squirrel stew when I was a kid. My family never questioned what the meat was in the stew.  They assumed it was veal from the freezer.  One day my sister asked what the meat was after eating it for dinner and when I told her she promptly puked!  

Squirrel Brains May Be Unsafe

[url]http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjh9u/sqbrain.html[/url]

"Two Kentucky doctors last month reported a possible link between eating squirrel brains and the rare and deadly human variety of mad-cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease."

........

I'm reading a lot of ignorance here. The main problem people have with squirrels is not gutting them out right off the bat. I see so many people who'll shoot squirrels in the summer time and they don't bother to gut them until they arrive home. After an hour or so on a nice balmy summer day, you can bet it'll be really tasty. Just split the belly open and remove the stomach and intestines. You can get away with leaving the heart and lungs in place until you're ready to skin.

Old ones that're too tough? Again, not a problem. Soak in salt water prior to cooking. Works every time.

This "too hard to skin business" has got to go. From the split you've made in the belly, continue on down the hind legs. Split the hide around the feet radially and peel up to the tail. Place the hind feet on an automobile bumper or step and place your foot over them. Grab the tail in one hand and split the hide and the tail bone with a pocket knife. Pull the hide off by the tail in one pice. Works every damned time. Once I get to the fore feet and head, cut the joints at the feet and free the hide. I don't save the heads (never cared for brains), but you can continue to peel the hide in one piece over the head and trim at the snout and whiskers. Clean and cook (or freeze).


Uh, no.

Maybe because that is the closest they will ever get to one. ------- I have come to the conclusion that you can eat almost anything organic, and some people do, if only to prove it can be done. One last comment those are not musk glands those are called testicles.

here in Wisconsin, out on my land many years ago we use to have black squirrels... the damn red squirrels killed them all, thay kill gray squirrels too...

so at least one weekend every year, ITS PAYBACK TIME!!!! I go out with my 10/22 and about one thousand rounds of ammo and waste as many red squirrels as I can find. don't give-a-shit if im over my bag limit.. cause I don't pick them up.

Can you figure out when a guy is having fun with a topic or are you just cranky today. I was just joking around but if I have offended you, I will say it was not my intent to insult you or anyone else. OK, Have a good weekend.

Oh, so you're a slob.