
One among my long-time pet peeves is the behavior of framing a squirrel hunt as a easy tune-up for giant recreation season. Reality is, head-shooting a restrict of bushytails with a rimfire requires far more talent than taking pictures a whitetail out the window of a field blind. Squirrel searching is probably the most accessible type of searching we’ve got within the East, however that doesn’t imply it’s at all times simple. Nonetheless, squirrel searching might be a good way to get a brand new hunter some hands-on expertise.
One of the best factor about squirrel searching is that it abounds with alternative. The place you would possibly blow your probabilities at a whitetail must you spook it, squirrels have a tendency to return again after working away. And, for those who’re in the suitable spot, you will discover one other squirrel to chase. This lets new hunters follow necessary searching expertise like stalking, listening, and discovering an excellent relaxation for a shot time and again throughout a single day within the woods.
For skilled hunters, squirrel searching might be as arduous as you need it to be. Taking over skittish bushytails within the useless of winter, when there aren’t any leaves on the bushes, isn’t simple, neither is going after squirrels with a rifle throughout the early season, when heavy foliage doesn’t permit for a lot of shot alternatives. No matter your talent stage and nevertheless you need to hunt squirrels, right here’s a information to every thing you must find out about squirrel searching.
Squirrel Searching Desk of Contents
- The place to Discover Squirrels
- What Squirrels Eat: Hunter’s Information to Mast
- The Greatest Strategies for Squirrel Searching
- The Greatest Squirrel Searching Canine
- The Greatest Weapons for Squirrel Searching
- The Solely Two Squirrel Recipes You Have to Know
- Ceaselessly Requested Questions
The place to seek out Squirrels
There are greater than 65 sorts of squirrels in America. For our functions, we’re largely going to deal with grey squirrels and fox squirrels, which largely inhabit the jap and midwestern U.S.—from Maine to Flordia, and east Texas to North Dakota—although you aren’t more likely to discover fox squirrels within the northeast.
Squirrels favor habitats with prepared entry to mast-producing hardwoods. In different phrases, they wish to be round bushes that drop acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts, or walnuts. In the event you discover these bushes, search for squirrel nests within the branches. They’ll be clumps of leaves packed into the crotch of a tree.
Like numerous recreation animals, squirrels are crepuscular, that means they’re most energetic throughout daybreak and nightfall. One of the best time to hunt squirrels is within the early morning and late afternoon earlier than sunset. Relying on the time of 12 months, squirrels will probably be roughly energetic. Among the finest instances to hunt squirrels is throughout the fall, when there are nonetheless just a few leaves on the bushes and the squirrels are busy stashing nuts for the winter. Within the useless of winter, squirrels are much less energetic due to the chilly, and the open cover makes them vulnerable to predators like hawks and eagles.
What Squirrels Eat: A Hunter’s Information to Mast
Diehard squirrel hunters let mast cause them to the mom lode. Right here’s a primary information to what the critters are munching all through fall.
Early Season: Late August–October
Scout mature hardwood timber for hickory nuts, a favourite of squirrels. They like shagbark and pignut better of all, however any hickory tree with nuts will draw them in.
Midseason: September–November

By mid-fall, squirrels will possible shift from hickories to acorns. They’ve a marked choice for white oaks, adopted by purple oaks. Beechnuts are interesting now, too.
Late Season: November–January

As meals will get scarcer, search for squirrels on the bottom digging up a few of their cached nuts, or scavenging alongside area edges. Goal black walnut bushes, too, since they don’t drop all their mast till late winter.
The Greatest Strategies for Squirrel Searching
Squirrel searching can tackle many types. Listed below are six strategies, from the essential to the extraordinary:
The best way to Stalk Squirrels
There are two traditional methods to hunt squirrels—sit and wait, or stalk. Stalking locations an emphasis on woodsmanship, It’s actually big-woods deer searching in miniature—and an excellent tune-up for the big-game season. It additionally occurs to be a good way to start out a younger hunter.
Reasonably than sitting in a blind for hours (for what could also be a single shot), the brand new hunter learns the way to transfer slowly and quietly within the woods. They’ll even have the chance to shoot greater than as soon as (which reaffirms the worth of constructing correct pictures). Profitable squirrel stalking comes right down to transferring slowly and holding your ears and eyes open. Right here are some things to recollect whereas slinking across the squirrel woods:
When the bushes are nonetheless in full foliage, it’s troublesome to see squirrels. Transfer slowly and search for transferring leaves that point out squirrels scurrying alongside the limbs above you. In the event you hear cuttings (the sound of falling particles from feeding squirrels), you’re in enterprise.
While you spot a squirrel, slowly transfer into place for a transparent shot. As a result of the goal is so small, you really want to follow earlier than the season opens, and that helps in deer season.
In the event you’re stalking squirrels with a rifle, a vital factor to remember is the significance of a backstop. Keep in mind, you’re taking pictures up, and also you need to ensure the bullet hits the tree for those who miss. By no means shoot skylined squirrels and at all times ensure there’s sufficient tree trunk behind the animal to catch the bullet. Although headshots are preferable (much less injury to the meat), take the shoulder shot if wanted. —Slaton L. White
The best way to Snipe Squirrels from 100 Yards
Veteran Hunter Ricky King chases all method of critters round his house state of Kentucky, however he’s finest recognized for sniping Japanese grey squirrels at 100-plus yards, with the assistance of his tricked-out Anschutz .17 Mach 2. King bought his begin at long-range squirrel searching 34 years in the past, after a extreme three-wheeler accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. He refused to let it preserve him out of the woods. “I’d been searching and fishing my entire life,” he says. “I wasn’t about to cease.” He realized the way to navigate the woods with an ATV, however the machine’s restricted mobility made getting near recreation powerful. So King tailored. To persistently shoot squirrels at deer searching distances, he labored out a lethal system that may show you how to drop extra far-off critters, too.
King takes specific care in sighting in his squirrel rig and stresses the significance of utilizing a high-powered scope to make sure hypercorrect pictures. “I wish to depend their eyelashes at 100 yards,” he says. He zeroes his .17 Mach 2 useless nuts at 25 yards. That means, it’ll hit 1⁄2 inch excessive at 50 yards, a fuzz north at 75, and center-punch the X once more at 100. You’ll must be taking pictures supertight teams from a soccer area away earlier than hitting the woods, he says, given the small dimension of a squirrel’s skull.
The night earlier than a hunt, King scouts for a mast-heavy tree the place squirrels could also be hanging out. He units up nicely earlier than dawn on the forage hotspot, ensuring that he has a transparent view of the bottom, since that’s the place most squirrels will probably be feeding in mid to late fall. He shoots from a utility field mounted to the entrance of his ATV, with rifle-rest luggage to stabilize his gun, and in addition retains a tripod prepared at his aspect, ought to a squirrel flank him. You may attempt the same setup, by mendacity susceptible or resting on a flat floor, with a tripod useful ought to you must modify or transfer.
A giant a part of King’s technique is staying affected person and calm as soon as he begins to tug the set off. It’s simple to let a miss frazzle you, he says, however there’s no purpose to let it. “Younger squirrels received’t even clear off a tree after a shot, however the older ones will,” he says. You simply have to attend them out, he provides. “They’ll be again.” —Michael R. Shea
The best way to Hunt Squirrels by Boat

Squirrels like to feed alongside creek banks and loaf within the treetops above a river, which is why hitting the water with a ship and a buddy is a assured means to assist fill your restrict. That mentioned, squirrels are nicely conscious that once they hang around by the shoreline, they’re uncovered to each fang and talon that prowls overhead—to not point out your load of #6s—so you must deliver your A recreation. Right here’s the way to do greater than luck out on a squirrel or two throughout an early-morning float.
The higher you disguise your boat—be it a canoe, johnboat, or skiff—the extra probabilities you’ll have at squirrels. Certain, you would possibly kill just a few along with your normal duck-boat setup, however for those who’re critical about killing a large number of squirrels, commit to completely overlaying your craft. First, drape camo netting over the gunwales to maintain the hull from reflecting morning daylight. Then, prop up vertical cowl—river cane, bamboo, pruned tree branches—within the bow and stern and alongside the gunwales. Beech branches work nice, since they maintain brown leaves nicely into winter, as do evergreen holly boughs. Positive-tune issues by visualizing the angle of a wily, neurotic critter wanting down from 30 toes overhead. Don’t neglect to camouflage the handles and blades of your paddle, both. Nothing will ship a squirrel scurrying away quicker than a paddle flash.
You could really feel tempted to drift down the center of a creek as a way to look far downstream to catch a glimpse of feeding squirrels. The issue is that these squirrels are sometimes wanting far upstream, proper at you. As an alternative, tuck your boat near the financial institution and scull slowly downstream. That means, you’re extra more likely to shut the gap on squirrels feeding in cowl. Plus, these sunny banks may also develop thick with comfortable mast. Keep on the within edges of any river bends, listening for squirrels on the bottom, and be able to shoot. Typically, a squirrel will have a look at your boat for a second to resolve whether or not you’re a floating tree or a risk, supplying you with a window to fireside.
I favor to squirrel searching from a ship with a brief, quick-pointing over/underneath, just like the Stevens 555, moderately than a protracted autoloader. Compact o/u’s are simple to swing in a johnboat or canoe, and gunning with two chokes—one open for close-range pictures, the opposite a bit tighter for treetop targets—is useful. Honest warning: Taking pictures seated in a ship isn’t any cinch. Deal with swinging your torso with out placing weight in your toes.
Don’t neglect the touchdown web. When you get within the groove of working the financial institution, you’ll need to make fast, simple work out of scooping squirrels from the present, so you may get again within the motion. —T. Edward Nickens
The best way to Go Squirrel Searching With a Bow
Bowhunting for squirrels not solely affords tons of taking pictures alternatives, however it additionally sharpens your eye as a marksman, since squirrels seldom maintain nonetheless for lengthy. Earlier than you begin launching arrows into the treetops, nevertheless, you’ll want the specialised gear designed for focusing on the animals. Flu-flu arrows are important. These arrows fly at normal velocities for 20 to 30 yards, then shortly decelerate and parachute to the bottom, making for straightforward, protected recoveries. You’ll additionally need specialised small-game factors that resist breaking and sticking in timber, akin to Saunders Archery’s rubber bludgeons or Zwickey’s spring-arm Judo factors.
When you’re equipped, begin out by slipping by way of the hardwoods quietly whereas scanning the treetops. Keep looking out for acorn and nut items littered on the bottom—an excellent signal squirrels are shut—and hear for chittering and stirring leaves. Freeze if a squirrel all of a sudden seems inside vary. They see motion greater than type, so for those who maintain nonetheless, there’s an excellent likelihood you’ll get a shot. If a squirrel is farther than 30 yards, wait till it turns away for a second after which shut the gap by stepping between naked or damp spots on the earth. When in vary, crouch or kneel beside a tree from the place you may draw again and let an arrow fly.
The best way to Hunt Squirrels with a Handgun

Stalking squirrels with a rifle is enjoyable, however excessive small-game hunters know nothing beats taking pictures a restrict from 10 toes with a pistol. In the event you’re up for the problem, you had higher be able to make a cost. Squirrels do most of their foraging on the bottom all through fall and winter, however proper now’s the perfect time for this tactic as a result of squirrel numbers are excessive and there’s nonetheless hanging foliage for canopy.
Watch the forecast and don’t make searching plans till you get a cool, drizzly day with a lightweight breeze. These situations portend slow-moving chilly fronts and put critters on the transfer. The damp forest ground and rustling branches additionally make it simple so that you can flit round like a squirrel-hunting ninja.
Goal old-growth hardwood forests with massive mast-producing bushes however sparse undergrowth. You most likely received’t be capable of hear foraging squirrels on the bottom, however you must be capable of see them from a distance. Ease by way of the woods slowly, watching and ready greater than you stroll. As soon as you notice a squirrel, maintain nonetheless, even you probably have an excellent shot. Pulling off a cost will probably be definitely worth the wait.
Squirrels are malcontent creatures. They’ll seek for the proper nut, discover it, chew on it for a minute, after which throw it apart for an additional. All this busywork often takes place on the base of a giant tree, which you should utilize to your benefit. As you watch the squirrel, slowly place your self in order that the trunk is between you and the critter, blocking you from view. Even when the squirrel does spot you, so long as you’re sporting camo and transferring slowly, it most likely received’t pay you any consideration.
As soon as in place, give the squirrel just a few seconds to discover a worthy nut and actually settle into its feast on the far aspect of the tree. Then, staying out of view, make lengthy, comfortable strides to shut the gap shortly. When you’re inside a pair yards, cease and await the squirrel to return round once more. As soon as it does, it might not discover you in any respect. But when it occurs to, it’ll possible simply bounce on the closest tree for a greater look. And that’s a simple shot for a squirrel ninja such as you. —Will Brantley
The best way to Go Squirrel Searching With Canine
Principally a southeastern custom, squirrel searching with canine is a quick, loud, action-packed method to hunt bushytails. The fundamental premise is straightforward and performs on a squirrel’s impulse to run up a tree and conceal. First, you narrow the canine free. Then, allow them to discover a squirrel. Wait till they chase mentioned squirrel up a tree, then go shoot the squirrel. Good canine will say on the backside of a tree and bark on the squirrel to alert the hunter and preserve the squirrel in a single place.
Whereas this sounds simple, it isn’t. You want a canine that may monitor squirrels by scent and sight. These canine are sometimes fairly high-strung to match their quarry’s disposition. As soon as the squirrel is up the tree they are often troublesome to identify. As an alternative of silently ambushing a squirrel by stalking or one of many strategies above, you’ve simply scared the daylights out of him and he’s going to do his finest to cover within the tree.
One of the best methods to discover a hidden squirrel with extra eyeballs. That’s one of many causes why squirrel doggers wish to hunt in teams. Typically, a squirrel’s most putting attribute—its bushy tail—betrays them. Search for it hanging out of the crotch of a tree or waving within the breeze like a flag. The remaining is all about good taking pictures. Attempt to have somebody within the group with a shotgun for the runners and jumpers and at the very least one individual with an correct .22 for extra exact pictures. —M.E.
The Greatest Squirrel Searching Canine
Squirrel searching with canine has all the thrill of old-time coon searching, however it’s simply managed on public lands and smaller forest tracts. Under, three squirrel-dog breeders share their ideas on the perfect canine for treeing bushytails.
Feist
Lee Moore of the Mississippi Delta likes a small, 20- to 25-pound feist. He says a small canine is simple to deal with, and you may match multiple in a canine field. Most feists use their eyes greater than a cur, and tree the squirrel just a little faster. Moor doesn’t like loud, hard-barking canine, both as a result of they preserve him from listening to what different hunters are saying or the place they’re transferring.
Blackmouth Cur
Paul Hillis of Texas prefers a Ladner blackmouth cur. Their traces return greater than 200 years. They fluctuate in dimension as much as 90 kilos, however he likes a 40- to 50-pound canine. Larger canine will tire out quicker, and so they are inclined to go round thickets that just a little canine will undergo. Blackmouth curs have superb winding potential. They’ll stroll on their two hind legs, like a kangaroo, with their nostril within the air attempting to scent a squirrel.
Mountain Cur
Chuck Loudin of West Virginia runs purebred authentic mountain curs. He says it’s as a result of he’s hound man, and he likes the similarities between treeing walkers and authentic mountain curs. Curs are inclined to vary out a bit farther, and so they run a monitor by scent. He likes watching his curs work an excellent monitor. Once they tree, they’re up on the tree, staying tight and barking a lot, like a hound. —T.E.N.
Greatest Weapons for Squirrel Searching
A .22 LR that can always group at round an inch at 25 to 50 yards is simply the software for head-shooting squirrels. However regardless that taking pictures squirrels with sniper-like precision is a part of the enjoyable of squirrel searching, it isn’t every thing. And a few hunters both don’t have a .22 that may do this, or don’t really feel snug taking pictures into the bushes with a rifle. The excellent news is that the majority hunters have already got the proper gun to hunt squirrels. A shotgun with a modified choke loaded with #5 or #6 area hundreds will do the trick. And for many who can sneak into shut vary, a .410 with a full choke works nicely, too. When given an possibility between searching squirrels with a shotgun or rifle, numerous devoted squirrel gunners will go for the latter—and even get fairly heated must you point out squirrels and scatter weapons in the identical sentence. However some hunters take their squirrel searching weapons to an entire different stage. Listed below are a few examples:
The Final Squirrel Pistol

The Ruger Mark IV 22/45, a tactical model of Ruger’s legendary .22 pistol, has a threaded 4.4-inch barrel with rails on prime and beneath. You most likely don’t want a tactical flashlight for squirrel searching, however it may come in useful for taking pictures huge bullfrogs within the low season. For precision squirrel taking pictures, a variable-power pistol scope just like the Leupold VX-3 Handgun 2.5–8x32mm is sensible, since you may dial as much as 8X and clearly see a squirrel’s head excessive in a hickory tree. With out the suppressor, this scope will most likely hold over a 4-inch gun’s muzzle. Select your barrel size accordingly. Belief me, you’ll be taking pictures this pistol a bunch, and it’ll be surprisingly loud, so placing a can on it makes a world of sense. The Silent Legion Rimfire Direct Thread weighs simply 2.7 ounces and prices simply $315, along with the required stamps and costs, in fact. —W.B.
The 100-Yard Squirrel Rifle

Hitting a squirrel’s head from 100 yards depends upon the rifle as a lot because the shooter. For caliber, the .17 Mach 2 (a.ok.a. .17 HM2) is simply the ticket. It’s mainly a .22 LR necked right down to .17 caliber. The spherical reaches velocities of 2100 fps, almost twice as quick because the standard-velocity .22 LR, and is laser flat to 125 yards. Do you have to pull a shot and hit on a squirrel’s physique, it additionally received’t injury the meat almost as a lot because the extra well-liked .17 HMR. An Anschutz Mannequin 1502 Heavy-Barrel Traditional is the perfect 17 Mach 2 squirrel rifle. Nevertheless it’s been discontinued and it’ll set you again greater than $1,500 if you will discover one. Luckily, Savage nonetheless chambers the .17 Mach 2 within the reasonably priced Mark II FV, High the rifle with a Leupold VX-3i 6.5–20x40mm EFR CDS scope, and also you’ll be capable of watch a squirrel blink from a soccer area away. —M.R.S.
The Solely Two Squirrel Recipes You Have to Know
Optimistically, you’ll have a large number of squirrels in your fingers after a protracted day within the woods. The important thing to cooking squirrels is all concerning the age of the animal. Youthful squirrels are extra tender and higher for the fryer. After searching squirrels for a season or two, you’ll be capable of determine the younger ones from the previous. They’re sometimes smaller and often dumber that older ones—and simpler to select off earlier within the season. Older squirrels might be powerful to hunt and even more durable to eat. They’re finest in recipes that invovle gradual cooking like soups, stews, and pot pies. Listed below are two recipes, one for older squirrels and one for youthful squirrels, that can preserve you heading again to the hardwoods for extra elements.
The Greatest Recipe for Older Squirrels
Larry Brown’s Squirrel, Biscuits, and Gravy (Serves 4)
The late Larry Brown, the creator of Joe, Billy Ray’s Farm, and 7 different classics of Southern literature, had a saying. When issues had been troublesome, sophisticated, aggravating, or vexing in a technique or one other, he’d say, “They ain’t squirrels, child.” Squirrels, for Larry, had been the antithesis of all that: They had been a pleasure to hunt, a pleasure to prepare dinner, and a pleasure to eat. Searching and consuming them was considered one of life’s easy pleasures-along with bream fishing, gradual back-roads driving, consuming with friends, and cradling his grandchildren. On quite a few mornings he greeted company with a plate of squirrel, biscuits, and gravy, his signature dish, often made with grays his sons had killed. Nothing ever tasted higher, or will once more.
Substances
- 2 squirrels (about 1 pound every), dressed and quartered
- 2/3 cup flour for dredging, plus roughly 1/4 cup for gravy
- 5 slices bacon
- Salt and freshly floor pepper
Biscuits
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
1. Parboil the squirrel items: Place them in a big pot and add sufficient salted water to cowl. Deliver to a simmer and prepare dinner till the meat may be very tender however nonetheless intact-1 to 2 hours. Take away them from the water and put aside to chill.
2. In a big cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon slices over medium warmth till they’re crispy and all of the fats has been rendered. Reserve the bacon for an additional use. In a large, shallow bowl or pan, season 2/3 cup of flour (or extra as wanted) with salt and pepper. Dredge the squirrel items in it, shaking off any extra, and place them within the bacon grease. Scale back warmth to medium-low and prepare dinner the squirrel till evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes per aspect. You’ll have to do that in batches; add butter to the pan if the grease appears inadequate.
3. Within the meantime, make the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400¿¿. Combine the dry elements in a bowl. Divide the shortening into a number of items and lower it into the dry elements till the combination resembles coarse crumbs. Make a gap within the middle and pour within the buttermilk. Utilizing your fingers, fold the dry combination into the buttermilk till you might have a sticky dough. Flip the dough onto a floured floor and fold it over on itself to type layers. Flatten it along with your fingers till it’s about 3/4 inch thick. Utilizing a biscuit cutter or an upside-down glass, lower rounds out of the dough. Switch the rounds to a sheet pan and brush with melted butter. Bake for quarter-hour till golden brown.
4. When the squirrel items are performed, take away them to a plate or preserve them heat in a low oven. Pour off the surplus grease, holding about 1/4 cup within the pan. Improve the warmth to medium-high and add 1/4 cup of flour, stirring always and scraping up any browned bits till the combination turns an oaky shade of brown. Add 3/4 cup of chilly water and stir till a thick gravy types; if it’s too thick, add extra water. Salt and pepper to style. Serve the squirrel and biscuits with the gravy on the aspect.
The Greatest Recipe for Youthful Squirrels:
Pork Rind-Crusted Fried Squirrel with Molasses Pink-Eye Gravy (Serves 4)
John Currence, the James Beard Award-winning chef of the Metropolis Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi, conceived of this crushed pork-rind coating for fried hen, however it works even higher crusting the extra flavorful meat of younger grey squirrels. To make “pork rind powder,” drop a bag or two of rinds within the blender and pulverize till you might have coarse, sandy-textured bits. Currence recommends Brim’s Scorching Pork Rinds and serves this dish with sizzling cornbread for sopping up the red-eye gravy.
Substances
- 4 younger squirrels, dressed and quartered
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1-1/2 cups lard
- 1-1/2 cups peanut or vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour seasoned with salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder
- 2 cups pork rind powder (see recipe headnote)
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs, evenly crushed
- 3/4 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt, cayenne powder, and Tabasco, to style
Tasso and Molasses Pink-Eye Gravy
- 1/3 cup tasso or different thick-sliced ham, diced
- 1/2 cup bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1-1/4 cups beef inventory
- 3/4 cup robust black espresso
- 1/3 cup Coca-Cola
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon purple pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly floor black pepper, to style
Instructions
1. Generously season the squirrel items with salt, pepper, and cayenne; permit to sit down for two hours.
2. Deliver water, cider vinegar, onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to a boil, then boil for quarter-hour. Add the squirrel items and simmer for 12 to fifteen minutes, till the meat is cooked by way of however not falling aside. Take away the meat. Drain the greens in a colander and discard them.
3. Make the red-eye gravy: In a big cast-iron skillet or pan, sauté the bacon and tasso over medium warmth till all of the fats is rendered. Whisk within the flour till it’s nicely mixed, persevering with to whisk over medium warmth for five minutes. Stir within the beef inventory, espresso, Coca-Cola, molasses, and purple pepper flakes, deliver to a simmer, and whisk always till gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to style.
4. In a big cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, warmth the oil and lard to 325 levels F, or till a pinch of flour bubbles within the oil.
5. Whisk collectively the milk and eggs with a touch of Tabasco. Mud the squirrel within the seasoned flour and put aside. Add the pork rind powder to the remaining seasoned flour and mix nicely. Dunk the squirrel within the egg wash, then dredge them within the pork rind and flour combination, shaking off any extra. Fry the items till golden brown, working in batches. Drain on paper towels and serve instantly with gravy on the aspect, and cornbread if desired.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
What does squirrel style like?
I hate to say it, however quite a bit like hen, with deeper in taste. Squirrels have a darkish meat, just like hen thighs. They’re additionally lean, with out numerous fats. You may gradual prepare dinner them till they’re falling-off-the-bone tender or deep fry youthful squirrel components like hen wings. In different phrases, they’re scrumptious.
What dimension 12 gauge shot for a squirrel?
You may’t go incorrect with #5 or #6 area hundreds out of a 12 gauge. Both offers you an open sufficient sample to wreck much less meat and sufficient energy to ethically kill a squirrel. Shoot from a modified choke at round 35 yards and underneath.
What’s the perfect time to hunt squirrels?
Within the early morning or late afternoon. Squirrels are busiest throughout the dawn and sundown and also you’re extra more likely to see them then. Squirrel season is fairly lengthy, and relying on the time of 12 months you’ll see roughly squirrels. See above for a breakdown of what squirrels are consuming throughout completely different instances of the 12 months.
What’s the tastiest a part of a squirrel?
It’s all fairly good, however you’ll discover probably the most meat on the again legs. The squirrel’s saddle— or backstrap—although tiny, is sort of good. And the entrance shoulders are nothing to scoff at.