CO Abert's Opener

[trb]

My God is squirrel hunting fun!

A couple friends and I took my 3 nephews Abert's hunting today. All of us adults have small game hunted before but never for Abert's. One of my buddies limited, and the other and I each got one. The kids loved it, the weather was beautiful, and it was about the most fun I've ever had hunting. Trying to figure out what the perfect squirrel grip and grin pose is...but I am certain holding it like a baby that pooped is not it.

We were very surprised to not see any rabbits over the course of our 5 mile hike, as I saw plenty in the area while turkey hunting this spring. Great day and looking forward to getting back at it next week!

 

[elkrchr]

Congrats! One of these days I'm going to do that.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Looks like an excellent day to get the kids out!

We had a ton of those big gray squirrels growing up in Oregon, and I’ve never hunted or eaten squirrel. Might have to try that sometime.

 

[trb]

Looks like an excellent day to get the kids out!

We had a ton of those big gray squirrels growing up in Oregon, and I’ve never hunted or eaten squirrel. Might have to try that sometime.

The cliche rings true, it is a lot like chicken. I made buffalo squirrel wings with that one, but squirrel and gravy is a traditional dish in the south, and the recipe can be found in Rinella's meateater cookbook (happy to send you a pic of the page if you'd like). My favorite way is probably just slow cooked with seasoning and veggies. It seems to me to be the best way to make sure you get every piece of meat off the bones.

 

[Hunting Wife]

The cliche rings true, it is a lot like chicken. I made buffalo squirrel wings with that one, but squirrel and gravy is a traditional dish in the south, and the recipe can be found in Rinella's meateater cookbook (happy to send you a pic of the page if you'd like). My favorite way is probably just slow cooked with seasoning and veggies. It seems to me to be the best way to make sure you get every piece of meat off the bones.

Rinella’s recipe and his constant fascination with squirrels is what got me thinking I should try it!

 

[wytex]

Squirrels are great eating where they have nuts for forage, our pine squirrels not so much.
The Abert's up near our neck of the woods are jet black and I wanted to hunt them this fall but snow limits our access.
Fried or stewed in a brown gravy are great. Hunted many a fox and cat squirrel in east Texas while in college.

Love that you got the kids out to go after them!

 

[rideold]

I had some really good "pulled squirrel" tacos at a wild game meet-up once.

 

[Zach]

Never shot any while I had my property in Black Forest, guess I should have.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Love this! I need to get out there and chase some squirrels soon.

 

[BrentD]

Spectacular! I love Albert's in the trees or in my dinner. Great squirrels, but I have never hunted them with the black masks. Does that bring them around the tree to you?

 

[LuketheDog]

Awesome, I need to get my girls out chasing bunnies, going to put squirrels on the list too...

 

[trb]

Squirrels are great eating where they have nuts for forage, our pine squirrels not so much.
The Abert's up near our neck of the woods are jet black and I wanted to hunt them this fall but snow limits our access.
Fried or stewed in a brown gravy are great. Hunted many a fox and cat squirrel in east Texas while in college.

Lover that you got the kids out to go after them!

The color phases here in Colorado are about 50/50 as far as I have noticed. We killed 3 black, one grey that trip. I'm headed out again in the morning to further research that ratio. No better way to work up an appetite for a Thanksgiving meal of turkey and backstrap than chasing squirrels in the snow!

 

[trb]

Spectacular! I love Albert's in the trees or in my dinner. Great squirrels, but I have never hunted them with the black masks. Does that bring them around the tree to you?

Gotta be one with the black phase squirrels to lure them into complacency ya know? Just hoping that pic doesn't resurface during my future political campaigns.

 

[BrentD]

I'd vote for ya, either way.

 

[ZMT588]

Used too shoot Gray Squirrels in California. Lots of fun with the family. Love Squirrel and gravy.

 

[LuketheDog]

The color phases here in Colorado are about 50/50 as far as I have noticed. We killed 3 black, one grey that trip. I'm headed out again in the morning to further research that ratio. No better way to work up an appetite for a Thanksgiving meal of turkey and backstrap than chasing squirrels in the snow!

Well, I've never shot an Aberts and tried all season to match your success, didn't see one all season. Did put the hurt on a few B&C pine squirrels though...squirrel hunting is a riot!

 

[trb]

Well, I've never shot an Aberts and tried all season to match your success, didn't see one all season. Did put the hurt on a few B&C pine squirrels though...squirrel hunting is a riot!

Nice, yea pine squirrels are very fun as well. What's your opinion on the meat flavor?

I scouted Abert's habitat while turkey hunting this spring, so I have a couple spots around Colorado. Happy to point you in the right direction via PMs if you'd like. The below USFS document really helped me understand what to look for in terms of habitat type and distribution.

Here's a few photos from the rest of my season. I'd like to point out the particularly impressive rocky mountain Abert's oysters.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5181932.pdf

 

[Big Slick]

I always carried my SxS .410 in the truck during deer just in case we came across grey squirrels. Very good eating. My wife thought I was crazy for shooting the squirrels until I cooked some up for dinner.

 

[BrentD]

Well, I've never shot an Aberts and tried all season to match your success, didn't see one all season. Did put the hurt on a few B&C pine squirrels though...squirrel hunting is a riot!

LuketheDog -
A good clue to finding Abert's is to look for cuttings. They are Ponderosa "specialists" which is a little oversold, but they do give themselves away by clipping the ends of pine branches and dropping the clump of needles to the ground and then stripping the cambium (inner bark) from twigs that are a few inches long. These they also drop to the ground. The signature of Abert's is the white twigs that look like someone tossed a pack of loose cigarettes across the ground under a tree with literally a carpet of green needles that have been clipped. Find this, and you are in the money.

They will do this with other species of conifers, but Ponderosa is the big one. Also, they are major kleptoparasites of red squirrels and raid their middens regularly (red squirrel middens are the grocery store of high elevations for just about everyone). Where you find Aberts above the Ponderosa, it si where red squirrels are in good numbers.