Gellar
Well-known member
Our season gets underway on Sept 3! I’ll be out looking for a few tree rats! The last few years I’ve enjoyed 🐿 hunting and 🐿 eating even more! Let’s see your small game successes here!
Squirrel ‘22
- Thread starter Gellar
- Start date
Chad Gus
Well-known member
My son loved to squirrel hunt when he was little, but it's been several years since we went. Since i don't have any trips planned, me and him will have to take a Sunday afternoon or two, stroll down memory lane. 
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
My dad always said he would never squirrel hunt until after the first frost due to warbles. I haven’t squirrel hunted much since I moved east, but when I have, it has been later in the season. Is there anything to what he said about warbles?
Gellar
Well-known member
I’ve never heard anything like that about squirrels. Rabbits I hear that every year. I like to hunt squirrels later because the leaves are off and it’s a lot easier to see them.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
Youth season starts 9/3 and the regular season starts 9/10. Guess I had better shoot the 22s this weekend.
Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
There a season for squirrels?? I thought they were vermin?
BrentD
Well-known member
Warbles are the same as "bot flies". They probably pretty much disappear after a frost (the adults). But the lavae in the squirrel won't hurt you or the squirrel, or taint the meat. Just ugly.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
So, they do exist!
Redmt
Well-known member
After our fires two years ago, most of the ground squirrel predators were wiped out. We are now infested. My buddy and I try and get together a couple times a week to shoot, not hunt, but shoot squirrels. We usually get 75-100 or so in a few hours between us. Even with .22's it gets a little spendy.
I grew up chasing squirrels, learned from my dad and grandfather. Missouri season opens memorial day weekend, and Illinois opened August 15 every year.
I absolutely love getting out early mornings in August when they’re cutting Hickory nuts- Find good sign on the ground, set up and wait a while. But usually it’s so hot and humid the cicadas are singing by 8 AM, and the heat chases you back home by nine or 930, right about when the big fox squirrels start to wake up.
After the hickory nuts were gone, they might move on to some of the early white oaks. Then it was the black walnuts. Then red oaks and later white oaks in October. And by November, they were mostly on the ground, looking for whatever they didn’t pick off the trees.
To this day, there’s still something special about creeping through towering groves of oak trees and all their fall spectacle, looking for a bushy tail. And there’s something even more special about fried squirrel with biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
I absolutely love getting out early mornings in August when they’re cutting Hickory nuts- Find good sign on the ground, set up and wait a while. But usually it’s so hot and humid the cicadas are singing by 8 AM, and the heat chases you back home by nine or 930, right about when the big fox squirrels start to wake up.
After the hickory nuts were gone, they might move on to some of the early white oaks. Then it was the black walnuts. Then red oaks and later white oaks in October. And by November, they were mostly on the ground, looking for whatever they didn’t pick off the trees.
To this day, there’s still something special about creeping through towering groves of oak trees and all their fall spectacle, looking for a bushy tail. And there’s something even more special about fried squirrel with biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
BrentD
Well-known member
Indeed. The bot fly adults lay eggs on many species of rodents, including squirrels, but I rarely see them there. The eggs hatch and the larvae grow in the animal's skin until it is ready to emerge, where it falls to the ground, pupates and then "hatches" out of that to the adult.
Humans can get them as well. They often like the back of the neck and head. Just let them do their thing and all is well. If you claw them out, bad things happen.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
If I had one of those things growing on me, my fate would be sealed because I would be clawing it out!
Well, I guess I’m not eating dinner before going hunting tonight.
brownbear932008
Well-known member
I finally found some time and got out yesterday evening. It is finally a hint of fall in the air in Virginia. Sat under some hickory and beech trees I sat under with my grandpa many years ago as a kid. Actually shot my first animal there with a single shot .410 Stevens. I will never forget that big old fox squirrel trotting out on a limb of his den tree which was a large beech at daylight.
The Annie shot well she went 4 for 4 all head shots. Going to find a good recipe that I haven't tried maybe. If not the gravy will be great!
The Annie shot well she went 4 for 4 all head shots. Going to find a good recipe that I haven't tried maybe. If not the gravy will be great!
BrentD
Well-known member
Can I suggest this:
3/4c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sause
1.5 t ginger powder
1.5 t garlic powder
2 T honey
2 T cider vinegar
quarter the squirrels and marinate all day or overnight, and then grill slow to medium hot.
Saving that one!
DouglasR
Well-known member
If you were gonna do like a 3-5 day section hike along the a-t during squirrel season, hoping to pop a few along the way how would you go about cooking them?
Southern Elk
Well-known member
Take a small jar of bacon grease and some seasoning of your choice. Quarter them and fry them with your backpack stove and a small pan.
Gellar
Well-known member
If you aren’t wanting to carry oil and what not you could always braise them in your cook pot for 30- 45 minutes and grill over the fire. If you can have fires, idk? Maybe bring some dried herbs and lemon zest to put in your braise water. And your favorite seasoning to coat them with before you grill. Collect mustard condiment packets and packets of honey from fast food places, make a little honey mustard dipping sauce to go with it.
