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Old February 16, 2009, 11:33 AM   #1
Dearhunter61
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Squirrels...Hunting...Varmint pest or Game Animal?

The question is stated above...

The reason I am asking is simple. I LOVE to squirrel hunt but in Texas in the Pineywoods Squirrel tastes like Turpinetine. YUK. I have never been able to prepare it so that it tastes like anything but turpinetine.

So for years I did not hunt them but I really miss hunting them and would like to do so again...so I want a little feedback from you all as to whether you consider them game animals and therefore if you shoot them you eat them or if you think you are doing the world a favor by removing them and therefore saving the world...
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Old February 16, 2009, 12:07 PM   #2
XLT
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it may not matter what our opinion is, if you live in one of these counties...

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild...ason/squirrel/

personally, any animal that is depredating, is fair game to shoot and leave... although I'm not sure how a squirrel gets to taste like turpentine...
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Old February 16, 2009, 12:35 PM   #3
madmo44mag
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squirrel, opossums, coons, rabbits are all fair game IMO with rabbit being the exception of killing and not eating.
I like squirrel and coon and will clean and eat these little varmints.
East Texas squirrel are very nasty tasting. They taste like turpentine smells IMO from all the pine cones they eat.
Still a lot of fun the hunt.
I have a relative out that way and he feeds the meat after it is boiled to his dogs, they seem to love it.
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:04 PM   #4
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therefore if you shoot them you eat them or if you think you are doing the world a favor by removing them and therefore saving the world...
Yankee input here! I do consider them as game animal and Greys are delicious and would not appreciate the turpentine marinade. Generally I do not hunt anything I won't eat but that's my ethics or hang up, depending on one's measure. There are hunts and then there are conservation efforts to reduce game numbers and seldom confuse the two. Basically I need some justification to shoot any animal. Granted, I don't need much but anything short of that is killing for the fun of it. You make the measure. .....

Quote:
world a favor by removing them and therefore saving the world
Hardly, or at least not in my woods !! .... :barf:

Be Safe !!!!!
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:05 PM   #5
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Out here we hunt Columbia Black Tail Ground Squirrels. I've heard some eat them but the smell puts me off. I hunt them because the land owners invite me to do so... they make a lot of holes in the ground and can be right skitterish about 2 legged critters staring at them.

I hunt them with a .32 caliber Tennessee Poor Boy percussion rifle. This makes it very interesting and is helpful in big game hunting. You pretty much have to stalk them instead of sitting out there at 100 yards or better with them not even knowing you are in the vicinity and paying nigh on 75 cents a shot to vaporize them. (Not hunting in my book.)
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:06 PM   #6
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Gray squirrels are very tasty. . Fox squirrels taste fine but tend to be tough in my opinion. Never ate pine squirrel but have been told they're basically indedible - supposed to have the 'piney' turpentine taste mentioned.
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:10 PM   #7
Brian Pfleuger
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Squirrels:

Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out.
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:14 PM   #8
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didn't think about the pitch in the pine... that would do it.

learn something new everyday
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Old February 16, 2009, 01:16 PM   #9
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The ones I have (greys) in my yard feed primarily on pine seeds so they get shot at a rate of no more than 2 per week for the snake to eat.
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Old February 16, 2009, 04:54 PM   #10
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they grays in new york i eat. Like another said i only shoot what i'll eat. of course there are exceptions, but so far thats how it is for me. so i go hunting them pretty often and always eat them. Slow cooked for an hour and 1/2 or so and you are good to go. otherwise its like chewing on a car tire.
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Old February 16, 2009, 05:19 PM   #11
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Here in Eastrn MA we have plenty of black squirrels...apparently they're the result of gray squirrel over population and the ones that would typically die off during harsh winters are surviving due to birdfeeders, eating trash, etc. Plus there's no predators around to eat them. So basically, not just the strong are surviving. I make it a point to eliminate them. I live in the suburbs, so I use a Benjamin 392. Head shots at 25 yards with open sights aren't a problem.
To answer the question...I think they're varmint and game. I wouldn't eat a city squirrel, but the woodland ones are tasty.
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Old February 16, 2009, 06:48 PM   #12
Dearhunter61
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I wish you guys were making it easier for me...but unfortunately I can not seem to get over the killing for the sake of killing. I absolutely love to hunt them in the pineywoods. It is a blast but because they feed on the fruit of pine trees they taste like turpentine and that makes them inedible. I can not justify shooting them as a pest really because I am talking about going to the Davy Crockett Nat'l forest to hunt them and they just can not be considered a pest there.

I would love to hunt the ones that primarliy eat nuts and such. I would think they would be tasty but I do not live anywhere where that is the case.

Thanks for all your responses!
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Old February 16, 2009, 08:49 PM   #13
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Around here, most species of tree squirrel are protected.

Ground squirrels are all that we can safely shoot. (Some of the unprotected tree squirrels are visually similar to protected species.)

They are vermin. Ground squirrels are left where they die, or gathered up as bait. .... for more squirrels. That's right. They're scavenging cannibals. We use their dead brothers as bait for more squirrel popping goodness.
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Old February 16, 2009, 08:52 PM   #14
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ive hunted them since i was young for meat.. still eat em these days.. never had one that didnt taste good tho... squirrel and rabbit taste alike to me
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Old February 16, 2009, 10:16 PM   #15
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ive hunted them since i was a kid. tasty!
but i also varmint hunted them in strip mines were they tasted like clay. they were gnawing up the the new planted trees.
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Old February 17, 2009, 10:18 AM   #16
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I absolutly hate squirrels. They are a fun watch while sitting in a deer stand, but other than that, I can't stand them. Don't really know where this loathing of such a small creature comes from. I used to eat them, still do sometimes. I find folks that do and drop off all that I kill.

I don't really go squirrel hunting, I go on squirrel killings. It's fun sometines to take out the .22 shorts for the challenge, but the loathing takes over and I carry the 12 gauge with #4-6 high brass with a Turkey choke.

Quote:
wish you guys were making it easier for me...but unfortunately I can not seem to get over the killing for the sake of killing.
Yes, they are dead, and you killed them just to kill them. But in looking at the nature of things, they won't be wasted. They will end up in the chains of the ecosystem somewhere. Coyotes, fox, crows, dirt/plants, something will benifit from them.
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Old February 17, 2009, 10:32 AM   #17
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I would feed them to my dogs if they needed thinning out.
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Old February 18, 2009, 11:28 PM   #18
srt 10 jimbo
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Sorry , I have a pet Squirral(Hammy) that I raised since a baby. She's almost 2 now. cant shoot one.
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Old February 18, 2009, 11:33 PM   #19
hogdogs
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I have raised 2... I also would hold the dead one by the tail in the carport and let "baby" or "squeaky" watch what happens to bad busy tail rats as I feed it to a bulldog...
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Old February 19, 2009, 05:02 AM   #20
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so they get shot at a rate of no more than 2 per week for the snake to eat.

LMAO.

When i was in college it was tough to scrounge together enough cash to feed my boa. Eventually I got head shots almost every time with the trusty sheridan air rifle. The snake LOVED the fresh killed prey. Much better than thawed rats that cost me around 4 bucks.

What kind of snake were you feeding hogdogs?
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Old February 19, 2009, 08:11 AM   #21
hogdogs
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Junior had several snakes in Daytona with several over 8 feet... thought since his free feed connection (helped the herp shop owner for snakes and feed) they would starve. He sold all but the first snake. A red tail boa raised from 12 inches long and is now 5+ feet. Once moved he was mad as we have much more wildlife including rabbits for the big snakes all over up here.
He always had live eater snakes but she will have to settle for fresh killed.
The The one pet store here sells feed rats for 10 bucks each...
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Old February 19, 2009, 09:15 AM   #22
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If I hunt squirrel, I plan on eating them. I'm not a big fan of the whole killing things just because I don't like them thought process. Around here at least, I don't see any significant problems being created by squirrels......other than eating our pecans....and I eat those ones.
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Old February 19, 2009, 06:56 PM   #23
JustKev55
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Squirrels

Around here, red squirrels aren't much good to eat but they can be destructive if they decide to move into a building. We routinely shoot them around the hunting camp because of the damage they do to the buildings and the mess they make once they're in there. We have a few grays from time to time but I've never eaten one. Only ever shot a couple and gave them away to people who really wanted them.
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Old February 19, 2009, 09:35 PM   #24
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If you don't think you might create an endangered species then go shoot some squirrels. Best to eat what you kill, but if they taste funny, nothing wrong with shooting a few for practice. They make good fertilizer... You could donate them to a pet shop for the snakes.
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Old February 19, 2009, 10:51 PM   #25
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Years ago when I hunted them we ate them. Mother fixed dumplings, fried them and even made gravy. Alot of times thats all we had to eat......no just kidding guys. Even though they can be a pest I consider them a game animal and I don't shoot them unless I plan on eating them.
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