squirrel hunt

[tlcmqn]

Hi.
I live in San Antonio, and I never been squirrel hunting before. I purchased a buckmark camper few weeks ago and would like to try it out. Just wondering if anyone know a place I can go, and do I need a hunting license? And also, for those that do go squirrel hunting, what do you do with the dead squirrel?? is it good meat?

 

[kville79]

hmmm... I'm pretty sure you need a hunting license to intentionally hunt any animal. Never been on a "squirrel hunt" per se, usually the only time I'll shoot at squirrels is if we've had no luck with anything else and one happens to cross my path on the way back. You can eat them, they're kinda gamey though.

My suggestion would be if you really want to kill a squirrel, get yourself a high powerd pellet gun, sit in your backyard with a beer or whatnot and wait for em'.

 

[40Arpent]

... do I need a hunting license?

Yes, absolutely. Time to educate yourself... Texas Parks & Wildlife Department | Hunting & Wildlife

Check the seasons. Some counties don't allow squirrel hunting, some counties have a specific season, and some counties have a year-round season. The daily bag limit is 10.

Whether squirrels are good to eat or not is subjective. I grew up hunting squirrels, and in my opinion, they are very good to eat. Cleaning them takes a bit of skill...if you get any of the hair on the meat, you'll have one hell of a time getting it off.

 

[PopsXD9sc]

TXSUT is right; hair sticks like glue and skinning them without getting hair on the meat is an acquired skill if not an art. Grew up hunting them and eating as well and always tasted good to me unless you shoot ones that are eating a lot of pine nuts; kinda like they are soaked in turpentine.

Sporting of you to give the little critters a sporting chance hunting with a .22 pistol. Like to do the same but here in North East Texas we have a lot of cat squirrels and they run like blue blazes; does make hunting with a Buckmark interesting though.

 

[40Arpent]

...skinning them without getting hair on the meat is an acquired skill if not an art.

Amazingly enough, I just found a video on Youtube that shows the method we, and I am sure you, used. That damn internet is something, ain't it?

YouTube - How to Skin a Squirrel Video

 

[tlcmqn]

so I went to TPWD link provided and looked around
it saids open season without bag limit for Bexar county, but that doesn't tell me where I can go to hunt
more help please ?

 

[kville79]

Amazingly enough, I just found a video on Youtube that shows the method we, and I am sure you, used. That damn internet is something, ain't it?

YouTube - How to Skin a Squirrel Video

Pure pimpness... I usually cut behind the neck and do pretty much the same thing in reverse, but stepping on the tail looks like it makes it a ton easier!

To note: The only time I've eaten squirrel was spitted on a stick over a camp fire, so that's probably why I have an experience of it being gamey. I intend to try Squirrel stew here pretty soon.

 

[40Arpent]

To note: The only time I've eaten squirrel was spitted on a stick over a camp fire, so that's probably why I have an experience of it being gamey. I intend to try Squirrel stew here pretty soon.

When I get a little free time, I'll PM you some squirrel cooking tips.

 

[40Arpent]

so I went to TPWD link provided and looked around
it saids open season without bag limit for Bexar county, but that doesn't tell me where I can go to hunt
more help please ?

Go to the section that says "Public Hunting." You have more reading to do.

 

[44Mo]

I take these little varmints in my backyard with home made 44cal shot shells.
Not any louder than a 22lr but only good out to 10 yards max.
Out pat 6 yards I don't even shoot at them because it won't kill them only bounce a few #12 pellets off them.
I always have a garden each summer so these little buggers are everywhere and like to dig up my garden to get to the tasty roots.
No one seams to mind as this is an older neighborhood and is filled with trees and we are over run with them; literally thousands of them.
As for eating, very tasty. My favorite is vegetable squirrel stew or bacon wrapped squirrel ka-bobs.

 

[tlcmqn]

wow, you're making me jealous

is there any place where I can pay some dollar to go shoot squirrels? know anyone that does that?
I am a student at the medical center in San Antonio, and hate to make a trip to any state park to hunt squirrels since it's kinda far away.
atriot:

 

[Texas Patriot]

I learned a way to skin and gut squirrels when I was young that made it so effortless. Quick, painless and almost bloodless.

Here's what you do.

1. Kill the squirrel (they sure skin a lot easier when dead)
2. Take the freshly dead squirrel (meaning, you just now killed it) in left hand (if right handed) and pinch a bit of skin about midway between head and tail and make a cut of about 1" across the spine, but do not cut meat, only the skin.
3. Insert index finger of each hand under each cut just made, the left index finger under one cut, the right index finger under the other cut.
4. Pull firmly toward head and tail and watch how quickly the skin comes off. Pull till skin is at the head and at the tail.
5. Pull legs through
6. Cut off legs and tail and head
7. Now with the freshly skinned squirrel in your left hand again, put it on its back in the palm of your left hand and squeeze a little to tighten the skin across the stomach.
8. While skin is stretched tight, use knife to open up the stomach area from sternum to rear legs.
9. Turn over and squeeze and shake the guts out
10. Insert freshly killed, skinned and gutted squirrel in a sandwich baggie that you brought with you for such a time as this.

By doing this method, you can do the whole task in 30 seconds with little or no blood on your hands.

Remember, do this right after you kill that limb rat. Some of you already know how tough it is to skin a squirrel that's been dead for a while.

 

[kville79]

Tell me about it, and I think they're somehow tougher to skin when its closer to winter.

 

[TXCrossfire]

Squirrel is good eatin’

If you’re lucky you can mix the trifecta.

Squirrel, coon and hog!

 

[TXCrossfire]

1. Kill the squirrel (they sure skin a lot easier when dead)

 

[kville79]

Can you eat raccoon?

 

[45tex]

Sure you can eat a coon. But first you gotta tree that beggar. For that you need a coon dog or a dozen. You do this at dusk and in to the night. So you need somebody to make a camp where hunters like me can go and watch the fire while you run 2 or 3 miles chasing those dogs.

 

[txtrooper]

The way Texas Patriot described it is how I was tought. I like to eat them with gravy or fried, I believe that they are good either way. I hunt in east Texas and have found that the fox squirrels are bigger than the cat squirrels, although they not as easy to find. Good luck.

 

[45tex]

Problem in Texas is there is no public land. Somebody owns darn near every inch.
On second thought I don't know if thats so bad. Uncle Sam would screw it up.

 

[kville79]

There's some public land, not a lot though. I'm going out today to go squirrel hunting at Granger Lake. Most of the Public land is in East Texas though. What irks me is at Granger it's bow/crossbow only for pigs and only 1/2hr before sunrise and 1/2hr after sunset... grrr....