There are only a couple days left in this years squirrel hunting season. I’ve got a few in the freezer all dressed up and ready for the frying pan or crock pot depending on my mood. Squirrel hunting is pretty much the last hunted game for the season before I switch over to my second favorite sport of fishing.


I never really took up squirrel hunting until I moved to Louisiana back in 1987. I never really though much of the sport prior to that. It’s kind of funny when you talk to people about it, they either love it or they hate it. But regardless of how you feel about hunting squirrels, you can not deny that it is a great way to hone in your hunting skills.





Most people will hunt for squirrels after the deer hunting season is over. They will usually head out to an area that they were deer hunting because of all the squirrels they saw while on stand waiting for that buck to show up. But you may notice that they seemed to have almost disappeared since you were there a month or two ago. Why is that? What has changed in the habits of the squirrels so that they are not longer around?


Well their habits haven’t changed. Whether you realize it or not, it’s your habits that have changed, not theirs. They are still in the area, you just can’t see them. Think about what you do when you go deer hunting. You are camouflaged from head to toe. You quietly sneak into the woods. You sit in your stand and move as little as possible. The squirrels are everywhere.


When most beginners go out they expect to be able to walk up on a squirrel just like they can in a park. However, you can’t do this in the forests like you can in parks. Park squirrels are used to seeing people all the time and have grown accustomed to them. In the forest squirrels are more leery of people and hide when ever they see us. You need to use similar tactics as you do when deer hunting. Now I’m not saying that you need to go to the full extremes of using scents and climbing a tree and all of that. Although squirrels do have a keen sense of smell and decent sight, they are nowhere near that of a deer. All you need to do is break up your outline a bit, sit downwind, and sit quietly. That’s pretty much all there is to it. You can take a call with you if your would like, but I have never really had any luck with one of those, and it’s not really necessary to have one.


So what type of weapon do we want to use? Now there’s a hot topic among squirrel hunters. It really doesn’t matter, you have choices. I started out using a shotgun. Right now I usually will only go out with my 22. When I got my son started he used his 20 gauge. A lot of it kind of depends on what mood you are in. Do you feel like improving your rifle shooting skills? If so take a 22. Are you planning on doing a lot of walking where most squirrels will be on the run? Take a shotgun. If you do plan on using your shotgun, use a 20 gauge or a 410. Also make sure you use small shot such as a 7 or smaller. You will do less damage to the meat and your teeth this way.


So you have successfully filed your limit, currently 10 in Oklahoma, what do you do now? Well suggest you run home and fire up the stove. I really love squirrel. A lot of times when I talk about squirrel hunting with non-hunters they can’t believe I eat them. They usually start breaking out the Jeff Foxworthy jokes. A lot of people think of them as rodents. But they are actually very tasty, not to mention very good for you. They are very high in protein and low in fat making them a great alternative to other meats.


There are two basic ways that I will cook squirrels and it usually depends on the type. I prefer them fried, but some squirrels can seem a little tough if you fry them. Gray squirrels are usually tender. These are the ones that I will set aside for frying. The fox squirrels are usually a little large and tougher. I reserve these for the crock pot and make a stew out of them. You can use your favorite chicken recipes for frying or stewing. I can remember the first time I made some for my daughter. She was afraid to try it. Now she’s a big fan.


I’m going to finish off this post with one of my favorite squirrel recipes.


Take about 4 squirrels and put them in a crock pot. You can use a dutch oven if you are in a hurry. Fill the crock pot just to the top of the meat. add 1/2 cup each of chopped carrots, celery and onion. Cook on the high setting for abut 2 hours then set it to low and cook for an additional 3 hours.


Now take about 1 cup of flour and mix in a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly add some water until the dough is thick enough to knead. Roll out the dough and cut it into 2 inch strips that are approximately 1/8 thick. Approximately 15 minutes before the meat is ready to be removed, add these dough strips over the top of the mixture in the crock pot. Once the dough is cooked and resembles dumplings it ready to eat.


Happy Hunting!

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