Lets talk Rabbits, Squirrels and other fir bearers as food

wildmanh

wildmanh

Part time Leather Bender/Sheath maker
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
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There's been alot of talk in the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum about Squirrels, Rabbits and shuch as food sources. I know those animals were used a lot for food back in the day, but today not so much. We have tons of them here in Utah and a Utah Resident Combo Fish and Small game licence is only $36. So I'm considering taking up hunting small game along with the fishing I like to do but don't do to often.

So anyways, lets talk hunting small game/fir bearers. For Squirrels and the like are there times of year when you should avoid hunting them or just things to look out for? How do you like to cook them? Advice on skinning them and preserving the hide?

I don't like to kill things so no bunny blasting for me. But I'll hunt for food and feel that it is a good skill to have. So please any advice would be greatly apreciated. Mind you I'll be doing the hunting in Central Utah, Manti-Lasal National Forest, Uinta National forest, BLM land and Wilderness areas where allowed. Elavations range from about 5000 feet to 10,000 feet. Thanks,

Heber
 
Heber I'm not sure whether the, "Ground Squirrels" y'all have out there are eaten that much even though it's very much likely that the native people ate 'em and enjoyed 'em.
Helluvit is though is that these days all of the ground rodents out in the four corner's area and surrounding areas are carriers of Bubonic Plague because of the fleas.....
I'm not sure y'all have Armadillos in Utah but they're also good eating IMO anyway.:thumbup: :cool: :D
Cottontails are the best between the two, Jackrabbits and C'ts again IMO. ;)

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I imagine you could get a lot of meat off those critters
if they're big enough to go around carrying fir trees.
 
Throwing sticks or rabbit sticks can be used in open meadows for small game.
Snare wire around ground holes for ground squirrels can be used...
Traps, like basket traps work. Peanut butter for bait. Mmmmm. Animals love peanut butter!

However you catch them, make sure to stew them. There is something called 'rabbit starvation,' which is caused by over-consumption of lean meats that have insufficient levels of fatty acids... Is also called 'protein poisoning' and can be fatal. Stewing the meats gets as much as possible out of them. Roasting only removes what little fats and marrow nutrients there are...
 
how to clean a squirrel:

[youtube]HUUR6lxnAME[/youtube]

rabbits are similar.

[youtube]sGWefUacuVM[/youtube]

if you desire to save the skins, you can be a bit more careful peeling it off in one piece, it really does come off easy, cutting open the degloved tubes where the legs were - don't use a knife unless you really need to once you get past the initial cuts. the skins need stretching and drying flat on a frame, and any meat or fat sticking to them removed by scraping. various substances can be used to cure the skins, alum, brains, etc. do not chrome tan if you want to use the skins for sheaths as the chrome salts will attack steel and brass. google is your friend. of course sew up any tears or bullet holes ;) practice makes perfect.

and as noted stewing with the bones & the marrow is best, preferably with some added fat to liven it up. bones can be removed after stewing when the meat is ready it'll fall off the bones. as in the video, don't eat the heads or feed them to the dogs ;) and try not to get flea-bit. goes good with taters, parsnips and carrots in the stew. serve with corn bread of course, and grits/hominy.

p.s. - any resemblance between me and the gentleman in the squirrel video is purely regional, i have the same shirt, beard, haircut, general appearance and build but my accent is a lot milder and been modified by living with yankees and brits for the last 30-40 odd years... :) i also do not have orange shorts, mine are camo. and i don't wear crocs, tho i do wear a grey kepi.
wayne4.jpg

last time i went squirrel hunting, it was with my trusty external hammer 20ga. two hole shootsgun out in the forest near piney grove, alabama, MIL did the stew & cornbread (i seem to recall her browning the meat in bacon grease before the stewing bit), i did the cleaning. good meal. i did not eat the male's family jewels....
 
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Sounds like a tasty hunt!:thumbup:

Another fun thing to do with the fur, is make a rabbitskin blanket. Rabbitskin blankets were the widest used in the U.S. from Mexico to Washington to southern Canada.

You take the hide, and cut it as you would peel an orange in circular motion until it is a long ribbon of about 4-5 feet in length and about an inch or less thick. Tie one end to a tree, twist it and tie other end to a tree and let dry. Do this to 4 or five rabbit until you got 15' or more of ribbon fur.

Take each ribbon and fold in half or thirds depending on the width you want. When one length ends, add the other until you've got a nice rectangle. Weave in at the corners going up, then the other sides and then the middle and so on. Looks like a fur bathroom mat but is warm!

Here's a link to a pic:
http://southwest.library.arizona.edu/inbl/figure4.jpg
 
paleojoe said:
Another fun thing to do with the fur, is make a rabbitskin blanket. Rabbitskin blankets were the widest used in the U.S. from Mexico to Washington to southern Canada.

You take the hide, and cut it as you would peel an orange in circular motion until it is a long ribbon of about 4-5 feet in length and about an inch or less thick. Tie one end to a tree, twist it and tie other end to a tree and let dry. Do this to 4 or five rabbit until you got 15' or more of ribbon fur.

Take each ribbon and fold in half or thirds depending on the width you want. When one length ends, add the other until you've got a nice rectangle. Weave in at the corners going up, then the other sides and then the middle and so on. Looks like a fur bathroom mat but is warm!

Here's a link to a pic:
http://southwest.library.arizona.edu/inbl/figure4.jpg
Click to expand...


lottsa great tips here!:thumbup: :cool: paleojoe is spot on with the rabbit skin blanket too! I can't think of anything any softer than a rabbit skin that's been properly tanned!
Rabbit skin blankets were also popular with us southeastern people's too.

Many long years ago I was reading a true story about a fellow in the far north who had gotten so tired of eating boiled fish and drinking the fishy broth he couldn't stand the thought's of eating another mouthful of it, although fish was all he had to cook and to eat and that was the way his native guides had stressed him to cook *And Eat* the fish! :eek:
Finally in desperation he decided to try broiling the fish and was ecstatic at the result and the flavor! The crispy, flavorful, broiled fish was so wonderful tasting he couldn't bring himself to start boiling it again, not even for a break...
After a few days of eating nothing but the crispy broiled and delicious fish he noticed he was feeling sickly... To cut this short he finally narrowed the problem to his way of cooking and eating the fish so he went back to the way his native guides had told him and a few days later he was pretty well recovered. Pretty much like eating to much fried or roasted rabbit.

The nice thing about what Heber is considering is his doing this to supplement his diet, not using his adventure as a survival experience unless something turns frighteningly wrong...
So enjoying the rabbit or squirrel roasted or fried isn't really an issue...

Heber you asked about the times of year you maybe shouldn't hunt. IMO the best thing to do there is consult your states law's as to what's legal to hunt... and when...:)
If the state's pamphlets aren't clear enough on everything you can always ask the ranger in that neck of the woods, so to speak. ;) :D :cool:

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paleojoe said:
However you catch them, make sure to stew them. There is something called 'rabbit starvation,' which is caused by over-consumption of lean meats that have insufficient levels of fatty acids... Is also called 'protein poisoning' and can be fatal. Stewing the meats gets as much as possible out of them. Roasting only removes what little fats and marrow nutrients there are...
Click to expand...

There are stories of voyageurs in old, French Canada who died of malnutrition, despite fairly gorging themselves on rabbit. There's a reason that it's popular as a stew ingredient, where it can get mixed with other stuff.
 
Great information so far, thanks!! My plan after I get some fir bearers is to stew them up with veggies, herbs and spices. Figured the critters would taiste better that way. Good to know there are other reasons to stew them.

What ingredients do you guys like to add to your critter stew?

Heber
 
Heber!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fir

fir

1. any coniferous tree belonging to the genus Abies, of the pine family, characterized by its pyramidal style of growth, flat needles, and erect cones.
2. the wood of such a tree.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fur

fur

1. the fine, soft, thick, hairy coat of the skin of a mammal.
2. the skin of certain animals, as the sable, ermine, or beaver, covered with such a coat, used for lining, trimming, or making garments.
3. a garment made of fur.
 
I would try some primitive traps such as a figure 4 (with bait) or a trigger snare... if they are legal in your area.
 
wildmanh said:
Great information so far, thanks!! My plan after I get some fir bearers is to stew them up with veggies, herbs and spices. Figured the critters would taiste better that way. Good to know there are other reasons to stew them.

What ingredients do you guys like to add to your critter stew?

Heber
Click to expand...


Cinnamon and/or nutmeg always go well with rabbit!

And cooking with butter, for me, is tastier than oil!



BTW, here's a link to a rabbitskin blanket how-to, notice how she twists cordage with the fur ribbons for added strength, just scroll down:
http://www.paleotechnics.com/photos/museumexhibits%20photos/GiftsFromDeerExhibit.html
 
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Don't forget the cardinal rule, though: if the rabbit talks(!), and does so in a Brooklyn accent......RUN!!!;)
 
My Grandfather, Father and I used to go small game hunting and was excited about it and treated it almost like the first day of deer season. Since then, our dogs have passed on, all the places we used to go now have homes built in the middle of them, etc. I havent went small game hunting for a number of years, but it was fun. Pheasant and Grouse is delicious. It really does taste like chicken......lol. Squirrels are not too bad. Its a little tougher than rabbit. Rabbit is pretty good to eat. I always liked rabbit and squirrel fried in the skillet. That was how I liked it best. All the meat is very lean and its low in cholesterol, so it is healthy.
 
My fav way to cook an old tough squirrel is a recipe called squirrel friqasee. I can usually tell if a squirrel is going to be tough as usually the hide is very hard to peel off compared to a young and tender one. Take one or two squirrels. We have large squirrels around here we call fox squirrels that can weight over two pounds as I recall. If your hunting gray squirrels you may want three or four. I dunno. Lets just say 2 to 4 pounds of squirrel meat. I salt pepper flour and fry it in good hog lard or bacon grease till golden brown. I then drain off the grease add a finely chopped onion, a cup of water and a teaspoon of lemon juice. lower the burner till it just barely simmers with a tight fitting lid on your pan for about an hour. Check it often to see if you need a bit more water so that after an hour you have a nice gravy and squirrel meat thats falling off the bone. Whoever said wild food ain't good need to eat some squirrel friqasee. I've tried the recipe with rabbit, but it don't come out right. Something about the flavor of the dark meat of a squirrel. Now you can follow the same recipe with rabbit and have a good result if you just leave out the onion and lemon juice. In the end you'll have what i call smothered rabbit with indian gravy. Pour that over some homemade bisquits and see if you've ever tasted anything better!:thumbup:
 
wolfenhawk said:
My fav way to cook an old tough squirrel is a recipe called squirrel friqasee. I can usually tell if a squirrel is going to be tough as usually the hide is very hard to peel off compared to a young and tender one. Take one or two squirrels. We have large squirrels around here we call fox squirrels that can weight over two pounds as I recall. If your hunting gray squirrels you may want three or four. I dunno. Lets just say 2 to 4 pounds of squirrel meat. I salt pepper flour and fry it in good hog lard or bacon grease till golden brown. I then drain off the grease add a finely chopped onion, a cup of water and a teaspoon of lemon juice. lower the burner till it just barely simmers with a tight fitting lid on your pan for about an hour. Check it often to see if you need a bit more water so that after an hour you have a nice gravy and squirrel meat thats falling off the bone. Whoever said wild food ain't good need to eat some squirrel friqasee. I've tried the recipe with rabbit, but it don't come out right. Something about the flavor of the dark meat of a squirrel. Now you can follow the same recipe with rabbit and have a good result if you just leave out the onion and lemon juice. In the end you'll have what i call smothered rabbit with indian gravy. Pour that over some homemade bisquits and see if you've ever tasted anything better!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I'm drooling!
 
Heber?

get a pressure cooker. Meat falls off those tiny little bones.

Keeps moisture in, hastens cooking.
 
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