squirrels and traditional pocket knives

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bladeblabber

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Oct 15, 2011
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I went out on a little squirrel hunt today, one of the first ones of the season. Nothing to adventurous. I am a pretty big squirrel hunter and usually go once or twice a week durig the season. While on my hunt I used the method that I have been using since I was a little boy. Back when I was about 8 or 9 years old I used to go squirrel hunting with my dad and uncle all the time. my uncle would always walk to a nice spot with lots of chewed up acorns on the ground and then just sit on a log a whittle with a pocket knife (usually some kind of buck lockback). Being a little kid I was always very eager to find some squirrels, so this would always make me question his methods. We would just sit there and whittle on a twig with our pocket knives until eventually a squirrel would pop out from a tree and come into range, where he would usually meet his maker at the end of a shotgun or .22 rifle. I asked my uncle one time why he hunted squirrels like this, and he said "well, I never see any of them when I'm looking for em', but it seems to me that every time I'm doing something else they are everywhere. So this is how I've been doing it since I was your age." It really does make sense, just sit and whittle away at a twig, and shoot dinner all day. I only ended up with one today, but it was still a great day. My Buck 302 solitaire preformed great in both the whittling and the skinning tasks and now I'm fixin' to have some squirrel and biscuits for dinner.

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Nice photo. :thumbup: Sounds like you had a good time. I haven't been squirrel hunting in years. Had fun doing it back when I did tho.
 
Nice knife. I've been wanting to get one of those.
We had a guy in W Michigan recently set fire to his apartment complex while trying to burn the fur off a squirrel with a propane torch in order to eat it. I always thought you were supposed to skin them- thanks for the validation.
 
I've heard Georgia Squirrels are bigger than the rat-like critters we have in the cities up north, blabber. Is that true?
 
waynorth said:
I've heard Georgia Squirrels are bigger than the rat-like critters we have in the cities up north, blabber. Is that true?
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The greys do get up to a good size down here, but I have hunted them up in MI before and they get petty big up there from the cold weather. Never really seen any big ones in the cities though.

And sorry Ernie, I already ate all of it. I guess it was to appetizing to stop and take a picture... :)
 
That's funny I am in Georgia and was taught to hunt squirrels the same way by my Dad. We usually just talked while we waited but whittling sounds fun as well.
 
Best time for me to squirrel hunt is when I'm in a tree stand deer hunting. Dang things are everywhere.

Problem is, squirrel season is closed during deer modern gun season.
 
gruntmedik said:
Best time for me to squirrel hunt is when I'm in a tree stand deer hunting. Dang things are everywhere.

Problem is, squirrel season is closed during deer modern gun season.
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haha I know exactly what your talking about, I've had them just sit about 6 feet from my blind. I know people who bring a quiet pellet gun deer huntin just for that reason, if you don't get a deer at least you have some tasty squirrels to fry up. :)
 
sounds a lot to me like this is something that you will pass down to either your son or someone you know so that they can be introduced to either pocket knives and or hunting. When you first start out at something, you dont really care either way, i guess indifference, but like you said, now that you look back at it, its something that you have a great reverence for and something you will always remember. Then maybe one day someone else will tell this same story except it will be you they will be talking about.

Thanks for the story
 
Love the story. :thumbup: My grandpap died when I was 5 but he took me squirrel hunting with him when I was 4 or so and told my mom never again, as everytime I seen one I screamed squirrel. :D
 
Good memories of time spent with family, priceless. :thumbup: Grandpas and Dads won't be around forever. I wish a thousand times over that I had placed more importance on that when I was young.
 
I have great respect for anyone who can skin a squirrel without covering the meat in hair (my method) and someone who can sharpen a knife that easily slits some of the toughest hide in the animal kingdom.......

I enjoy hunting them but I have to use non-toxic shot in shotguns only in my favorite area. Wife broke a tooth on steel shot and I was done for having her help cook. I am on my own now if I want to cook and eat some, so go less often.....the .22 is the fun way......300Bucks
 
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Only see them when you're not looking for them, aint that the truth. Bow hunting in a treestand last week I had a squirrel climb my tree and get within 5 feet before he saw me and took off the other direction, crazy thing. They sure are good eatin though and I hope to get a few this year.
 
300Bucks said:
I have great respect for anyone who can skin a squirrel without covering the meat in hair (my method) and someone who can sharpen a knife that easily slits some of the toughest hide in the animal kingdom.......

I enjoy hunting them but I have to use non-toxic shot in shotguns only in my favorite area. Wife broke a tooth on steel shot and I was done for having her help cook. I am on my own now so go less often.....the .22 is the fun way......300Bucks
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It stinks being stuck in a shotgun only area. You might try using larger shot sizes, they should penetrate completely through leaving no shot in the meat. I used to hunt some with a shotgun, and I liked to use #4 shot (lead) for that reason. Cracked teeth get expensive!
 
I am amazed at how many animals are actually in a place after I have stopped for 15 minutes plus.

Its only when I have stopped for a good while that I actually notice everything that's there.

Great tip though...
 
Phil in Alabama said:
It stinks being stuck in a shotgun only area. You might try using larger shot sizes, they should penetrate completely through leaving no shot in the meat. I used to hunt some with a shotgun, and I liked to use #4 shot (lead) for that reason. Cracked teeth get expensive!
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yep, I too use #4 shot. and also chew carefully;) I usually use a shotgun in the early part of the season when there are still leaves on the trees, then when they all fall off and I can take longer range shots so I switch to a ruger 10/22.

and dont worry about it 300bucks, I'm still not the best at skinning them. I've seen guys do it in just a few minutes but it always takes me a little longer.
 
I know one ole Cajun who can stand at the car, look at you while talking and have his squirrels skinned and dressed before you can get your huntin vest off.....I was envious...but his family survived on them when he was a kid and he has likely dressed multiple thousands......he made red beans and rice and fried enough squirrels that the bones from the eaten by three men were piled a foot high on a plate. We all took nap. Suds were also involved. He favored a carbon bladed Old Timer stockman......300
 
Nice story. That's a good peaceful way to pass time while hunting squirrels.

300Bucks - After you make the slits in the squirrels skin (around the tail and legs) in order to skin it, wet the squirrel down with water before pulling the skin/hide off. The wet hair will stick to the pelt and not get all over the carcass.
 
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