Vittles That Jethro Bodine Would Love

We have an over-abundance of squirrels in our live oak trees and pecan trees.  They feast on countless acorns and pecans, they dig up the garden, they pull the 'bark' off of the palm trees to make their nests.  Over-population is definitely an issue.  While endearing creatures with their bushy tails, they are also a nuisance.  They are also a delicacy and as they need to be thinned out, we might as well put some in the freezer.  Pan fried squirrel in a brown gravy served over rice is good eating.

I checked to make sure squirrel season is open and what the bag limit is (7) and grabbed my old 12 gauge shotgun and a pocketful of 7 1/2 shells.  This is where living in the country really pays off.  I don't know what would happen if you lived in the city and in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, you went out in the front yard and shot squirrels out of the treetops.  It didn't take long.  In two minutes I had two ready to be skinned.

On the back patio with a sharp knife and some game shears, I quickly skinned the squirrels and cut them up and put them in a zip loc bag for the freezer.

Later that same afternoon, it was time to do a little more squirrel hunting.  This time in the side yard near the pecan trees, there was a scurry of squirrels.  The squirrels in our yard are mostly cat squirrels (also called grey squirrels).  Although fox squirrels are bigger, cat squirrels are better tasting.  It wasn't long at all before I had four more furry tails for the pot.  Six on the first day was a good start, but we have a LOT of bushy tails in the yard and I have some more thinning out to do in the upcoming days.

Tricia drove up at that point and got a kick out of the stereotype I was reinforcing and had to get a picture.  Barefooted, long hair, dirty t-shirt with a shotgun, holding four squirrels.  Very redneck indeed.  As I'm writing this tonight, I'm laughing to myself about the wide variety of topics.  Last night we talked about stoicism, philosophy, and Marcus Aurelius.  Tonight we're talking about shooting squirrels in the backyard and skinning them for supper.  Jethro would approve.  Maybe after I get the rest of the squirrels in the freezer, I'll take a dip in the cement pond.

I guess the bad thing about squirrels is once you skin them, if you leave the head on, they look just like a rat.  In fact, many people call them tree rats. That's not very appetizing to me.  That's why I like to take the head and tail off quickly and then quarter them.  Then they just look like meat.

Once you quarter them, they look sort of like a rabbit.

Nothing goes to waste, except maybe the used shotgun shells.  I saved all the guts in a bucket to set traps in the woods.  Perhaps we'll talk about that Sunday night.