The tastiest wild game might by hopping by at a park near you. Squirrel offers a delicate white meat that has a savory, (no surprise) nutty flavor. Here's how we put the chicken of the tree on our dinner table.
The Hunt
Finding the right habitat
Squirrel can be taken in groups or solo. I shot this squirrel with friends. One party walked south along a creek bed with a dog, while another party, which included myself, hiked north and still hunted. I walked up on a ridge until I was in a place I could hear acorns dropping. It was a ridge with old growth oak trees about 25 yards from the creek. Squirrels rely on mast, the fruits of the forest for their diet, and right now they are gathering up as much as they can for the winter. My spot was good because it had everything a squirrel needs: food, water, and cover from predators.
Still hunting
I sat down against a tree so that my outline was broken up by the trunk. Squirrels rely on sight and though their color vision is limited, they acutely see outlines of shapes and movement. The squirrels in the big woods aren't like the squirrels you see in the suburbs. They are very wary of humans and will find cover before you even know they are there.
I usually sit in one location for the time it takes to say a rosary, about 20 minutes. Squirrels will hide when you approach, but they quickly lose interest if nothing else happens and will resume gathering activity. This time I sat for about 10 minutes when I thought I saw movement. It was hard to tell because so many leaves were falling that I couldn't tell if it was animal or a leaf. I waited a few more minutes and then I saw a squirrel run up the trunk of a tree. It was about 40 yards away, and I didn't have a shot because the canopy has so many leaves. I waited a few more minutes and it didn't come back down.
In position
I crept up 10 yards so I could get a better look at the tree. It took me probably 10 minutes to walk that short distance. I took one step a time, slowly cushioning my foot fall. And then I waited before taking another step. Finally I got in position. The squirrel was 35 yards away on a tree limb. I raised my scoped Marlin 60 and resisted the urge to squeeze off a shot immediately. As every time I have sighted an animal, my hands were shaking from excitement. I breathed in and breathed out and held my breath. Once the crosshairs were still, I fired. The squirrel dropped immediately, shot through both lungs.
Forgive the blurry photo, I have a flip phone
The Kitchen
We skinned and dressed the squirrel in the field. Once I got home, I rinsed it under gentle cold water and put the carcass in a bowl of milk (old timers use buttermilk) and let it age for five days.
A simple weeknight meal
While you can cook squirrels for a long time through parboiling, I opted to use a pressure cooker. I used the electronic "Instant Pot" but you can use a manual pressure cooker as well.
Instant Pot Squirrel
- Dry rub the squirrel with your preferred herbs. Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic salt, and thyme come to mind for me.
- Saute each side of the squirrel for about a minute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I used the saute function of the Instant Pot.
- Add 0.5-1.0 cups of chicken or beef broth. Bonus points if you make your own.
- Cook under high pressure for 10-12 minutes. I let the Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes before manually releasing.
sauteing in Instant Pot
On the table
I serve bone-in like fish. Alternatively, you can pick out the meat for your more squeamish guests.
To get ready, I poured myself a celebratory glass of lager and prepared to eat my squirrel. Unfortunately, I only got one bite because one of the kids ate the entire thing.
As you can see, people were picking at it before it got to the table