So I have recently been elected to tame the squirrel population down to a healthy level in my neighborhood. My family and a few neighbors have been disappointed with the lack of fruit yielded from their suburban fruit trees and gardens since I took off for a year of school. And by-golly I'm gonna have fun fixing that for 'em no matter what you guys say. :bigsmyl:
Today I saw the first little fat and furry fellow who had the guts to to try and raid an apricot tree on the corner of the house. He took off down the top rail of a fence when he saw me on his tail. I nocked a double spiral flu and released an arrow to chase after him.
Well, sure enough, the arrow caught up to him... :p
He only made it a few yards looking like a shish-kabob. :eek:
I'm gonna start shooting blunts at these guys cuz they seem to have a little more stopping power than field points. I'll let my dog take care of them when they hit the ground (it seems that she has even more fun with this than I do).
Anyway, I wanted to share my fun little chase today with you guys. I recommend that you try TWO full length feathers spiraled for close shots (no more than 15 yards). They're great fun and you'll have a hell of a time getting them to land more than 35 yards away from where you shot it... perfect for backyard aerial or backstop-less shots of any kind.
Anyone else have any unexpected chances to take some critters around the yard?
I would suggest looking up some recipes, you are losing some delicious eats!
Killdeer
Squirrel gravy over rice is an excellent meal!
I like the tree rats from the yard... they're bigger than their deep woods cousins and mighty tasty! Same with the rabbits (ain't much tastier than a bunny who's been munching on garden veggies and tulips :) ) I have to wait for the fall season to start sending sticks their way though.
It's hard to be beat fried squirrel!
Man, i've got to go to decaf....
If you're worried about clean them out of the neighborhood,
Just leave one and three months later you have 20 more :knothead:
Carl
Gotta' agree with Killie here...
Stick 'em in a slow cooker for about 3-4 hrs in a bunch of honey hickory-smoke BBQ sauce. Good eating right there my friend!
-Charlie
Awesome ideas. I gotta check if theres any diseases floating about in out rodent population, but I'll try to cook up one or two. Right now its considered "pest control" so I don't have to worry about seasons. But I might as well get the best of both worlds right? :D
Can you say squirrel pot pie :bigsmyl:
I think Im not alone on this one. Where are the trophy pics??
I used to a trapper for the Sate of CA. Long time past, but it seemed to me depredation taking required the animal to lay and not be used. Just a thought to keep you on the right side of CDFW. Do what you think correct. I have a depredation permit for the airport I manage and have to report and generally can't use the crittter......
Depredation Laws about not using the game seem crazy to me. Just like some farmer permits let you shoot 500 deer, but you have to bulldoze them under. :confused: Any way, squirrels and chipmunks are usually pretty nervous in my yard. ;)
Be careful letting your dog eat raw squirrels. They can carry tularemia (as can ticks, fleas, and even dust), and that can be fatal to the dog. Cooking destroys the tularemia virus, so they're safe for you as long as you don't eat them raw. The brains can carry CWD. Squirrels are not that hard to clean, and you'll enjoy the meal.
Richard
My dog got a squirrel the other day. I cut the hind legs off and cooked them over a fire for him.
He deserved them. :)
Biscuits and gravy and fried squirrel, Yum Yum. To good to leave to the dog.
My dog wont eat them raw. If she catches one (or grabs one I shoot down) she just shakes 'em until they quit kicking. Then she looks at me as if to say "this one's broken"