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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: VA Bowbender on October 02, 2007, 08:37:00 PM

Title: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: VA Bowbender on October 02, 2007, 08:37:00 PM
For those who might not have seen this before.
 (http:// [url=http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h21/VAbowbender/Hunting/?action=view¤t=SquirrelSkinning.flv] [img]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h21/VAbowbender/Hunting/th_SquirrelSkinning.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Van/TX on October 02, 2007, 08:45:00 PM
Yep, that's the way Dad taught me 55 years ago  :D  ...Van
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: TSHOOTER on October 02, 2007, 09:15:00 PM
Yep that's the way it's done.  My uncle would have had a fit if I threw that squirrel head away like that.   Skin it, cut the eyes out and fry it.  Crack the head on the old camp table and dig em out with the butt end of a fork.  MMMM good.  The tongue and cheek meat is mighty fine too.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Ian johnson on October 02, 2007, 09:19:00 PM
gonna try that this weekend if I shoot one
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: deadpool on October 02, 2007, 09:28:00 PM
hhmmmmm wonder if the same could be done for wabbits
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Tim Fishell on October 02, 2007, 10:12:00 PM
Rabbits dont work so good that way.  The skin is much thinner on a rabbit than on a squirrel.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: fredbear92 on October 02, 2007, 10:16:00 PM
i'll have to try this one...I've been trying to find a good way to do it for the past 3 years
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: SouthMDShooter on October 02, 2007, 10:29:00 PM
thats what dad taught me   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Talondale on October 02, 2007, 10:48:00 PM
Hey Rob.  I was just watching your deer butchering video.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Michael Peschek on October 02, 2007, 11:28:00 PM
Thanks for the video! Where is the video on butchering a deer?

Michael
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: ironrhino on October 03, 2007, 01:16:00 AM
I cant believe how many hours i've wasted clening freaking bush tails! I guess i dont have to stress out about it any more! (made me think twice about shooting more than one or two!) i feel like a sucker
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Stone Knife on October 03, 2007, 05:36:00 AM
Thanks! seen it before but forgot how it was done.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Doc Nock on October 03, 2007, 10:27:00 AM
One of our own posted a home made vid clip of him skinnin on pretty much that same way as I recall.  I wasn't quite sure how t' git the back legs done...but if it's that easy...beware tree rats!  :)

Sure looked like dey was a bit stiffi-fied... I know any other method once they cool and stiffen, it's plumb sure a chore like skinnin a beaver pelt!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: jeff w on October 03, 2007, 11:18:00 AM
Thanks for sharing that.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: insttech1 on October 03, 2007, 12:39:00 PM
That was very beneficial--thanks!!
Marc
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: flatlander37 on October 03, 2007, 12:48:00 PM
Man, That's awesome.  Haven't seen it done that way before.  Looks much easier.  Thanks for the vid.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: RamiusEng on October 03, 2007, 12:57:00 PM
I am very impressed by the video.  Who wudda thunk it....a government official that can do something other than tax us into oblivion.

My hat's off to Virginia.

   :notworthy:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Roadkill on October 03, 2007, 12:58:00 PM
domo arigato not too many squirrels out this way and we have no season, but when I hunt in Mo and KY it'll be primo
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: jojotater on October 03, 2007, 06:26:00 PM
That's the way we do it around here, but it helps to have a bucket, log, etc. to put the squirrel on so you don't have to go all the way to the ground. I can skin eight (an Arkansas limit) pretty fast that way. If I have a partner, I skin, and he pulls guts. This way we don't get hair all over the dressed meat. If I'm alone, I skin them all first then finishing gutting last.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Kevin L. on October 03, 2007, 06:45:00 PM
Yep, that's the way I learned way back when.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: sgrogg on October 03, 2007, 06:48:00 PM
I'd like to download and save that video to my hard drive.  Can somebody tell me how that's done?
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: reecool on October 03, 2007, 07:15:00 PM
Thanks for the video ! shoot my first bushytail last week end and it took me half a hour to skined and guted it and what a mess. now that give me a raison to hunt them after work !
 Eric .
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: twosheds on October 03, 2007, 07:32:00 PM
Where was that video when I was a kid. That looks ten times easier that I do it. Thanks.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Gene Roberts on October 03, 2007, 07:40:00 PM
mabye that'll be beneficial for me next week.I'm going with the bow.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: VA Bowbender on October 03, 2007, 07:47:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Michael Peschek:
Thanks for the video! Where is the video on butchering a deer?

Michael
Deer Butchering Video (https://www3.dgif.virginia.gov/estore/proddetail.asp?prod=VW250)
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: mountaindog on October 03, 2007, 07:56:00 PM
great video....
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Hatrick on October 03, 2007, 09:06:00 PM
I always just slit the hide in the middle of the back, stuck my index and middle fingers in from both hands and pulled in opposite directions.

Simple and always seemed to work pretty well. Anyone else do it that way?
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: hill boy on October 03, 2007, 09:41:00 PM
Done me a mess that way last fiday.I trim the fat off the ribs, slice the front legs off cut one ham  going down the back loin and then cut rib cage out unless they are real young.Put in a pan of salt water and letem soak over night or couple of days in frige.role them in flower brown in oil add water and turn them down as low as possibe.letem simmer about an hour.lots of pepper some season salt and ummmm,ummm they are finger licking good.Takes a little practice but thats the way you skinn a bushy tail.Anybody wants to come to the hills here, I'll take squirrel huntin.good post!  :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: James Wrenn on October 03, 2007, 09:43:00 PM
I am looking forward to trying this in a couple of weeks when our season comes in.thanks
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: jojotater on October 04, 2007, 01:07:00 AM
Hill Boy, my brother lives up there is Jonesboro. He's killed a lot of squirrels at his club somewhere over in the hills. Of course, it was with a .22. His method of skinning squirrels is to roll them around on the ground, up his leg, and on the ground again. I accuse him of having more hair on them "after" he's cleaned them.   :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: hogless on October 04, 2007, 07:46:00 AM
I have all ways spit the hide in the middle of back and pulled it apart too.but this way seems to keep the hair off the meat. I will try that
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: RamiusEng on October 04, 2007, 11:06:00 AM
Any rabbit videos?
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: TC in IL on October 04, 2007, 02:01:00 PM
I too learned this method from Dad many years ago when I did the holding while Dad did the cutting.

Up until about 3 years ago I cleaned a ton of squirrels just like the video.  Now I use a pair of Fiskars garden shears to speed the job along and save on the knife blade.

I only use the knife to make the initial 3 cuts and to split the pelvic bone.  The shears which have a notch - just perfect for removing the feet - at the back of the blades do all the rest.  In short order I've got 4 legs and the back piece - never got into sucking the brains - all trimmed out and on ice.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: bmfer on October 04, 2007, 06:42:00 PM
I been workin' too hard!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: john gerrard on October 04, 2007, 07:26:00 PM
I would like to know how he sharpened that knife. That knife was waaaaay sharp. I couldn't believe that he just took the knife and cut through the leg bones (even at the joint it still dulls a knife). I always used a big pair of pliars or side cutters to do that so that I wouldn't dull my knife that I had worked so long to sharpen. Great video. Thanks for sharing. Brokenwing
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Strutter on October 04, 2007, 07:44:00 PM
Yep, that the way to do it.  I have an older buddy that can do that from start to finish in 47 seconds.  I have timed him before.    Takes me a bit longer.

For the rabbits.  
To get the guts out of a fresh killed bunny, hold it with both hands wrapped around it with the head up.  Begin squeezing with your hands like you were wringing out a rag and work your hands towards the back end of the rabbit.  All the innards will be pushed towards the rear end.  When you get near the hips, raise the rabbit above your shoulder like you would an axe and swing towards the ground real fast and brace your forearms on your knees to stop the swing.  All the innards will come out the back end and then you have a much lighter rabbit to carry that will not spoil and stiffen up due to having the guts inside to long.  This works very well and then all you have to do when at home is take the hide off which comes off easy anyway.

Rob
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: brmize on October 04, 2007, 11:17:00 PM
I learned that method 23 years ago from my Grandpa on my first squirrel hunt.

Brian
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Michael Peschek on October 05, 2007, 02:08:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by VA Bowbender:
 
Quote
Originally posted by Michael Peschek:
Thanks for the video! Where is the video on butchering a deer?

Michael
Deer Butchering Video (https://www3.dgif.virginia.gov/estore/proddetail.asp?prod=VW250)  [/b]
Thanks for the link!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Linc on October 05, 2007, 05:47:00 AM
I would like to see the whole squirrel hunting video that leads up to the skinning.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Rico on October 05, 2007, 06:06:00 AM
Thanks great video
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: CJ5 on October 05, 2007, 07:51:00 AM
Strutter.........A rabbit hunting buddy of mine showed me that trick years ago. The first time I saw it, I was amazed. Works like a charm.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Linc on October 06, 2007, 05:27:00 AM
TTT
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Killdeer on November 02, 2008, 11:42:00 AM
That video was done where I met the incredible shrinking squirrel!   :bigsmyl:

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/Hunting%20and%20Camp/2008%20Hunt/Img_0431.jpg)  

Killdeer   :wavey:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: celticknot on November 02, 2008, 12:26:00 PM
I had heard & read of this method. But i never could figure it out. WOW. Thatll cut about 10 minutes off my previous times.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: akbowbender on November 02, 2008, 12:50:00 PM
I haven't shot a squirrel in a while, but if I do get one, I'll know what to do!

As far as saving the video to my harddrive, I found that when you view the video, a file is created in my /tmp directory. For this video, the file was FlashdH54NJ. I just copied this file to another location and named it something meaningful with a *.qt extension, such as Squirrel_Skinning_Video.qt I'm using Fedora Linux with KDE. I don't know where the files go in Windows or on a MAC.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Killdeer on November 02, 2008, 07:55:00 PM
Photobucket offered to save it in my album, so I did.    :)
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: bwana on November 02, 2008, 10:31:00 PM
I just right clicked on the video pic. Then click "save target as" and it downloads where ever you want it..bill. Great video by the way..thanks
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Gordon martiniuk on November 02, 2008, 11:28:00 PM
Do most hunters in the us eat Tree Rats up here I have never ate one but may try but our tree rats are fairly small (take 3or4 to make a meal what brand are good to eat ours up here are Red Squirrels   :help:    :banghead:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Doc Nock on November 03, 2008, 10:32:00 AM
Gordon,

Don't you have those li'l red squirrels up there? Or as we called them out West, "piney" squirrels...

I ate one on a dare out in MT and it tasted pretty much like turpentine smells!   :eek:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: tradtusker on November 03, 2008, 10:44:00 AM
sweet video, man iv wasted time skinning squirrels thanks for sharing that.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Dave Bulla on November 04, 2008, 03:09:00 AM
Wow!  I've heard about this method for years and never saw it in person.  Now since I saw the video it looks so much simpler than how it was explained.  Gonna have to try it.

Also, somebody said "I would like to know how he sharpened that knife. That knife was waaaaay sharp. I couldn't believe that he just took the knife and cut through the leg bones (even at the joint it still dulls a knife). I always used a big pair of pliars or side cutters to do that so that I wouldn't dull my knife that I had worked so long to sharpen. Great video. Thanks for sharing. Brokenwing"

I noticed that too.  Now, I can flat sharpen a knife till it makes the hair jump out of the way and mine are every bit as sharp as his was but what I liked seeing was his was just a lil' old pocket knife.  Always bugs me when people have dang near a bowie knife for skinning small game.  Heck even my knife for deer only has about a 2 3/4" blade.

If you noticed, he didn't even cut through the joints but he cut up the shank a ways.  Looked like he kinda gently cut in to the bone then snapped it over the blade by pushing down on the foot with his thumb.  Probably saves the edge when ya don't go sawing on the bone.  Just pushing it down till it snaps makes sense to me.  Gonna have to try that too.  I usually use a pair of wire dykes.

Thanks for sharing!!!!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: b.glass on November 04, 2008, 08:18:00 AM
Awsome!! Thank you!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: b.glass on November 04, 2008, 08:34:00 AM
There you go again Killdeer, sav'in everthing!

I did too, good idea. I didn't see it the first time. Not too observant am I? Thanks for mentioning it.
>>>---------->
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: James Wrenn on November 04, 2008, 08:35:00 AM
I shot a limit last week and tried your method.It worked very well and made things easy and quick.I would have shot many more treerats over the years if I had not struggled so much skinning the darn rascals.thanks!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Bill Tell on November 04, 2008, 10:30:00 AM
Your knife doesn't have to be super sharp to do what he did.  He is actually snapping the leg bones at their thinest and then just cutting the little bit of flesh and tendon.  If you do this right where the leg meat ends it is very easy.  However having a thin blade like his little pocket knife really helps because it slides through the fracture better.

If I was a knife maker I would make a blade with a W on the top so you could wrap little leg bones through it so they would snap.  Then you could just turn the knife over and slip the blade through.  I have cleaned way to many pheasants in my life.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: McDave on November 04, 2008, 11:01:00 AM
Thanks for posting this.  It was just what I was looking for when I asked the question in another post.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Deadbolt on November 04, 2008, 11:16:00 AM
Awsome I was always curious how its done...

Now the bigger question here...what do ya'l do with em after they are cleaned?

Anyone have some recipes for squirrel?  Ive always wanted to try them and its nothing for me to pop 4 or 5 in a given day in my back yard.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Yolla Bolly on November 04, 2008, 03:00:00 PM
Deadbolt---Try some Shaffer Mtn. squirrel--cut em up---shake in flour, brown in a little oil in skillet with lid,---pour in some water (or a can of beer)--lay some mild green canned chilis over the meat (and/or sliced onions)--cover and simmer for 30-60 min.  Pull the meat and make some gravy if you want---
Works with cottontails or young jacks too.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Keefer on November 04, 2008, 04:08:00 PM
Great video and makes me want to get a dozen and try that skinning process myself but first I need to hit em...
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: WidowEater on November 04, 2008, 05:27:00 PM
thats one for the books  :notworthy:
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Linc on November 04, 2008, 07:12:00 PM
Thanks for the refresher. I saved it from when you posted it last year but it is still good to watch it again.
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Deadbolt on November 05, 2008, 03:55:00 PM
well i went out back and whacked a rat.  Lost some hind quarter meat b/c I cut to far in at the tail...but other than that worked like a charm!

Now its off to try a recipe...this is a first time for me!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Deadbolt on November 05, 2008, 05:14:00 PM
Well I gotta say the squirrels better watch out i want more haha!

My recipe:
Soaked the squirrel in a brine salt/peppe/bay leaf for a few hours (if i had alot i may go overnight

Brought to a boil water, chicken bouillon cube, black pepper, crushed red pepper, bay leaves, soy sauce.

Boiled squirrel for 45m removed put on grill w/ bbq sauce for a few minutes.

Man the meat was phenominal so tender!!  Now I want to test a few other things I have stewin in my head LOL!
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Dave Schneider on November 05, 2008, 06:43:00 PM
Here is one for rabbits.  
 http://www.mucc.org/mood/rabbit/rabbitclean.wmv
Title: Re: Squirrel Skinning Made Easy
Post by: Lawrenceu on November 05, 2008, 07:46:00 PM
My dad would have skinned me for skinning a rabbit that way.  We used the whole carcass.  We would do the ol' grab em by the chest and sling the guts out through your legs routine (it really works) and then make a small sideways slit in the skin across the middle of the back insert thumbs and pull.  Result: one gutted skinned rabbit in about 30 seconds.