Fried Squirrel Anyone?

[Old Codger]

Sounds like you have some squirrel problems... so did I until... The little buggers would finish off a suet cake in my bird feeders in less than an hour until I decided I could outsmart them... I took an electric fence shocker that I had rigged up to keep my dogs away from my fences years ago and modified it... I layed down a two piece metal screen mat (chicken wire or metal window screen will do...) just below my bird feeders and wired it up to the shocker box in the house... I'd wait until the little buggers would come close to the metal pads and turn it on...no problem until they stepped across one metal pad to the other one and then ZAP!!! Flying squirrel!!! You'd be surprised how far these little monstors can jump to get away from the metal pads...only takes a zap or two as they learn pretty quickly...doesn't really injure them, but they sure don't like it and stay away from my bird feeders now... You may have to modify the metal pads to fit your particular needs, but it works like a champ and have to admit, fun to watch them fly off the pads instead of eating my bird food!
Kenn

[Mr. Chips]

Dang Kenn that's too funny!
But, don't think I could get that one by the wife. My little dog has been pretty busy keeping the tree rats away. But there is one little brave one, came up last night and started chowing down like it was an All You Can Eat Buffet and we were only ten feet away. I think it's time to get out the box trap and serve eviction papers.
Still can't get those flyin' squirrels out of my mind.

Randy

[Paul_Guraedy]

Squirrels in feeders! I use what my son likes to call the Cajun Method on them. He says, when you encounter something that seems to be a problem, first determine if it is edible. If so, you don't really have a problem you have an opportunity.

Most of us, .........uuhhhh "older" hunters, started on limb rats and rabbits. Many of us never broke the habit. An ungulate with a big rack may bring bragging rights and a few are good enough to end up on the wall; but for table fare..........squirrel and rabbit are the best.

I must say though that I have not had fried squirrel in a long time. I found out that my Doctor is not impressed with my explanation for straying into fried foods, ".......but it's squirrel!" Here is a recipe, given to me by Mary Dell Jones (who also taught me what dry brushing really is) a wonderful Cajun Frien' whom I miss very much:

2 whole squirrel cut up, 1 cup flour (or more if needed), salt, pepper (and other seasonings to taste), oil, 2 whole onion sliced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup green onion, 1/2 cup fresh parsley. Coat the limb rats real well with seasoned flour and braise in oil. Remove from skillet and place in a baking dish lined with foil. Blend a little water in the soup, add salt, pepper, onion and garlic, pour over squirrels. Put another piece of foil over the top and seal tightly. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Open and check. If squirrels are not tender, cook a little longer (add water if needed). When tender add green onions and parsley, reseal and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with rice or mashed taters. Right tasty and above this.........the clean up is easy!

[susieq]

Hi Paul,
The fried squirrel sounds good... but I have been a vegetarian for a really long time...well, with the exception of fish and slow moving reptiles....gator, rattle snake, etc... But I was always glad to save those squirrels for somebody if they wanted them.

There used to be an older woman related to one of my in laws, who lived near by and said she'd like to have them so when I got one, I'd call her. This was a different period than the "gun trained" cat....
In the last 35 years or so, many people and animals have moved through my life..... But this lady was certainly glad to have a couple squirrels now and then. She was the only person I knew who ate them though and she is long gone.

We have a raccoon problem here too and I learned very quickly that if you didn't bury the squirrels deep enough, the raccoons would come dig them up and haul them away. Gave me a whole new perspective on those critters....
They will eat anything.

[susieq]

Kenn, that was too funny...made me laugh right out loud....
My folks lived in N. Carolina and dad had made a make shift bird feeder that was simply a piece of plywood for a platform, mounted on a large diameter PVC pipe. Mom and dad would sit in the upstairs back porch, over looking the back yard and watch the birds...but of course, here came the squirrels as well. The PVC pipe didn't slow them down either. They ran right up it just like a tree trunk. So dad would spray it down with WD40, then sit back and watch.
The squirrels would run at the pipe and leap a couple feet up on to it....and slide slowly down. I think my dad laughed himself silly watching the squirrels try to get up that post. The down side was that you had to replenish the oil pretty often. But he sure enjoyed that. Laughter is good medicine.

[gtech]

Nice recipe...

There should be a thread titled "what's your favorite squirrel recipe?"

There are squirrels on a small place where my old parents spend some time in summer, and they give them peanuts to eat... the problem is that keep complaining that there are no birds visiting their birds feeders. Of course, the food for birds keeps disapearing...

I bought them a nice squirrels proof birds feeder once, and they didn't like it because birds were not coming.

Then I noticed they were using "old" seeds for the birds, just good enough for squirrels it seems.

Gilles