 I have a squirrel guy. His name is Buddy and by trade he's a sound engineer, but in his heart of hearts, he's a hunter. Buddy doesn't hunt simply for sport; he, his girlfriend and his son cook only meat and fish that they have personally dispatched. If Buddy's willing to share meat with me, I say, 'thank you' and take what he's offering. I know his kill was clean, quick and respectful, it'll be expertly cleaned and dressed, and no way am I going to find anything of its variety or caliber in my local butcher shop or supermarket. That doesn't mean that when he offered me a brace of squirrels, I didn't initially have pause. I got over that pretty pretty quickly - and deliciously - and you should, too. Here's why. To paraphrase blogger turned cookbook author Hank Shaw - if you wanted to starve to death in the wilderness, you'd have to try pretty hard. Squirrels are plentiful - overly so in some regions. Buddy initially began dispatching the squirrels because they were savaging the garden he'd so carefully planted. Their numbers were seemingly undiminished. "Awwwwww!" you might coo. "But they're so adorable and sweet and and how could you be so very cruel as to eat the precious Disney fluffy-wuffy?" Yup – they're all just darling until the day when you walk into your kitchen to find that one has gnawed through your window screen to make himself a snack of your tortillas. He's just there, lounging about on your table all bushy-tailed and cavalier until he spots you...and snarls...and then everything is a blur of tortillas and mange and horror. There are plenty of squirrels in the world. You can stand to eat a few. 2. Squirrel is a locavore's delight You probably - okay really oughtn't go strolling into Central Park or an urban alleyway in search of prey. Not only would that be highly illegal; you are what you eat, and you are what that squirrel eats and that's not going to work out well for either one of you. If you stick with forest squirrels or those that have been subsisting on your garden largesse, you know exactly what that beastie has been snacking on. It had a pretty footloose and fancy-free life in the great outdoors - certainly better than that of a factory-farmed chicken or pig. Meat really doesn't get more local than from your own or your friend's backyard. 3. Squirrel is a classic In this age of kitchen retro, heirloom seeds and canning fetishism, it just makes sense to take a page from grandma and give squirrel a whirl. 4. Squirrel is easy to cook In the video below, I've just simmered the squirrel until the meat was tender, then served it shredded on a plate. Texas chef Tim Love gives his a nice, long braise with minimal seasonings so as to let the meat's rich flavor be the star. If he's planning to pop it on the grill, since the meat can be tough, he'll brine it with salt and chiles first to tenderize it. Any method that's suitable for rabbit should be just dandy with squirrel. 5. Squirrel just tastes great When I popped a plate of braised squirrel on the table, guests first approached hesitantly, then began shoveling strands into their mouths. For most, it was an initiation (it's generally illegal to sell wild game, so you have to have a source like Buddy), but seemingly not to be an isolated instance of enjoyment. The general consensus was that it tasted more earthy and sumptuous than the darkest turkey they'd ever tasted - and wouldn't it be great in a ragout, stew, or cassoulet? One might even say they went a bit...squirrely for it - but that would just be nuts. |
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I grew up in a hunting family. There is NOTHING better than a fresh, young squirrel for dinner! Now that I live in an urban environment, I miss the fresh game. I would love to be able to buy squirrel meat here in the USA like they can in other countries now. Give it a try. It is delicious!
what a great idea!
just yesterday, our neighbor said the squirrels ate every one of his blueberries that he had been waiting for alll year!
and to shoot them.
but to just shoot them is sad,
to shoot them and eat them, that is good.
Also if we were both squirrels could I come over to your hole to bust my nuts?
As a young man in Austria after the war, we farmed squirrels for sale at a square. My family had been breeding with squirrels for generations as a tradition. We would use them for cheese, and skin for shoes and clothes. The meat is as many say to be better that goats and rabbits. To not be from a life that is pure and traditional to eat what you raise, that is not natural to my thoughts.
I've never hunted for mammals in my life, but I have humanely killed one I wounded as an idiot teenager with a BB gun. I have fished most of my life and I either catch and release or kill and eat what I catch. I don't find the need to hunt for meat given I'm an urban city dweller with great farmers markets near by – and yes, I like to shake the hand of the person who grows/raises my food – at least as much as is possible in the U.S. That being said, I see absolutely nothing wrong with hunting – as long as your doing it safely, in season and not poaching wild game or endangered species. Quite frankly, I agree with people on this board that it's evolutionarily natural for us as a species and it has to be far healthier than eating industrial farm raised proteins.
spuirrels are yummy but wild rabbits are better, cotton tail are my favorite, spuirrels are best killed and eaten in the winter they get worms on the stomach in the summer, squirrels are too hard to clean tough hide, don't eat the ground squirrels they will eat anything, but the fox squirrels, the gray squirrels are tree squirrels and they live on nuts and all healthy foods, the gray squirrels don't get as large as the fox squirrels but taste better.
I can see the dead squirrels from my front porch!
I started hunting in my late 20's and have been doing it for about 6 years now. Wild food tastes better, is healthier, is naturally free-range and organic, and is plentiful. I won't say its cheaper – hunting is expensive and i take time away from work to do it – but as a self-proclaimed gourmet, i take great care in "honoring the protein" that i killed myself by not wasting a single bit, and cooking it expertly. To you meat-eaters, I'd say you have an obligation at least once in your life to kill and eat something to know how it feels. To you vegetarians, fine. More meat for us.
By the way, wild Canada goose is WAYYYYYYYY better than squirrel.
I just LOVE getting Goosed.
A vegan/vegetarian used to be called the Village Idiot who didn't know how to hunt or fish.
As my friend Gene claims, squirrel brains are the caviar of the forest. Myself, I'm particularly fond of nice, flaky chip of squirrel cheek meat. Yummy!
Careful wuth the "caviar" Lately SARS (mad cow) virus has been found in the brains. The meat is still ok
Hunting for food is a great idea... but squirrel is a dealbreaker. Chicken of the tree? More like RAT of the tree.
Rabies: the local police just dispatched a squirrel with rabies. It was like a rabid dog, attacking people. Alot of the local racoons have it. Why not squirrels?
I don't recommend possum or racoon however, they are just a little too greasy for my taste.
Squirrel is OK – but muskrat is better – not quite as wild tasting.
sick sick jerks
I'll pay $50 to the "hunter" that comes and gets the *(&^*&^*&^%$##@%##@#$ red squirrel out of my freakin' attic and eats the noisy, sleep-disturbing, wire-chewing, Houdini-imitating little bugger. It'd be a heck of a lot cheaper than the $700 the "exterminator" wants to live trap him and block up his access to my 100-year-old stone house.
I love reading the posts of people such as those here. Some give their honest opinion and others just want to see how bad they can ruffle other people's feathers.
You fail to mention that some species of squirrels are protected species and can't just indiscriminately be shot or killed in your garden. Western gray squirrels are one such species. Do not kill them. It is breaking the law. There are some squirrels, depending on where you live that, sadly, don't have these protections. I say sadly, because I've seen what people do to animals who aren't afford legal protection. But, putting that aside, if you advocate indiscriminate killing of squirrels for food, you may be advocating some to break the law. I don't support the killing of wildlife, my personal beliefs, but if you do, at least be smart enough to check your local regulations and be educated on the various species of squirrels, birds and other animals that cannot be killed or hunted freely. There's too much flawed assumption that wild animals are ours to use as we see fit.
Let me see your immigration papers and license please.
One of my old cook books has recipes for guina pigs. These are all rodents livingin different ecoclimes. Anyone want to try RAT?
I've tried squirll(sp), and many other things people normally wouldn't eat. Personally it's good, wouldn't mind having it again. Most people that throw a fit about hunting are from cities or large towns, they really have no idea. Try being in New York where deer is so tame that you can pet them...my ex (raised in Kansas) made a comment that back at the farm that deer and her fawn would have been dinner, just because she was too trusting, that same animal can ruin crops, just as rabbits and squirlls can ruin gardens. Most hunters I know use the meat and all that can get from an animal, it saves them money when they go to the store.
"There are plenty of squirrels in the world. You can stand to eat a few." It sounds like a line from some stand-up comedian. It is simply that we do not hunt any longer, we buy food. Those who do hunt might like it or not. For the rest of us, until it becomes more common, it is just a really difficult to digest story. Especially the pictures which are obviously not hiding what is on the menu. Yuck!
Many people who eat feel they are so noble and self-righteous if they don't actually kill and process the animal. To truely understand what they are causing though, all meat eaters should have to work in a slaughter house for one day. A cow or chicken would gladly trade places with a deer or squirrel. It's better to roam freely with a 10 % chance of being shot by a hunter, than remain cooped up and have a 100 % chance of being killed and cut up by a machine.
Well in my many years of observing squirrels I see what they eat on my property. First of all they go after bird seeds from my bird feeder, next they climb into my pine trees and eat the pine nuts making a mess on the ground from all the discarded pieces of pine cones. I've also seen them eating the acorns from my oak trees. I've never seen them eat anything else.
I am killing the squirrels around my house because they got in my truck engine compartment and ate my wiring........it's a wonder my truck still runs and didn't burn to the ground !!!!! I'm also afraid that they will try to get in my attic like they did at my sister's house...they had a mess on their hands !!! I really hate to kill God's creatures but what am I going to do. I was happy leaving them alone until they started the problems. We really don't want to eat them so I recycle them. I have a really big rock about 100 yards from my house ( I call it the sacrificial stone) and I place the dead squirrels on it. By the next morning something, probably a fox, has taken it and got a good free meal.......at least they don't go to waste !!!!
I'm a meat eater and old enough to be on Social Security. I love a good steak, pork, any kind of fish, chicken, turkey, lamb. The list pretty well ends there. The thought of eating some new sort of animal is 100% unappealing. I think that what happened is that I learned to eat my particular set of meats before I was old enough to have given any thought to what I was eating. When I think of a steak I get a mental picture of what is in the butcher's case. When I think of eating squirrel my picture is of a live squirrel (though now my picture may unfortunately be the one at the top of this article). I have enough meats on my "can do" list that I'm happy for a lifetime. No need to go further.
Buddy and the author must both be from New Jersey.
Buddy lives in Atlanta. I (I'm the author) live in Brooklyn.
When I was younger I remembered my grandma was a cook at a country nursing home type place and one day I came in and there was this giant thing of meat cooling on top of the stove. She took me over and I tried it and it was the most delicious meat I have ever had even to this day! It was deer meat, but no one has been able to produce that flavor ever again so I stopped even trying. It had something to do with vinegar. Perhaps the meat was soaked in vinegar for a certain amount of time before she baked it? And a big no to deer burgers, I just don't like the consistency of ground meats.
Anyway, if there's an "oldster" out there that could help me out with this I'd appreciate it as I have lost all my grandparents. my e mail is uunio at yahoo dot com. Thanks! Jonathan
I'm not sure...it almost looks to human.
The thigh and the arms curled up...
I'm guessing Gramma from the Beverly Hill Billies talked about Squirrel or Opposum all the time for dinner, and I just laughed it off...But I'm not sure.
Many years ago my granddad served muskrat in his speakeasy and told the customers it was squirrel. "Best squirrel I ever had." was the most common comment.
I always check and make sure my squirrel does not have a cold before I cook him or her.I sucks dem brains outta the squirrels nostrils and squirrel boogers add an odd taste.
Couple of things ... First, if you're not going to stew them for several hours, you need to boil the squirrels a couple of hours before you do anything else with them, otherwise the meat is like shoe leather. Once you've boiled them, they are way better than chicken – fried, stir fried, whatever. I like serving them with Hoisin sauce, spring onions ,fried chicken skins and tortilla wraps. (Not the fried chicken skins you pull off the KFC stuff with all the flower. I use chicken skins off raw chicken fried in peanut oil). Kind of a cheap Peking Duck.
Second, they're pests. Eat them. I trap two or three dozen a year in my garage. They have eaten a hole under the door so, it might be illegal but I don't care, once they're in my garage they're fair game. I don't have to shoot them, which means I don't have to worry about biting into a shotgun pellet, and since I've been steel only for a long time, you waterfowl hunters would know that biting hard into a steel pellet can cost a lot of money at the dentist. One last thing – cook the heads too. This will sound gross to the newbies, but squirrel brains are incredibly good.
If God didn't mean for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat? And make them so delicious?
Used to hunt squirrels with a 458 Win. Mag. Had to stop tho. Ruined too much meat.
Just this morning, I was thinking, "I wonder what the most unappetizing photo I've ever seen at the top of a CNN article was?"
I couldn't really pick a clear winner. Then I clicked on the link for this article.
Thank you for clearing that up for me.
Mmmm. Ever have squirrel with frog legs? Delicious. Nothing like a reptillian squirrel.
1. Wouldn't that be "amphibian squirrel?"
2. Don't say "reptillian squirrel." You're going to give the SyFy channel ideas for movies.
Are they really that meaty?
That simmering squirrel makes me sick to look at it. It reminds me of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane."
This article Reminds me of when I was stationed in North Carolina with the USAF. I had a girlfriend that called me one night and said. " my mammy just cooked up a mess of squirrel and wants to know if you want to come over for supper"
I broke up with her on the spot but I've always wondered what a mess of squirrel taste like. Now I'm a chef in Vegas, I've cooked some crazy things here. Squirlel is next on the menu
I hunt them because its fun. I eat them because they're tasty.
What haven't human beings tried to eat? It's like we are small dinosaurs who know how to cook. And where does one feel the right to take a beings life when it is not necessary? As soon as we stop taking other beings lives is when we stop feeling like we're dying inside once the belly is empty. Food, though necessary, is, for the most part, another distraction from what is really needed. There is a constant lull into a lightness of being that is so foreign to doing and thinking in ways that are mostly repetitive...and such usual repetition dulls the senses and makes everyone else suffer for it. Be progressive, or whatever, and eat things that don't cause problems in the long run.
Call them what you will, but when all is said and done squirrels are still nothing but rodents. Oh boy. Rat for dinner. Super.
See my note about muskrat. I haven't tried it myself but there are plenty of recipes on the Internet.
if you eat squirrel head stew you will get- prion disease. not to mention... squirrels carry rabies.
If you use duct tape it will remove all the fleas and mites. I also recommend my special chloroform marinade and cook well for a tasty meal. YummmmmmmmmmO !
A squirrel got caught in a transformer behind our house a few weeks ago. I found it on the ground with singed fur. My husband told me to throw it over the fence into the vacant lot. Later we joked that we could have eaten it.
If God didnt want us to eat animals, He would not have made them out of meat.
I grew up eating squirrel when in season. But when I realized they are nothing short of a rat that lives in the country with a bushy tail....I dont eat them any more. They have the same diet as a rat. Would you eat a rat?
A warning. Squirrels (like all wild game) are carriers of parasites. Squirrel shot with "shot" can be difficult to eat without swallowing some of the pellet, or just having to be very careful not to break a tooth. It is much easier to use a take them alive trap and then plunge the whole trap into deep water. This also gets rid of the fleas on the squirrel (in the SW, carriers of bubonic plague). After the skin and fur are stripped off the innerds need to be removed immediately WITHOUT nicking any organs (where the parasites live). Frankly, I would rather get my organic chicken at the store.
This is one of the most inhumane ways to kill an animal. It's unconscionable that you would advocate this.
lol I love all the people on here who think eating animals is so terrible and eating plants is fine. Why, because they have a different cell structure? Your concept of ethics is severely misguided – sustainable is sustainable regardless of its a plant or animal.
Humans are capable of compassion for all things. I like that.
And apparently an appetite for all things as well!
The picture isn't appetizing. They could have at least put a garnish next to that little hunk of varmint flesh. Don't break your tooth on the buck shot.
I'm seeing several arguments about how it is perfectly acceptable to do whatever it takes to survive. This is exactly why human overpopulation is a bigger problem than any animal overpopulation. A starving human would kill, say, the last remaining giant turtle to live for another day. Any carnivorous animal would do the same to humans, you say? Of course. But there is no question that humans are presently the most dominant, powerful species on earth, and nearly any carnivorous animal is pretty much helpless in front of a guy with a gun.
Everyone wants peace... I say let there be war. Thin out the population a bit. Turn cannibalism from a taboo to an accepted means of nutrition. No, it's not hypocritical to say that I will do anything to survive and to protect my friends and family, but that I wouldn't be bothered much by the mass extinction of most of the rest of the human population.
your dumb. Most carnivores large enough to take down a human in the bush will absolutely wreck them regardless of how they are armed unless that person is an experienced hunter (maybe 5% of the worlds population and less than 1% of the us population).
A person like you would never even see it coming – let alone be able to get off a lethal shot w/ a firearm before it was on you.
My faith teaches that it is sacriligious to consume squirrel flesh or kill squirrels for any purpose. Indeed as over the years I have grown to see myself as closer to squirrels than humans, my morality would dictate that I sooner consume the flesh of humans than that of my squirrel kin.
Thank you Agemaki of the tree people. I am Phlatis of the trailer home people. How is it that you have come to love in spirit the squirrel? Tell us of the squirrelly wisdom. No, I'm just kiddin'. It's cool. You love squirrels. I love pit bulls. My pit bulls love squirrels , too. Yummy, yummy squirrels. They're so cute.
Hence the observation, "That person is a little squirrelly."
I'll never forget the time I shot and killed a squirrel. I cleaned it, and placed it in a pan of salt water in our kitchen sink. My little brother came home from school, saw the dead squirrel in the sink, and ran outside, screaming, "Steve killed a monkee!". lol
Yes Marco, I'm an American on my "high-horse" So you can kiss my high-riding A$$!!
BTW–although I totally understand that many people do not want to kill or eat squirrel of any other wild game, it should be pointed out that the fate of most wild animals is not a pretty one. They do not typically die peacefully in their sleep, surrounded by loved ones. Tree squirrels and flying squirrels are killed at a high rate by diurnal raptors and owls, respectively. A pair of endangered spotted owls will capture several HUNDRED flying squirrels in a single year. And when they do, the first thing they do is poke their eyes out. Then they rip them apart and eat them alive. Not pretty, but it is the reality. Also, vegetarians should at least be aware that millions and millions of small mammals are killed during the harvesting of crops. There are no "mouse- or rabbit-exclusion" devices. In fact, if you eat any plant that doesn't grow wild or eat any plant material that is processed by any type of farm machinery, you are killing many, many more animals than someone who ate solely meat. Just some food for thought.
Growing up in the mountains of West Virginia, I spent many beautiful October afternoons ditching school to go squirrel hunting. My mom makes an incredible pot pie/ casserole from them. It is truly delicious. Only downside is that it is quite a bit of work to clean and prep enough of them for a good meal - there is not a lot of meat on them. If you are thinking of trying them, stick with eastern gray squirrels; although smaller, they are tastier than the larger fox squirrel. And, whatever you do, do NOT go for red squirrels/ douglas squirrels (sometimes called boomers or chickarees)–they eat pine nuts and will taste like pinesol! If you like wild game in general (and probably even if you don't) you will probably find eastern gray squirrels very interesting and flavorful.
NASTY
I HAD to eat squirrel we shot ourselves from our front door. Try frying them with confectioners sugar instead of flour. Mistake that turned out well. I dont have to live on squirrel anymore but you people who judge those that have to eat that or expired food from the grocery store and such are idiots and only know your powdered a** existence. I never saw the inside of a grocery store until I was 12 years old. we butchered our own meat and grew our own vegetables. NOT BECAUSE we wanted to..WE HAD TO. when poor people are hungy they will do whats right to take care of their own. BTW I am not a granny. I am generation X having lived this way. DOWN TO ALL OF YOU WITH YOUR STUPID HYPOCROSISES OF WHAT IS RIGHT OR NOT. LIVE IN MY SHOES FOR A WHILE. If you ever get poor and need to klill a squirell to eat or kill one to eat because that is what you are raised on and dont know how to skin it....let me know..I will tell you. PS. wait till the blood is cold......less messy....My husband makes six figures and I dont work now. life is totally different for me now. but I will never forget where and why and how I had to come from. LOSERS who judge. Screw hunterer/gatherer......dont you know how many hungry americans we have? Its called HARD LIVING and passin on the tradition. You people wait on your local grocery store when times get hard. I will be belly filled up watching you all panic.
Born and raised in Ky. Grew up on a farm eating our own products along with squirrel and rabbits..delicious both of them..dip in milk..roll in flour and fry..then make gravy from the drippings of grease left over and home made biscuits ..OH boy do you have good eating. I'm 64 and sure miss the good ole days when my dad raised or hunted the food for our table.
You morons need to learn to spell, and to construct a complete sentence. Then, maybe, intelligent human beings might listen to your arguments–most of which lack any understanding of simple logic, or the ability to reason. You might want to try to get some facts straight as well–but that would be violating your so-called right to express yourself, wouldn't it?
The World Wide Web, and blogs like this one, are tributaries of the road to illiteracy–and most users are substantially exceeding the speed limit.
Jasper
well, even though you are completely off the subject I sense that you need someone to tell you we appreciate your commentary. Worthless to the subject....but great literacy.
this stupid argument is quite funny. people have eaten many animal for 100's of years. deer, hogs, rabbit, pheasant ,cows just about every domesticated animal you can name. so i guess all you crybabys pass through the countryside in your bmw's and other highend vehicles and look at the baby calves in a fields and go awwww. aren't they cute. well guess what . 3 months to a yr later that little awwww will be on someones table as a t-bone or what ever. but it still was cute as a baby. well grow up and come back to the real world. or go eat a soybean sandwich. i guess when prices at the grocery store rise above you food allowance you and all you children wil starve. well I was raised in the country and can and will hunt and fish(for food only) as necessary to feed my family and anyone else whom I know that needs a meal. As you can tell, the BS liberal protect it all , attitude does not fly here. I god we trust
So is it more humane to be raised to be eaten, or to live free but with risks?
If overpopulation is justification for hunting, then humans should be hunted for game before any other species. I guarantee the 6 billion humans in the world outnumber the millions(?) of squirrels in North America. Talk about a plentiful food supply. I'm only half joking when I say that. I would even argue that it is more ethical to hunt humans than animals, since [most] humans have the capabilities, awareness, and intelligence to fight back.
Squirrels will raid a bird feeder or eat your gardens, but humans will tailgate you, butt in front of you at the supermarket, and take you to court. So if annoyance is a justification for killing animals, then humans should be killed first.
I think we already kind of do that, don't we? If a human comes into our homes and attempts to take things that aren't theirs, we generally respond with violence. On a local level we call it self/home defense. On a national level, we call it war. Neither are especially palatable answers, but that is what we do to protect and provide for our own. You don't have to like it, but it is sometimes the answer. I can't believe I'm defending hunting (If you knew me, you'd be shocked), but I'm beginning to see what this perspective looks like when it's not balanced with solid common sense.
Do you own a home? Do you allow insects to over run it? What about mice? Do you let them get into your food? Or do you live in an apartment building where that's all taken care of for you? FYI (Just in case you're one of that group)–whether you're a vegan or a meat eater, you kill to survive (to be healthy, etc) or someone does it for you. This is how our imperfect world works.
Like intestinal parasites? Eat a wild animal.
The amount of growth hormone fed to domestic livestock is frightening. Game meat is much healthier. Don't serve it rare though.
Squirrels are RODENTS Chicken is fowl.
Make nice little rectangle wedges of furry thug, cook nicely, stick on top of rice ball. If you eat beef or chicken at all, you can't criticize any other meat eating without being a fool. Eating beef or chicken isn't gross? Don't eat monkeys – that is truly gross. Might as well eat people then. Good to know where your local golf course is in the event of apocalypse.
While I can understand the uproar in animal lovers, the reasons that most of you have been stating are purely opinions. Hunting for sport is wrong, but hunting/raising animals for your own consumption is perfectly acceptable. Those that are likening this to hunting deer due to over population; the reason large game is in over-abundance is due to the low numbers of large game predators ie:wolves and pumas (which is due to over hunting by early americans). The same could be said for squirrels. What is not acceptable are the 23,000+ dolphins that are killed in Taiji Japan (the ones that sea world and like parks do not buy to be put on display, watch "The Cove" for more information). That being said, all you people who are up in arms about people going out and providing food for them and theirs by their own hands I say tisk tisk. Next time you go to a dolphin encounter or Sea World, Zoo, circuses Etc remember that those animals were captured from the wild purely for your own amusment. Eat your non buttered and unsalted popcorn from the bleechers while an elephant balances on a beam and a bear waves when the trainer throws a treat. I can respect someone for their opinons, but I can't respect stupidity.
In China, people cook and eat practically any living animals, critters and insect crawling on earth. With the exception of humans, almost every living creatures they eat. It is written in the bible human can eat animals. Years ago, in Papua New Geiunea there was a tribe there, who ate human flesh. That was more horrible than eating squirrel. Opps...I had not try on. Venizon, wild boar and wild turkey yes, I tried those.
Um...eww.
This confirms what I have always thought about this blog: Written by a jokester or a very ill-informed amateur. This and most every other blog post here shows profound ineptitude about the titled food topic. I keep forgeting that if you call yourself a blogger, you don't need much knowledge at what your talking about. Eating squirrel? Really? The blogger must be laughing at the thought of some people actually going to their butcher and asking for some.
You are actually the one that doesn't know what you're talking about. Many people hunt for and eat squirrel, and have for years. So if you want to accuse someone of not knowing what they are talking about, look in the mirror.
The poll doesn't lie- you're outnumbered by the people who have eaten it and liked it, and people who haven't eaten it but would like to try it.
Salt & Pepper, Egg & milk, Flour and fry 'em up!
your funny shirley, i like you
DOUBLE D , YES COME OVER AND I'LL LOCK YOU IN A CAGE AND LET MY SQUIRREL WATCH YOU, THEN BANG..........
Greg: Don't mind the idiots that post in this forum. These guys are here everyday, posting multiple times because they have nothing else in their lives. I have never read an article on here that didn't have inane comments from these guys. Speaking of someone getting a life...
I too have rehabilitated squirrels and had one as an outdoor companion for several years. I agree with you 100%.
I was backpacking with a buddy in the Rockies and we got rained on. Unfortunately a lot of the food supplies we brought with us were ruined, Luckily, we had a high quality pellet gun with us. We basiaclly lived off of squirel and rice for three says. It ended up being way better than the food we brought with us in the first place.
I am an animal lover (five dogs, six cats–all rescues) and have bent over backwards to work with nature–going as far as to squirrel proof feeders and hang bars of soap around my garden to discourage deer (very sensitive noses) as well as motion sensitive lights. I dislike guns intensely–am not crazy about hunting and even garden organically because I am well aware of the sensitive balance of nature. That said, squirrels don't understand or appreciate tolerance. They do understand easy food sources. You should see what they can do to a single yard in a matter of a month–they eat flowers, freshly planted seed, seedlings of all kinds, tomatoes, and dig up bulbs–to name a few. I've tried squirrel proofing fencing (that's a laugh), floating row covers, cayenne pepper, and even planting crops for them. You know what that got me? More squirrels.
The reason these squirrels are tearing up feeders and gardens isn't just because we've moved into their areas. It's because they've moved into ours. There are so many of them that the natural food supply can't support them. This is because we've given them "safe havens in the form of city parks, suburban neighborhoods and so on. In these areas they are safe those animals that would ordinarily prey on them in less urban areas. I live in a wooded rural area, but there are just enough homes here to make the bob-cats, coyotes, and foxes reluctant to hunt nearby.
They are a prolific population, like most rodents. So unless you want to start capturing and neutering them like feral cats or poisoning them (which is wasteful and runs the risk of unintended targets), something's got to give and hunting and eating them is–by far–the least wasteful and most beneficial for all involved. It thins the population to manageable levels and teaches them a certain amount of healthy fear. Animals that are afraid of being preyed upon steer clear of areas where those who do the preying live.
Well said.
Your right greg, i should not have verbally attacked you like that. my bad
Speaking of Mad Cow Disease, dont eat the brains. In 1997 I read an article about several cases of CJD in Kentucky that apparently came from eating squirrel brains
What sick and sad things so many humans are. No empathy for other species, and in many cases, not for other humans, either.
Every single animal you torment and kill, whether for food or "sport" (not really "sporting," because all you cowards use guns and other weapons; or do you fight animals barehanded?) is another creature's mother or father, son or daughter, EXACTLY as you are. When you kill them you are breaking up a family, just as if murderers came into your home. In many cases, you are leaving babies to starve because you kill a parent. Not that you care, but I have to state the facts here, even if you don't give a damn.
It has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that animals have feelings and suffer just as humans do, even if they can't express it to our stupid brains as well as they can communicate with each other. Only dim-witted people and the science-denial morons like some of our politicians (and lots of you on this posting, obviously) don't comprehend this simple fact.
If you are starving AND have no money AND there are no edible plants nearby, you MAY be forgiven for eating an animal. At least, if God is feeling generous. But the God who thought of creating every one of these precious animals , be they squirels, foxes, lions, dolphins, whales, elephants, mice, rabbits, chickens, cows, and on and on, will not forgive you.
If humans truly had the superior brains they think they have they would use them to protect others, not exploit them. That goes for all species, including our own benighted one.
And don't be fooled by hunters' lobbies, etc. when they say we have to hunt to keep the population of deer or whatever down. Nature took care of that just fine without our help. Sadly, the pro-hunting humans in charge of all the state "wildlife" and "conservation" (hah!) agencies have manipulated the deer and other popluations in order to give hunters more of their sick "fun." And then those idiots kill the healthiest, biggest bucks they can because it makes them feel so tough (with their cowardly guns) and thus they deplete the gene pool of the animals, making them less healthy. They lie or are self-deluded when they say hunting makes for healthier populations. In Nature, the sick and weak die off or are eaten by predators. With human hunters, they kill the healthiest. And we also kill off the natural predators such as wolves, which also increases UNnaturally the deer, etc. population. How dumb can you get?
All I ask, finally, is that if any of you have a decent brain, put yourselves for ONE MINUTE in the place of the animal you plan to kill. Imagine its fear and pain. Imagine the grief of its family as if it were your own. If you have any imaginaton it should make you think, pause, and reconsider. I wish for you all greater empathy, and then you will deserve to call yourself a decent human being.
"Life isn't Disney bull [manure] where lions, pigs, and meerkats come together and sing songs." – Penn Jillette
You may not like how nature works, but that's too bad, it doesn't change fact.
Some animals eat plants, some animals eat other animals, some animals eat both plants and other animals. Humans are in the last category, "omnivores".
And it appears you may have eaten paint chips. "Paintavore"
We can choose what we eat. Our food doesnt choose us.
Our ONLY power and/or control is our choice. You can choose to evolve or stay the same.
Our food doesn't choose us, but we don't really choose our food either. Mother Nature dictates what our bodies do best on, and our bodies do best on a diet including both plant and animal sources of food. .
There's a reason no cultures have been historically vegan, they would have died out if they tried. In primarily vegetarian cultures, they still prize animal products like eggs and milk because they know they need those nutrients.
But go ahead, try living 100% off of plant foods with no supplementation. Have fun with that B-12 deficiency
A human is just another predator.
I absolutely did not want to jump into this asinine debate, but, your argument offended me so greatly that I had to comment.
First, I am NOT a Christain, but, I have studied the Bible extensively. You talk about God being mad at people for eating meat. Well, unfortunately the Bible states that God put the animals and fowl here for man to use. So, there goes that little comment.
Secondly, I understand your Disney/PETA indoctrination into life. Meat eaters = bad people. But, the fact is that most of the world's population eats meat. It is not evolutionary to 'progress' to veganism. We humans need and crave both plant AND animal forms of sustenance.
Thirdly, I am a life long hunter and fisherman. NO I do NOT belong to a lobbyist group, the NRA or any other organization. I hunt and fish as a means of procuring food for myself, my family and my neighbors. I do not hunt or fish daily. I do so only when it I want to fill my freezer and/or my belly. I have hunted everything from grubs to deer and many things in between. I do not hunt scavengers or predators. I believe that predators should be allowed to live and follow their own path specifically because other animals (like deer and squirrels) are so overpopulated due to tight hunting regulations written by people like you who have never participated in the act of procuring wild meat. I have hunted with a gun, but, prefer the bow. And, no matter what your opinion is on the subject, it is far more humane to kill quickly with a bullet through the heart than to run down an animal and beat it to death with your bear hands. That can be done, but, the stress and anxiety on your 'feeling friends' would be enormous and is completely out of line. One shot, one kill is my aim, and the aim of EVERY true hunter. Only a psychotic individual would seek to terrorize another creature. We true hunters seek only to make a clean kill and to honor the spirit of the creature who was sacrificed to fill our stomachs.
Lastly, if you (and the other vegan/vegetarian/anti hunters here) are so intent on finding a battle why don't you quit trolling blogs that are obviously written for someone completely different from yourself and start trying to really change the world by getting involved with the system where you can really make a change. Do what you need to do, run for office and see if the majority of your neighbors are willing to put your views into congress. If enough of you take charge then you will get your wish and I will move to Canada. Until then, I'll keep hunting, processing and eating meat in the ways of my ancestors while I laugh gently to myself thinking about you and your tofu/soy burger dinner.
you sick bastard, cnn sucks.
greg, im sorry but ur pathetic. why bother nursing back a squirrel? seriously? move out of ur moms basement and get a life
Double D, I'm sorry that you think I'm pathetic. I'm sure you have passions and interests in your life that I may not enjoy myself but I'd never go as far as calling you pathetic for engaging in them. Why not nurse back a squirrel? Countless vetrinarians across our nation nurse animals back to health- dogs, cats, horses, and yes, even squirrels. For the record, I volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. It is a state of the art facility manned by vetrinarians, licensed rehabilitators, and an amazing team of volunteers. The center works to provide a second chance to all animals that have been injured or abandoned by human encroachment on their habitat. Finally, as for the "mom's basement" comment, it is sad that your worldview is so small that you can't imagine someone being concerned about wildlife that doesn't live in their mom's basement. For the record, I live in a nice four bedroom home in a nice neighborhood with my wife and kids.
Bubonic plague on those who eat shit like this.
I save all my squirrel skins and have Betsy sew me up a new winter coat.Whenever I get hungry I just bite the head offn' one of 'em for a great afternoon snack.
We'd nail the carcass against the shed wall to make skinning and cleaning easier. We'd clip the feet off to make the process easier. Be sure to get all pellets out. A head shot is preferable. Nobody wants a gut full of shot.
This article is both repulsive and repugnant. I am a very tolerant and open-minded man but I cannot believe that this article was written by the Eatocracy Managing Editor. Kat Kinsman you should be ashamed. This article is distastful at best but, more accurately, borderline illegal. This is definative proof that online blogs are the lowest common demoninator of the written word.
I am a social worker by vocation and a wildlife rehabilitator by avocation. I have nursed countless squirrels back to health after being hit by cars, attacked by dogs, or abandoned by their mother (most likely because the mother was hit by a car or attacked). Squirrels are incredible animals, with playful personalities, and are very social. They are a pleasure to look at but they are not to be eaten.
For starters, the reason that they eat people's gardens, birdfeeder contents, and sometimes even food out of our houses is that we have moved into their habitat. Over the last half century, urban sprawl has forced squirrels and other wildlife out of their natural (wild) habitats and into our backyards. Do I suggest that we all tear down our houses and make our yards wildlife sanctuaries? No, but we should be tolerant of the originaly occupants of our neighborhood. Additionally, as was mentioned in the article, it is illegal to sell wildlife for food. This is for good reason. We don't know what the animals have eaten and it is very possible that they may have parasites or other diseases that can be passed to humans. Finally, as I said above, squirrels are social creatures. They love to play with each other and often nest with multiple squirrels in one "home." At the risk of pulling the obvious Bambi card, when they are killed and don't return home, they are missed. Their social network will spend months and sometimes years searching for them. Not to mention that if the squirrel on your plate was a mother, her young babies are likely in their nest slowly starving to death.
I wil encourage anyone to be adventurous and daring in their life. Explore, try new things, and enjoy food. Just please think before you do so and ask yourself, "is this a choice that my conscience can live with?"
As a "social worker" maybe you should move up to working with people unless you can't stand the pay raise. Get a life loser.
Richard,
Your response is not terribly clear and a bit confusing. As I mentioned in my post, I am a social worker by vocation. By that, I meant that I have a job as a social worker- in fact, director of my program. So, I don't quite understand that "pay raise" comment. As for your, "get a life loser" comment, I just have to laugh. Is that truly the best response that you could come up with? I write a three paragraph, articulate, and well thought out response to the article and you retort with name-calling? Richard, unless you're in the 6th grade, I really would expect more from you. You're entitled to your opinion but let's try to be a bit more mature.
Greg - excellent posting. So glad to see someone with both a good brain and a kind heart is out there. Thank you for your rehabilitating work. It is not easy and can be heart-breaking at times.
All the best,
Eileen
http://www.wildwatch.org
hey shirley, where u live. i like caged hunts... mmmmmmmmmm have u fattened him up
Sorry, I don't do rodents.
why dont all you tree huggin save a whale people stay on your own sites. if you dont like this kind of stuff why bother. im all for PETA "people eating tasty animals"
"There are plenty of squirrels in the world. You can stand to eat a few"
The same applies to jerks, and I am not planning on eating any of them!
ROFLMAO!!!!
DONT KILL A ANIMAL FOR 1LB OF MEAT
I doubt you'd get a whole pound out of it...
Squirrel is of the rodent family. Let's hear a story on the delicacies of Rats! Mmmmm :`)
Crunchy mice, stewed whole with tomatoes, corn and potatoes! Yum yum!
some of you veegans seem to be elitists
GROSS, IF YOU WANT TO EAT RODENTS, GO KILL A RAT THEY ARE MUCH UGLIER
I HAVE A PET SQUIRREL, AND HE IS VERY LOVING AND SWEET I GOT HIM WHEN HE WAS JUST A BABY,IF PEOPLE ONLY NEW HOW WONDERFUL THEY ARE THEY WOULD REPLACE THE RABBIT AS A PET I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE WOULD WANT TO EAT ONE IT MAKE ME SICK TO EVEN THINK ABOUT IT THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SUPER MARKETS,IF YOU WANT TO EAT HEALTHER GO VEGGIE GOD MAGE ALOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS AND SQUIRRELS HAVE GOT TO BE IN THE TOP 10
Here is the deal folks: Yes, we need to eat something to live, and yeah we eat animals and we eat plants and do cause injury to many species of both to make our paper, consumer products etc. Most of these are unavoidable for now but should be regulated in the future....this is more of government policy thing....like humane treatment of slaughter animals etc. But, the least we can do at a personal level is to show a little extra compassion and curb unnecessary behavior. We need to draw a line....food is for sustenance and not to be a sport where we enjoy everything that walks!
I use live traps year round here in South Dakota to catch squirrels and rabbits in my garden, flower bed and yard. I feed them and build homes for them as well to fatten them up. I have a large garden where I grow numerous types of vegetables to prepare stews, jambalaya and other recipes with the game. Much cheaper than steaks, roasts and mysterious processed meats.
Squirrels are cute and fluffy until they start raiding your vegetable garden, empty (and sometimes destroy) your bird feeders, and chew holes in your hummingbird feeders to get at the sugar water inside. We use BB guns and dogs to discourage them. I haven't actually eaten one since I was a kid, but I've been thinking about it–especially since they continue to fatten themselves on my food.
The writer of this article really should mention that squirrel hunting is controlled–meaning there's a season and a fine for hunting them without tags.
We raised an abandoned baby squirrel once years ago. It was cute as a baby, but grew up to be a rather aggressive and territorial male. Once when I went to feed it, it jumped on my arm and went to town biting my arm. Fortunately its teeth weren't good for getting a grip on my skin, and I was able to grab him and throw him back in the pen. Squirrels are wild animals, aggressive, and will happily eat meat when they get a chance, even if it means eating baby birds alive. Not saying we should make decisions about what animals to eat based upon how "peaceful" and "cute" they are, just that we should look at animals realistically, and the health of the greater ecosystem should dictate our decisions about population management. In most places squirrels are plentiful. On the college campus where I am, there are too many and they eat out of garbage cans and suffer malnourishment and disease, so I'm happy when I see a hawk has gotten one.
You all should try rat, or mice, or gophers. Most southerner's already have!
I'm from the South and I've never know anyone to eat a mouse or rat. We also have electricity and indoor plumbing now.
The best way to fix squirrel is to clean and quarter it. No heads, please. Then you need to soak it overnite in a bit of salt water to draw any blood. In a day or two you need to roll it in flour and fry it in a black skillet, in hot veg oil, just like a chicken. When it's done, remove the squirrel, pour off most of the grease and make a brown gravy. When they gravy is prepped, drop the squirrel into the gravy, thrown in some onions, turn it down to low, cover it and slow cook it. Serve it with rice and hot home made biscuits.
At the rate food prices are going up, we'll all be trapping squirrels and raising chickens in our back yards soon.
I have a 25 yo copy of Joy of Cooking and yep pg 453 even has a graphic on how to skin the little guys!
AH! I didn't realize JOC had those diagrams into the 70s. Good to know!
My copy is much older, the recipes in general suck. Betty Crocker is much better.
No more Chip-n-Dale!
More like Dale 'n' Chips...
Seems to me squirrel hunting was more popular back in the 60s. I dont ever hear about someone doing it now days. But Living in the woods I do have plenty. All I have to do is open my door and shoot. I know one thing with the cost of fuel and the cost of food now days it not going to be long intill theres squirrel stew on the dinner table.
Hello sirs,
I am writing to inform you that i am being held hostage, along with the rest of the Royal Order, within the confines of Monmar Guidalfi and his regimes secret military prison.
This poses a serious threat to the future of the Royal Order, especially as the days draw nearer that we will surely be executed. I have moved our entire fortune and worth over to an international account in your name, please deal with these resources in the most delicate way, as there will be many searching for the wealth of the Royal Order, but rest assured it cannot be traced to you.
Please respond with your Social Security no., personal bank routing information, and photo copy of two forms of identity. Please make haste! There will not be much time!
Also know that if the members of the Royal Order are to be executed, you will be expected to assume the role of inherant ruler of Libya in the even of an overthrow.
You are cherished, may ALLAH be praised in our sacrifices.
I'm sorry...but we'll first need your credit card to authenticate your identity.
@ vince dicarlo
Sorry salami-face, if you provide us with your home address I'm sure many of us would be happy to mail you some dead squirrels, a cook book, and the incendiary device of your choice set to go off when you open it.
Squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails and better PR. Yuck.
My brother used to kill and cook up squirrel and rabbit when I was a kid. I never liked either. I didn't mind the killing or watching him clean them – they just didn't taste good. They did make good food for a couple of orphaned baby owls, though.
Please – eat them. Have at it. There are far too many. They're just not for me. I'll stick to chicken.
Woah. A rational post. I think my heart skipped a beat!
I'm not a vegetarian, but the fad of eating exotic food because you think it sounds cool is idiotic. Most normal people in a city can't and won't fire a weapon in their yard to eat squirrel. There are wanna be hipster weirdos in NY and San Fran who will eat anything if they they think it's exotic. You could scoop out your cat box, wrap what you pull out in prosciutto and tell them it some exotic worm and they'll eat it. What kind of person do you think wrote this article?
Some frustrated guy- who needs to get a life
"What kind of person do you think wrote this article?"
Uhh... here's an idea.,.. maybe the editor of a major food blog? She's eaten a lot of things that the majority of people find, how shall we say this, less than savory. Don't judge someone until you think through what you are saying.
And, exotic? Really!? I wouldn't classify squirrel as exotic, just out of vogue. Get a cookbook from pre-1950. Bet you can find some squirrel recipes! In fact, I do think I saw a roadkill recipe in a book my friend owns. To each their own.
WTH!?!?! Exotic? It's just 'exotic' to you because you haven't tried it. There is really no such thing as 'exotic' food. Every single food that is labeled "exotic" is a staple in someone's diet.
And as far as "What kind of person do you think wrote this article?" – someone who has a great knowledge of food, and is not scared to try something new. Someone who is well respected in the food blog community, and has passion for her work.
The person who wrote this is a LOSER who is using shock value to get her name out there. And yes Eatocracy pretty much only has these garbage articles about exotic meat, the other day it was horse. These articles used to be upscale with well know chefs, now it's trashy writers looking for controversy.
Why is it so shocking? People eat meat, they eat horse, squirrel, rabbit, snake.... it's part of the food chain, we are close to the top, so we eat those below us.
There is no shock value involved. My neighbor eats squirrel, friends of mine eat snake and gator. Get over it. If it shocks you, deal. You may need to bring a de-fib unit with you next time you go to the store and walk past the butcher shop **Shock!!! People eat meat!!!**
Get over it – nothing shocking at all.
I am shocked that you can actually write with your head stuck up your AZZ. Learn that in Jr. High?
So if this was an article was about a great recipe for burgers do think it would get all these hits? NO. Try taking your head out of your azz.
If this article was about burgers, yes, you trolls and your ITL would still be here.
Sorry, ITL not working on the sane people.
Of course it would. Squirrel Burgers are very popular at the STFU Cafe!
You two should become one name: I eat RichardHeads meat
.... and now he won't stop calling me!
It's about as exotic as an apple. If you can get it out of your backyard- and many people do (from the poll, looks like about 1 in 4 did/would/could)- it's not really exotic.
So we should all leave those primitive ways of eating meat hmm? Just stick to plants. Maybe one day we'll 'evolve' to synthetic pills? God willing, we might even reach an elevated state wehre we can just exist in this universe without robbing it of any energy at all.
I hate to burst your utopian bubble, but the consumption of meat is no more primitive than the consumption of plants. Plants and animals eat each other all the time. The sun is constantly devouring itself, as is every other star, and we their heat and light. Galaxies collide and black holes consume without discretion. Ours in a universe in constant flux with energy on the move. One day the earth will "eat" us and recieve the nutrients we harbored during life.
We are certainly capable of eating and digesting meat and it does in fact give nutrition and energy to our bodies. Your argument can't be supported then, by nature. Perhaps yours is a moral issue- such that eating an animal is fundamentally cruel. I doubt, however, that most of have any ill will towards that which we consume, plant or animal. We eat to live. Sure, we can survive without eating meat, but do not presume that the consumption of meat is somehow therefore flawed or unnatural or cruel.
Death is a part of life. Pain and suffering are realities (and effective teachers). We certainly shouldn't perpetuate these realities, but we cannot deny or avoid them. While monoculture crops and CAFOs are irresponsible, unnatural, and hurtful practices, they should not be equated fundamentally to any immoralities in the eathing of plants or animals.
If you don't want to eat meat, that's your prerogative. Calling the rest of us ignorant and backwards for doing so is misguided at best.
There is nothing worse than an argument that resorts to polarities to attempt to make a point.
And yes Ignorance is the best descriptive word here. Plants are with out a nervous system. They are not altruistic and are capable of emotions like love, sorrow, and joy. We should embrace intelligent life. Not consume it. We can be better than what we are in the present. Existence is far more than the 100 or less years we are alive. If we look back at our ancestors and easily identify flaw in their logic, wont the same be true for our predecessors?
That's aaaaalll speculation. You can judge people for not following along with your fringe ideals, just like they can judge you for being an idiot. So live and let live. Everything dies some day, it's the most natural thing in the world. If existence continues on past this body, then it's pretty irrelevant anyway.
Tell u wut! They're plentiful and a tasty dinner is always just right outside runnin' around in our oak trees! 1 pop of my pellet gun and there ya go! Toss in some fresh veggies from the garden and you have a totally healthy and Delicious meal for PENNIES! Speakin' of garden....just another few weeks here and I'll be enjoying 1st crop harvests of all sorts of yummies!
I was born and raised in NYC, but I've been out in the country (PA) for a while now. I never hunted as a kid (wanted to, how cool!) and only fished to let 'em go.
Now, I still fish, and sometimes hunt. I never did get the knack of cleaning game, but the idea doesn't bother me. Most (99+) of my food is bought, but I do try to buy local, to support local farms etc. I've tried some gardening, but the wildlife just thinks I'm ringing the dinner bell. I do have a bit of a green thumb! The local birds et al are VERY satisfied with my efforts, and quite plump.
Many people have asked me over the years if they can hunt on my property, and if they are polite enough to ask, and are licensed, I have never refused. One guy has even set trap lines for mink, he is very concientious (sp?) about caring properly for his traplines. All the hunters I've met are very nice people, and eat whatever they harvest. Most donate the deerskins to a local charity that tans them and sells them.
My point: I never met a hunter that just shot critters to see them die. It is treated as a resource that is harvested properly. I don't have a problem with PETA folks who merely insist that animals be treated ethically. If they go further, or insist we should all be vegans, I have nothing but contempt. And wearing fur or leather is great, the best way to treat the hide of critters you've eaten. I think we do them honor by using ALL that we can.
Most city dwellers have lost their connection to the world around them. They can no more hike through the woods (what? no concrete path?) than realize where their food actually comes from. I pity their isolation from Nature.
I'd check around with your neighbors, I'd be willing to bet that either they or someone they know would be willing to clean your game for a small fee, or a portion of the hunt. They do that around me all the time. One guy is good at small game, another is good at large game, one is better at fowl... It all works out in the end, everyone gets a little of something, and there is as little waste as possible.
Why we like to make our stomach morgue?
Evil is upon us, fellow Squirrels! It's a darn good thing the great "Get These Damn Humans Off The Planet Before They Destroy It" rapture is still a go for tomorrow. Until then, I'm going underground.
"Chicken of the trees" my squirrely butt!
Protip : a 22 CB in a rifle makes so little noise you can shoot in the middle of the city without anyone noticing .. you can even get 22 CB Longs so you don't have to fish the spent shell out. They also don't seem to go through the fence if I miss.
We just throw them away though (because they're pests) .. you can buy food in the supermarket.
Unrelated question for all the vegans .. what would you bait a mousetrap with? .. Tofu?
Why not use 22 shorts? Are still available?
It occurs to me that I remember Randy Quaid's character in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation supposed ate squirrels, but stopped because they were high in cholesterol... Does anyone know if this is true? (not the randy quaid part, but the cholesterol part).
Also, I love the people that rag on the eating of meat. Eating meat keeps popluations in check. Every really wonder why our worlds is in the crap condition its in right now? Its because there are too damn many humans stinking it up. For the sake of our children...stop having more children!
To to the first a$$ that says I hope an animal eats you, honestly if one does I won't hope it chokes on my bones...I just hope I taste good. It will hurt and at the time I will think it sucks...but then I'll be dead and it won't matter.
You are trying to explain basic logic to a "preachy vegan", and that just doesn't work. Don't you know they are better than all us meat eaters? They are vegan, therefore only their opinion matters, and nothing you say can change their mind. Even logic eludes them.
This is wrong on so many levels. Articles like this cause me to have even less respect for humanity. Ignorant, gluttonous, selfish indulging, non empathetic, self centered, jerry springers.
Have some respect for intelligent life. This world was not put here for us. We are not special.
The dudes are crazy.. they wont agree with you..
though i truly respect your words..
Agreed. It does feel good to vent about it though.
How can sane people agree with insane troll logic?
somebody got some encyclopedias from the Salvation Army.
If we are nothing special why should we put ourselves 'above' eating meat?
Why should we put ourselves above eating meat?
Why should we put ourselves above anything then? With that kind of logic why don't we eat our elderly. Death is natural right? Lets also eat any babies born with down syndrom. Lets kill people who annoy us. Run over every four legged being who crosses the road.
The point is we are not special. We dont have all these rights that we brand upon ourselves. Ability does not merit rights.
Here is the deal folks: Yes, we need to eat something to live, and yeah we eat animals and we eat plants and do cause injury to many species of both to make our paper, consumer products etc. Most of these are unavoidable for now but should be regulated in the future....this is more of government policy thing....like humane treatment of slaughter animals etc. But, the least we can do at a personal level is to show a little extra compassion and curb unnecessary behavior. We need to draw a line....food is for sustenance and not to be a sport where we enjoy everything that walks!
Ive had Rattle Snake, Rabbit, Goat, Buffallo, Alligator, all maner of Fish, and even a few insects, but never squirrel. That doesnt meen I wouldnt given the chance. FYI Rattle Snake does not taste like chicken.
I like to use chloroform on my squirrel!!
Do you also duct tape your squirrel?
I have to. These prison bitches and my male attorney are horn dogs for sure.
Is this the start of rapture? or can we expect to eat Raptor come 6 tomorrow?
Even if I wanted to try it, those pictures truly turned me off.
I'd be willing to bet that if you didn't know what it was a picture of, you might think it was a poorly trimmed tenderloin. It's just knowing what it really is that is turning you off.
I prefer to hunt rather than support the mass food industry. At lest I know I've killed the animal in a quick and humane way instead of trapping them in a pen for their whole life forcing them to do nothing but eat and poop. Plus it allows me be get outdoors more often...
I won't eat a squirrel though...It just seems kinda stupid and pointless.
Ok, Ok, we get it. Squirrels are cute,cuddley, and fuzzy wuzzy animals. I personaly think that cows are adorable, but I still eat them. I had chickens when I was kid, and there is nothing better than crackin and fryin up a fresh warm egg that you just took from the hen. Same for the chicken itself. I cared about my chickens health and quality of life. The only reason we caged ours was because foxes and coyotes would kill them if we didn't. I did NOT grow up in "the country", in fact I grew up in southern CT just 45 minutes from NYC, and I'm not an old timer, I'm 26. I love animals, but I'm also practical. I've never eaten squirrel, but I would if it was put in front of me. Take the blinders off and see how your precious faceless prepackaged meat lives before you go to Stop & Shop to buy it. Most kill houses are inhumane and the government regulations are lauaghable at best. Chickens are hung by their legs and dunked in boiling water to defeather them BEFORE they are killed (well atleast the ones that aren't genenticly altered to have no feathers). For all you nay sayers who are going off about how cute squirrels are and how those that hunt,kill,clean, and cook them all themselfs are barbaric backwoods neanderthals you are misinformed, ignorant, and are unaware of our food industry practices. The government allows a certain % of rat feces in all our grains,fruits and veggies, before its even shipped. Then factor in all the stuff that we put in our food, pesticides, preservatives, we even dye red meat red to make it look more appealing to consumers. Pop your bubble and wake up. I also am sorry for any spelling or gramatical errors, it was never my strong point.
well, quit getting your hippo drunk and you'd be better at your grammar! :) i agree...those that wont eat squirrel for whatever reason are just ignorant. if you've never tried something, how do you know?? and farm fresh eggs ARE the best!!!
I am so glad that ppl will put cute fluffy adorable animals in a category that is akin to humans... one animals are a food source, vegetables are a food source, seafood a food source..
BIG NEWS to all you folks who are vegans... plants are alive, cute sometimes fluffy and adorable, some vegetables are downright beautiful and alive.. some seafood is stunning and all alive... hmmm what am I saying?? you tell me??
Intelligent life. That is the line.
The ability to feel complex emotions that we human animals feel.
At some point in time humanity needed to consume flesh to survive. It was a necessity nothing more. Not a "god given right"
If a certain plant could feel pain, joy, and love, then I would refuse to consume it as well. We do not need to slaughter and consume other intelligent beings any longer.
Americans.. Let's eat squirrels.. Even though we all already don't eat enough fruits and vegetables because are farms are bunk and the food is overpriced and mostly genetically modified by now... Well if there is a God... He's going to start hating us soon.
What the hell is wrong with these people???? Are you not satisfying your FAT belly's and self centered taste buds enough??? Or do you have to try every harmless species out there? Pathetic.
But you condone the cruel killing of those cute, harmless vegetables every day. You rip their heads off and call it humane?! HOW!? HOW?!
So, how many "harmless species" were hurt to make that computer or smartphone that you're typing on? The elements and compounds used to make them had to be mined, thereby forcing the relocation and/or killing of some indigenous species. You just choose to see the world through rose-colored glasses. As long as your personal needs are met, it's ok to put down others for doing the same. You effing hypocrite!
well sitting on your computer is not the same as eating a squirrel... you effing dumbass
The end-product still had some sort of impact on the environment. Because it's not "eating squirrel", then it's ok? You're an effing retard!
Well the "END PRODUCT" of jumping off a cliff and dying a normal death is the same... So would you do that?
I would encourage you to broaden your diction btw.
Killer logic...my "diction" must be faulty (which is wasn't) and therefore my point must be as well. I see that having a battle of wits with you isn't possible, as I'm fighting an unarmed person. You renew my faith in retroactive abortion.
Nobody said your point was invalid due to your poor choice of words... That was mentioned on a side note as you obviously could not refrain from foul language.
My point was valid... against your nonsensical "end-product" which you obviously could not argue against as you still have not answered the question.
As for retroactive abortion- no wonder you are where you are right now... cause you think like a 3rd century freak.
You have no logic in your argument. I brought to light that Mila obviously has an impact on the environment by using a computer or smartphone and you come up with a similarity of death by suicide or natural death? You need to stop drinking your bong water. It's readily apparent that the best part of you ran down the crack of your mom's a$$!
Hey Jethro,
Fire up the grill.
.
Why would you eat a squirrel? They keep away insects from the garbage in my garage. Plus, why is my mailman late again?
What the hell is wrong with these people???? Are you not satisfying your bad belly's and self centered taste buds enough??? Or do you have to try every harmless species out there? Pathetic.
These vegan wingnuts coming out of the woodwork have no true sense of morality...if you apply your skewed moral agenda towards the squirrels, you'd see that female squirrels will eat their own young and relocate to another den if they feel it is threatened. They wipe out their whole family!!! Oh, the horror!!! That's why I choose to execute the little bastards...they're all murderous little tree rats...and taste like chicken!
an animal is an animal. get over it pu$$!es.
Oh praise you all and may you be forgiven. Why would you eat a squirrel? They keep away insects from the garbage in the garage.
To me, squirrel taste a lot like an American Bald Eagle.
It's illegal to even ahve a feather?
I'm a city boy, and even I know better than to put down hunters for simply hunting, as long as it's done responsibly (which it is nowadays). Wild meat is the best meat, about as organic as you're going to get! :-) It's healthy, flavorful, and in most of the country, plentiful. We don't seem to have a problem with fishing, so why hunting? Fishing's just another type of hunting.
–SYG
This is likely the stupidest "article" I've ever seen being featured on CNN. Thanks for that.
I had squirrel once many years ago in VT, it wasn't al lthat bad. However I do think I will sick to chicken and beef.
squirrel eaters are happy. The others are so furious and eat sh*t ! Maybe there is a natural tranquilizer in squirrel meat. Vipers!
ohh God thats so disgusting.,.and the worse people talking about it with so much love and passion...when it means killing mercilessly an animal to eat it, if you care so much about the menace caused by squirrel and its the driving factor for you to kill and eat them (rather than you watchfully keeping your kitchen tight enough for them to enter and mess things around) you should do the same to mice, bedbugs and all sorts of filthy creatures too..
Better tasting than the mexicans in my backyard
Caution, young squirrels are pretty yummy, but the older ones are pretty tough and gamey. Believe it or not, a good rule of thumb for judging whether it would be a good eatin' squirrel is the size of its testicles. If he's got a big whoppin' pair back there, then he's an old bulk and his meat will likely be tough and rubbery. You should pass on eating him or at least only use him in a slow cooked stew.
I am sure some of you pieces of sh!t eat sh!t (as in feces, excrement) if it has a little protein in it. But then, pieces of sh!t, eating sh!t shouldn't be a news item now, should it?!
Hmmmmm...Sounds like you have some personal experience eating feces...
hmm... so i take it you're a vegan and appreciate the protein added to said excrement? i mean, where else are you going to get your protein if you dont eat meat?
It's a new trend! We need to get on this wagon before everyone else! Think of the money! Selling "au naturale" protein to the vegans! All natural! No preservatives! No animals were harmed in the making of this product! Get your 30 day risk free trial NOW!
I need my septic tank pumped. I'll provide the straws for the Vegans.
yuck I don't like pooh on my food............what's next rat recipes ?
I am and always will be a hunter. Shot squirels off the balcony of my apartment in LA. They had no fear of humans, so are not as smart as the forest variety I grew up hunting. Pellet to the head, then run downstairs to pick them up. Neighbors appreciated squirrel stew too. Delicious!
Hey Ya'all...WhY is ya SO UpSet BOut fOLks Eaten dEm DeRE SqUIRRels? GRaNny sOaKS DeM iN A sPeCHel BuKEt oF JuiCe B4 SHee CoOKS Dem CritTERS Up. Dem ViTTles ArE sOme GooD Eatin. ShE StUFfs em WiTH AkorNS STuFFIn AnD we EaT IT tOO. I CAtcH TheM CriTTeRS in TRapS ANd DuKES SH*T wOrKS GoOD Fur Bate. SeND For Da ReCIPe.
thats just sad
MMMM squirrel and rice,
Southern fried squirrel
MMMMMMMMMMMM !!!
We need organic squirrel farms.
The peanut farmers and nut plantations would thrive as well.
My Granfather used to have a blend of foods that he would fill feeders with that, made the squirrels taste really good .
Don't know that I'd simmer a squirrel, but grilled over an open fire, now that's delicious.
If you want to live by eating fruits and veggies, go ahead. But don't go telling me or anybody else that they need to stop eating meat because of (insert lame argument here). Here is a fact, and nobody can disprove this: In order for an animal to survive, something else must die. Period. You eat animals? You have to kill an animal. You eat plants? You're killing a plant. "But drewsov, you can't compare plants to animals. They're not the same." Yes they are. Both are living organisms. If you have a problem killing one, you should have a problem killing the other. Unless you're a hypocrite. Eating tomatoes? Guess what, you just ripped the reproductive organ off a living organism. That plant is not growing back. Eating lettuce? You just cut the head off the vegetable. Not growing back. Whether you pick your grains in the forest, pick them in your garden, or pick them at a store, it's the same as killing your own wild animal, raising an animal to kill or buying it at a store. Get over yourselves people.
Amen! I agree with you 110%.
Unfortunately, the Vegans on here are lacking the essential fatty amino acids that are found only in meat products, so their brains aren't functioning, therefore can not hold a logical conversation. But, your point is well made, and understood by the rest of us :)
Not to mention if you eat plants, you're still killing animals. Many animals die in the growing, harvesting, and transporting of crops.
And plants eat animals. Where do people think the blood meal and bone meal they spread on their soil come from?
Well said, I've always wanted to start a plant rights group, NOT. I grew up on a farm where the squirrels were plentiful and corn fed from our fields and storage facilities. My mother always enjoyed squirrel and did a good job of preparing them. We never had too many of them for food purposes but they did supplement our quite varied diet.
To Drewsov – you are my hero
To Freethehens- there are plenty to go around, they're not going extinct. I promise I won't kill yours, just mine. I'll admit they are cute...but they are also made of meat.
FEED the squirrels, don't feed yourselves with them!
I enjoy squirrels scampering around, being clever and cute. The way it should be.
Yeah, I see em' laying in the street all the time out where I live, maybe I'll just scoop one up next time.
Next thing people will be saying is that killing mosquito's is uncivilized and that we should breed them to crush for necessary nutrients. If we raise them in a closed habitat we don't have to worry about strange diseases!
squirrel is hella good if you cook it with spice and herbs!
Dogs probably taste good too. Lord knows there are enough of them in the neighborhood but I don't plan to eat any of them either.
Eww, no way. Dogs eat garbage, poop, carrion, and all sorts of smelly mystery stuff.
Squirrels eat nuts and veggies.
... and apparently tortillas.
Newt Gingrich can't eat squirrel because that would be cannibalism.
The story claims "chicken of the trees" then goes on to recount a time when a squirel chewed through window screen to eat tortillias- not exactly chicken behavior.
Depends on your chickens.
My Dad is a hunter, I grew up eating things he had killed, squirrel was a standard. Mom made a squirrel stew they were both so proud of, the stuff made me want to puke. After I grew up I vowed to continue trying things I knew I once hated and squirrel is on that list, it still makes me want to puke. My problem is I don't like anything that has the slightest "blood flavor", dark meat of any kind falls in that catagory. I can usually eat these meats in chili or something with tons of spice since it covers up the flavor but that is about it. I have nothing against others eating squirrel, just not for me. If I had to I sure would though...then again I would eat bugs if that is all there is!
I ate a rat once. does that count?
Sure does, they are very close cousins.
My mother used to make a killer squirrel pie (no pun intended). It was delicious, sweeter and more tender than rabbit or venison. Plus we have squirrels in abundance around our house, and they're a menace to the garden, the birds, and even the house (they gnawed a hole in the side of the roof).
I am a vegetarian but I think if people want to eat meat then it dose not matter were it comes from. Because life taken away from the wild or from a farm is the same. There is nothing humane about killing animals on the farm. The only way people can become civilized is by completely giving up meat.Diet of grans, vegetables and fruits will provide you with all the required energy and nutrition. All the grains that are used to feed the animals to be slaughtered here in US can easily feed all the people and still leave some for the poor in this world. Meat was a vital part of human survival before farming but farming has givin us humans the power to make more than required amount of food. We as modern humans have to make an effort to break away from the primitive urge to eat meat. I think nature is very smart and will control population of all the animals. Never has any species super multiplied itself to threaten other species.
We as humans should not forget that we are really nothing more than animals. Trying to act unnaturally as an animal is unnatural. Some people can naturally adapt to a healthy, vegetarian diet, but others get lethargic and unhealthy. We are part of the ecosystem. If we stop eating meat, then cows and chickens and sheep go extinct, because they're literally too worthless to live without us.
Never has any other species population grown so large that it threatened other species? Species are "out competed" on a regular basis. It's one of the fundations of evolution and also the major problem with invasive species.
Maybe I just didn't understand what you were saying, but species compete with each other all the time, and often enough, one dies out.
And for those that will turn their nose up at it, let me tell you that Bambi taste pretty good too and is virtually all lean. That's right. No fat.
Screw Bambi, I got his mom. Does are always better meat IMO...
SURE STARVING PEOLPLE ! EAT SQUIRREL SNAKES BEARS BIRDS ETC.... HUNTERS TRY TO GO AFTER YOUR MOMS .... DESTROY THE NATURE AND THE NATURE WILL GET YOU BACK JUST LIKE IN JAPAN AFTER ALL THE KILLING OF WHALES .....
This is why people should eat meat.
Not eating meat tends to make you look like an idiot in some fashion.
You've been eating heavy on the cannabis, huh Lala? Don't worry, it's all natural.
squirrel is good, I make fajitas with them. Very tasty.
That's a great idea. I was trying to think what kind of dishes would be good for meat, the taste of which I'm not accustomed. Loading it up with spices and veggies in a tortilla is just the ticket. How about squirrel chili?
I wish all humans vanish off the face of this frickin' earth. I can't stand the sight of humans anymore. Yeah, yeah, I am a human so fk me too! Cruel, no-innocence-what-so-ever, greedy, selfish, disgusting, puke-inducing, clue-less creatures if ever there is one. Why ever did this race even come about on planet earth?! Waiting for that big a$$ asteroid with our name on it...
I love them happy messages for a Friday. Have a great weekend, some church think the end is on the 21st. I hope that your dreams don't come true!
I have the solution for you. Get yourself a light brown jacket and slacks, and go sit in the woods next fall. I'm sure some hunter will put you out of your misery, (and save the rest of us in the process)
After you, Kishore.
Vegans/vegetarians should logically know that the majority of people will not "convert" or "go veg".
So for the majority of the population that will remain meat-eaters, shouldn't vegans/vegetarians be more supportive of hunting for food, rather than the meat-eaters buying factory farmed meat from the grocery store? If their goal is to have humans minimize suffering of animals for food; hunting is a the best way to do that. Yes, an animal dies, but it dies quickly and lived a free life in the wild.
ROFL. You told a funny.
You used vegan and logical in the same sentence. :)
Mmmmmmmmm. Cute and yummy! I think that I'll go catch me some bunnies while I'm at it :)
I eat deer cow, fish, chicken turkey, game hen, duck, rabbit, but squirrel is something i will never try because of the redneck factor.
Deer is pretty redneck... as is turkey.... as is beef and every other form of meat.
Rednecks simply like meat. They don't care where they get it.
Also, it's better to be thought a redneck than to open your mouth and prove yourself a condescending, judgmental jerk who's afraid of labels... but that's just me.
Squirrel ain't redneck food because it's actually pretty good Now possum is some redneck food...ugliest creature in the north american woods and tastes pretty raunchy (unless you're REALLY hungry, then it's good).
No, hunting is NOT a necessity. If you're reading this story then you're sitting at a computer. If you are sitting at a computer, you live in a modern, civilized society. You have means of getting your food, vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. Therefore there is no need to hunt. So CNN, stop putting it in people's minds to go out and start murdering squirrels. Three quarters of these morons are now going to head out with a rifle, maiming squirrels and ending their lives just so they can have a taste and most likely spit it out and throw the rest away. Stop publishing this kind of article. Shame on you for BAD journalism. Which seems to be about all you can do these days on this site.........
Shame on you for generalizing and stereotyping. That food in the grocery store comes from somewhere you know. How do you feel that it is somehow more civilized to have a complete disconnect with where that somewhere is and just buy things out of styrofoam packages? A more important question would be why even comment on a topic you are clearly ignorant of?
Yeah, instead of hunting deer and actually using the meat, let's let them overpopulate and die of starvation and disease, that's much more humane. Natural predators have been pushed out of most areas, even rural areas.
Not to mention overpopulation of deer and other wildlife can be detrimental to crops. So even if you're eating tofu, there were still animals hunted and/or trapped for your meal.
By the way, both the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the National Audubon Society condone hunting as it is important for conservation efforts.
I said "deer", I meant to say "animals", "deer" was just one example I was intending to use.
@ bbouler ......... What you have placed here is an opinion and while it may be shared by some, it is not the opinion of all that read here. Also, for your information, since it appears you are not a hunter of any type, all meat comes to our plates by way of it's death and also there is the fact that not many hunters are good enough marksmen to hunt, shoot and bag squirrels with a rifle.
Now having said that to you, may I suggest that if you find the CNN site so appaling you might consider the "X" box in the top right corner of your page and then maybe try some other site. It's a thing called "your right to choose". Try it sometimes. You might like it and it does not involve the killing of squirrles and that I'm sure you would be pleased with.
So, if I live one hundred miles from the nearest supermarket, and the local butcher wants $5.00 a pound for meat (which he hunts anyway and I can't afford), where am I going to get my meat? By the by, I also live pretty far north, and a lot of fruits and vegetables don't grow so great up here. Can't get protein from them anyway. Why shouldn't I be allowed to use a 50 cent bullet to bag about 70 pounds of venison (or a couple pounds of squirrel meat, to be more related to the article). Veganism/Vegitarian isn't an option.
Just because CNN has that kind of control over you, don't believe for a second that it's true of all of everyone – or even a large % of us. Now why don't you just head on back to grazing with the rest of the sheep and let us adults chat over here.
Sweet! An express lane for rabies! Where do I sign up?
"Rabies"? Nay, fair blogger, that's actually the zombie virus you are consuming!
what do vegans taste like? i'd think they'd be tough and grainy...do you have to use a lot of spice?
Well the trick to eating vegans is the crock pot. They need lots of long, slow cooking to make them palatable, as they are usually very very lean and stringy. To neutralize the "holier than thou" taste that most vegans accumulate, use a good deal of balsamic vinegar and pepper in your marinate. When serving, a good gravy is a must! Try squirrel head gravy, it goes very well, and the tiny dose of irony that comes with it makes this dish an extra special treat.
so that's how it works...I think I'll have a chance to test your recipe in a few weeks when my vegan SIL has her bday party. I can make my own special version of Medea's stew ;-)
Happy to oblige! Next up... dessert menus!
very nice! thanks for the tips! i'll keep that in mind... :)
According to the CDC, most members of the "rodent" family do not have rabies, and can not therefore transfer the disease to humans.
redneck food.
That translates to gallina de palo, and thats iguanas in PR, which they eat in certain places, DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To everyone who talks about hunting as animal control, please know that the ban has been lifted in Montana on wolf hunting. Yes the same wolves who help control the elk and deer population and I'm sure they probably catch and eat their fair share of squirrels. So, if you any of you live in Montana and find there are even more squirrels eating goodies out of your garden, you have your legislators to thank.
Why would they lift the ban? Unless there are too many wolves, and need to recheck the population.
Wolves are dangerous and threatening. Good riddance.
Wolves are beautiful, majestic creatures who keep the population of small/medium sized game in check.
Unfortunately, people would turn it into a sport (like Dove hunting where you clip the wings and put them in an enclosure so they can't escape) and maybe use an AK47 so they don't miss.
But, the comments here are correct. If you try to commercialize the process, then they get fed antibiotics, processed food and get put in feed lots and you have the same conditions you have now with cows, pigs and chickens. May as well harvest the critters in central park.
I dove hunt every year, and I have NEVER even heard of what you're talking about here (sounds like a pigeon shoot, which are NOT hunting and not respected by most hunters). Complete nonsense. I understand you may not like hunting, but please take the time to properly educate yourself on what dove hunting involves before you form your opinion. Birds are wild, wings are not clipped, you basically go sit in a field and wait for them to fly over you and you try to shoot them. I think most people fire about 7 shots for each bird they actually hit, so that's probably one out of every three birds gets hit (about to shots per bird). Further, no one uses an AK47, that's a rifle, and it would be impossible to hit a flying bird with, even on full auto. Bird hunting is done with a shotgun, and it's signficantly easier to hit a bird with a shot gun than with ANY rifle, even the full auto ones. Obviously you're well educated on hunting and should have concrete opinions on something you understand so well...
squirrel meat is sweet and tender....YUM! best yet, my trees are full of them! DINNER's ON!!!!
Breaking News!!!!
Eating squirrel will turn you into a zombie.
Please, think of the children.
I'd rather be a zombie than a vegan!
BRAAAAAINNNZZZZZZ
GRAAAAIINNSS!
Looks yummy!
LOL at those saying they won't eat squirrel because it is a rodent. I suppose these same people eat lobster, and it's a frigging COCKROACH!
I propose that the author of this piece go ahead and tie that poor innocent squirrel around their neck and go swimming with alligators.
i prefer my meat to come from an animal that lived a miserable life. then at least i know he wanted to die
ALVIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does this mean I won't have to listen to their damned Christmas song anymore? :)
Now that could be a tasty morsel ! A mini bite of a squirrel. Need a lot to make a meal though. I wouldn't eat them though. They are just so darn cute.
It takes a few, but when you add in a couple of side dishes 1-2 decent sized ones makes a good sized meal. Or you can always do them in a stew with whatever veggies and seasonings you like, I also add noodles. One bowl of that will fill you up.
How do you take them out? .22 betwix the eyes?
Chipmunks???
Meh, not enough meat on them I'd say.
Clark: [a squirrel is loose in the house] Where is Eddie? He usually eats these God dam things.
Cousin Catherine Johnson: Not recently, Clark. He read that squirrels were high in cholesterol.
Dear CNN, I remained loyal to you throughout all of the typos, incorrect fact-checking, and bogus reporting. I finally say to you, I will never check this website ever again. This article is extremely upsetting to me. Squirrels are adorable creatures and the fact that your news channel/website is now advocating for them to be fried and eaten–that is the straw that broke the camel's back. Goodbye CNN, enjoy killing innocent and adorable creatures. Love, squirrel-lover.
Ohhhhh.... a threat to CNN – I'm sure you scared them into pulling the article.
I'm sure CNN cares that you over reacted to an article. Just because you happen to think something is cute doesn't mean that it isn't a legitimate(and tasty) food source.
You sound like a five year old – "Don't kiw da po' aminal!" What you don't realize is that there are people out there besides yourself. People who need to eat to live and can't afford to go to the supermarket every time they need food (or even have a supermarket within an hour's drive). We hunt because we need to survive, and squirrels happen to be something on the menu.
We have dominion over all earthly creatures.
Squirrels come two ways; with or without nuts
The person who wrote this article should be ashamed on him/herself. Not Only you are killing a Innocent animal but also motivating everyone to kill them too. And to make it worst, This is at front page of your site. You should be absolutely disgusting on your-self. I wanna know how you sleep at night. Oh sorry, I forgot you will have lot of money and you might do fine in that part. So I know for sure your morale and that inner good feeling is completely Fuc*ed up.
Troll
CNN can't "MAKE" anyone hunt, or eat anything they don't want to. It's just an article. People hunt – get over it. People eat what they hunt – Deal.
What amazes me is the vegetarians and vegans who click on a food story about meat and then comment how disgusted they are...seems to me there are about 300 other stories you could go read. get over yourselves. If I did not eat meat, I would not want to read articles about it.
If that's your point of view ...why even bother to look at this article?? And do you comment the same thing every time CNN runs an article about cooking that involves any kind of meat??
To hell with squirrels,I'm hunting Vegans!
Where do I sign up!?
I am a memeber of PETA (People Enjoying Tasty Animals) and I can say without a doubt that squirrlels taste like chicken
I've eaten squirrel many times; it's what you cook at camp when the hunt fails to get the target game.
Very suitable punishment, I always had a good hunt the following day.
Gamey, dry, and tough. Usually will gag at least once during the meal.
I have eaten it many times under the same circumstance and when it was the target game as well. Either you live somewhere where they are eating something funky or you need to find a new cook. It can be a bit on the gamy side, but not more so than venison.
what, the, hell.
Little published fact is that due to land conversation, reduction in predators, tranplantation and migration, there are in most species (except grizzly bears and elk) more game animals alive now than there were before the colonies were created. Indian tribes subsisted on wild game for meat and kept certain areas hunted out. Tribes had areas that were strictly for hunting and other that were for agriculture. As for squirrels? I grew up hunting them. they are the entry level hunting animal and the best way to learn hunting ethics (kill shots and skinning/eating what you kill). Anyway, forget about it, when the zombie apocolypse occurs, it will be hunters killing the zombies, and the anti hunting libotards who are the zombies.....remember, aim for the brain (if you can find it!).
I agree with you.
Have you ever bow hunted squirrel? I had a friend in school who said it was the hardest thing he ever did.
Squirrel whirling has caused severe nut loss in the squirrel community. Please do not whirl the squirrels.
Sincerly,
The Anti-Squirrel Whirling Society
It's actually stated in the wordls most sold book that animals were put here to for our entertainment and enjoyment
What CNNis EVIL means is that you should only eat foods, picked/raised by explited immigrants (cheap labor) becasue that is OK. No need to proudly eat what you grow or catch. What if we had a huge natural phenomenom and life as we conviniently know it changed. Would you survice? I am sure the guys and gals hunting squirrels sure as heck would.
CNNisEVIL – we are going to miss ya big guy. Later dude. Maybe you and Mensa boy can start your own blog.
If you want protein EAT A EFFIN PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH. If you love murder, just say it and stop excusing it as a necessity. All your cultures and religions are filth until you respect all animals as not being our food source, we are above the food chain and know that we will live longer and better without animal meat – but then again we are a world of Jersey Shore, CNN, porn, and people who have pledged to corrupt the rest of humanity due to their own self hatred because they know they're souls are unrecoverable.
If we are above the food chain.then go to the wilds of Africa and see who is on the menu. Don't kid yourself to think that a carnivore will stop and have compassion for you as he is dismembering you alive.
Murder insinuates a dire motive- perhaps hate. Nothing I did while hunting had an ounce of hate invloved, nor disrepsect or indifference.
But animals ARE our food source, along with plants. Humans are omnivores, in case you missed the memo.
Yum, yum...been eating squirrel as long as I can remember; born and grew up in a very, very rural area in a very large family. Only two food items were purchased at the general store (approx 4 miles)...flower & sugar; all of the other food we consumed was grown on the farm or hunted, i.e. rabbit, squirrel, possum, ratcoon, deer, etc, etc...yes, even a large swamp turtle now and then. But I do remember eating lots of squirrel; especially for breakfast (with gravy). So give the squirrel some due...good eatin' !!!!!
I love the people in here that say hunting is dumb and we are too civilized for that. They say we should only eat "Raised Animals" because they are grown to die. This is what is wrong with society. You look down on people that hunt to kill and eat. Guess what. What would you do without your precious food market or McDonalds??? You would starve or get to killing. It has been done since man began.
If everyone took the time to harves their own fruits and veggies and caught there meats, there would not be so many fat assesssssss. Get of the couch and go fishing, hunting, etc....
Yeah because between school, my 50+hours a week job, and being a mom...It's so easy to grab the shotgun I keep under the bed and go hunting ::complete sarcasm:: ......It's amazing I've managed to stay Vegan...I find whipping together a salad made from Farmer's Market bought produce to be MUCH easier...I'm definitely anti-slaughter and all that and animal rights is a driving force behind my lifestyle but, what you just suggested is pretty unreasonable even for a meat eater...If they crucify you for that one I'll have to agree...Hunter and Gatherers in the old days didn't have a mortgage to worry about...They simply just hunted and...well, gathered...Goodluck with your logic!
Jeff Mason – what do you eat? Who said this is funny? Let me see if I can "take it off" for you. Dear CNN, Can you please put a stop to this for Jeffrey as he is offended. Sincerly, James
HEY, THIS IS AMERICA, AS LONG AS SHOOTIN SQUIRELS IS DONE IN A LEGAL MANNER IN A LEGAL ENVIROMENT WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL? WHO IS TO SAY OTHERWISE ????! 5TH ADMENDMENT, RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS AND LEGS. ARE THERE NOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE WORRING ABOUT IN THIS F UP WORLD WE LIVE IN? IF YOU ASK ME.
okay, I've had enough. Either its Lady Gaga worship, over promotion of homosexuality or murder of animals for ego and selfishness. CNN is filth. Other than bahar and the brunette justice segment chick that over acts but at least cares about animals and has a heart – CNN is the worst crap on earth – worst than FOX. This is the last time I will go to CNN its now not even bookmarked – EFF you evil culture vultures!
Better cancel NY Post too. They covered my home towns squirrel hunt on their front page in 05
I only hunt Beaver.
I kinda partial to tube steak myself...
Fairly certain most people on here have a better chance at catching the squirrel
THIS IS THE MOST OFFENSIVE ARTICLE I HAVE SEEN HOW DARE YOU THINK THIS IS EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT FUNNY TAKE IT OFF!
What is so offensive about it? People eat squirrel. It's not uncommon.
Most of the people on here are already sitting at home in their undies so there is not much more for them to take off. But if that's how you get your jollies...
You know what else isn't funny? Your heinous abuse of the caps lock key.
Dang! Captain CapsLock AND a pole dancer fan to boot. Go take your future aneurism and grab a salad at the stfu cafe.
Squirrel season starts in 10 days here :) Very tasty little guys. I like taken them with a .22 or a 12 gauge loaded with #5 birdshot. #5 is better than 6 7.5 or 8 because it is less pellets, larger pellets, so easier to pick out of the meat, and, it gives you a nice spread with an adequate amount of pellets to hit a squirrel on the run up to 40 yards out. I always have to order it online tho cause stores hardly carry #5. But it's the best :)
I had some fried tree rat as a kid. Very tasty, but not very different from chicken. This was a big fat forest/farm squirrel in Michigan. Not sure I'd want one that came from an urban area. I could care less if someone doesn't like the thought of it (or of hunting), everyone is different.
While it is just protein like any other animal....We have beef, and it is perfect as it is, why mess with perfection?
So go ahead and eat everything else people...that'll just make the price of steak cheaper for me.
I eat steak all the time. It just used to be a deer or an elk instead of a cow. Tastes way better than beef, and is healthier. You can have all the grocery store beef you want. Hope the prices drop for you.
True it's protein, but wild game is lower in fat content. Your beef is fattened up with the feed it's given and the hormones pumped into it. Also, your steak won't get cheaper. Sure maybe at first, but the lower the demand the lower the supply. It'll end up being just as expensive. Wild game, minus the ammo and hunting licences is pretty much free. Still cheaper than your steak anyway.
Jason – let me guess? Mensa.
Naw, but I did graduate top 5% of my high school class and Summa Cum Laude in college.
Growing up on a farm in North ********, I hunted and ate squirrels more times than I can count. My mother (and later my wife) would "parboil" them before frying. They were delicious. Also, squirrel dumplings are delicious.
The ONLY time I would not eat a squirrel was when we found a ('wolf') in them. I know that this is an odd name to call the parasite found under the skin, but that's what we called them where I grew up.
Squirrels are VERY GOOD to eat!. . . . . . I guess that I'm just not sophisticated enough to eat escargot.!
Wash the escargot with lime and or salt. Bake or fry with vegetables & pepper. Your stomach will thank you
If God didn't want us eating things like squirrels, deer and rabbits, he wouldn't have made them taste like meat!
Proud member of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals)
from what i can tell, the people who object to this the most were probably raised in a city, and probably up north. i was raised in cajun country, louisiana. no one would bat an eye there about eating squirrel, rabbit, deer, alligator, nutria, frog, or just about anything else. i think it's all in how you were raised. when you're poor you take what you can get, and when it's tasty it's hard to feel bad about eating it. squirrel is ok, rabbit is much better though. i live in the city now, and i miss rabbit. if only you could buy it in the supermarket!
As a transplanted cajun, you can find rabbit. Look in craigslist or the local pennysaver paper. I am sure someone raises them and will probably even clean them for you.
Growing up in the South with parents who grew up in the country, my father always hunted rabbit and squirrel so it was part of our way of life like any other wild (or farm raised) animals. Haven't had it in many years but it definitely DID NOT taste like chicken!
abc- you are going over the top! Havin a bad day or worried about May21?
Insinuating that people who hunt and eat their own food are 'hill billy', uneducated, and backward is ironically ignorant and presumptuous. I have a Masters degree, Bachelors degree, and certifications in my professional field. I also grew up in Louisiana hunting wild game, including squirrel. To my dad and I, this experience was as much about the process as it was the nutrition. Spending time together in nature and while cooking game enhanced our relationship with each other and the world around us. I respect the land and animals more for knowing what it takes to live off of it. I can't say the same for people who have never experienced this side of life- whose 'hunting' trips go only so far as the nearest store full of processed junk "food" and chemically sterilized, genetically modified organisms. Death is a natural part of life in both the plant and animal kingdoms, and doesn't need to be portrayed as some sort of illegitmate, dastardly process.
I see nothing wrong with partaking in this natural process in a responsible way. CAFOs (centralized animal feeding operations) are another topic, and an ignorant abuse of nature- as are acres upon acres of monoculture crops. People who assume it's cruel and simpleminded to hunt and grow their own food are intilted to their opinion- as uninformed and presumptuous as it may be.
*entitled. :)
Well said. I think the same can be said of fishing as well. Hunters and anglers are generally(of course there are bad apples) the ones who take care of the land the most. Their license fees fund conservation. Any outdoor sportsman who isn't one of the "bad apples" can see the benefit of following regulation to enhance and preserve the areas that they hunt and fish for years to come.
Well said and I am one of those people that have a hard time killing an ant that is headed for my sugar canister. I don't like killing anything but I don't have issues with other people respectfully doing it and eating what is killed.
I wonder why you people just want to eat anything that moves? Why don't you even eat a human baby!! Gross people.. You want to protect humans from animals and eat them and their babies.. Wish your babies are eaten by these same animals!
Go take your meds. Trying to equate hunting with killing babies is beyond distasteful.
You would not be here yapping if your ancestors had not been opportunistic meat eaters. Go chew on a stick or something.
Table for 1 at the STFU Cafe! Now serving MEAT, especially prepared for abc.
Nature made humans predators, near the top of the food chain..'nuf said.
Jomo – For real? That's dope man. Im gonna go snap some pictures. Popeye's is gonna get a lawsuit now. Thanks Bro.
So how many squirrel lovers out there stop and bury your roadkills? I mean if you are "humane". Or do you just keep driving??
I prefer to eat Honey Badger
I would eat squirrel in a minute. My husband hunts deer and we eat venison all the time. We raise our own turkeys, chickens, hogs, goats, sheep and most of them go into the freezer. I don't trust the commercial food supply at all. Animals raised in confinement are given high doses of antibiotic in the feed to keep them from getting sick and the feed is trash. I can tell you the pork chops from our hogs don't taste like anything you buy in the market. They are delicious. A lot of work but worth it. I"m sure squirrel is good and there are plenty of them. They do as much damage as deer and maybe more. Years ago people wore fur and foxes and raccoons were trapped for it. When it became "unfasionable" to wear it, the population exploded and now we have rabies, lymes disease and a multitude of other diseases affecting the wild population. I love animals as much as anyone, but there is a reasonable limit. I will admit,however, that I think eating horses is blasphemy.
I used to eat fried squirrel at my grandparents quite a bit. Just like fried chicken.
Yep, Grandma says it tasted like chicken. She didn't like possum, though.
Please do not go into the woods and eat nothing but squirrel, you will die from what is known as squirrel starvation.
If it's anything like the problem with subsisting off of nothing but rabbit, that's only if you don't eat the fat. Most of the fat in them is going to probably be around the organs, so you eat the organs.
(Les Stroud FTW!)
Don't be so naive. When u munch on that chicken breast, or ham you don't know what that chicken or pig has eaten. Chickens and pigs will eat anything including human flesh. Is this enough to make u want to gag. Even in the warehouse the chickens & the pigs on the bottom levels often eat the feces of the ones on the top that drops down.
That's right Jomo, and not to mention that they are pumped full of antibiotics and other drugs to make up for poor hygiene and food – squirrels won't be.
I for one am tired of the same old beef, pork, chicken/turkey & fish. BORING!!! I have to admit I might swerve to hit one of those guys next time they dart out in front of my car instead of avoinding him,how many accident do you think they cause a year? I can think of 2 people I Know who wrecked swerving to avoid one!
Kosher pickles are the bomb Rab!
In our morning prayers each day we thank G-d that we are born a Jew. After reading this I am left again wondering about the collective sanity of humans.How can anyone eat a creature of G-ds? It is a religous arguement no doubt,but this is like eating bunnies,hedgehogs and now squirrels.I think I can make a better case for humans-they are so much more destructive,cruel and completely USELESS compared to the joy a rodent must bring to G-ds world.I am ashamed to be a human when I read trash like this written by trash and consumed by trash.Thank G-d I was born a Jew who is kosher dairy.
It divideth not the hoof, but also doesn't chew the cud. What's the beef with squirrel?
Well look at you holier than thou. You have about 24 hours to go to be removed from this retched planet. Otherwise if you wake up on Sunday morning how about a nice cup of shut the hell up. Thank God (see I can write it and won't go to hell) I was born an Irish Catholic which has nothing to do with my post but I thought I'd match your kosher jew drop.
Tech & Klinger – I don't think that post is serious (?!)
Did you get paid for this article?
Nay. I did not receive even a single acorn.
Go to http://www.scarysquirrel.com. "Skwerl" is the spelling commonly used on the site. The recipes are bizzare and hilarious.
I have a t-shirt that reads "squirrel...it's not just for breakfast anymore". I like it because it reminds me of my grandmother who loved squirrel, especially the brains scrambled with eggs for breakfast. When grandpa died and the farm sold, she moved to town and was thrilled. She'd never seen so many fat squirrels! My father had to take her gun away. She was scaring the neighbors. Not too long after that an unfortunate squirrel electrocuted itself on a powerline and fell at the feet of my 13-yr-old son. "Mom, I found a squirrel. I named him Sparky. Would you cook him for me?" After learning the details of its demise, I said I would and he decided to invite friends. I was amazed that parents would drive their young teens – sons and daughters to my house to eat squirrel mulligan which became known as Sparky Stew. I served it with biscuits in the shape of lightening bolts and sparkling cider. It was quite the event. My son is grown and on his own but the legend of Sparky Stew lives on – someone at church asked me about it just the other day.
For real, or are you squirrelling around (pulling our leg)?
LOL!! Thanks for the laugh!
If the only kind of hunting u know is thru the market freezer, don't worry. Once the Bio-Engoneering folks figure out the technique to grow animal parts (like chicken legs, breast or squirrel legs), this will no longer be an issue. Happy eating!
Hell with squirrels. Ever mixed horse brains,sweet peas and corn meal together? Local slaughter house will give it to you for almost free. Yah, fry it up in some lard and it is the best with some tobasco or red hot.
If you cooked it with chicken and didn't tell anybody they would never know.
CNN was the last place I'd expected to find this news (?) story.
I"m amazed at the number of "No way...." votes. Or perhaps not. I guess people think that the meat they buy at the grocery store grows in a field of styrofoam containers. One day the system will collapse....the grocery stores will close...at least for a few days if not longer. Many will starve.
In the vast majority of cases, what you kill is better for you anyway. My great grandfather smoked all of his life, lived to be 93 years old, died of natural causes. Why? Because he lived his entire life in the clean air of the country and either grew or killed virtually everything he ate. Rabbit stew, deer/elk steaks/burger/sausage, squirrel, antelope....all good stuff....that the kids and I eat quite often. I'll take an elk tenderloin over any other meat any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Since people want arguments that are not about how cute they are or animal rights, how about this. Squirrels are part of the rodent family. I'm guessing they carry disease when you're talking about popping one off out of your tree as opposed to getting meat that is somehow treated or tested in the supermarket.
Also, going back to the rodent thing, would you eat mouse, rat, etc.?
Why don't we just start eating any animal that is out in the wild. Cow, chicken, pig, etc. aren't enough... let's just eat everything that moves in the bloody world. And when that all gets boring, then what?
I would eat musk rat or nutria, the latter is very nice white meat too. Not all animals fall into range of desirable. For example, you shouldn't eat anything that eats carrion. That means possums and buzzards.
Squirrels, hogs, deer, musk rats, nutria rats, porcupines, beavers, quail, doves, turkeys, frogs, multiple species of fish (fresh and salt), crabs, shrimp are all on the menu.
People have been eating squirrel forever. It's just you never heard about it until today.
It's actually healthier to eat wild game meat. It's leaner and higher in Omega-3s. And it would be more sustainable too, squirrels reproduce quickly, and if you're hunting them they don't need to be transported long distances.
Cow, pork, and chicken really aren't enough. Many are raised in less-than-ideal conditions. It's more humane to either hunt or buy from local smaller farm operations where the livestock is pasture-raised.
Most of the world eats goat, we would actually be doing much better in the USA if goat meat was more mainstream, they take less time, land, and resources to raise, and are leaner than our standard supermarket corn-fed beef.
I would be woried about rabbit fever, which you can get from any rodent. I don't know how common it is; I just know that my grandfather almost died from it.
That is a legitimate worry, although I don't think it is overly common. I know that where I live we only hunt squirrel and rabbit in February/March, because the winter will kill off a majority of the sick ones.
Yeah the article doesn't really go into that side of it. Still I guess it's like with any wild food – eat at your own risk.
Shame on you CNN for posting this image. Taking of life is serious business (yes, even that of a squirrel); this is a far to nonchalant way to present this issue. As an organization you give support to violence, and I will look elsewhere for my news.
My Mama always told me to clean up my plate because there were starving children in India who would love to have my foot. If I recall correctly, squirrels fall under the rodent family. If my Mama gave me a squirrel to eat I'd ask her to send to India.
Where do I pick some squirrel up?
What, there are no squirrels outside your home??? You poor thing you. Send me your address, I have a whole colony of them on my trees. Thanks to them, the rabbits don't visit and the last chipmunk moved out this past winter.
When I first started hunting when I was 8 my dad took me for squirrels. Haven't stopped hunting them since. Taste great. Lots of ways to prepare them. My favorites are in a stew, or shredded with a sauce like a pulled pork sandwich. To all of you vegans/vegetarians. Please save your breathe. I don't have any problem with you not eating meat, but I have already heard every ridiculous argument as to why hunting is inhumane. How our culture got so twisted that a person can be ridiculed for providing for themselves instead of relying on a grocery store is beyond me. I agree with you that farm raised animals are often kept in terrible conditions and something should be done about it. I also rarely buy meat from the grocery store. When I do buy beef or pork I get it from our local butcher shop, who in turn gets a majority of their product from local small scale farmers.
Another one of the *pointless* stories CNN puts on its MAIN page, just get more clicks. Cheap.
You're just mad because you fell for it.
I'll have to pass. Not for some silly ethical reason, but this seems a lot like the issue with eating pigeons. I don't object to either as meat, per se, but the ones around us literally eat our trash. Hormones and stuff really don't matter since they're destroyed in the digestion process, but the chemicals in our street/trash are another matter. So, this is one of those rare times where I'd have to insist on the organic/wild version.
That is why you don't hunt them in a city. First for the reason you listed, and second because it is ILLEGAL. The authors friend that is referenced in the article must live in the country. The article also addresses the issue you brought up and suggest that you hunt them in the forest, which really should go without saying.
Doesn't really solve the problem. They're not fiber eaters like other creatures. They can easily be contaminated as pigeons.
As for going out into the wild and hunting them... It's a pretty wussy thing to hunt and I seriously question the bullet cost to meat gained ratio.
@cole...If you are worried about contamination then don't eat them. As to cost, not even close. .22 bullets are dirt cheap, and a small game license is relatively cheap and good for multiple species. So, your only real expense is gas. Between hunting and fishing I probably spend about $3-600/ year average on essential gear and licenses.(I spend much more than that, but it is on stuff that I want, not essential equipment). I very rarely buy meat at the store so that doesn't add much. I also share much of the wild game with friends and family. Do you spend less than $600/year at the grocery store on meat to feed multiple people?
Oh please, in the country we ate squirrels, deer and rabbits, not on a regular basis but when you have no money to buy meat from the store you hunt and kill it. I knew people that ate possum and racoons too. I would rather eat squirrel than 'Spam" yuck.
It is not okay to kill a human being because killers get locked up in jail. Since these animals can not talk, can't fight back with a gun and can't sue human beings, we think it's okay to kill them. That's just sad.... We've all got one life to live, both the human beings and the animals, we should be be allowed to live, not hunted! Have compassion for other life forms, human or not, and you will be greatly appreciated.
Have a little roof rabbit? Tree rat is ok, not my personal preference, I really prefer fried bush rat though.
Squirrel just has less meat and can be hard when you're cutting them up to get all the little bones out. You need to know how to cook wild meats too. It's very easy to dry out because it's so lean, and if you do it wrong you will accentuate the gamy taste.
This is crazy! Read SKINNY BITCH by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin and you will never eat animal or animal by products again. You will all feel much better!
You are really taking advice from that book?! I didn't read it cover to cover, I killed enough brain cells just leafing through it. But it is chock full of advice that no doctor or dietitian would give; in fact, a doctor or dietitian would say the exact opposite of the book; I found it gave downright false and harmful information. It was written to target naive pre-teens and fill their irrational brains with PETA-ish propaganda.
If you want to read nutrition books, try Michael Pollan, Nina Planck, Michael Eades, Gary Taubes, etc. Rather than taking information from a couple models with eating disorders.
My father used to tell us how they had to eat squirrel during the Depression. In no way was this a story of gourmet dining - it was a plea for us to eat the good food in front of us and to be grateful for it, as it could be far, far worse.
this is completely disgusting. We are supposed to be a civilized society and these pictures are disgusting. I will not be visiting the eatocracy blog again. This is disturbing and sick
Then stay out of the back of the grocery store, I hear there's far more horrible things back there.
Don't let the door hit you in the a$$
Maybe I think that vegetables look disgusting. To each their own. Seems strange for an adult to be so upset over a picture of food, though.
It's edible meat!... how about pictures of where "regular" meat comes from? Unless you are a vegan who can't stand the sight of it ...if so life must be kind of tough.
I'm surprised to see so many comments about this. Many of the males in my family hunt, and unless there is problem with the meat, we eat what they hunt. Personally, I don't like squirrel but the men in my family do and I have cooked it for them many times. Soak overnight in milk or vinegar water, dredge in flour and brown, then pour a glass of water into the pan, cover and simmer until the water is mostly gone. Remove lid and let brown again. They really like it that way! Makes moist and tender meat.
SHAME on CNN for publishing this!! How many backyard hicks are now going to grab their bb-guns and aim for squirrels over the suggestion they should be killed and eaten? Just because meat offers a benefit to humans doesn't mean we have the right to kill, entrap and inflict inhumane living conditions on animals that provide it. I'm sure human flesh would provide many nutrients that would benefit our diet. Lets start cooking Grandma!
Yeah, it's so much better to go buy meat from the grocery store where no animals had to die for it.... oh wait, animals did have to die for it. And those animals didn't get a chance to live as good of a life as the wild squirrel did.
People eating wildlife would actually reduce the amount of animals that would need to be inhumanely farmed. Rodents are, and always have been, on the bottom of the food chain. They are a species that is naturally made to be eaten.
No, grandma is old and would be tough. For tender meat you want to start with the little ones just like veal. Heck I remember a little essay by Johnathan Swift that covered this very modest topic.
mmmm....squirrel...smack, drool
I wonder if the baby ones would be like those ducklings that people eat while they're in the shell, where you can just crunch up the whole one and eat it. I bet baby squirrel dumplings would be tasty if you didn't mind the little bones.
... and hair.
Nevermind.
Just eat them before they grow hair. That way the bones won't even exist.
Good call.
Something with such delicate skin though, I think I'd want to fry that. Be thin and crispy ... mmmmm.
lol, I've never eaten squirrel, but I do love meat!
I've personally never had it, but my neighbor eats it. He's offered it, and I just can't do it for some reason.
I do know he lightly marinates it, then a light smoke, then finish it off on the grill. He says it melts in your mouth.
I eat squirrel. Rabbit too. And deer, pheasant, quail, dove, etc.
I prefer to eat hunted game meat rather than meat from the grocery store. Wild game (and pastured, grass-fed livestock) are healthier than the standard meat you get at the grocery store; the meat is leaner and higher in Omega-3s. Most Americans have far too many Omega-6s and too few Omega-3s. Also, hunted game is the most humane way to obtain meat.
I agree. I also eat most of the things you mentioned, and add in duck, goose, elk(the best meat on the planet) and a variety of different kinds of fish. Not only is it more healthy, but you also have a much greater appreciation for your meal, and a connection with where your food comes from.
This is just sick. There should have been a warning before the picture was shown. I am going to have nightmares now. What is wrong with all of you, yes in the past people ate this kind of food, but we have evolved (so I thought) to be better sentient beings. Keep eating all the mammals on this planet and then there will be nothing left, what will you do next become cannibals. Disgusting, Just disgusting, I am so disheartened by the ugliness on this planet.
Looks like any other slab of meat. Why not freak out about the McDonald's trucks with the huge pictures of cheeseburgers on them? That's ground up, charred flesh, staring you right in the face as you drive. And you're having a tiz about a little bit of squirrel?
Trolls be trollin'
If you are that "... disheartened by the ugliness on this planet...." then I cordially invite you the GTFO of it.
"1. Squirrel is the chicken of the trees"
No, sir. Iguanas are the chickens of the trees.
They call them "Tree Chickens" and chinese restaurants all over
the place use them to replace chicken without their costumers knowing.
Get your facts straight, bro. This ain't no game
Here are some rockin' squirrel recipes: (keep scrollin' past Auntie or Meemaw or whoever she is...you'll find 'em!):
http://www.scarysquirrel.org/recipes/
Surprised at all the "No way on Earth" votes. Toughen up...it's probably better than hamburger is for you. Ever go to China with that attitute and you'll be missing out, and you'll starve.
It's comforting to know I won't starve to death during the rapture
If you don't cook it well enough . . . you get a little irksome thing called RABIES.
Squirrels seldom carry rabies.
Not squirrel (to my knowledge), but I have had Muskrat.
Please, eat all the meat you want, but do not kill and/or eat warm-blooded MAMMALS.
But... they're made out of meat.
TASTY meat.
I'll keep eating warm blooded mammals.
So you're fine with us eating birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and crustaceans, but not mammals?
Disgusting. I'll eat squirrel when I lose my teeth and start waving the Confederate Flag.
It will be a little hard to chew with no teeth I would try it now and then decide if it is worth having someone chew it for you later ;)
NY and Mass and most other states have seasons for hunting squirrel too, southerners are just more self reliant, jerk.
hey ec, you might want to consider the darker side of your nature as you eat meat but don't have the guts to kill it yourself. Face the fact that animals are giving their lives so that you can live. If you can't take them yourself then you are not moral enough to deserve your existence. You can turn your head and let others do the killing for you but that is even worse there is even less "compassion" in that. You might have raised your own child does that make it ok to kill and slaughter them too? Turn vegetarian or face your nature and own it.
It might sound sensible but feral does not equal healthy it equals feral... Mites, dieseases and infections etc strike animals in the wild all the time and how can you be sure the meat is not infected in some way. And as for not being able to obtain beter meat in a store I suggest the author takes off his rose-tinted glasses and gets down to a butcher pdq!
And if you say cooking eliminates any diseases: a) it doesn't always and b) so why not eat some roadkill while you are at it?
This reminds me of a friend that spent some time in Chile. The maid would serve up rabbit purchase from the market place; so she thought. He had to instruct her to only buy rabbits that still have their tails; because the others were cats.
I am going to take my .22 (usually reserved for foxes eating my chickens) and plink me a couple of squirrels this weekend! Great article and very informative. Also, thanks for the cooking tips.
As for eating spuirls, I have not tried them, but when I was growing up it was common to attend a squirl boiling and eating. My entire yard has many trees, and it is not uncommon to go outside and count 15 squirl nest and around 20 squirls runnin around. Maybe if this continues at the present pace I could make a difference in world hunger.
Here is a simple advice – eat meat and fish only a couple times a week instead of 3 times day – eveyrone including PETA, vegetarians, vegans, compassionate people and nature itself would be better off. Humans eat meat since times they are called humans – so to expect that tomorrow everyone goes vegetarian, its plain stupid. Less meat – less need for stuffed chicken/cow/pig farms, slaughter houses, ec. If humans can limit their meet consumption – we would still need to grow chicken/cows/pigs, but could give them better conditions to live. More to that – people would be healthier! So – everyone is happy. Animals get better conditions, people are healhier, vegetarians are happier. I eat meat and fish only 1-2 times a week – very managable if you try and don't make meat (or food in general) your biggest pleasure in life (actually i am depressed when i see people enjoying meat more than anything in their live, how sad someone's life should be to ...). I have more problems with people raising/hunting animals for other than food – those suckers should be hunted and killed without a mercy and fed to wolfs and lions!
So you get depressed over what someone personally chooses to eat? OK. I eat meat once a day, I don't go nuts, strictly from a saturated fat perspective. I really detest mushrooms though. I may become depressed the next time I see someone devouring the fungus. Especially is they let the juices run everyehere...savages.
Yes, it is depressing to see someone who eats meat 3 times a day and feels biggest pleasure in life in eating it without ever thinking where is it coming from or how it ends up in your plate! Humans do not need to eat meat nearly that often as folks eat. Period. Its addiction just like alcohol and smoking ... Social drinking is fine, even social smoking is fine – but drinking a bottle a day or smoking a pack a day or eating meat 3 times a day – its addition. And all 3 makes me sad. PS. "Social" – is 1-2 a week!
What abou the ANTLERS on The wall over the fireplace?
STOP EATING MEAT !!!
No
Save a cow – eat a Vegan!
I grew up eating squirrel. My grandmother made the best Squirrel/Dumplings. Man, makes my mouth water just thinking about them.
Come to think of it, when the Zombie Apocolypse arrives, vegans will make pretty good eatin' too.
The Zombie Apocalypse is probably going to be caused by people eating stupid things like squirrel brains since eating armadillos can cause leprosy.
It wasn't eating them that caused leprosy, it was the contact with them that caused the leprosy.
If they had cooked it properly before touching it, they probably wouldn't have had a problem.
Obviously a potent and lively debate. I have great respect for vegetarians, and that same respect is amplified for vegans. The discipline involved in making that life choice is admirable and I, as a hunter and meat-eater, will always maintain emmense respect for those who make that decision. I view the world differently than a vegan would, but not entirely. I believe there is great honor in hunting my own food, specifically because PETA IS CORRECT. That's right, I said I'm a hunter, but I agree with a lot of what PETA does. The conditions in which mass production farm animals are kept are too often abominable, gruesome and inhumane. The minimum standards developed by the federal government, FDA and USDA are insufficient at the very best, and even those standards are often unmet. That is why I raise my own chickens, I have an organic garden, and I hunt. Do I buy food from the grocery store? Yes; when I need to, but I am taking an active role in limiting my support of our current consumption practices. And I unapologetically state that I enjoy hunting. There is a thrill in obtaining your own food in that way. Also, contrary to what many may believe, most hunters find a great sense of peace most people will never know by becoming part of the natural world and natural order of things. I don't hunt because I literally have to, because technically I don't. I hunt because I choose to eat meat. In my mind, if I'm choosing to eat meat, then that decision comes with the responsibility of not having someone else do my dirty work. It is gruesome, but I know the animal led a good life in the wild and they were killed quickly. The same can not ever be said for the meat you buy in the store. The arguement that the animals in the store were raised to be eaten is ignorant and absurd. No matter how they got there, they are suffering...if you TRULY cared about animals, you'd either be a vegan or hunter. I'd respect either decision.
I love CNN. The greateat troll over.
I grew up in the south eating squirrel – and yes, it's excellent meat. And no, I'm not an illiterate backwoods moron.
It feels horrible to be part of a human race so devoid of compassion. When you see a wild animal playing, running through a field, jumping from limb to limb you want to want to kill it !? You want to eat it !? What kind of sick messed up person would think like that. I am amazed by nature and truly love encounters with wild life and feel people like me need to protect these harmless, defenseless animals. Your words for them are no different than what people use for groups they dislike... 'N*ggers', 'Spic's', 'Crackers', 'white trash'...what different from 'critters', 'tree rats' etc.... it just shows you have no compassion, no heart, just ignorance and heartlessness. I am a white, 40 year old man, if I personally saw someone kill a defenseless animal I would not let that person walk away from such a spineless mean act. There's more people out there that think like I do than you know. Be care who or what animal you 'bully' or 'kill', maybe they are defenseless but there are others who care deeply to protect them and will.
You'd need to get out of the concrete jungle in order for that to happen. I'm a hunter and conservationist. I've done more to preserve natural resources on my own than you and your "friends" have done in your entire lives. Get informed and get into the forest.
Not knowing me or what I have done with time, money and organizational efforts you have no way of making such a statement. I have no way of gauging that of you either, but what I do know is that YOU KILL free living animals many of which are vegetarian and pose no threat to you and you likely do it under the guise of 'we're thinning the heard to make things better for them – as if you're God himself and nature doesn't have it's own way of keeping things in balance'. I know what I'm talking about because I have been hunting and I came to see exactly what it was all about. Animals OFTEN run off NOT DEAD but in brutal pain and then are tracked to eventually be put to death. One poster even said wear boots so you can crush their skulls since you may not of killed them with your shot. This is as barbaric and insensitive as you can get. Do that near me, I'll crush YOUR skull myself. I have no doubt that you are the same people that will someday justify eating dogs and cats. There is no doubt at all. You simply do not have the same level of intelligence and consciousness to understand what I am saying. You will think I don't know what I am talking about, but really truly it is you that do not. Some day you're eyes may open up, maybe looking into the eyes of a dying deer and it will hit you like a ton of bricks – being heartless and mean is NOT manly it is actually very cowardly and weak.
I'm sure you've also gone out on a Saturday afternoon and had a good ole time killing because you had nothing better to do. Whereas I appreciate whatever you have done in terms of conservation, as a hunter you get a sense of joy in pulling that trigger and watching a fellow creature die. It's your joy of killing that is being pointed out. If there is a need to reduce an animal population there are ways to do it other than hunters shooting. But that wouldn't be as much fun – would it?
@To_those_with_no_compassion
Making threats like telling someone you'll crush their skull is NOT manly it is actually very cowardly and weak.
@You're_Sick_Barbarians
I never said anything about pulling a trigger. I hunt with a bow, which probably makes me even more evil in your view. I'm OK with that.
What you say is true. In Missouri there are rules and regulations as to the gender of animals that can be taken, times they can and cannot be hunted, and other restrictions that serve the purpose of maintainng the herd, flock, or whatever. The Conservation Department does a good job of letting the herd be culled without it being destroyed. I'd rather see an animal killed in a humane manner rather than seeing them starve to death.
Where is your compassion? If we didn't hunt, the animal population would grow out of control, and "Bambi" would starve to death.
I like your logic. TROLL
So I guess we are right there with Tigers, Lions, Fish, Sharks, Dolphins, and all the other animals that eat other animals... not bad company.
How much nature have you actually observed? You seem to be under the delusion that all wild animals get along with each other; that they live in some sort of peaceful co-op together. Have you ever observed a predator take down it's prey? Yeah, I didn't think so. It's much more brutal and, as you've wrongfully labelled it "devoid of compassion" than a hunter killing his or her prey. Please wake up, look around, and stop making stupid comments based on emotion instead of fact.
To_those_with_no_compassion
Life feeds on life, feeds on life, feeds on life. I feel for your poor defensless vegetables that lack to vocal cords to scream as they are ripped from the ground and masticated alive by your teeth in your mouth.
Animals eat other "defenseless animals" Its called "the circle of life" you damn hippie. Watch the Lion King for F%&k's sake!
Are they a threat to me? Only if I'm covered in peanut butter...but they are a threat to my crops, therefore my livelyhood. You eat my food, you become my food...that goes for you too! So hands off my cheezburger unless you want to be next!!! LOL!
When I was a kid in San Francisco (1950s) I trapped flying rats (pigeons) & give them to a friend's grandma. We'd get a dime or so depending. She would feed them for a week & then it was squab. It was fantastic! What a cook.
Very similar to rabbit in texture.If cooked and seasoned properly, squirrel tastes awesome. I would eat it again. First time I had squirrel, it was seasoned and pan fried. Yum. It is an abundant rodent like creature, why not hunt/eat them? People hunt/eat deer for the same reason.
haven't there been more squirrel attacks on small children in parks lately because they have lost fear of humans? something to think about before thinking these are 'cute wiw defenswes sqwirwells'
MMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLL !!!!!!!!!
TREE-HUGGERS
Remember you are what you eat. So if you decide to chow down, try to avoid those city squirrels eating garbage and cigarette butts!
Great advice Rachel. Same for stray dogs.
This brings back pleasant childhood memories. Squirrel, the other breakfast sausage!!!!
The squirrel in the first picture is on a wrapper, the squirrel wasn't wild. Yeah, it's real healthy. Why don't we just cut to the chase and factory farm rats, they are abundant and people in other cultures eat them. According to gross eaters if other cultures eat them we should be too and what's the problem, blah blah blah....and all that other none sense.
It was wrapped an stored in a freezer, like other meat is. Try to keep up.
The animal was wrapped in freezer paper. Duh!
How do you know it was wild and why was it frozen? If the knucklhead in this article is advocating it, he would have killed it and it would be fresh. And if any animals are used as a food source for large groups of people, it eventually becomes farmed.
Your beliefs are a personal matter, but your stupidity is an affront to us all. Wild game cannot be bought! If you do not have enough meat you can freeze some until you do. Even if you do not freeze it, you may wish to store it in the fridge in some form of wrapping!
Do you know who the writer is and where she lives? "Duh yeah I have this friend named Buddy......"People who live in rural areas can shoot and kill squirrels easily, not in urban areas. Think about that when you read this article. Squirrels are abundant around where people live like in cities, killing them legally and humanely is another story.
Next time do not blame people eating dogs and cats !
Sounds squirrelly to me.
Does that bushy tail make a difference? You're damned right it does!
Their just tree rats, made tasty by an outstanding diet.
Lila, dove is fantastic and many are invasive. Squirrel is a great source of protein, a historic food source, and a cultural binding hunt in many places like my native south Louisiana. One tradition that should be avoided, however, is eating the brains. They have the potential to carry KJD, a prion disease similar to mad cow or kuru.
You failed to mention Varmit Stew and Grannys fresh cooked Vittles.
Up next: How to make a broken toilet into a front yard planter. Yee Haw!
Can't believe the idgits out there. My father and I hunted every Saturday and put meat on the table for dinner.
I would eat a squirrel over some of the factory farm produce anyday. If terrorists ever interrupt the food distribution
system there will not be enough squirrels to go around.
I was going to try to be professional about this but I'm just going to say it. You are all a bunch of sick puppies. When are you going to understand that you DO NOT NEED to eat meat. Unless you live under a rock, you should know that there are tens of millions of people in this world that do not eat meat and live healthier lives than the barbarians.
You DO NOT NEED to eat meat. You WANT to eat meat because you cannot rise to the level of humanity at which you give up your carnal desires in the interest of the pain and suffering of another. There are cultures that have realized this and risen to this level. When will the West elevate to this level? Ethical evolution is a long process – longer for some than others.
You DO NOT NEED to eat meat. All subsequent discussion about how to kill, what to kill, our history, etc. is nonsense to help justify your actions and appease your conscience..
And who are you to tell other what they need or don't need and name calling to boot! Get off the Squirrel a Whirl carnival ride.
I'm not telling you or anyone what to eat or not to eat. I am stating a fact however, that a human does not need to eat meat to survive – as I and millions of others are living proof of. I am also saying that, knowing this, if you still eat meat it says something about your values and how they are different from mine. You kill unnecessarily and for your pleasure. I do not. Period.
So, how do you feel about abortion? I'm guessing you believe that's not murder. By your logic, it's the same thing. Shouldn't we as a society have moved past the need to murder unborn human beings?
Don't even go there. This has nothing to do with abortion and the fact that you're comparing animals to humans is so intellectual incompetent it's mindblowing.
It's a fair and extremely relevant question, based on the argument presented. Do you hold animal rights above a baby's rights?
You are correct. We do not need to eat meat. Technology has advanced and we can render soy into protein paste. In fact, we do not need to have intercourse to procreate either. Technology can render that to be a simple surgical procedure.
I eat meat because I like the way it tastes. I kill my own because I like the adrenaline rush I get. I have intercourse for fun because I like it.
MEAT.... TASTE... GOOD.... MMMMMMMMM
DIRT... NOT SO MUCH
And What Society are you speaking of that has "risen" to such a level?
You're right. YOU do not need meat. What you need is a diet high in grains to round out on, as all of those salads have left you lean and tough. As is, I'm already going to have to salt and soak you, so no need to make yourself more difficult to prepare.
When the end comes, I'll be at your door with a bottle of A1.
And a baked potato.
"Where's Eddie? Doesn't he usually eat these d@mn things?"
"Not since he read that squirrels were high cholesterol."
If I am asked the best food to ever enter my mouth, I would have to say squirrel brains. the flavor is superb.
Squirrel heads (including brains) are quite tasty when properly prepared, but squirrels in certain states carry a fatal disease similar to "mad cow" which can be transmitted to humans.
Yes, KJD is a prion disease that may be caused by eating brains. Though tasty, I now avoid their brains.
Yes it's true! I posted a link to the Lancet article above. Enjoy your squirrel from the neck down!
Uh oh the vegan wackos are taking over the thread. All you vegans what makes you so sure plants do not have some form of consciousness? Every see a time lapse video of a plant? Plant murderers!
I think it is far more civilized to eat wild game than factory raised meat.
Ironically, many of these squirrel hunters are "pro-life"
Disgusting. I'd rather see a picture of you with your skin torn off and boiling in a cauldron.
Oh and, by the way, wtch this. And, tell me then if what you think is . . ."Yummm. Dinner." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jByfWOLmjo
So, English is your second language, then?
Probably just typing too fast. Cool video, though!
Really? Because of a typo? First, English is definitely my first and ONLY language. I grew up on a farm in . . . wait for it . . . Tennessee. That said, I am a well-educated native-born American citizen, and stillI fail to understand why if English happened to be my second language it has any relevance to whether I could state an opinion or respond to this article. Care to explain? Or, when faced with an opinion different than your own, is it your usual retort to resort to personal insults?
LOL, too esy
Ha! Showed myself! Bet you're "easy" though.
On the one hand, I do tend to draw my carnivorous line at "cute and fluffy" and squirrels are definitely across that line. I think squirrels are adorable and would love one for a pet. On the other hand, that looked mighty yummy and I am not one to shy away from exotic meats. Maybe if somebody else did the killing and cleaning and it was handed to me as a bag of assorted squirrel meat bits, I could do it.
I see a lot of people who don't want to try it because it's related to a rat.
It is indeed a rodent, but so is a rabbit. Try thinking of it as a tiny rabbit instead of a big rat!
Rabbits are not rodents. They are langomorphs, a different class of mammals.
Damn, you're right! I always thought they were rodents. I still consider them rodents. Just another furry rat-thing to me.
Every veg-head posting replies needs to spend a week in the woods hunting. Not camping and photographing the birds, then rafting peacefully down the river, but actually hunting. Sport and trophy hunting are wrong, period. Don't confuse those with real hunting. So to everyone who wishes that hunters get shot in the head for killing rodents, I hope you get stuck in the woods and start to go hungry. Then you'll figure it out.
That won't happen. If you're stuck in the woods, there are plenty of edible plants to feast on. You're just ignorant and think you'll starve without eating your unborn child or something.
Tell me what plants are edible, in the middle of winter, in the woods of say, Northern Minnesota. Can you name one? I can. You're the first to starve.
Bushy tailed rats.
This guys' friend started eating squirrel once they started eating his carefully planted garden? Good idea. Plant squirrel food outside where squirrels live, and get mad at them for eating it. Let's put a McDonalds on top of your house and then kill you for eating the food inside.
Are you crazy? McDonalds isn't food. You might as well shoot the folks who eat there regularly – that crap will kill them anyway! Squirrel is good. So are fresh vegetables. If the vegetables help make the squirrels more accessible, then it doesn't get any better!
Don't forget these so called "chefs" do this stuff for shock value for fame and money.
BARF!
I grew up eating squrrel that my Granny cooked. She dusted it with flour, browned it in lard and then "smothered it" by putting that in the oven and baking it on a very low temperature until it was tender. Oh, my. Let the vegan eat vegan and be happy. Let the rest of us appreciate the source of our food and enjoy it with restraint, respect and grace.
WWTND = What would Ted Nugent do?
Shoot it clean with a leetle, teeny arrow ... cook it and eat it.
I think it,s sad that so many people think they are eating healthy from the supermarkets. Your food is full of chemiicals from your meat to your veg. I know you wash it but it is not on the outside its on the inside of everything you eat. I am not one that lives totally off the land but i do so as much as possible because i know what i am eating and how to cook it because i was raised that way.
Anything that reduces the population of these vermin is just fine with me.
" mange and horror." Horror ?? Give me a break. Find another reason to kill fulfill your blood lust. Something thats at least partway believable like I just like I want to kill as many small animals as I can to make a cheap meal.
No thanks. The closest I get to hillbilly haute cuisine is a moon pie and Mountain Dew.
I feed squirrels whenever I get the chance. It breaks my heart to see them eaten (how about a little warning about the skinned one in the pot?).
You may find someone following you around waiting to get at those fattened-up squirrels! Look, I like hedgehogs, they are common in some countries & gypsies ate them in Europe. Some people think they're ugly. BUT they are not pests. Squirrels, especially N. American gray squirrel, is VERY destructive and if they lose their fear of humans can become aggressive and attack. So be careful!
I hunted and ate squirrel as a kid. Good eating.
Always wanted to try squirrel, does anyone know what the laws are in California as far as hunting the things? Would love to get me a .22 and head out into the woods for the day....
At one time Fish were supposed to be plentiful in the world's oceans.. now humans have devoured them to the point of having no fish in the OCEANS... We are pretty much eating ourselves into extinction at this rate... slowly but inexorably...
The ocean has been emptied of fish? Oh, that's right, even the mentally deficient are allowed to post here.
No doubt any squirrel has a much better life than any factory raised chicken.
There's nothing quite like fresh squirel with dumplings in white gravy on a cool morning.
Makes one appreciate breakfast all the more.
Another day, another article on gross cruel eating . Why not feature spices that can save lives and help fight pain instead? The French eat doves too and the frequent visitor in our backyards, is that tomorrow's story?
OK, so the RepubliFascists have already made it clear that regular hard-working Americans don't have the right to expect to be able to retire in any kind of dignity, or own a home, or even drive a car, or get medical treatment; now we are being encouraged to hunt squirrels for food? Tell me how the new United States of Corporate America provides any more quality of life than the Soviet Union used to?
Have you heard that the Koch Brothers own a squirrel meat processing company in partnership with Dick Cheney?
You're ignorance astounds me. Hunter's are far more free than you will ever be (sounds like a county song, lol).
The news tells us we have to drive less and buy electric cars. Now it seems that we will have to start eating whatever we can catch as food is getting too expensive.
Love me some fried quail. Tree rats are OK.
I taught kids that shot and ate robins. One brought in
some BBQ coon. Anyone eaten cooter (soft shell turtle)?
Rabbit is great if prepared correctly. I hear that bear is good.
Years ago the local supermarket in Michigan had frozen rabbits. I believe there was a rabbit farming operation in Arkansas. Last week I asked in a store in MS if they could get rabbit. Yes, they said but it comes frozen from China. Now a good cut of deer meat can taste better than roast beef if cooked right. The deer meat is low in calories as it is not full of fat.
My grandmother made a squirrel sauce piquante one time. It was so good and tender!
When I was a little kid, my dad would often come back from squirrel hunting and he cut the tail off and give to me. It was one of the softest things I'd ever felt. I loved playing with squirrel tails; my mom, not so much. lol.
Aw, the good ole days.
hope you get shot in the head, the same way you hunt the squirrel or other animals.
I don't find it any ore disgusting than beef or pork or chicken (or dog or cat). But, that's because the thought of eating any of those makes me sick. You can spout off about how we had to eat whatever when we lived in caves and dragged our knuckles on the ground when we walked, but as a society we have evolved to the point that we no longer need to eat living creatures to survive. I do not eat anything capable of love. And, trust me, cows, pigs, chickens, AND squirrels love.
Yes they love like a lion does when it rips the head off a gazelle....
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU BE WRITING THIS ARTICLE, LET ALONG EATING YOUR FRIEND'S SQUIRREL DISH???
ITS A KILLER MENTALITY YOU HAVE......GO VEGGY OR VEGAN AND LET LIFE BE. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THE SAME BE DONE TO YOU...THAT IS YOU ARE HUNTED AND SIMMIERED AND SERVED TO YOUR FRIENDS? IT IS AN ACT OF "KILLING AND DESTRUCTION" NO MATTER WHAT YOU TARGET (MAN OR ANIMAL)
Squirrels are vicious, food crop destroying pest. All those veggies you insist everyone in the world should only want to eat? Yeah, if no one killed the squirrels those veggies would be a hell of a lot harder to acquire. One squirrel easily eats it's body weight every day- and contributes nothing to the world except as a prey animal. So let it do what it does best- be prey. And all caps just makes you look like an idiot, btw.
Eats it's body weight every day? Wow.....just think if Oprah did that! There would surely be a world food shortage!
I find it sad people are so out of touch with where food comes from.
Some animals eat plants, some animals eat other animals, and some animals eat both plants and other animals. Humans fall into the last category (omnivores). It's nature.
And you obviously have no idea how many animals end up dying for your "vegan" meal.
Hey Avila,
Using CAPS LOCKS makes you seem like a crazy person. And what you wrote confirms it.
My wildlife rescue group saves orphaned squirrels and nurses them until they are ready to be on their own. This disgusts me.
I'm pretty sure you can keep them on your insurance policy until they're 26.
LMAO
This squirrel just read the article. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
My great aunt used to save back and freeze the drumsticks from the squirrels she killed in her garden over the course of a year. Then she'd make hot wings with them for the family reunion- usually about 700-1000 drumsticks for our incredibly large family. It was so very tasty...
I was raised by squirrels and I'll be damned if I'll eat them.
Here come PETA, Vegans and Homosexuals to report this report!
Because the fights over who gets the "drumstick" are hilarious.
This article is disgusting. Society shouldn't be encouraged to go backwards, only ahead.
That's okay–it's us backward folks who won't starve if we have another depression :-)
That's why 'round these parts in the big city of NY your folk have such a reputation.
REPLY to FRED:
Because we know how to survive? Hmm.... Ya know, I know a lot of "big city" folks who are decent, but your comment doesn't make much sense. Country folks tend to be more practical and less frivolous.
First, squirrel is a vegetarian species. It is very clean in its habitat. It is not a rat. Second it is extremely tasty. It truly is a "limb chicken". Eating wild meat is not evil. If it bothers you to see that poor helpless animal being cooked, then don't buy beef, chicken, eggs, milk, pork, hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. You need to be vegan.
My freezer has fish, squirel, deer, hog, and gator, all caught by me in it. This supplements the grocery store meat that we buy.
Trust me, the wild game in my freezer lived a more humane life and died in a more humane manner than any of the grocery store meat you can buy.
Don't squirrels eat baby birds and eggs? Yes I know from experience that they do. But I agree other than those in the city they are still cleaner than rats.
Save the Squirrels! Eat a Mexican!
A bunch of sick in the mind people.
I lived in Ecuador for two years, and the traditional "small game" animal there is guinea pig (known locally as Cuy). Probably very similar to squirrel. I found it to be quite tasty.
Grew up poor and living in the country, squirrels, rabbits and other wild game were regular table fare for my family. Squirrel is OK, but rabbit is much better, IMO.
Squirrels got in my attic a while back - they'd gnaw holes in the siding as fast as I could repair it. The only good squirrel is one that's an ingredient in stew. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBb7KReY6Eg
My cat sometimes catches a squirrel...when the skin is removed the rear leg muscle is leaner than most chicken breasts in the store. I am sometimes jealous.
I never ate Squirrels until this last year, and they are the best 'dark' meat I've ever had...Rabbits, opossums, and groundhogs are extremely tasty, again, I didn't know until recently...Racoons are terrible since they eat a bunch of garbage.
There's tons of free good meat running around, just shoot it....twice...
Hey y'all. i grew up hunting and gutting animals because im a tough manly type. skwerls is great eatin. i am really glad that cnn decided to do an article about something this educational. im gonna get in my pickup truck with my guns and go shoot some of them critters so's i can have a great feast this weekend. i'd never eat my pet dog, but i'll eat anything else that moves. god bless the usa, sarah palin, glen beck, the nra, hunters, conservatives, dumb people & the a-holes that get pissed at this paragraph......
lol your retarded. So intolerent of other peoples culture or way of life. Also you assume that all people that hunt or eat wild game are uneducated red neck teabaggers. I can assure you that is not the case. I for one am not a redneck, in fact i can garantee I have more education and am probably almost as liberal as you are. With that being said, I actually enjoy hunting and eating what I kill. It is enjoyable to be in the woods, in touch with nature, and actually eating something that is not raised on an industrial farm. So before you make broad assertions think a little bit. If you don't feel that same way that is absolutely fine, but don't make broad generalizions and unnecessary remarks just because you disagree...
If YOU'RE so educated, how come you don't know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'. You are also assuming I am a liberal, and that I assume all hunters are redneck idiots. I was actually making fun of idiots like you that say how great it is to be 'in touch' with nature yet enjoy killing and eating that very nature. I guess I pissed you off, so...>God bless you!
Nick, i
n reply to your other posts (See below–couldn't reply to those)–thank you for putting correct information out there. Unfortunately we're in a generation where many semi-country reared kids think that it is cool to just go out and shoot something–as well as some adults–thus giving those of us who hunt for food a bad name. It is commonly a discussion I have with my husband who can't stand hunting because of how the kids he teaches talks about it–no respect for nature–at the same time, he has no problem with my hunting due to that same respect I have for it. So thanks again :-)
Billy Bob,
On another note on "killing that nature"–it IS the natural way. That animal is going to die either by starvation, disease, or a predator–be it animal or human.
Lol sorry I don't proof read my posts. But considering you were throwing all people that hunt into the mix with conservatives and Palin and you obviously don't associate yourself with their politics, therefore I assumed you to be opposite of them politically. I am sorry if this is not the case and it probably was not the most logical conclusion that I could have drawn. I just hate seeing people make sweeping generalizations its just plain stupid. lol and what you wrote in no way implies that you were making fun of people that like to get in touch with nature and also enjoy hunting. You were clearly making fun of anyone that likes to go out and hunt. You associated anyone who engages in hunting as someone who tries to be overly manly ect....
Oh ya and for the record, "killing that nature" is in many situations necessary. In order to keep many populations in check it is necessary to allow the killing of the animals. This prevents over population and also prevents them suffering a terrible death due to starvation or diease. Interestingly enough it is senseless killing that has caused this problem because farmers used to just shot the top predators and it was okay to do so. So now in many places various populations like deer, squirrel, rabbit ect. don't have enough natural predators to keep the populations in check. That is why many natural resource departments issue only a certain number of licenses to kill. The objective is to bring the population within a certain range to prevent the starvation that was mentioned before.
You left out Jimmuh Cahtah and "Bubba" Bill Clinton. I bet they've eaten some squirrel, too.
Ya because Yale Law grads are typically backwoods rednecks right? lol riiiiiiggggghhhhhttttt
Wild game is some of the healthiest table fare available.
Especially animals that graze naturally on wild pastures and woodlots.
Research CLA in feedlot VS pasture animals.
bushy tailed rats...
squirrels eat nuts, you are what you eat ergo anyone who eats squirrel is nuts:(
I once had a rabbit and squirrel meal that was a stew of sorts... it was delicious. I have been meaning to go squirrel and rabbit hunting but I have been to busy. However, rabbits are much easier to clean seeing as though there skin practically pulls right off... squirrels are kind of a pain to clean but still good. People fail to realize how great wild game tastes. Sometimes it can be kinda tough but cooked correctly it is delicious with a ton of flavor. Also wild game tends to be very good for you. For example, squirrel and rabbit have very little fat on them it is a very lean meat as is venison. Actually if i am not mistaken you will die if you only eat rabbit or squirrel because you won't get enough fat in your diet. Anyways as long as you eat what you kill I see absolutely nothing wrong with this! Its completely natural we are suppose to eat meat!
lol sorry for the lack of cohesion I was kinda all over the place
I went to school with a guy who was from Cajun country in SE Louisiana. They literally live off the land. He told me they love to eat robin stew. Yes, that's right little red robins. Cajuns do eat anything. Their motto, if ya wanna eat, ya gotta kill it.
Don't eat the brains. Possible link to "mad cow" disease and eating squirrel brains as posted in the medical journal The Lancet. Also see http://www.mad-cow.org
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and eating squirrel brains
Lancet 350, Number 9078 – Saturday 30 August 1997
Joseph R Berger, Erick Weisman, Beverly Weisman
Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0284, USA
I would give squirrel a try, but can't say that it is something I really desire to eat. That being said, if there is ever some sort of food crisis I would eat whatever I have to. Lucky for me squirrels are plentiful in my neighborhood, I can usually count at least six in my backyard alone at any given time.
By the way, that photo looks like a frozen abortion. Horrible... I could never eat it now.
Seriously you need to visit a working farm on Butchering day. What do you think half a cow looks like hanging from hooks in the freezer???
Squirrel is a fine meal, a little gamey for my taste but if cooked properly isn't bad.
Personally i prefer it in a stew, or stir fried its so lean that it will be the consistency of shoe leather if not cooked correctly
I grew up hunting, cleaning, and eating squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, and catching, cleaning, and eating fish. I also planted, harvested, and preserved vegetables and fruit. As a lower middle class midwestern kid, I never batted an eye. I've since grown up and moved to the big city (gasp), if only they knew who walks among them! While I'll 'fess up to the pheasant, fish, and rabbit, I don't mention the squirrel. It's too taboo for most people and in this city, and a little beyond their imagination to hunt, fish, or clean anything for dinner. I've been a vegetarian for most of my adult life, but I'm still not bothered by this type of meat consumption. I know what goes on in a hunt, and it is nothing compared to the horror of factory farming and butchering.
THANK YOU! :-)
I'm in the same boat, middle class Midwestern boy who ate squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, fish, snapping turtle and deer. We never HAD to eat any of it. But we did it because it's good. I DO NOT hesitate to tell all the pampered city slickers I ate and still eat squirrels. Its good plain and simple… Too many people have forgotten their roots and now live off WAY too much processed crap … look up what’s in a chicken Mcnugget EEK!! My kids get chicken, when I go down to the coop and process a healthy free range bird that has had a great life. Not some genetic freak that’s been in a cage for 12 weeks (yes commercial birds are engineered to grow that fast) eating what’s left of the last batch of birds (they reprocess the skin, feathers, guts etc and feed it back to the next batch). And to think my wife and I are now UPPER middle class. We eat well because it’s better for us and our children. I also think they NEED to know where their food comes from.
Like carrie Bradshaw said, "a squirrel is just a RAT with a better outfit." No effing way.
It must be a local/cultural thing to eat squirrels. I've heard of it as a redneck/hillbilly/extremely poor people thing to do, but not really by choice;out of desperation for food. I'm from NY/Long Island and we look upon squirrels as rats with furry tails or pigeons without wings. All three are in the same category as "don't touch them, don't eat them and chase them away". I am a "trier" of almost any food, but here's where I draw the line. No thanks.
BZZZZZTTTT!!!! No but thank you for playing….I grew up eating the little fuzz tailed rates not out of desperation but because it's damn good. We ALWAYS had a side of bee, pork and chicken in the freezer, meat WE butchered….. But we ate Venison, rabbit and squirrel because we liked it. Wouldn’t expect a New Yorker to understand… after all, ALL your food comes from a grocery store doesn’t it. Stop by a farm and help them cut a cow up sometime… it’ll do you some good.
Game meats – deer, squirrel, bear, rabbit, opossum, and probably others (but not woodchuck – that, according to Grandma, wasn't fit to eat) were standard fare at my grandparents' house when I was growing up. Pappy also brought home a lot of duck, quail and grouse when they were in season, and he raised pheasant and chicken. The squirrel and opossum, along with some parts of the birds and the large rabbits, ended up in Brunswick stew, while the smaller rabbits were soaked in beer for a couple of days and then braised and served with sauerkraut. Most of the bear was ground, blended with venison and seasonings, made into sausage and hung in the smokehouse for the winter until thoroughly cured. And most importantly, it was good!
Old School .. chicken fried.. FANTASTIC...
So how do you get over the fact that you are eating a bushy-tailed rat?
Squirrels are rodents.
My stepsons love to eat squirrel. But I would have to be really starved to lay into a hunk of rat.
Oh yeah, I ate and hunted squirrel's as a kid. If you fry or bake them you need to toss some onions in with 'em to rid of the gamey flavor. they taste good if cooked right but you don't get a lot of meat for one person. The only reason you folks think it is gross is because we've been marketed to death over pig and cow. We're emotionally retarded in this country over animals.
Thank you CCN for another useless and non news story for your "feature" stories....sigh crap crap and more crap.
as if we don't eat & abuse enough animals....
Man HEEELLLLL NAWWWW!!!!
HELL NO. i love the way they jump.
Nothing wrong with Tree rats. But he is cooking it all wrong. I do not see the head in that picture. Where is the squirrel brains and gravy recipe. Or even the ever popular squirrel brains and eggs for breakfast.
Squirrel is ok but they are small. You will need 3-4 for a stew, which is ok since you can usually get 4-8 of them on a good morning, more if you have a squirrel dog.
Now lets talk about those Racoon and Opossum recipes.
I refer to them as tree-rats, & they can and will do damage to a home if trying to nest inside. Young squirrells are more tender to eat than older ones! They are delicious grilled just like chicken, wiith a little seasoning, and sauce! I think if you cut it into peices before cooking, like a chicken, it is more appetizing than seeing the picture of the 'fetus' posted here. bon appetit!
Although generally a fan of killing things (fishing then gifting the outcome), my garden squirrel is off limits. Over the past 5 years a succession of squirrels have assiduously garnered my support. Coming quite close they donate filberts, call out to me from fence posts within arms reach, and quietly harvest then dry the wild mushrooms which invade my lawn after the warm rains of spring and early fall. So effective have they been, that I was saddened after a hawk then a tom cat took one each of my boreal neighbors. So I won't be eating one anytime soon. Besides haven't you seen the old video, they waterski.
Why stop there?? Why not eat every slug, bug, dung beetle, puppy, kitten, and then have an endangered species for desert?? Lets rape and pillage this earth just because it would be interesting to try?? Our appetite has decimated 90% of the shark population, which even 40 years ago were plentiful. Let's wipe out tigers while we are at it. DIsgusting lack of compassion
Come to Stuart, FL and swim at Bull Shark Reef. They would love to hear your "facts" about sharks.
Compassion nothing...we're too full of ourselves to stop doing this, look what we did to the native americans. Hitler showed us what true idiotic hipocrits we really are. Even after we are shown the greatest example of uglyness that the human race can achieve we still manage to strive for the next milestone of retardedness. Apparently we adapt in the other direction as well instead of for the better we can get worse.
...And you're saying all of this because of some people eating squirrels???????
Ooh, ooh, I know! Instead of having knee jerk reactions to natural processes, lets look down on everyone while we eat twigs and tofu and our men grow breasts.
LOL, awesome : )
/thread
What's for desert? **buzzing** squirrel....Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would eat it, tastes like chicken!
Nothing like eating a rat with a bushy tail!
I went squirrel hunting in south Georgia when I was a kid, got a bunch, brought them back to my grandma and she made a stew out of them. I don't remember much about it but I remember finishing my bowl and that was the only time I've eaten it. I seem to remember her telling me that squirrel has to be cooked right away, because it's a rodent, and it will go bad quick if you try to store it in the freezer. Does anyone know if that's correct?
Best non-seafood gumbo there is. The trick is boiling until meat is tender enough to peel from bone then making gumbo as normal but do not use stock (their fat is no good). The meat is actually pretty lean and stringy so it’s almost like pulled chicken. Some people like to leave in the heads for the brains but I think that’s too much work using your teeth to crack open the skull. Tonnerre ma chien, ca c'est bon
When I lived in New York and I told co-workers that I ate squirrels in Louisiana when I was a kid ...they were shocked! They consider their squirrels to be rats. For some reason the squirrels in Louisiana are larger than the varieties in New York. Their are black, grey, red, and white (albino) also and people still hunt them and eat them in the south. Now I consider it one of those survival foods that you could turn to in desperate times.
You all are bunch of idiots.....
I guess that is one way to just dismiss anyone that does not think like you. Only a real idiot would do that.
Actually, the term is ecological. Yes, we are being "green" and "clean". Many country people live like this. They don't run to the grocery store for everything. If money is tight, they don't apply for food stamps. They use tools such as a fishing pole or gun to provide food for their family. So, come down off your high horse and open your mind.
Who the hell would eat a rodent? That picture is just horrible.
FYI: A "bunny" is a rodent also :-)
Good thing Easter Eggs don't really come from bunnies then.
Bunnies are "lagomorphs" – similar but not rodents. So, does that make it OK Jim??
HAve killed and eaten squirrel since I was about 5, no big deal. Amazing the stuff I did as a kid s now front-page news on CNN.
I've wanted to eat them for a while but have no idea how to clean or prepare the animals. I was very interested until the writer compared it to dark turkey leg meat. I only like white meat, what can I say I'm a breast-man.
I've lived in the country all of my life but I've also been all over the US and to Canada and Europe. I've had pet dogs, cats, chickens (well, it THOUGHT it was a cat), goats, racoons, deer, and a crow. I've been eating squirrel ever since I can remember. It IS a bit tough if not cooked right but it is good. When I was a kid and my dad got laid off of work for a while the garden and his hunting was how we kept from going hungry. Those of you who are so quick to call them all cute and cuddly–a squirrel can severely injure someone with those teeth that they chew through walnuts with. It doesn't mean that I don't like them, but I'm not going to be silly and say I'm not gonna eat what nature has provided. I respect nature, also take quick, clean shots (yes, I hunt too). By the way, I'll have to try the marinating with chiliis-sounds delicious!!
"round these parts in New Yawk we get easy jobs at McDonalds and Wal Mart when we lose our jobs so we can keep eating...... I'm just sayin'..........
"Eat people too"?????? You equate eating critters with eating people???? That is truely a disturbed mindset. We are a critter (us humans) that is designed by nature to be an omnivore, not a carnivore or a herbivore (the old word for vegans). Them tree rats?? They taste very good if prepared well and awfull if not. Just like every other food we consume animal or vegetable.
No way! A squirrel is a member of the rodent family.
So is beaver. Ever eat a beaver?
And chicken is part of the fowl family. What's your point?
In a real world emergency, starvation, ect, you'd be surprised as to what you'll be willing to eat.
Why wait for an emergency :-)
Touche'
Squirrel meat is good and much better for you than the meat raised on farms.
Could you please write a similar article about prairie dogs? The city of Boulder here in Colorado is being overrun by prairie dogs and its environmentalist goo goo eyed friends. A good recipe may help us get rid of both.
It's called .22-250, a 6 pack, a Sunday afternoon, and the best game of whackamole you've ever played. You're welcome.
It's called coyotes, which off course had some other reason to be wiped out
Prairie dogs are ground squirrels so really, recipes should work the same. Only I guess it's harder to shoot 'em once they go underground. :-/
I am very wierd when it comes to trying anything that is "different". I am not a tryer, my brother is though and would probably gobbe this up. He likes rabbit, livers, and all that stuff that one would usually throw out. i became brave a few years ago and finally tried lamb. Gotta tell you – I just loved the stuff. But these squirels, they just dont do anything to make me salivate. Sorry, these cute little fluffy wuffy's are just a turn off.
But you'll eat a cute little lamb...
Yes, I love squirrels, as long as they are on my plate. If you haven't eaten squirrel, you are missing out. Squirrel and rice is good and can be made like chicken and rice. I would bet that if I made it, you would never know what it was until I told you. Fried squirrel and then smothered in gravy and simmered for a while is good. I guarantee that if you saw all of the things that go into any type of processed meat, you would rather eat a squirrel. And for any of you people that really care about it, wild squirrels, not park squirrels, are truly organic. And I'm sure it's better possum. I'm not touching that one with a 10 foot pole.
Squirrel and Rice with Gravy......HMMMMM!
I grew up eating squirel gumbo in south Loisianna. Another great Cajun dish is blackbird jambalaya.
I have eaten squirrel. Loved it! It was a staple of the pioneers. Used to make candy out of its innards they did.
I'm not sure what is better, eating some organic, free-range squirrel, or watching the PETA folks cringe when I do.
tough call.
Watching the PETA folks cringe
Please help me with definitions here. Doesn't PETA mean "People Eating Tasty Animals"?
Why don't we just eat cats, dogs, racoons, and everything else fluffy while we are busy killing those peaceful squirrels.
they do in some neck of the woods...You are what your culture tells you to eat!
We do eat racoons, as well as deer, rabbits, and those peaceful brown eyed cows.
In some countries they eat dogs and cats.
Peaceful squirrels? That one made me laugh out loud! You've obviously never lived out in the country. Do you know the damage they can do to property? Let them come nest in your attic or cause havoc in your yard sometime. I bet you won't think they're so "peaceful".
thats totally gross in my opinion.
Ewwww... gagged a little in my mouth... Uh excuse me.... EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW...... I live in PA, Pocono mountains, this happens to be a staple for some in these parts, but I'm originally from Brooklyn NY. Eat what you like I say, but please don't share with me... EEEEWWWWWWWWWW........ thank you.
Ever eaten a hot dog from a vendor cart in NYC? Do you have any idea what's in that?
Dude–you are my kind of man!!
i'm likin what i am reading here. All you haters go ahead and pass up squirrel. It will be fun someday to watch you all eat each other like some bad zombie movie after you have eaten all the dogs, cats and rats in the city. The people of this country that still live in the country will never go hungry. We can live off the land just like our ancestors.
Ya'll best be buildin a castle keep, the zombie horde will rise and raze the land underfoot across mountain and plain and eat your brains all the same. With fava beans. All hail xenu!
You can have my portion. No problem. Enjoy!
taste like red tabby
Considering squirrels are plentiful and repopulate faster than you can actually catch, kill, cook, and eat them, I'd say try it. I know I would. If you're any kind of carnivore that says EWW or UGH or whatever, just think, thousands (not even that) of years ago, people were saying the SAME things about the sacred cow and chicken. As for vegetarians, you don't like meat anyway so whatever. Also, they are not "innocent" creatures. They really are pests if they're in your yard or on a school campus (like mine) They're very mischievous and they're also known for killing small cats and dogs. Not saying that's a legitimate excuse for killing them but next time they dig a hole on the side of your house that brings in creatures of the unknown, maybe you'll be less hesitant to try them.
Do Hindus know that they have time travelled here from 1000's of years ago!? They should be told, time travel would really confirm slot of their beliefs... It's kind of hard to argue with time travel.
I love it when folks attach words like innocent to animals as if animals are capable of either innocence, or guilt.
This is anthropomorphism at its best.
I can't agree more with you. People labeling animals as "cute, innocent" is rather childish and makes the person sound uneducated. A squirrel is a squirrel.
Thank you, Wayne. The same case covers "animal rights." It is not possible to have rights without responsibilities, and animals have no responsibilities and thus have no rights, either. Humans – who do have rights – have a responsibility to animals to not needlessly treat them inhumanely or make them suffer unnecessarily. We have the right to eat them, though.
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals
Im tempted but domestic harmony rules it out for now. How do you catch squirrel, with a bb gun?
Use a 22 cal. rifle and aim for the head. A good pellet gun will do the trick as well. Shot guns will work, but the pellets make a mess of the meat. Also, be sure to wear your cowboy boots or any other kind of hard soled boots. Sometimes they don't die right away and you have to stomp on there head.
As a bonus, you can wear high-heels and when you crush its head you can film it and then sell it on the internet.
Just carry a big cleaver and lop its head off immediately and let it bleed out. The meat will taste far better if you get all of the blood out while it is still warm.
Beef Tongue–the only food that feels like it's tasting YOU!
It looks a bit too much like a decapitated human baby in a frying pan for my tastes...
It is 'not' the chicken of the trees.
It is a delicacy to be savored and should not be over hunted since it cannot be mass produced in unsanitary enclosures. To create a mass demand for the meat is irresponsible.
I grew up in the deep south. We grew our own veggies, caught fish, and hunted for most of our meat long before eating organic was chic. My father used to come home from hunting with a burlap bag full of these critters. While he cleaned them, the dog would play with the tails. I grew up eating them in stews. Hated it. Besides, there's so little meat on a squirrel, it hardly seems worth the trouble. I'd have to get pretty desperate to add it back to my diet. I certainly wouldn't pay to eat it.
When a child, my mom cooked the squirrel that my dad got on a hunting trip. ALL DAY long, the house smelled of the awful stuff! I was completely nauseated for hours. It was served for dinner, but I did NOT eat it. It wasn't a hit with the family. I don't think dad ever when hunting again. I know my grandad still did.
I think that and similar instances (being served beef tongue for example) are the reason I only eat skinless boneless chicken, white meat turkey (dark turkey only for ground meat) and certain fish as protein sources from animals.
Spend some time in a poorer country where they don't bleach/cut out all the good parts of animals and you'll appreciate food.
Only eating very select parts of animals is a huge waste, requiring the killing of even more animals. Doesn't that seem a bit hypocritical?
If you're going to kill and animal for food, at least use all it's parts, and be thankful to the critter.
Enjoy bypassing most of the nutrition in the food you eat.
Sounds like you didn't clean that squirrel. Squirrel does NOT have a strong aroma.
Frog legs are wonderfull. Have done lots of gigging. Most people these days don't know what good eats are ! Healthy too.
Let them eat squirrel !!
I shot, dressed, cooked and eaten lots of squirrels. Just not recently. I don't have the desire to go through the process anymore.
I haven't eaten squirrel. I can't say I WANT to eat squirrel. But I would if the situation arose. I'm not out to create the situation though. It's still a rodent. Tell you what. When there is a valid squirrel fast food restaurant, with squirrel farms as a supply then we'll talk.
I like rabbit, so why not?
I remember one of my favorite meals as a kid was my grandmother's pan fried squirrel, mashed potatoes and gravy, and homemade biscuits. Squirrel and rabbit are as common on the dinner table during hunting season as fried chicken. I still squirrel hunt in the Arkansas Ozarks every fall and store a batch or two in the freezer for later in the year.
As long as I have money to eat something else–I will never eat squirrel... If all these things taste like chicken, why don't you just eat chicken???
They most certainly do not taste like chicken. The article says they are the chicken of the forest to allude to the population of squirrels being rather high.
Because chickens live on feed corn and GMO soy are are given daily antibiotics which end up in the meat, while squirrels live on a nutrient rich diet of nuts and seeds.
Squirrel is more nutritious than chicken.
If they can be made into Soylent Green, I'll eat 'em!
That's just plain horrible. We feast on enough creatures as is. Thankfully, squirrels aren't pets unlike horses and cats or dogs, eaten in certain countries. However, is there ever a line drawn? Maybe instead promoting the killing and eating of pretty & peaceful little furry tree creature we should do ourselves a favor and rid us of more common pest such as rats or iguanas which are plentiful and happen to taste just like chicken...
I just have the feeling that enough is enough will never mean anything to humans. I suppose the only reason why people yet don't eat one another is simply because it's not quite possible but the day it becomes allowed, I have no doubt some will happily feast on that too.....
Well pit Barbara, truly. Your "against the eating of cute animals and human beings" stance is truly revolutionary, however, if you would permit me to be so bold as to inquire – does your position hold itself to only attractive humans or is the consumption of ugly humans permitted? Currently I am eating ham, are then pigs and rush limbaugh both acceptable under your system? – eagerly awaiting your guidance.
Honestly, this squirrel issue is a very debatable topic. Meat consumption is a double edge sword. I myself eat meat and someone might just tell me that the ham I eat is actually Babe the pig from the movie and I would be devastated. I simply feel that we as humans should try to be as responsible with our consumption habits as possible. Snatching squirrel from Central Park tree to barbeque them on the terrace just seems too much....
To answer your question Senor Squirrel, I would say that pigs and rush limbaugh would both be acceptable under this system.... Why not!
Of course, people with pet rats and pet iguanas will be very upset at your suggestion... those two species are OFTEN kept as pets, whereas not so with squirrels (you can't buy them in a pet store like you can rats and iguanas).
But OMG totes goog pet squirrel on YouTube, A DOOR ABLE!!!!!
Your theory is flawed, most apex predators (Lion, Wolf, Tiger, Bears, Eagles and...Humans) eat many "pretty & peaceful" creatures and not members of their own species. Why? Evolution maybe.
In Germany, there is phrase "Der Mensch isst was er ist", which means "People are what they eat". It follows, therefore, that we should be eating what is cute, adorable, and attractive, to better insure that we develop those traits in ourselves. How could we possibly consider eating what is ugly? Eating ugliness could be identified as a serious self-esteem issue.
Are you the DaWei that went to Georgetown U. Only time I have heard that name.
Katie123: Not the same.
Might you be Da Wei, the master squirrel wrangler !?!
Let the squirrel populations grow out of control and soon you get disease spreading, and wiping them out. Squirrels look cute at a distance, but they can be aggressive, mean, and nasty temper. Having had squirrels get into our house, let me tell you it is NOT fun trying to catch them and get them out in a way that doesn't end up getting you or them hurt.
Overpopulation and disease happens to the deer populations in Wisconsin and surrounding states. Some years the hunters can't keep up with the growth, the deer decimate farmers crops, the herds grow larger, and then chronic wasting disease starts to spread and can wipe out whole herds. Ever seen a deer with chronic wasting disease? It's not a pretty sight.
To the anti-hunters (not necessarily the parent poster): if you oppose hunting for food and conservation, then you are implicitly in favor of animals dying slow painful deaths due to disease and overpopulation.
Only kill ugly animals? Really? Do they suffer less?
I remember reading something some time ago about how squirrel brains are a delicacy in Kentucky...
ANY brains are a delicacy in Kentucky!
hah, awesome
As a former Indiana resident, i thank you!!
Probably thinking of squirrel head gravy....
Grew up eating squirrel, rabbit, all kinds of birds...dad was a hunter...and he fished....wallleye, northern, cat fish.....pretty good as I remember.
Walleye = best food ever.
Squirrel is delicious ! Right in there with rabbit, elk, deer, antelope. Ever eat mountain lion ? Very good !
My husband used to eat it as a teen, I would love to try it.
Use to eat it till I learned it was akin to the rat family
I feed squirrels around my land so would be baaaad karma to eat them!
Bad karma? Not really. After all, the human is one of the few critters that remains on cordial terms with its prey until that prey is killed for food.
How is that any different than a cattle farmer feeding his livestock, then having a nice, big, thick, juicy ribeye for dinner? Its not.
Oh man. I want steak now.
The problem with that is designing a squirrel corral to contain 'em.
Have you tried herding squirrels? I'd imagine it's like nailing jello to a tree.
Being fond of most foods, I cannot include squirrel. Now, if want some good ol' natural meat that taste better than most, fry up a mess of fresh frog legs. Unlike those bought at a restaurant or your local seafood provider, fresh frog legs is almost sweet to the taste.
We finally convinced my mother to try frog legs. Her being a very conservative eater, this was not a easy task. When she finally tried it, she didn't get up until they were gone, to be always asking later when was the next time we were going giggin'. Ah, the good ol' day's. I miss my mom. :(
I miss my mom, too. She passed exactly a year ago. Know what'd be good with the frog legs? Some crawdads in seasoning, followed with strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert! Now that's nirvana!
(By the way, ever gig for bullfrogs at night?)
That sounds like a great meal ...and yes i have been frog gigging!!
Why is the squirrels life more precious than the Frogs Life.
I miss my mom too. When she was 6 years old in the height of the Great Depression, she went squirrel hunting to put food on the table . Get off of your "civilized high horse", folks...If your ancestors came to this country before 1950, they ate squirrel. And if they hadn't you wouldn't be here to sneer at it.
If you like to eat meat, then there's nothing wrong with eating squirrels, dogs or cats. Eat people too.
Dick Cheney has been eating live babies for years.
Great logic there. Accepting all lifeforms as one indistinguishable mass is so elevated of you. Now I know that if it's okay to burn firewood for warmth, it's okay to burn forests, log cabins, and Keanu Reeves. They're all made of wood, after all.
Hahahhaaa.....eat people, there's an idea!!!!
if this catches on in any way - ADM or Tyson will start farming them and there will be frozen farmed raised squirrelin every grocery
Once a squirrel is skinned and de-tailed - it is the size of the hindquarters that distinguish it from a great big RAT
Well, it's the evil Grey Squirrels that have chased the Red Squirrels out of England and Wales. Grey squirrels are nothing but furry thugs.
It was the 'Grey Squirrels Burden" They learned that from the English!
Nice one!
But seriously, Grey Squirrels are c*nts.
Ain't that fuzzy-tailed tree rat? I know we've got a dee-pression on, but it ain't gotten that bad yet, has it? 'Sides, I hear they's full of cholesterol, and I'm tryin' to cut down...
Eating cholesterol doesn't cause cholesterol, fyi.
Emvaz is right. Beef is high in cholesterol, yet cows live on a cholesterol free diet. Your body produces cholesterol, and cholesterol levels aren't affected much by diet.
The only way to higher cholesterol is to eat meat and animal products, period. It cannot be gained any other way as there are no fruits and vegetables anywhere on the planet that have it.
That being said wild game has far less than farm raised animals.
Emvaz! That is really a statement! Eating colesterol doesn't cause colesterol? wow! I guess not if you are willing to take a pill to lower it down! A pill that gives you a bunch of dangerous side effects and problems, but after all americans think that is ok to have to live depending on a prescription pill, whatever it is for: diabete, high blood pressure, cholesterol.....truth is all those pills could be avoided just by following an healthy diet, a diet rich in fiber and vegetables and poor in animal protein and fats. That is what SCIENCE AND STUDIES say. Not just someone's opinion. Because as Hippocrates said, " There are tho things: to know and to believe one knows. To know is science. To believe one knows is ignorance" All I can tell you is that I am vegan and my cholesterol measures 93. And I don't take any crappy pill for it. All my other blood tests are perfect! If you really think that the human being is meant to be a omnivore think again: why don't we have claws to prey? Why don't we have sharp teeth? Why don't we have the enzymes to digest the raw meat? Why does meat cause us cancer, and heart disease? and coronary? and diabetes? and so many other health problems? We are not phisically fit to hunt. Our canine are only meant for defense, not sharp enough to kill. Dietary change can enable diabetic patients to go off their mediaction. Heart disease can be reversed with diet. Breast cancer is related to levels of female hormones in the blood which are determined by the food we eat (animal proteines). Consuming diary foods can increase the risk of prostate cancer. Antioxidants, found in fruits and vegetables are libked to better mental performance in old age. Kidney stones can be prevented by a healthy diet (vegetable based). Tipe I diabetes (devastating) is linked to infant feeding practices.
@VG, just to clear up a few things. Diabetes is the inability to release insulin in order to take sugar from the bloodstream. Sugar, which is the broken down form of carbohydrates, comes primarily from plant products, not animal. Animals are the only source of cholesterol in our diets. Animals are also the main source of protein. There is no known vegetable that provides for a complete protein (quinoa is being currently studied). It is true that a mixture of rice and beans or corn and beans can provide for a perfect protein. Many members of my family are not vegans, and they have good cholesterol too. The key to a long, healthy life is not eating only plant products, or only meat products, but a balanced, seasonal diet. The first humans were hunters and gatherers—a balance! We do have sharp teeth (not in comparison to those of a wolf or any other carnivore), but relative to those of an herbivore such as a deer. Our bodies also have the ability to process raw meat. Look at tribes who up until recently relied solely on a hunting and fishing diet. Some of those tribes did not cook their meat for specific reasons, and their populations have been sustaining on such diets for thousands of years. Those populations have also eaten the fat from animals such as polar bear and whale, and they maintained a healthy weight. It comes from good genes and an active lifestyle. Unfortunately, some people are predisposed to certain cancers and diseases. Saying that “meat causes cancer and heart disease” is a claim that is not necessarily true. Diets high in meats that contain saturated fat are associated with the development of heart disease. It would be like saying “eating Cheerioes lowers your cholesterol.” It’s not Cheerios that lowers your cholesterol; it’s the fiber content in the cereal that helps you to excrete excess fat in your digestive tract. Most Americans are not physically fit to hunt anymore because instead of walking distances to hunt or gather and working an 8 hour work week to hunt, grow and gather our food like our indigenous ancestors did, we are working 40+ hours at a job that we mostly drive or take the bus or train to. I’m running out of room so I will say that Type I diabetes is hereditary. The best infant feeding practice is breastfeeding—which breast milk is an animal product. That’s what breasts are for.
@VG–You do realize that the health concerns you cited didn't become prevalent concerns until the 'modern age', around the 20th century. As long as we were eating a relatively natural diet, homegrown, home raised, and/or hunted, without the interference of science and modern husbandry, heart disease, coronary artery disease, cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and so on weren't on the tip of everyone's tongue. The lifestyle that supports those diseases isn't compatible with a society that has to focus so much of its energy on ensuring a continuing food supply.
I'm a proud omnivore, but I don't and won't eat squirrel for the simple reason that I don't like meat that tastes gamy. I won't even eat dark turkey meat. If I were starving, yeah, I'd eat whatever I could get and be thankful.
I think I was the only one that got the Cholesterol joke Eddie. How's Catherine? s***ter still full?
how can someone possibly eat squirrels? that video is disgusting. looks like it wasn't cleaned on the insides at all. why don't we all start eating cats and dogs too? omg
what?? you never ate Chinese food before?
Thank you Big J!
Start?
Nice!
You really think that factory farmed cow in your burger is cleaner? You realize that most of those animals spend most of their lives knee deep in their own dung, right?
sort of like the human race, n'est-ce pas?
Not a bad idea. After World War 2, the Dutch sold what they called "Roof Hares" in their butcher shops. What were roof hares? Cats. When felines are slaughtered and dressed out, they look like rabbits, which are consumed worldwide. As for dog, they're difficult to find in north eastern China; most of them are in the cook pots. Dog is even more prevalently consumed in the Philipines. All good eatin'. Bon Gusto!
And VN. All my family there eats dog, almost without exception. It's funny to watch my sis-in-law gnawing on a dog shank because she's so dainty and looks like a model, with a voice like a Japanese cartoon character :)
Animals take on somewhat of a taste according to what they eat, and largely carnivorous animals like cats and dogs can have a strong flavor many would not find pleasant. Squirrels on the other hand live largely on nuts and seeds, and are quite tasty.
What's wrong with cats and dogs? Are you seriously telling me that you have never eaten a dog? You are missing out.
Only when I eat at Jack-in-the-Box........
I'd have less trouble eating a person than I would a dog or cat. No thanks.
Fred; No, no, I think that was horses from Jack-In-the-Box...
Why do u think they called the CHOW, CHOW was raised in China as a food source. If you were watching your child starve, you would pray to god to send a dog, cat or squirrel and I bet you wouldn't pet them. YOU WOULD EAT THEM
more lilkly a giant steer with a pig sitting at his right hand
Haha, this is fantastic.. At some point in the past, humans probably had the same reservations about eating chicken or pork. I'd give it a try if I had the chance
Actually, yes. Pork would kill you if it weren't properly prepared (hence the injunction about eating pork in Jewish and Muslim faiths) and chicken was so labor intensive they were mostly raised for eggs until the 50s or 60s (hence FDR's 'chicken in every pot'. Chicken was expensive; food for the rich.).
You realize FDR was President in the 30s and 40s, right? Of course you do. ;-)
@Chris, try to follow along. FDR said "a chicken in every pot" in the 30s, because chicken was the meat of the wealthy during that time, and obviously most people during the depression were not wealthy. It wasn't until the 50s and 60s that chicken farming for the meat became sustainable and the prices became affordable for the average family.
THAT WAS PRESIDENT'S HOOVER'S CAMPAIGN PROMISE A CHICKEN IN EVERY POT. NOT F. D. R.
I am beginning to understand why so many of you have time to read and write on this and numberous other websites.
You are right. We do not need to eat meat. Some of us do not need to eat vegetables. Some of this may be cultural, and some of this may be metabolic, depending on the latitudes of our residency. We can take note that our fellow animals show preference to eat vegetables in equatorial zones (where meats begin to rot almost before butchering can be completed), whereas in the far north, vegetarianism is almost absent for the very fact of their natural availability, or lack thereof. Hmmmm. Perhaps we're left not to intellectualized decisions but rather to our omnivorous capabilities and our ability to process and select according to ease and availability.
The buffet table is varied, yes? Canine, porcine, bovine, feline, langomorphs and rodents, snakes, escargot, and insects, even the harvest of our simian humanity, whether mother's milk, cannibal stew, or the placenta following a "New Age" birthing. Have we overlooked the shark fin soup, the offal pudding of haggis, the baluuts of the Philipines, rotten shark meat in Iceland, the delicacy of maggot-filled cheese in Sardinia, Duriyan fruit in southeast Asia, Tacos de Chapulines (grasshopper tacos), Korean silkworm pupae, or even live octopus.
And we're concerned about whether or not eating squirrel is desireable, or even civilized?
You guys are sick. Seeing that chunk of meat from a poor innocent creature makes me sick
Don't kid yourself. A squirrel would kill you and everyone you care about if it had the chance.
It's true.
A squirrel not only killed my whole family, but 10 other people who reminded him of my family.
Awesome Troy Mclure quote!
They carry knives in their socks.
Yes. Squirrels are Muslims. LOL !!!
I can testify to that! One once chased down and jumped on my 2-year old after he approached it; was quite comical, but glad he didn't get bit. I quickly dispatched fluffy with a blowgun – quick, clean shot to the neck – he was down in seconds.
Not innnocent. An evil, pedophilous, murderous, sodomistic rodent. Feel better about eating it now?
haha, thanks for laugh :)
Stick to lettuce and soybeans, then. More meat for the rest of us.
Squirrels are terrorists! Moose too.
All the more for those of us who understand the relationship between man and beast on this planet, and know why we have the teeth and digestive systems we do.
Humans are omnivores. We eat plants and we eat meat, I will agree with you on that point. However, you seem to be suggesting that this conclusion can be drawn by looking at our digestive systems which it really cannot. The digestive systems of most omnivores are closer to those of carnivores than ours are. Our digestive tract is much longer than the digestive tract of a carnivore, our stomach is not nearly as acidic, and our saliva is alkaline like an herbivore. We are closer to herbivores than we are carnivores.
AJ,
Why is that? Do humans have forestomach like ruminants to break down cellulose? Actually we have a hard time fully digesting uncooked roughage...
Poor and innocent? Give me a break. My only regret is that they dont get bigger. And i dont understand why people think its more humane to breed to kill. Those animals never get a shot at real life. Not to mention the fact that they get pumped with all kinds of non natural additives.
They do make them bigger, Nutria. Plenty of recipes and no shortage.
Have the same issues with your steak or pork chops? Or are you one of those crazies who just go vegan? God made you an omnivore for a reason.
You're kidding right???
Hell no
When the world ends tomorrow, we're gonna find out that god is a giant squirrel then we'll all be in deep s#$%.
Good one! hahahah. Thank you for the laugh
Now we know how to eat that squirrel too
Hah! Nice.
:D
God is a cow. You are already going to hell.
Moooooove that squirrel over, I need some space on the BBQ.
Thank you for the morning laugh! loved it :-D
hmmm... god meat!!!! yummy!!
Well, as long as we're going to hell anyways, we might as well eat fried squirrel and have a nice charcoal broiled steak and enjoy the ride down... :D
And here I always thought he would be a SHEEP.
But...but...that's Miss Suzy! Maybe if I pretended it was the evil red squirrels who chased Miss Suzy out of her treehouse, I could choke it down.
OMG...I call them Suzy too!!!lol
We call 'em "yard rats." If I had the heart to kill 'em, I'd eat 'em. The problem with the ones in our 'hood is that they eat the lead sheathing on plumbing vents. That definitely opts them out for sampling. So maybe eating OUR yard rats isn't optimum, but I would try the meat given the chance.
H to the ELL NO!
I do have to say that squirrel in the slow cooker is absolutely delicious! If it were easier to skin and not still find hairs on it, it would be a regular at our house. :)
You must be skinning it wrong. I skin mine almost the moment that I get it. If the skin is warm its like butter. When you get home just wash it. Easy peezy.
Agreed. Skin them before they cool down, as the tallow solidifies and it makes them harder to skin. I grew up in the country but live in the city now – and I have picked off more than one in my tomatoes or strawberries. Friends think Im a redneck, but hey, when the zombie apocalypse happens Ill know how to subside somewhat.... ;) Trader Joes wont be open.
LOL
To skin: Take a sharp pocket knife, pinch up the skin across the top of the back and poke through. Once poked through cut the skin to make a nice perpendicular cut through it. take your fingers and a firm grip and peel the skin back towards the tail and the head pulling it all the way over the head and tail as far as it will go. Also pull it to each paw as far as it will go. Then just cut off the head, cut off the tail and all paws. Voila! one de-gloved squirrel. Now all you have to to is clean it out real good (gut it), wash him and enjoy! Squirrel is best served fried, but boil it first to tenderize.
Thank you! I grew up a lot more backwoods than my husband did, but he still feels like he needs to be the one skinning and not me, but he would let them pile up and freeze in the bucket outside before he would skin them all. Must have felt like a waste of time to just do one :) I will pass along the instructions. We will be better prepared for when those pesky squirrels are eating all the bird food next winter, and my crockpot will be ready!
Great idea! That's probably how I'd skin me a possum, too. Then I'd gut it, parboil it, then grill with apples, vinegar base, cayenne and Emeril's Turkey Rub.
Nancheska,instead of skinning the oppossum scald and scrape like a hog.Squirrels are always easier to skin warm,and try beaver trapping (tasty critters too).
Don't forget to remove the balls. That would be a concern only half the time, assuming that a 50:50 sex ratio prevails in your local squirrel population.
I agree Amanda, I quit hunting them because cleaning them up was not worth the hassle to me, that being said, they are delicious!
better if you skin them immediately after harvest. Younger ones are much easier.
There also is a musk sac behind the bend of their knees and under their hind legs. Be sure to take that out for an improved flavor. After skinning, soak them in water with vinegar. Usually the stray hairs will come off and float to the surface. Enjoy your meal.
I agree with the hard to skin. That's why I have a self imposed 3 squirrel limit b/c that's all i want to clean. I'll have to try the clean em warm tactic.
I'm curious for reasons other "don't kill fluffy" and vegetarian/vegans *not* to try it if you knew the source.
Our society is supposed to be civilized. In a civilized society, we breed and slaughter our food..if we were even more civilized, we'd do it more humanely. The animals we eat are raised to be eaten, not taken from the wild. There is no need to hunt. The idea of hunting for sport reflects a dark and nasty part of someone's psyche. No one with true compassion and morals would think that's fun. "Companion animals" are exempt from our slaughter because their status has been confirmed after 100s, possibly 1000s of years. I don't eat squirrel, not only because they're not raised to be eaten, but because I don't know what they've eaten.
Before we were 'civilized' we were hunters and gatherers. Hunting for sport I'll agree is questionable. Hunting to eat is natural. Visiting a slaughterhouse and witnessing the wholesale a annihilation of animals that have been raised in pens barely large enough to accomodate their size might make you feel differently about how 'humane' it is.
lol what do you think people ate before we all became "civilized"?
Do you have any idea what 'raised to be eaten' actually means? have you ever seen an industrial farm?
You poor, shortsighted, misguided, guilt-ridden imbecile. Come out from under your rock...
yeah...our factory farming of animals is far from civilized. These creatures never live a happy day in their lives. Killing something from the wild is far more humane, and it is the way it has been for as long as humanity has been around.
No need to hunt? Tell that to the farmers when the deer population explodes and decimates their corn crop. What happens when the rabbits and squirrels dig up all the bulbs in your flower beds and eat everything in your garden? We've wiped out most natural predators here in the lower 48; what happens when the deer, rabbit, and squirrel populations get so large that they don't have enough food to survive? Do you kill them then to thin them out, but not eat the meat? Do you waste what people in the US have eaten to survive for hundreds of years?
No, hunting is a necessity. You must be city born and raised to not know that.
No where in the article does it state the squirrels were hunted for sport. I myself am a hunter, I hunt so my family can have some meat on the table. I agree hunting for sport is wrong but not all people hunt for sport. I myself and most of the people I know are very respectful to the animals we eat. After a quick dispatch a short prayer is offered in thanks and we are all grateful for the added protein to our diets. Most of us also grow a great deal of plants for human and animal consumption. It's a shame groups like PETA would like you all to believe we are all psycho killers, but we are not. If we have a surplus it will go to a food bank or shelter and let me tell you they are very grateful.
We evolved for millions of years as hunters. Everything about us is fine tuned for hunting. It's human nature in its purest form, and there's nothing wrong with staying in touch with it.
I would love to reply in depth but I would fall short in this forum. I recommend you read the "Tender Carnivore" or the "Island Within". Even if you don't agree you will at least understand.
BTW, there is absolutely nothing civilized about industrial farming.
The Belgians, et al, used to consider the Africans "savage" for their dances, chants, etc. As a result their missions served as tools of the imperials to distribute propaganda and collect intelligence for their military forces.
As for eating squirrel being or hunting being uncivilized, well, attitudes like this can create other inhumane conditions today. Overpopulation is a problem not just for humans but for the balance of ecosystems. Professional hunters are employed throughout the year to help ecologists and local and provincial governments engineer favorable conditions for wildlife and their residents.
Otherwise, I don't think there's a consensus as to a correct idea of what humans should evolve into. We live in a diverse civilization that rewards a huge variety of talents and I think the most egalitarian approach is to not shun hunting because it's more Predator than ET... oh, the humanity! BTW, I am a New York Giants football fan.
sounds like a vegan. Get over it, if 2 of the 5 meat packing plants went down. You'd be hunting again.
I know what MY local tree rats eat. They eat my garden! This year, I've lost two dozen plants to their marauding!
That is half of my garden and the season is still young!
So, it looks like squirrel IS on the menu, as if I kill an animal, I eat it.
But, if the destruction continues unabated at the current rate, don't be surprised if you see some squirrel heads on pikes around the garden.
I don't understand how you can consider the way some of these animals are raised civilized and humane. Ever been to a turkey farm? Veal maybe? You are an uneducated dullard, ec. Not to mention ignorant and misinformed.
Be sure to tell the coyotes, foxes and every other wild carnivore that "squirrels weren't meant to be eaten". I'm sure they'll jump right onto your f'd up bandwagon.
Last year they ate all my hazelnuts and all my peaches. This year they are eating all my strawberries. This article came at a great time.
Squirrels eat nuts like you
Unless you're a bull raised for the purposes of breeding. Now that's the life.
I thought all of you psycho liberals ONLY believed in eating free range organic protein?! There is no healthier, more natural, horomone and chemical free, source of protein in the world to be had than that of a wild herbavore! I too try to eat only animals that I have personally harvested, because I don't trust the quality of animals raised in feces filled cages that are treated worse than repeat offense murderers. I can assure you that you are about 1000 times more likely to get a food born illness from something you bought in a store than from something harvested from a healthy ecosystem. Please do this world a favor and kill yourself for food, ec.
So you don't know what the squirrel has eaten... how much do you know about what those "civilized" farm-bred animals have eaten? Do you know where mad cow disease came from?
There is a huge need to hunt. If we do not hunt then the animal population get huge and how humane is it to hit a deer or squirrel or any other animal and have them suffer on the side of the road till they die not to mention the cost. help control the wild game population, go hunting. waist not want not, in this economy we can save money by hunting. and as for civilized, royalty still hunt game, it's not just for the red necks!!
Your definition of 'civilized' is my definition of unnatural, irresponsible, and inhumane. Just because something is raised on a factory farm doesn't mean it doesn't feel pain. These animals end up feeling far more than their fair share of pain simply because you can't stand the thought of knowing where your food really comes from- you want to have someone else do the dirty work. Those animals live a live of torture, and then a horrible death. Wild animals live like wild animals, which is complete when they get munched by a predator. They have one bad day, instead of their entire lives being bad.
Man, oh Man, if you have only seen what goes into the cow chow they use at the industrial farms, you would not worry about what the squirrels eat
If you eat a squirrel you are eating a rat. A tree-rat, simple as that.
Those who eat meat are on the same moral level as the butcher. Don't think you're superior just because you have someone else do the dirty work for you.
And no, I'm not a vegetarian; I love venison, duck, mutton. I'd love to try squirrel.
EC... your a blithering idiot if you truly think that hunters hunt out of some dark and horrible inner child. Myself and my entire family have been hunters for many generations and if anything at all, we are more conscious of natural resources and where our "food" comes from. Too many people are so far removed from their food sources to understand this or appreciate the sacrifice _any_ animal makes (farmed or not) to provide for you and your family. Get a life will you. Start thinking about thinks from all sides before you go running your mouth about something you obviously know very little about.
We are happy cows! Not all animals raised for food are treated badly...just sayin.
Doesn't anyone find it more sick that the top 1% of Americans are eating fillet and lobster while the rest of America is actually starting to argue about eating FREAKIN' SQUIRRELS!?! Please comment!
Since we have decimated predators in the wild, there are none left to keep the populations down and help prevent disease. Therefore, it falls to us to assist in that process. As has been seen in the past, removing us from hunting puts those animal populations in danger of decimation by disease. An example is the wasting disease seen in elk and deer herds.
We are stewards of the earth, and sometimes need to act responsibly.
Another American on his high horse. Do you not forget there are other cultures in this world? We eat someone else's diety on a daily basis. The Japanese and Koreans and Chinese eat your "companion animals" i.e. dogs & cats. So what?! I eat whale, so what?! The Japanese are sooooooooo uncivilized that look at what they did when disaster struck their country as opposed YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS DURING HURRICANE KATRINA. Whoa, such civility displayed by Americans in the midst of a disaster.
You are a first class moron ec. No nicer way to put it. I am going to bag some of these this weekend and I'll be thinking of you and smiling the whole time.
My dad and his bros and sisters grew up during the Depression and earlier. They ate squirrel mixed with rabbit–my Grandpa used to raise rabbits. When you're hungry, you eat what you can find! Plus, in some places, we've got an overabundance of gray squirrels. Sure, they're cute 'n all, but they raid birds nests and strip maple trees of buds. Predators can only kill so many, and that's why you see so many road-pizza squirrels. Theyre sort of like miniature deer that run and nest in trees, w/o hooves.
How can you "be respectful" to an animal you just killed? That's like saying, "oh yeah, I just took a knife to that guy and I'm tearing off his skin now, but don't worry, I'm doing it respectfully" Try that in a murder case.
Your thinking belies a reflects a dark and nasty part of your own psyche. You are willing to have someone else do your dispatching for you but you haven't got the fortitude to do it yourself.
There's nothing dark and nasty about eating meat. Unless you've had them removed, you have canine teeth, designed to rip meat to shreds for your delectation and carnivorous satisfaction.
BTW, squirrel is delicious.
There actually is a very good reason to hunt that is not related to crops, or anything else that benefits humans. Your state's division of wildlife sets limits for how many of a certain species you may kill per day/season. These numbers are based on scientific study of the number of that species that can be sustained by the available habitat and the estimated number of that species that currently exists in the area. Notice that it's all about sustainibility. If the number of any species grows beyond what the habitat can support, then some of the animals will starve to death. Modern hunting is about managing the number of species. I would much rather have a squirrel or deer die a quick death, and become a meal for a family, than for the animal to die a slow painful death from starvation. To let the animals starve to death is much less humane than hunting.
what are you talking about? whats wrong with hunting? if i was an animal i would much rather die in the wilderness than be raised on a farm and slaughtered.
@ec: As a vegetarian, I have to strongly disagree with your views. I have more respect for those who hunt than those who purchase meat killed by proxy from slaughter houses. Taking meat from the wild is far more humane than factory farming. I urge you to visit a factory farm or go online and view some factory farm vids. If you are going to eat meat, go out and kill it yourself. I guarantee there would be a lot more vegetarians.
Hunters are the most vocal advocates for environmental issues in this country. The National Parks system was started by a hunter. If not for the fees paid by hunters, many states would have no Departments of Natural Resources. To many people, hunting is a tradition that goes way past just the kill. It's a way for you to not just be a visitor to the wild, but to remind yourself that you are part of it.
...and if we were even more civilized, we would not eat animals at all.
I checked at my local grocery store and squirrel just wasn't in the freezer case. So, guess I'll have to harvest my own. I grew up in a rural area where hunting, fishing, and raising our own food was/is a way of life. I raise, slaughter, clean, and process my own chickens, hogs, beef, fish, and game. And, I get so sick an tired of all the self-righteous and smug anti-hunters, anti-farmers, anti-anything they don't understand. For the record, squirrel is a tasty meat and makes the best gravy you'll ever eat.
Hunting is ingrained in all of us. It matters not whether the meat in question comes from a barn, pasture, or Mother Nature's backyard. I am not a hunter, but I fully understand why hunting is necessary; by killing off the wolf in the eastern half of the U.S., we are bing overrun by deer, and if we keep going after the coyotes, we're going to have to start hunting the squirrel. Mother Nature knew how to provide balance in her animal kingdom, and only Man's interference with that balance has allowed the animal populations of this country to be so out of whack. So long as it is not a protected species, and you eat what you kill, then I say, have at it!
You don't know what your Macburger has eaten either, do you? Antibiotics, hormones, pesticides all are found in factory farmed meat. I grew up hunting and at our table, squirrel was a staple. And I think I'm healthier for it. Besides, humans are predators but we've now separated ourselves from the source of our food. If you think eating factory farmed meat is civilized, then you should visit a slaughterhouse or a chicken farm and see what real dark and nasty looks like.
you are completely wrong – in many areas of the country, hunting is alive, well, and necessary. Without it, wild animals would quickly over-populate, leading to famine, disease, etc. Hunting, when done responsibly & legally, is good for the environment. Just because you live in an area where the Gov holds your hand & does everything for you – that doesn't mean that a large portion of the population does as well.
ec......you, are nothing but a Troll. Almost every piece of food you stuff in your mouth is either sprayed, injected or soaked in chemicals. Hummmm......I wonder what Troll tastes like?
Ec...are you serious...or being sarcastic? Assuming you're serious do you know what all the corporatized food sources have been fed? Do you know what your Stauffer's "Chicken" dinner is filled with? There are more unnatural chemicals and hormones injected into a chicken's breast than you could imagine. Most of the food farm chickens are kept in cages and so pumped up on hormones they have the equivilent of size ZZ breasts and can't walk. Add that in with all the delicious MSG in your seasonings, and the aspartame in your diet soda, and you may as well have just drank a tall cool glass of formaldahyde (probably the same amount of perservatives). Of course I've had the guilty pleasure of indulging in the horrors of fast "food" but compared to something fresh, clean...there is no comparing. Do I eat squirrel...no. Would I? NOM NOM yes NOM!
It's obvious that the posters that replied to your comment didn't read your post completely or understood. If farming of animals was done humanely it would be the best way to go. I think that is what you meant to say. I grew up in a farm and saw hundreds of chicken being killed along with a couple of cows and a few dozen pigs. So anyone that gives me the you are from the city is terribly wrong.
I agree with you. If animal farming was done humaley and appropriately it would be the ideal. I only eat meat from farms I've visited and or researched. Most people aren't willing to pay the $ I pay for meat thus animal farming is what it is today. I also feel the same way about hunting as you do. Many say that what you kill is better for you, well, then tell that to the people that have gotten sick from eating diseased deer and squirrels e.g. prion diseases from deer and squirrels, tularemia from skinning rabbits, plague from pulling prairie dogs from holes, etc... Just because it was in the wild doesn't have anything to do with health.
Let's do an analysis of your logic. Factory livestock farming is destroying ecosystems in addition to torturing countless animals for entire lifetimes, while the animals that are targets of sport and subsistence hunting lead a natural existence in wild or semi-wild places. It's dark and immoral to hunt and kill food, but it's civilized to breed and imprison animals for their whole lives for the sake of your nutrition, and so that you "know what they've eaten" (might want to google "vCJD" re: the validity of that concern). Is that your contention?
I would counter that we and the planet would be better off hunting and fishing in a sustainable fashion, raising no livestock, and as result eating more plant-based foods.
You sound like the teenager I heard on the news one day. She said she doesn't eat animals, she gets her meat in the supermarket.
Sorry ec, you're just plain wrong. Hunting isn't some antiquated practise that has no place in modern society since being replaced by farming. Actually, farming was developed millennia ago, yet in many societies, for centuries at a time, hunting has been an activity reserved for the upper crust of society!
Ratmansion,
No one has ever gotten a prion disease for wild game. No one. Wild life prion diseases do not infect humans. From cows, on the other hand...You know the story, it's about 180 people and counting.
He was not hunting for "sport", he was hunting for FOOD. Big difference.
Jason, you say MSG and aspartame like they're bad things. ;)
What could be more humane than hunting a wild animal that has led a life far more normal and humane than any farm existence? Think about it; the goal of every free-range farm is to imitate life in the wild. I guess what I am saying is... do you think it is morally superior to pay someone to kill for you than to do it yourself? And if so, why?
Remmber vegans are just grain fed live stock!
I'm trying to figure out if you are being facetious or serious... I'm not a big hunter, mainly due to time and too lazy to drag out anything I kill bigger than a squirrel, but I have been before. And the best part of hunting is not the kill or even the hunt. It's the connection to nature. It's getting out in the world and watching it wake up... The sounds , the sites , the markings , etc.... They are more natural than anything you will ever eat in a supermarket.
That was the most eloquently stated, stupid reason I've ever heard... thank you.
No reason to hunt? There are a lot of reasons to hunt. 9.99 a pound steak is a reason to hunt. Over populatiton of animals is a reason to hunt. Feeding your family, is a reason to hunt. I grew up on venison and elk, and it was the only meat we really had growing up as we were a poor family in Oregon. If we didn't have that we wouldn't have had any meat at all.
You're an idiot. I shoot the little meat sacks just to kill them so they don't damage my property. I leave them lay and some other 'evil" beast will come along and eat them. Same with chipmunks and raccoons. I am the dominant species on my property , which happens to use surveyed boundaries instead of peeing on surrounding trees and bushes.
Let me guess...you live in a city, vote for Democrats, consider yourself cultured, eat a fine restaurants, have a maid that cleans your home, drive a Prius, are either a woman or are a man who dresses like a metro-sexual, etc., etc., etc......
Ignorant dribble like that is why so many issues can't be resolved, because you obviously have an incorrect & illogical label you're giving all hunters. Most hunters hunt ethically and for food, not to go on an automatic rifle rampage to mow down the forest. If domesticated animals weren't so hopped up on antibiotics and such, that would at least level the health playing field. But the FACTS are that wild game is more healthy, more abundant, and more sustainable than farm raised, not to mention the act of hunting is millenia old, raises money for states, and brings families and friends together in nature.
You a) have obviously never hunted b) do not have any idea about the challenge of tracking a wild animal and c) prefer to let someone else do your "dirty work" for you. How pleasant it must be to have your mystery meat neatly packaged for you on a styrofoam tray. I'm sure there are no growth hormones in it, nor is there too much blood.
EC, YOU GOT A REAL PRETTY MOUTH.
There is no need for most of us to eat animals. Any animals. There are plenty of good reasons to eat only plant-based food. Eating animals is bad for the animals and it is bad for you.
I think it is bizzare to see the world as a place where everyone who is not human has a role decided by humans. It does not matter how they came into being, whether on a farm or in the forest, they are individuals who want to live their own lives freely. We do not have the right to exploit anyone.
That said, the squirrel's body looks a lot like a human fetus, doesn't it?
I have hunted for almost 25 years and don't think I have ever met one of these "sport" hunters. Every person I have hunted with was out to put meat in the freezer. There are even organizations that have formed that accept wild meat and donate it to the hungry/those who may not be able to afford beef.
Oh, and squirrel is where I got my start. Great in a stew or fried.
I think it’s more honorable to eat food you’ve killed yourself, then to eat food that someone else has killed. I would enjoy hunting, but I would definitely eat everything I killed, and I would only kill as much as I can eat.
You have little understanding of why people hunt and how people outside cities live. You should really get out of your shell more. That reminds me...Turtle soup!
I would be more worried about the hormones and genetic altered food thats being fed to those animals raised for slaughter than what wild animals eat in the woods. And btw, hunting and fishing are basic human traits that have been learned over millions of years, McDonalds didn;t exist 300 years ago...
I am sure squirrels have not eaten half the junk that chickens and cows have eaten. No genetically altered corn in my fields. Chickens and cows get hormone shots, antibiotics, so forth. In commercial chicken farming the dead chickens and feathers are ground up and then used for chicken feed for the new chickens.
I hunt and fish for sport, and I eat what I kill. No different than you ordering a meal from a menu, except I have a greater appreciation of what it is I'm eating and the life lost for me to eat. If you've ever enjoyed a steak, or a nice piece of fish, you're just as much to blame for the death of that animal as a hunter is for his kill. However, I'd argue that if you're not willing to kill the animal yourself, you don't deserve the right to eat it. I'm a hunter, as man has been since there was man, and I don't feel the need to apologize for that. You got a problem with that, I've got no time for you. Go live your life crying over the squirrel I shot and looking down upon me while eating your BigMac or chicken fingers or whatever processed food items you eat. You get a flat tire by the side of the road, I'll still help you change your tire.
As others have stated, factory farms are disgusting, and nothing about them is civilized. I feel much better killing my own food rather than supporting factory farms. Even vegans will tell you that they respect hunters more than people that just eat meat, at least those that I speak with.
I do not agree with 'Trophy Hunting', which is the correct definition of 'hunting for sport' because most times hunters cape the animal and leave the meat to rot. Harvesting an animal to eat is not 'hunting for sport', unless you consider people that work in slaughterhouses 'hunters'...and if you're grilling anything other than veggies on your grill next Sunday afternoon, you're in the same boat as they are even though you aren't 'pulling the trigger'. You can't have it both ways: either go vegan...or stop whining because somebody shot & enjoyed 'fluffy-wuffy'.
unfortunately you are very, very wrong. what is civilized about cramming living beings into torturous conditions, genetically breeding them to be monsters (so full of muscle that they can't even walk properly), killing them in unbelievably inhumane ways (searing off turkeys' beaks, etc)? it is far more civilized to quickly and humanely kill an animal that has lived a free, good life for a few years or what have you. our current way of eating meat is not civilized. what it is is cowardly. we don't want to deal with the idea of killing an animal so we make other people do it, and turn our heads so as not to know exactly how it occurs.
Funny how "raised to be eaten" animals were around before we were actually "civilized". Eating farm-raised animals means absolutely nothing.
In fact, I prefer to hunt rather than support the mass food industry. At lest I know I've killed the animal in a quick and humane way instead of trapping them in a pen for their whole life forcing them to do nothing but eat and poop.
So, you prefer to eat animals that have had awful lives and worse than awful deaths, waiting in line and smelling the death coming to them soon. They hear the screaming of the animals ahead of them. They are chock full of goodness what with hormones and anti-biotics. The anti-biotics is to keep them relatively disease free while standing tightly packed with other animals and standing in everyone's filth. Pigs are as smart and friendly as dogs but we keep them trapped in tiny pens. Some are now so big they can no longer stand without breaking their legs. They keep mom pig, laying on her side in her own pen and her babies have to suckle through the fence of another enclosure. She cannot even nurture her babies. All this is what you prefer in your lofty moral stance and total ignorance of how humanity ate up until 100 years ago, less in some areas? You are despicable.
@ec
Wow, there's something wrong with that on so many levels that there must be something wrong with you. That conclusion is inescapable.
If someone is a vegetarian (I'm not going for "vegan" because I do not recognize a "pisco-vegetarian" as a vegetarian; vegans should reclaim the word vegetarian) I will accept their refusal to eat squirrel on the grounds that they don't eat animals of any kind, period. That's fine. What you choose to eat is your decision, no one else's.
However, if you *do* eat meat, than it's OK to eat any kind of meat. Most of my family members come from a culture where it's common to eat dog. I don't come from that culture and choose not to partake, but when I visit their country I'll sit and watch them do it. They don't mind that I don't eat it, I don't mind that they do eat it. Dog, cat, whatever, if you eat meat, then it's OK to eat meat, period. The only reasons I can think of to not eat a given animal is if it's contaminated or endangered, or I think it would be gross. The first two are reasonably objective and should apply to everyone. The last is subjective and should apply only to me.
As far as hunting being less humane than animals raised to be eaten, you simply don't know what you're talking about, to the point where I can't believe it's just ignorance and suspect you of actively lying. A raised-to-be-eaten animal typically spends its life in small confines with little or no room to move around, after which it is taken to a slaughterhouse where its chances of survival are zero. Then, it eventually gets to the supermarket.
An animal that is taken by hunting spends its entire life in a natural(ish, in the case of suburban squirrels) environment until it meets a quick death, again in its natural environment. Think it's not quick enough? Watch a wolf kill or a raptor kill and see how much longer that takes than a bullet, or even an arrow. When I was young, I had a cat; it would catch mice in the backyard and play with them for 20 or 30 minutes before it finally killed them.
A hunted animal has a decent sporting chance. Not every deer hunter, for example, gets a deer during the season. For all of our rifles and tree stands and camo and GPS and walkie-talkies and scent and what-have-you, the odds still favor the game. And of course, in many areas the former natural predators of many species ranging from squirrel to deer are gone, so there is no choice but for humans to step into that void. Game populations must be managed by hunting. What happens when they aren't is often tragic, with animals dying slowly of starvation instead of quickly by bullet.
I do not find raising animals for slaughter to be particularly "civilized" compared to hunting. However, I accept that we have no choice, because there are far too many of us to live off of hunting. We passed that point well over a century ago and would have extincted every wild animal if we'd tried. There were once 60 million buffalo, and what happened? we ate them all, pretty much.
@TEST
A squirrel killed by a .22 is not "mercilessly killed" (whatever the heck that's even supposed to mean). That's such a clean kill the squirrel doesn't even know what happened. As I said above, watch an animal kill another animal some time if you want to see merciless. A slaughterhouse is far more "merciless" than hunting (again, described above). However, whether it's me, a cat, a wolf, or an eagle doing the killing, the question is the same: what does mercy have to do with it? We have to eat and we're going to. Period. Whether the weapon is a rifle or a slaughterhouse, we're going to make the kill as quick and clean as we can. Far cleaner than canine teeth or talons and beak will make it.
If you're a vegetarian, I accept and respect your right not to eat animals, but you also have to accept and respect my right to kill and eat fish and animals. That's a too-way street. Or do you want to change the topic from food to, say, sexuality, and have me tell you what you can or can't do in the privacy of your own bedroom?
Just to be clear, if you eat the animal after you kill it, then by definition, you are not hunting for sport. You are hunting for food.
I do not agree with hunting for sport. We as humans need to respect all living beings in the natural world, animals and plants. We need animals and plants to live, without plants—we die, without animals, we can get by, but not as well. People forget that areas all over this continent and the world have been deforested and destroyed in order to create farmlands where we get our lettuce, our peppers, and our corn from. Even where there is a local farm, there was once a natural habitat there. Depending on where you are in the world, companion animals differ. They eat horses in France, and dogs in Asia, I am not passing judgment on them, I respect it for what it is, but it is not my culture. People should lay off ethnocentrism. To play devil’s advocate: supposedly in a “civilized society,” we do not consume other humans either. People forget the majority documented cases of cannibalism are of people of European descent—supposedly the most advanced society to date. I wouldn’t eat city squirrels, but my ancestors have been eating squirrel and other wild game animals for thousands of years.
I don't think you're nearly as smart as you think you are...
I am a human, I eat meat. I hunt so that I do not have to buy meat, and I like to hunt. It has nothing to do with the dark side of someones psyche. If there were some kind of ecological disaster I would survive you would die, no food stores after a disaster. Its a skill I prefer to keep alive, and I also show about two or three new people a year how to hunt.
So go suck a bag of stamped A h o les
It amazes me that you can say you don't know what a squirrel has eaten. If you eat chicken, pork or beef from the grocery store, please educate yourself on their feed, antibiotics and other hormones and checmicals injected into them. Visit a slaughterhouse and see if you still feel the same. My husband, and other relatives hunted off the land and they aged and hung the deer and rabbits themselves. We froze every bit and ate it over the winter.
When our commercial food prices keep rising, we shall see how many people turn hunter. If one is hungry enough, one will learn how to grow vegetables and kill their own meat.
Educate yourself before you write nonsense.
The human race isn't nearly as civilized as you're making it out to be. Slaughter houses are beyond inhumane and frankly just sick. To take an animal and treat it like a product is wrong on a level that even our "uncivilized" ancestors would have found frightening. Not to mention they live and die in their own filth and excrement and are pumped full of chemicals and hormones and fed on inedible corn by-products and the ground up flesh of other animals. Besides that, we kill each other, we shoot children in the face, rape women, hack people apart with machetes. We are animals who have placed ourselves on a pedestal so we can pretend that we are different from a pack of snarling wolves, but its all in your mind along with any other thought of or inclination toward "civilization" or "humanity". Frankly, I'm vegan, but I'd take my chances with a wild acorn eating squirrel than a sad, diseased, cow raised in standing room only that died screaming and covered in feces.
How is it civilized to imprison your future food for its entire lifetime... where its only purpose in life is to feed you?Sounds more civilized to let your prey live its natural life up until its time to become part of the natural food chain.
Except, ec, that when we hunt the animals that we have hunting seasons for, we're actually doing mother nature a favor, by thinning the population. Ever watch a deer die of hunger in the middle of winter? If the population is managed properly, by responsible hunting, you probably never will.
Here's your choice, then. We'll bring back all the carnivores that used to keep those deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc, in check, before mankind hunted their numbers down, to prevent your "civilized" food animals from being slaughtered by them. Foxes, wolves, bobcats, mountain lions....you name it, we'll release them back in droves, to keep the deer and other animals in check. And when you cry foul, because your dog Spot, your kitty Fluffy, or you children are taken instead, because they're easier to catch and devour than the wild game animals are, we'll just tell you TOUGH LUCK.
But hey, at least we'll be civilized, and not inhumanely hunting deer, rabbits and squirrels!!
My hunting instincts detect a troll...
Hey guys,
How big is your stomach so that you can't fill with vegetables. Yes, human used to hunt animals in past. You are not in stone age any more. So, forget those stone age habit that kills poor animal.
If you eat any meat, you do not really know what it ate. This is true of almost everything that you eat unless you raise it yourself. Eating it is a leap of faith that the food is wholesome and not adulterated, you can only hope that it is good for you. As for a wild squirrel, it probably picks and chooses it food much better than you or I can.
Re: "In a civilized society, we breed and slaughter our food..."
I love it when people just make stuff up to try to make a point. Among other things, by your definition, no "civilized society" eats seafood.
If you have to make things up in order to make a point, your point isn't worth making.
@ EC
Wow. You have no idea what youre talking about.
Hi. I am from the future. Before "WE" became "civilized" we used to kill plants and animals for our food and building materials. Then we evolved and became "Holier than thou." Now we are perfect and are disgusted by you primitive sinful heathens with no morals.
Now we take energy directly from the Sun and combine it with self-righteousness and our massive egos to initiate molecular cold-fusion to provide for all our needs.
We pity you.......
/sarcasmmodeoff
actually ec hunting is necasary in some parts of the country. where i live pa the hunting of white tailed deers is definatly necessary because back when the settlers came to america they were scared of wolves so they either killed them all or chased them off to canada. so any way the wolf is the white tailed deers natural preditor and they have never came back so in order to keep the deer population from growing out of control which would harm the envrironment even more with the unbalenced population deer hunting is necessary to keep their population under controll
I guess you prefer agri-business meat that is loaded with antibiotics because these animals spend their lives standing or lying in thier own poo (skin is the largest digestive organ of all) and generally filthy overcroweded conditions.
This same meat is also loaded with hormones to affect the growth, either to make it faster or bigger, especially chickens, the male chickens so they will have huge breasts. The females are used for eggs, then pet food after a year or two when they don't lay 1-2 eggs a day anymore.
Ever wonder why 8 year old grade school girls are already growing breasts? That's NOT NORMAL! Just look at all the men around you too, how many of them have developed breats? Especially if they are overweight to begin with.
Scary, very, very scary. That squirrel that just raided my poison-free garden for the umpteenth time is starting to look really tasty....
EC....people like you have forgotton how the world began. All of our domestic animals that we raise for food were once wild!! Your generation is pathetic! You could not survive without your Ipad and cellphone. When something does go wrong with the world, you will be one of the first "stupid" ones weeded out by your own ignorance.
I don't understand why everyone is aruging about if it is humane or not. Animals are not human so it does not apply.
Spoken like someone who has never been to a chicken farm. there is something to be said for working hard for a meal, and hunting is hard work. hunting is not "evil" or "in-humane" , and while i will agree that there are a small percentage of half-cocked barrel-assed hill-billies that are more interested in shooting things, rather than enriching their lives through spending time in nature and celebraying what your surroundings have to offer. A real outdoorsman uses the plant and wildlife available to him as a way to enjoy life. There is in my oppinion absolutely nothing inhumane about havesting an animal from the wild, and more-so than picking a flower,buying shrimp at the grocer, or a lion running down killing and eating a gazelle. It's called the food chain.
You are right that most people eat food that was raised to be eaten. What you fail to acknowledge is that for the most part factory raised animals are disease ridden, antibiotic saturated, unnaturally fattened on corn, confined in deplorable squalor
and just neither tasty nor good for you. You claim that you wouldn't eat a squirrel because you don't know what it ate – begs the question you know what your feedlot beef or pork was raised on?
My father hunted and fished for almost all of our food when my brother and I were growing up because even as early as the late 60's he didn't trust the way animals were farmed for meat. He was a brilliant shot and would kill everything instantly; he always told us that a mature animal had had a chance to live its life, raise the next generation (or more) and would die without fear since it would never know what hit it.
We grew up eating squirrel, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, wild turkey, geese, deer, etc, as well as all kinds of fish. The animals were always mature and they were delicious and free of hormones, antibiotics and everything else that comes with farmed meat. It made us adventurous eaters, too, and the only foods I would refuse to try are things that I know carry inherent risks, like raw items that are known to carry parasites. Otherwise, if it's just unfamiliar or wild game, bring it on!
@ec – Squirrels are strickly vegan/ They eat nuts and acorns. Do you like sea food? Do you like crab and lobster? If you do you should know they are scavengers and they eat anything from the bottom of the ocean. Including the feces dumped overboard from cruise ships. Huh. What ya think of that?Which one would you rather eat now? Farm raised pigs and cattle eat their own dung and drink their own urine and lounge in it all day. Huh. Squirrels just eat nuts and acorns. Huh. Squirrels live in trees.
Humans are meant to be hunter gatherers, which is a healthier lifestyle. And good hunters do a clean quick kill and dont waste any of the animal. Unlike today when most people go to some store, buy meat that has been mass killed in inhumane ways, with lots if waste. And there was a movie back in the early 80's about a scientist in Alaska who was there to study the wolf and found mice were over running the area, and he actually ate mice. And yes there areas of the world where rodents are eaten. Including guinea pigs in south america, monkey in asia. Possum in the southern areas of the states.
@vegan: You heartless beast. Do you realize that alfalfa stands scream when they're so cruelly and mercilessly harvested? For shame! Have some compassion for the poor helpless alfalfa plant. Now – pass us that bowl of squirrel and dumplings. Mmpfh, mmpfh, mmpfh, mmpfh... Ahhhhhh.
Then start raising squirrel.
Why in the world do you have the hubris to believe anyone....,anyone is civilized?
I agree that if we all had to kill our own meat that our diets would be much healthier. I'm saddens me that we have to be so cruell to each other to make our points...I think we could learn more from each other if we were more respectful
Taking prey from the wild to feed oneself is not a dark or terrible part of our psyche. What we do to our 'domestic' animals prior to their being used for food on the other hand does show a dark and terrible part of our psyche. Those animals are treated terribly.
I hunt. I eat what I kill. If I don't have a clean shot that guarantees a clean kill, I don't take it. When I do take a shot, the animal I am shooting at has little or no time to even know it's been shot.
That is significantly more humane a death than the deaths given to domestic animals at a slaughterhouse that can smell the blood and death of the animals that went before them and KNOW a predator is waiting for them. They are not always cleanly killed, and suffer even more pain before they are finally dispatched.
Before you get up on your high and mighty horse, and start looking down your nose at hunters, take a look in the mirror. From my viewpoint, you are the monster for supporting slaughter houses.
@TheTeacherPreacher. Re: wild game prion disease
Sorry, but the literature says you are likely wrong. Check out the article "Wild game feasts and fatal degenerative neurologic illness" look for it on the NCBI website.
BONEHEAD
Squirrel: The other white meat.
actually dark meat LOL
Used to hunt this delicacy in Oxford, Pa. (near you). Years ago I returned to my favorite woods and it wasn't woods anymore. It was a new housing developement. What happened to the squirrels,lol. ?
Oxford, that's funny, I live in KSQ actually.... same area!
To K.d.a.: If you have produced more than one, or maybe 2 children, that's why it's not a woods anymore. People whine about everything being taken over by developers but continue to crank out 3-6 kid families. Do the math. If you mindlessly overpopuated you have no business complaining. It's your fault.
My reason for not eating them is because squirrels are rodents. I won't eat rats, hamsters or guinea pigs either.
You would if you were starving. Not only would you eat it, you would be thankful to have it.
In Papa Newguinie (however you spell that) Guinee pig is a delacacy. It'a sll about what you are use to. Rad is not bad for you, neither is it nasty if you eat rats from the woods. I wouldn't suggest eating any city animal. Rabbit is the best white meat out there in my book.
I wonder how much bacon there is on a guinea pig hahahaha
Brad, Guinea Pigs are actually native to South America only. There are none in Papua New Guinea, they are not a delicacy there (and yes, I have been to Papua New Guinea). They're not even a delicacy in South America, this is one of those bizarre made-for-the-internet lies, there is no truth in any of this.
@Brad....Richard is correct...Just because it's in the name of the "country" doesn't mean it's even consumed there...I know it's widely consumed in Peru but, there they are enormous...It helps to look things up...
You must not know that 1/3 of the chicken you eat has salmonella from the poop contamination in the processing plant. People have also died from eating beef contaminated with e coli (more poop). Basically, if it comes from a store, there's poop on it. That's why you can't eat raw chicken or beef. You can't even order medium-rare hamburger for this very reason. (Remember when you could?)
Enjoy your poop contaminated burgers and chicken just the same. There are cooking instructions on the package so you can't sue the processing plant for negligence.
guinea pig is one of the first domesticated food animals. It seems that in this country we have a taboo of eating anything if its cute and fluffy. Rabbit anyone?
@ Richard. Have you ever been to Peru? Guinea pig is on just about every menu.
I don't like dark meat though I grew up on wild mammals, birds and fish. I don't care for rabbit; which my mother raised for sale. The modern diet of factory produced meats has made many of us unable to enjoy rich tasting meat. I feed the squirrels who live nearby. They are all over the place in this city of a million people. Tree rats is one of the names for them. I would gag it down until it tasted good if I had no other source of meat. I avoid fur bearing critters because of how strong the flavor is. Maybe if they were hung for a few days in an outbuilding in the fall, like we did with deer, elk, and moose in the good old days it would not be so strong or perhaps a brine bath like the Canada Geese and ducks got before going into the oven.
I've eaten jungle rat in Asia (or so they claimed, but the city rats are so big there that who knows?) and it was pretty good. They were probably telling the truth about it being jungle rat because that restaurant doesn't always have it. If it were city rat, they'd be practically giving it away, there are so many in that city.
You're missing out. Cuy (guniea pig) is delicious. I strongly recommend you try it if you ever visit Peru.
True compassion is not eating meat at all. I have much more respect for those who hunt their meat than those who let others do their killing. I know that this is not a sustainable choice for all, much in the same way that I, a vegetarian, cannot farm all of my vegetables. However, you should never forget where your food comes from. i.e. that fried chicken you ate for lunch used to have feathers and walk around. When someone hunts or gardens part of their meal, there is a connection, or respect for what you are eating, rather than just obligatory sustenance. So the argument that we are beyond, or above hunting, because it is somehow more cruel than eating animals that lived in squalid conditions under the least amount of respect, is completely wrong. At least, the squirrel in the forest had time to do it's thing before it was brought to rest. I think eating meat is for pussies, but there is nothing more manly than hunting your own food.
I think eating pussy is good too, along with eating meat.
Eating meat is what made humans brains as large as they are. The sad thing is I was with you until you had to degrade meat eaters.
@Marek is woefully lacking in writing ability and intelligence.
Well, you are what you eat.
Oh, I forgot to mention (but some of you already have): squirrels will strip your garden in a heartbeat. They're more than rats with a fancy tails (but people in different parts of the world eat rats, too!). Possum! Now THAT'S a fine critter!
... I haven't had a single problem with squirrels in my garden... of course I've also been bribing them with peanuts... :) They haven't touched a single plant in the last five years. Now the neighboors' cats may soon be on the endangered spcies list...
Yep. A vegan would starve if they had to complete with the squirrels over my garden. Getting my crops up to size is a running battle with the crows, squirrels, raccoons, and deer and the harvest is a race against time. On the plus side, I know that those critters have been eating when I harvest and eat squirrels and deer.
OOoh, they "raid your crops" so they must be killed!
Do you use the same logic on the neighbor's kids that hit a baseball into your yard??
Mmm... neighbor's kids brains... you have to try them!! Just make sure you've chopped them up enough so their parents don't recognize them! And pull out their teeth too so no dental records can be checked.
Great depression eating, when you're really hungry!!
The best I know, most ALL animals protect their territory and their food source. Humans are just a bigger animal.
newsy- How is a kid hitting a baseball into your backyard anywhere close to the same thing as a squirrel eating your crops? That was the worst metaphor I've ever read. Congratulations. By the way, as everyone else has been saying, hunting is MUCH more humane than what goes on in slaughterhouses. I hope you're just a troll and really not that ignorant. Have a nice day and enjoy that humane happy meal.
You have an over-active imagination.
@ Newsy C
Yeah, I would. Human crotch droppings contribute less to society and ecology than squirrels. Also, think about the carbon footprint you leave having these little semen demons. If you really want to go green, go brown. Sodomy is the answer, stop using the front hole people!
I guess we know how you were delivered to the world now.
nugget.
That simmering doesn't look appealing. Wonder how they BBQ – tough? Maybe in a pie like a steak pie?
Simmering and using the broth to may a creamy based (butter, flour, salt and pepper) gravy to surround the squirrel with is delicious for both squirrel and rabbit and even groundhog if its young. Just the country way.
My mom used to chicken-fry squirrel for a change of pace from stewing it. It's not the most tender meat prepared that way, but it's delicious. I recommend it only for a younger animal, if you can tell a one-year-old from a 3-year-old. Dad can, but I don't have that gift. Rabbit is good this way, too.
Back in the late 60's, as a VISTA Volunteer trainee, I once spent a few weeks with a poor family that liked to go squirrel hunting in Georgia. Little did I know at one dinner I was consuming squirrel meat. (I hadn't taken part in the hunt.) FYI, it tasted like a cross between chicken & chestnuts. Howie
My friend's mother died eating at a game meat dinner. A few of their friends all brought their game to the dinner (Squrrel, rabbit, deer, and something else I forget). The mother tried some of the squirrel, but unfortunately the brain of the squirrel was exposed to air and some disease can form when that occurs. She died within days of the disease. Since then I've stayed away from game meat as you may know who caught the animal and treated the meat, but they won't know if the animal has any pre-existing diseases. I'll stick to the traditional meats...
Alex, my sympathy for your loss, and your reaction is understandable. But respectfully it bears noting the number of deaths from Salmonella, E. coli, Mad Cow, and other diseases far out number those from wild game, especially when that game is handled and stored properly. I think it's a pretty good rule of thumb the brain and spinal material should never be tampered with if possible.
Good point. I'm still not sold on squirrel though. There is alot of other stuff in the woods you can shoot for dinner. I'm sure if it's from the woods it's fine and there's no problem with the meat. It's the stigma attached to squirrel. It's too closely related to a rat. It wouldn't be my first choice of woodland creatures, but it is another option.
You should be ashamed of yourself. What horrible article. You are a beast indeed.
Why? Because some animals are cuter than others?
"One might even say they went a bit...squirrely for it – but that would just be nuts."
Oh very nice.... I see what you did there.
Really gross. I think people get so bored they'll eat anything, how about some bugs, or a rat, or your own personal pets. Disgusting.
People do it bugs in many parts of the world. Ever been to Thailand? Bug of your choice on a stick. How about a nice crunchy scorpion? Yeah, I think they're nasty, but what other people eat, so long as it isn't an endangered species, is none of my business. Or yours.
My Grandmother made the best squirrel dumplins. She would say " boy go get me 4 or 5 squirrel's". I'd take off to the woods,and get'em. I'd skin and clean them, she would cut them up and make these big dumplins, with a skillet of cornbread....man O man...........that was gooooood eaten.
I grew up in /Wisconsin and brought home many grey squirrels in the 1950's. I found that soaking the meat in salt water for 24 to 36 hours immediately after skinning and quartering eliminated any excess gaminess and enhanced the flavor.
As squirrel and rabbit are reminiscent of Chicken, racoon is reminiscent of Turkey. I would use the same precooking soak for racoon.
Good if FDA choice only. No rabies.
You said Squirrel is the Chicken of the trees.
If you ever skinned a squirrel you would know it’s not a Chicken it’s a RAT.
You take the skin off leaving the head and tail on it you will see what I am talking about, the meat is not bad, if you can eat a rat, the Squirrel is of the same family as the Rat.
Enjoy your food.
I understand why ppl hesitate. I've had Cows as pets and i would never eat one i knew But i love burgers. I've had chickens i fed by hand and they lived out their full lives, yet i still love KFC. We are for the most part predators Our eyes are place firmly in front of out head like just about every other predator. We eat meat, and whats "Cute" is given to opinion.
It's hard to imagine a more hypocritical and selfish viewpoint than that. You acknowledge that the animals you know are worthy of love and protection, but then you condemn members of that same species to a horrific existence. Please rethink your rationale.
Both my parents were raised on "farms," out "in the sticks," about 50 miles southwest of Nashville. When we visited my maternal grandparents we'd often feast on 'possum, 'coon, fried squirrel (complete with an occasional overlooked piece of buckshot), rabbit, and an occasional farm raised chicken. I never had deer until I was well into my 30s. All these were...and remain...staples of southern country livin'. My father, a hunter before and after WW2, brought home bags of dispatched 'coons and squirrels. To me, they're a natural part of the food chain but what wine do you pair with squirrel? Red, white or....?
I would eat squirrel if I were not emotionally attached to the bulb eating buggars. After fostering them, it would be like eating my pet dog.
I would say let's eat vegans and vegetarians instead but they would taste disgusting! Like an old dehydrated piece of unmarinated meat!
So some animals shouldn't be killed (squirrels, dogs), but you attack vegans for feeling that way about ALL animals?
All of you turning up your noses are in trouble after the world ends tomorrow and all your neat styrofoam packages are gone....
Sorry, it's a rodent and that is disgusting to eat.
No problems eating squirrel but the cops in our area just cornered one with rabis (who was attacking people). Don't know how you'd insure your squirrel is ok before putting it on your dinner table.
More that that is the train of thought that leads me to ask, if we were both squirrels would it be impolite to come to your hole to bust my nuts?