In The Field — Eating Squirrels

Though the official launch of WildFed Season 1 is just a few weeks away, we’re already busy filming Season 2! Next season includes a gray squirrel hunt, which is not just one of my favorite species to pursue, but also a favorite to cook and eat! People often think eating squirrel is about novelty or shock factor and imagine that it can’t possibly be good eating. How wrong they are! Squirrel meat is excellent. It’s also a great species for new hunters to learn on since the barrier to entry is low, and you get to work on many of the skills you’ll use hunting bigger game, such as stealth, stalking, and accurate shooting. Plus, breaking a squirrel down is a lot like butchering a big game animal — only in miniature.

Above is a picture of a squirrel broken down into the five parts and two organs I like to eat. Two shoulders, two hams, the loins/tenderloins, the liver and the heart. I usually sprinkle a bit of salt and spice on the heart and liver and pan fry them fresh. I serve them skewered on toothpicks.

The rest gets frozen until I have a nice pile to cook. I like to have 5-10 of them for a shared meal — though, in a pinch, just a couple will do! I simmer the parts in stock (bone in) for about 40 minutes until they're very tender — then dredge them in salted/spiced acorn flour (corn flour works great too) and pan fry them. Delicious! If you haven’t hunted squirrels before, take a look at your local regulations and consider getting out this year or next. If you already love eating wild game, then adding them in is like having a wild chicken meat — they are a white meat. If you’re looking to get started hunting, there probably isn’t a better species to start with!