Putting food on the table with primitive weapons

[Cattywompuss]

Believe it or not, chicken. Squirrel dumplins is as good as chicken in NC. Of course, it ent called dumplins in NC. "Chicken and Dumplins" is Chicken Pastry in NC... so Squirrel Pastry.

In fact me Aint(sic) Reba would make chicken or squirrel pastry on the farm. Never lived there see... but we made the annual pilgrimage every Thanksgiving to Branch Farm, Branch Farm Road, Macclesfield, North Carolina. The week led up to Thanksgiving. Snipe hunts for the younguns, squirrel pastry for supper on Tuesday, swinging out of the pack house just for fun, cabbage fights at the pond, cheese biscuits every Gott Dang morning, spending at least one cold night on the sleepin porch with Papa because there just weren't enough beds, cots, or couches for all us Taylors. Lord preserve us, but those were the days. Culminating in the pig pickin on ye Thanksgiving.

 

[Treestalker]

I shot a pumpkin once. Does that count?

Only if you made a pie!

 

[wilded]

I used to make squirrel and dumplings or squirrel enchiladas and my father that would not eat squirrel wolfed it down. He said it was some of the best chicken he ever ate. I never felt the need to tell him otherwise.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I always hunted big game. Never got around to squirrels. Does it taste like any other meat I might know.

CHICKEN

 

[59sharps]

What does squirrel taste like?

Chicken dark meat

 

[Bassdog1]

Dark meat chicken sounds about right. I pressure cook it in vegetable stock at 10 pounds for 15 minutes then drain, cool and coat in Kentucky Colonel seasoned flour then a thin egg wash and back into flour. Then fry to golden brown. If I want to make pulled squirrel with it I pressure cook 20 Minutes cool then chop and Vacuum seal in a bag to use for tacos, enchiladas or squirrel and noodles.

 

[Two Feathers]

Howdy:
I've been shootin' n eatin' them tree rats since I's a kid. Tastes more like Rabbit to me? It'll take a few to make a big meal, but it's worth the hunt.
Squirrel stew over biscuits, yuuuuummy, can't beat it!
Just my $0.02.
God bless them squirrel hunters:
Two Feathers

 

[Justin.44]

The expert seems to be some guy: Hovey Smith ,backyard
muzzleloading hunting books. He lives in the middle
of Georgia. He even took muzzleloaders to Africa for
big game. An Old dude. He has a youtube channel. Tons of
recipes and advice. I have shot a lot of game, but
only really cooked venison-- and with beef prices up, going
back to doing it. As a kid, my family cooked squirrel just like
we fried chicken and fish in that old iron fry pan.

Hovey is quite a character! I like his videos too.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

Nice shooting Darren!
Enjoy that tasty meat!

God bless,
Rodd

 

[Stony Broke]

About any animals a guy wants to hunt, can be taken with a muzzleloader. I mostly hunt hogs and deer and have taken lots of them with PRB's.

 

[hanshi]

I shot a pumpkin once. Does that count?

A lot of hunters do not understand the thrill and danger of hunting big game vegetables. So yes, it counts.

 

[appalichian hunter]

kje, did you wear orange camo too sneak up on that pumpkin. On a serious note although the game was not harvested with muzzleloaders there was a lot of wild game on our table at home, even now if the wife and I have a steak on the BBQ I reach for the deer stash. She will not eat wild game if not for that I would not buy beef and very little poultry.

 

[kje54]

A lot of hunters do not understand the thrill and danger of hunting big game vegetables. So yes, it counts.

I broke a nail once!!

 

[kje54]

kje, did you wear orange camo too sneak up on that pumpkin. On a serious note although the game was not harvested with muzzleloaders there was a lot of wild game on our table at home, even now if the wife and I have a steak on the BBQ I reach for the deer stash. She will not eat wild game if not for that I would not buy beef and very little poultry.

In the past I've had a lot of wild game on the table but since this is a family forum it's best not to go into any detail.

 

[kje54]

kje, did you wear orange camo too sneak up on that pumpkin. On a serious note although the game was not harvested with muzzleloaders there was a lot of wild game on our table at home, even now if the wife and I have a steak on the BBQ I reach for the deer stash. She will not eat wild game if not for that I would not buy beef and very little poultry.

If I remember correctly I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The produce department was a little chilly, it warmed up as I got closer to the register.

 

[Wopaho]

Howdy:
I've been shootin' n eatin' them tree rats since I's a kid. Tastes more like Rabbit to me? It'll take a few to make a big meal, but it's worth the hunt.
Squirrel stew over biscuits, yuuuuummy, can't beat it!
Just my $0.02.
God bless them squirrel hunters:
Two Feathers

I have lots of fiends out your way Two Feathers. Nothin like good old squirrel huntin with my 32 Crockett or the Pedresoli. I'm a member of Susquehanna Sportsmen club over at Danville, have been for along time. You should come over and shoot sometime, we have a black powder shoot the 4th. Sunday of every month. ( No shoots in June or Dec. ) Just come over an tell em Wopaho sent you and invite.

 

[BP Addict]

We raised rabbits when I was a kid. I can't remember how old I was when I first tasted chicken.

Deer and elk hunting was mostly what we did with the modern stuff. I mainly hunt with a muzzle Loader now. I'd like to try squirrel hunting. We have Blue Gray Tree Squirrels but we also have more Gray Ground Squirrels we refer to as Gray Diggers. Excuse my ignorance but do they have to be Tree Squirrels in order to eat them? TIA

Walt

 

[Dave James]

I would've loved to have cut my teeth on squirrels,with a 36 cal BP. Old man made me use up the last of the BP 22 shorts,only part that went to waste in our house was the tail,unless Mr.Johns stopped by,I still to this day pass on the brain's though

 

[Two Feathers]

Wopaho:
Thank you fer the invite. I may take you up on that. I haven't shot since the 70's except for test firing the 2 Hawkens I make for my Geisinger Doctor buddy, and that was only about 4 shots to sight them in.
My stroke has stopped me from enjoying a lot of the things I used to do.
Do you guys have blanket trading sessions or rendezvous' I would love to sell at one again.
Where is the SSC located? I should have run into you at the18th, Century Artisan show at the Country Cupboard. Perhaps next year. Covid did us in this past Feb. I'm hoping to make it thyere next year. I used to belong to the Council Cup Muzzle Loaders club up on Wally Hart's land. I think they're gone now? Lots of happy time up there.
Thanks:
Two Feathers

 

[BP Addict]

I would've loved to have cut my teeth on squirrels,with a 36 cal BP. Old man made me use up the last of the BP 22 shorts,only part that went to waste in our house was the tail,unless Mr.Johns stopped by,I still to this day pass on the brain's though

I've had brain tacos before. They taste way better when accompanied by a Corona beer!