JesseJames
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What is you easiest way to skin a squirrel?
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Whats the easiest way to skin a squirrel?
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Doc Contender
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Make a cut behind the tail. The step on the tail and pull up with the hind legs. Works most of the time.
First choice for me: Give it to my wife to skin.
Second choice for me: Make a cut in the middle of the back and pull the skin in both directions until it's off.
Third choice for me: Hang by a back leg, case skin, slip the hair, and tan it for a pouch.
Second choice for me: Make a cut in the middle of the back and pull the skin in both directions until it's off.
Third choice for me: Hang by a back leg, case skin, slip the hair, and tan it for a pouch.
TwoShadows
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Confessions of a squirel hunting addict
with apologies to Doc for answering a question aimed at him)...
First of all I wet the squirrel...wet hairs don't fly around as much as dry ones.
The cut I believe Doc mentioned ....from my viewpoint is made across the tail as close to the anus as possible. This is a very important cut. It must go through the tail bone yet not through the tail hide on the far side of the tail. I then make small cuts from this one inch down towards the belly section....these cuts are about 1 inch long and through the hide only. I then put my foot on the tail and grasping the hind legs I pull upward to a standing position until the skin is mostly over the front legs and near the neck. I then grasp the skin that is torn to a vee on the belly area. I pull thet up and over the hind legs until it is almost off. Still with my foot on the tail, I slip my fingers behind the front legs and free them from the carcass. At this point it is easy to chop off the feet and head. if you are careful there will be no hair on the carcass and you have a clean body ready to be eviserated. It is assumed this squirrel is of the head shot variety. Tree rats what are shot in the middle don't respond well to this method of skinning.
To further try and explain the original cut...it starts as close to the anus as possible...and in cuting through the tail bone the cut actually ends up high in the hips, slightly toward the head from where the tail and body connect.
My poor attempt to be exact may be lacking, if so please feel free to come on down and we'll have a hands on demonstration.
with apologies to Doc for answering a question aimed at him)...First of all I wet the squirrel...wet hairs don't fly around as much as dry ones.
The cut I believe Doc mentioned ....from my viewpoint is made across the tail as close to the anus as possible. This is a very important cut. It must go through the tail bone yet not through the tail hide on the far side of the tail. I then make small cuts from this one inch down towards the belly section....these cuts are about 1 inch long and through the hide only. I then put my foot on the tail and grasping the hind legs I pull upward to a standing position until the skin is mostly over the front legs and near the neck. I then grasp the skin that is torn to a vee on the belly area. I pull thet up and over the hind legs until it is almost off. Still with my foot on the tail, I slip my fingers behind the front legs and free them from the carcass. At this point it is easy to chop off the feet and head. if you are careful there will be no hair on the carcass and you have a clean body ready to be eviserated. It is assumed this squirrel is of the head shot variety. Tree rats what are shot in the middle don't respond well to this method of skinning.
To further try and explain the original cut...it starts as close to the anus as possible...and in cuting through the tail bone the cut actually ends up high in the hips, slightly toward the head from where the tail and body connect.
My poor attempt to be exact may be lacking, if so please feel free to come on down and we'll have a hands on demonstration.
Doc Contender
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Twoshadows
Thats the way I skin it. Must had the same teacher!
Thats the way I skin it. Must had the same teacher!
Chuck Deaton
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Squirrel skinning is one of those things that I have watched done a thousand times, but when I try it total diaster, hair all over.
My brother-in-law, he can't walk and chew gum, but he is the squirrel skining champ of the county. It is damn near magic.
My brother-in-law, he can't walk and chew gum, but he is the squirrel skining champ of the county. It is damn near magic.
TwoShadows
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'spect so. Mother nature and Father time!
Actually, it evolved from laziness. I am the laziest man in the world. If you give a hard job to a lazy man he will figure out the easiest way to do it. Once conquered, anyone can do it, and I moved on to another hard job. That fed the missus and the kids and gave me enough time to follow my dreams. Long ride...few regrets. aint quit yet....figure to go sliding up to the finish line kickin and scratchin ...ain't gonna give it up easy.
Actually, it evolved from laziness. I am the laziest man in the world. If you give a hard job to a lazy man he will figure out the easiest way to do it. Once conquered, anyone can do it, and I moved on to another hard job. That fed the missus and the kids and gave me enough time to follow my dreams. Long ride...few regrets. aint quit yet....figure to go sliding up to the finish line kickin and scratchin ...ain't gonna give it up easy.
First things first, I cut off the whiskers and save them for making dryfly tails (fly fishing, my other passion), once that is done, I cut off the tail close to the butt.
Skinning method #1:
Like Haggis: I too make a cut in the middle of the back and pull in both directions, then work the legs out and stop at the neck and tail bone...
I only do this if the squirrel is fairly in tact, I had one rip in two on be before... ::
Lop off the neck and feet and your done... (unless you didn't field dress the squirrel in the woods, then you need to do this)
Squirrel chittlins? ::
No thanks... ::
Skinning method #2:
Duct tape the squirrels hind feet to a large tree after making a cut along the legs up to it's tail... (two or three rolls should do it)
Tie the squirrel's front legs to the rear bumper of your truck with a heavy cable, say about 20 yards long...
You have roughly 18 yards of free cable to get your truck up to about 60 mph, this should skin that varmit right nice...
Skinning method #1:
Like Haggis: I too make a cut in the middle of the back and pull in both directions, then work the legs out and stop at the neck and tail bone...
I only do this if the squirrel is fairly in tact, I had one rip in two on be before... ::
Lop off the neck and feet and your done... (unless you didn't field dress the squirrel in the woods, then you need to do this)
Squirrel chittlins? ::
No thanks... ::
Skinning method #2:
Duct tape the squirrels hind feet to a large tree after making a cut along the legs up to it's tail... (two or three rolls should do it)
Tie the squirrel's front legs to the rear bumper of your truck with a heavy cable, say about 20 yards long...
You have roughly 18 yards of free cable to get your truck up to about 60 mph, this should skin that varmit right nice...
Guest
Mostly I do it like Two Shadows said because I mostly hunt alone these days. When my boys were home we made the cut in th e middle of the back and pulled two directions. Both always worked well for me.
Musketman....thanks for the tip about squirrel whiskers....they're probably easier to handle than hackle and make as good or better tails. I'm wondering if you couldn't use them for upright wings too.....maybe?
Vic
Musketman....thanks for the tip about squirrel whiskers....they're probably easier to handle than hackle and make as good or better tails. I'm wondering if you couldn't use them for upright wings too.....maybe?
Vic
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Musketman
Duct tape the squirrel. That's good. Now theres 1002 things to do with duct tape. Let's make it 1003 by duct tapeing all of ours ex-wife's to the dead horse in the other forum and shipping them on a slow boat to china.
Duct tape the squirrel. That's good. Now theres 1002 things to do with duct tape. Let's make it 1003 by duct tapeing all of ours ex-wife's to the dead horse in the other forum and shipping them on a slow boat to china.
Pinch up a little skin in the middle of the back, put the point of your knife thru it , insert middle fingers into cut , pull in both directions. Cut off feet and tail.
Skin head right out to the nose then pluck out the eyes, gut it and your done.
Deadeye
Skin head right out to the nose then pluck out the eyes, gut it and your done.
Deadeye
Rocky Johnson
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I have been cleaning them like TwoShadows said for fifty years, works for me. He done a nice job of explaining that method if you don't clean them that way you should give it a try. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Guest
Years ago I bought a wire frame from Cabelas. It could be hung over a limb by a rope and the squirrel was hung from it. The same method of cutting under the tail as doc stated is still used .The advantage to this device is if you have a bad back it eliminates bending over . You start with the hind feet in the frame and pull the tail down until it off the head. At is exposed so that the head may be placed in it . Now the "V" at the belly can be pulled and the remaining skin can be pulled from the hind feet. Gut the kritter and romove the head. doesnt get much easier if you dont like to bend. If season were in and I had the right camera I would send pictures. GMA
I have always used the cut across the back and pull in both directions method, but last season started carrying cutters and a plastic bag to the woods in addition to my knife. I skin them as soon as I shoot them and find they skin a lot easier when fresh and warm. Place the cleaned squirrel in a zip-lock bag and go find another one. A very large fox or gray squirrel that has been dead for a few hours almost requires power tools for skinning.
Guest
The easiest way is to kill the critter first. Otherwise they bite like hell! :haha: :haha:
My brother's method is to have me do it...
My dad use to hang the squirrel by it's hind feet on nails after making a cut along the legs and pull the hide down over the head in one smooth motion, he also did rabbits this way...
Here is a method for skinning a rabbit, this also works well on squirrels...
1. Opening cut
2. Loosening skin
3. Skinning and disjointing leg
4. Leg disjointed and Lesh cleaned from lower end
5. Skinning tail
6. Cutting of ears and skinning head
7. Cutting abdomen
8. Removing entrails
9. Cutting into portions
My dad use to hang the squirrel by it's hind feet on nails after making a cut along the legs and pull the hide down over the head in one smooth motion, he also did rabbits this way...
Here is a method for skinning a rabbit, this also works well on squirrels...
1. Opening cut
2. Loosening skin
3. Skinning and disjointing leg
4. Leg disjointed and Lesh cleaned from lower end
5. Skinning tail
6. Cutting of ears and skinning head
7. Cutting abdomen
8. Removing entrails
9. Cutting into portions
I use the Deadeye and Superflint system - sort of. Deadeye's method kind of creeps me out. I just lop the head off instead of skinning to the nose and plucking out the eyes.
I slit the skin across the back crosswise in front of the hips and stick the first two fingers of each hand under the skin (knuckles on either side of the backbone) and give a mighty tug. the skin rips and peels, leaving you to cut it away at the ankles, tail and neck. I just lop off all the extremities (feet, tail & head). If I'm saving the tail (Muddler flies) I yank out the bone and jamb a twig in to allow air in and hold the shape until I can get it home and poke in borax to perserve it. Sometimes the skin stays across the belly and must be slit there. Then, I open the cavity and dump the entrails. One hoh-dressed squirrel carcass.
Here's a interesting bunny system. This was in Outdoor Life a bazillion years ago (I think it must have been an April issue). Slit the FRESH killed bunny around the anus and a further 1" slit through the belly skin up from there. Then grab the bunny's front legs and swing it, from a standing position, down between your legs with all your might and snap it to a halt, banding slightly at the waist. The guts shoot out the slit, leaving a field dressed bunny, the entrails on the ground behind you and your hands clean.
Now here's the catch. You have to smack your elbows against your legs hard to get it to 'snap' suddenly enough to eviscerate the bunny. If you don't, what happens is the bunny guts string out and end up smacking you all up your back. I found this out in demonstrating it to a friend. I did it, but when he tried the results varried slightly. Luckily, his gun was unloaded and I climb trees pretty well. After that, it became a ritual to demonstrate it for someone and let him coat himself while the 'learned ones' laughed like idiots. "All there is to it. Here, now you try snicker, snicker." This works better if the 'victim' doesn't have the only vehicle, or has to ride back in yours.
I slit the skin across the back crosswise in front of the hips and stick the first two fingers of each hand under the skin (knuckles on either side of the backbone) and give a mighty tug. the skin rips and peels, leaving you to cut it away at the ankles, tail and neck. I just lop off all the extremities (feet, tail & head). If I'm saving the tail (Muddler flies) I yank out the bone and jamb a twig in to allow air in and hold the shape until I can get it home and poke in borax to perserve it. Sometimes the skin stays across the belly and must be slit there. Then, I open the cavity and dump the entrails. One hoh-dressed squirrel carcass.
Here's a interesting bunny system. This was in Outdoor Life a bazillion years ago (I think it must have been an April issue). Slit the FRESH killed bunny around the anus and a further 1" slit through the belly skin up from there. Then grab the bunny's front legs and swing it, from a standing position, down between your legs with all your might and snap it to a halt, banding slightly at the waist. The guts shoot out the slit, leaving a field dressed bunny, the entrails on the ground behind you and your hands clean.
Now here's the catch. You have to smack your elbows against your legs hard to get it to 'snap' suddenly enough to eviscerate the bunny. If you don't, what happens is the bunny guts string out and end up smacking you all up your back. I found this out in demonstrating it to a friend. I did it, but when he tried the results varried slightly. Luckily, his gun was unloaded and I climb trees pretty well. After that, it became a ritual to demonstrate it for someone and let him coat himself while the 'learned ones' laughed like idiots. "All there is to it. Here, now you try snicker, snicker." This works better if the 'victim' doesn't have the only vehicle, or has to ride back in yours.
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