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Tough squirrels... help

strokn47265
Need some advice....Last time i squirrel hunted was in Virginia... Lots of grey sqirrels, ez to skin.. Now i'm in Indiana... Went to a friends farm and harvested 5 Red/Fox squirrels. Cant for the life of me skin these big OLD suckers. They just won't skin.. I mean hell they are like tryin to pull an old leather belt apart. I've ripped 2 of them into 2 pieces litterally. Tried different cuts, etc... The skin/ hide just wont budge. Farm is loaded with alot of em, of course the farm is loaded with black walnuts, hickory and oak trees.. Any one got advice on skinning these tough suckers?
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Comments

18 comments

Date Votes
  • Nighthawk
    There's a way thats hard to explain, but I'll try. Cut them cross ways as you normaly would, then split each side inyo a Y shape. Then began rolling the hide off of each leg. HTH
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  • strokn47265
    I understand what your sayn, but i can't even get the hide to budge at all. No matter how i cut..
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  • strokn47265
    I cant even get to the legs Period.
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  • shoff14
    Heres how I clean them. Cut skin around the neck, cut down the back bone. Using the head has a handle, pull the skin to the chest from the head to the butt. Skin pulls right off, gut, cut tail, cut head off and wash with water good.

    I really hated to shoot males and tried to avoid if all possible.
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  • timbroman
    Good hunting - our season opened here this past Saturday - we hunt in fairly low woods, not a swamp but nasty - mostly shot "cat" squirrels and only a few "fox" squirrels which tend to run dark and almost black in these woods. Anyway I have always found dressing squirrels a chore and the only technique I have ever used was opening the hide above the vent and cutting an inch or so along the rear of each upper hip - cutting only through hide, not muscle. I break the tail then work my index fingers into the aforementioned opening in the legs so I can work the hide off the legs down to the ankles, essentially turning his hide inside out - now you have a clean pair of legs - I work my fingers along his back separating the hide from the muscle as I work toward the shoulders - depending on how hard he was shot it may be necessary to empty the body cavity and remove the hind feet so you can work the hide off the shoulders and forelegs while holding down the tail with your foot - my Dad and all his people cleaned the heads but they are mostly discarded now in the local camps here - anyway, all this can be done lots easier and faster with two men working together with one keeping tension on the squirrel as the skinner eases the squirrel out. You've killed and dressed squirrels before so you know how important it is to avoid hair on the meat. This is basic squirrel skinning here and you have to adjust your technique when shoulders or bellies are shot up making the skinning more difficult. Once the squirrel is cleared of the feet and head, the pelvis opened and the body cavity is clean, the most important thing I can impart to those who are novice at this is to deal with the scent/musk tissue around the shoulders, groin and leg joints - if one removes these the game will be tastier by far - these scent glands are easily visible under the "arms", inside the "elbows", behind the "knees", etc - you cannot miss them if you look for them - they appear to be yellowish or off-white against the meat and should be thoroughly excised as the squirrel is cleaned - if there is clear running water available, your well-cleaned squirrel should be cooled or iced and ready for the pot. That's about all I know about cleaning squirrels.
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  • JamesRK
    I found a video.

    Link to Video
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  • strokn47265
    I'll have to try cutting like he did in the vid. I did try standin on the head and pullin up though, result was pullin it completely in two. I had been slicing across back then pullin apart. I swear i've never seen squirrels as big as the ones at the farm. It's been about 10 years since i've ate a bit of squirrel. Just out of couriousity any good recipes or tips on fryin or grillin them?
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  • Old-Colts
    Fox squirrels are tough to clean regardless, unless you get a real young one. The only way I've ever cleaned any type squirrel is to pull a patch of hair from a small area at the mid-back, cut the skin across that location, use the index fingers of each hand to slip under the skin at the cut, and then pull in each direction. If the squirrel isn't shot up too bad the skin separates as you pull and the back section pulls down to the tail and over the back feet and the front section pulls over the squirrel's head and over front feet.
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  • strokn47265
    Exactly how i was doin it Old-Colt.....But still a chore to get fingers under skin, letalone get skin to pull even an inch.
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  • kimi
    This subject has come up before and the video that JamesRK has noted seems to work well. What I do is pinch the skin at the middle of the back with my left hand, then puncture it with the tip of the knife, blade up, and then cut up through the skin. This will result in about a one inch slice in the skin. Then force the tips of the index fingers between the skin and the meat until you can insert two fingers of each hand beneath the skin, then hold the squirrel horizontally while pulling outboard with both hands. Then simply cut off the feet and head. No hair, no mess.
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  • kimi
    quote:Originally posted by Old-Colts
    Fox squirrels are tough to clean regardless, unless you get a real young one. The only way I've ever cleaned any type squirrel is to pull a patch of hair from a small area at the mid-back, cut the skin across that location, use the index fingers of each hand to slip under the skin at the cut, and then pull in each direction. If the squirrel isn't shot up too bad the skin separates as you pull and the back section pulls down to the tail and over the back feet and the front section pulls over the squirrel's head and over front feet.


    same here old colts.
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  • kimi
    quote:Originally posted by strokn47265
    Exactly how i was doin it Old-Colt.....But still a chore to get fingers under skin, letalone get skin to pull even an inch.


    Amazing. I've never come across a squirrel that tough.
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  • strokn47265
    They are ridiculously that tough....
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  • He Dog
    I grew up hunting fox squirrels, and never encountered one that tough. Must be something in the Indiana water.

    Heck, at least you are hunting squirrels.
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  • fishkiller41
    Make a small cut at the base of the tail, then insert "air-chuck "fully into hole.Hold the skin tightly around the air-chuck. Now, GIVE 'ER A BLAST OF hi-pressure air!
    That should do the trick.(If it ain't shot-up too bad).[:D]



    Jeff
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  • Horney toad
    I boil them until tender. You will have to keep checking. Then I roll the pieces in flour and pan fry slowly. Be careful not to burn. They should get light brown and they will be done.
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  • tomahawk
    slit along back lengthwise from head to tail. grab both sides of fir and pull. step on fir, grab squirrel around belly and pull up. 30 seconds a piece[;)][;)][:D]
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  • matwor
    I'm gonna have to try the "slit down the back" technique, never done that. Always made a little slit in their belly, then cut around their middle like a belt, and turned 'em wrong side out towards each end.

    Fox squirrels always seemed to be tougher than greys, and another thing, make sure you do it as soon as you can, cuz they get tougher with time.
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