Squirrels….

For years I’ve tried to find something that they’re good for. Yesterday I think I found the answer….

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I think Mepps used to pay hunters for squirrel tails when I was growing up, maybe they still do??

Those are awesome, they look great tom. I’ll take 6, please ship via usps lol

I tie a streamer pattern that uses squirrel tail. It’s slippery and hard to work with, but it looks great in the water. I think my streamer looks like a fathead, who knows what the fish think.

SR

Squirrel tails or Fox hair, both make for a nice looking crappie jig. I’ve got plenty of squirrel and more is easy to come by.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

I think Mepps used to pay hunters for squirrel tails when I was growing up, maybe they still do??

I think they still buy them..

Mike Schulz wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>ThunderLund78 wrote:</div>
I think Mepps used to pay hunters for squirrel tails when I was growing up, maybe they still do??

I think they still buy them..

They do. I believe it’s .25 per tail, but you have to pay the shipping, and they have specific handling requirements pertaining to the bone removal and drying.

Looking good Tom

Jimmy Jones wrote:

For years I’ve tried to find something that they’re good for. Yesterday I think I found the answer….

Jimmy….them tree rats are good eating to bud!!!!!!!

Tried them Glenn. Not for me.

My 7 year old daughter loved them the 1 time I cooked them.

JEREMY wrote:

My 7 year old daughter loved them the 1 time I cooked them.

We do squirrel street tacos and they turn out delicious. My lady friend won’t eat them but the kids love them

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Tried them Glenn. Not for me.

i get it mostly. we had them as kids so grew up on alot of different critters.

i get it though, i know a fair amount of people who wont even try wild game……just because. little did some of them know what they ate at our house at times!!! some that wont eat it have had bear, venison, goose….. disguised as summer sausage, bologna and hot dogs.

then some wont try fish….. and heaven forbid if there was skin on!!

I ate squirrel and rabbit as a kid when I was learning how to hunt. I guess my tastes have changed and I just don’t care for either any more.

Tacos is what I was gonna make but after I shredded the meat she pretty much just ate it all of the plate before I could do it.

Those look nice for smallies in the spring! If you make more and want to sell, please let me know. I’d take a dozen in 3/32nd or 1/16th oz.

My Neighbor pressure cooks them and then Picks the meat and makes squirrel pot pie wit fresh vegtables from the garden in the fall and it is great.

orve4 wrote:

My Neighbor pressure cooks them and then Picks the meat and makes squirrel pot pie wit fresh vegtables from the garden in the fall and it is great.

Yes! This is how I cook them too. I also pan fry them and make a cream gravy out of the drippings and serve over smashed tatoes. Little buggers are tasty.

I love eating squirrel, as well. But they’re a lot like crab legs – a whole lotta work for a little meat. You can skin them quick if you do it right but I’m about 50% success rate in the quick-skinning method – a lot of times I’ll tear the skin before it comes off the body and then it’s a lot of messy cutting an pulling and I get hair everywhere. Rabbits on the other hand… the skin practically falls of once you make your first cut. I’ll clean those all day.

I only clean the rear quarters. Rest is a waste of time. The squirrels are so fat and huge at my place from eating all the corn I put out for deer and the neighbors bird feeders I poop you not the rear legs and thighs look like a smaller pheasant.

fox squirrels are bigger than grays too

JEREMY wrote:

I only clean the rear quarters. Rest is a waste of time. The squirrels are so fat and huge at my place from eating all the corn I put out for deer and the neighbors bird feeders I poop you not the rear legs and thighs look like a smaller pheasant.

what no backstrap?????

ThunderLund78 wrote:

You can skin them quick if you do it right but I’m about 50% success rate in the quick-skinning method – a lot of times I’ll tear the skin before it comes off the body and then it’s a lot of messy cutting an pulling and I get hair everywhere

Try to skin them while still warm and it should come of like a little fur coat. We would cut the tail and feet off and then cut the belly skin like a deer and start pulling.

Those look great JJ.I’m with Steve those do look like good smallie baits. Hell since your tying some for him i will take a few also.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

I think Mepps used to pay hunters for squirrel tails when I was growing up, maybe they still do??

This is fact. I know guys that tie flies and jigs with deer hair also.

Squirrel is okay eating, but the last two times I ate it there is something about it that makes me spend most of the night puking.

Many years later I was going to have minor surgery and the nurse asked me “Are there any foods that you are allergic or sensitive to?”

“Ummmm… Well, squirrel. But you don’t have to put that down because I’m pretty sure that the hospital doesn’t serve squirrel…” You might be a redneck if you have a hospital wristband that says “Sensitive to squirrel meat”

Steve Root wrote:

I tie a streamer pattern that uses squirrel tail. It’s slippery and hard to work with, but it looks great in the water. I think my streamer looks like a fathead, who knows what the fish think.

SR

Got a pic?

And Tom, I mean Jimmy, I have a bag of red squirrel tails in a bag in the garage I was planning to give to someone for fly tying if they want. I’m assuming those are from greys?

Yes sir, these in the pics were done using grey tails. Fox will work well too.

I’m pretty much a plastics guy when it comes to jigs and crappies. I haven’t used live bait for crappies in maybe 25 years. My fishing buddy will once in a while use a hair type jig and he does fairly well with them, so I thought I’d tie a couple up to have along when we get rid of some ice and open water is available. The banded colors look nice in these and one can’t get that look any more natural. I’m sure they’ll do well.

Chuck, Steve, if I decide to make more for sale, I’ll pm you.

Here ya go Labdaddy.

The streamer uses Mylar piping for the body, red tag, grey squirel tail for the wing, and hen hackle for the throat. The head is grey dubbing. I’ve caught a lot of Crappies with this fly, as well as my personal best Smallmouth.

The popper is a bug I made out of foam window insulation. The tail is grey squirrel, there’s black saddle hackle in front of that, and I painted it with model airplane paint that comes in the little jars. It floats like a cork and makes a nice deep “blurp”, bit doesn’t hold up really well after a bunch of Largemouth have chewed on it.

SR

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