Thanks. I think I’ll try my luck. There are plenty of groundhogs on his property. If I can’t get them to taste right, the rest will get tossed in the woods.

picklerick wrote:

Never killed or dressed one before. I’ve seen plenty of butchering and breakdown videos and cut up my share of deer, rabbits, and squirrel and always remove anything that isn’t meat before cooking or packaging for the freezer. I looked around and pretty much just found references to the glands in the armpits the guy showed earlier in the video. I’m betting your nose will tell you if a suspect looking piece is a gland or not.

I’ve shot plenty of rabbits and never noticed any glands. Do squirrels have glands that need to be removed?

picklerick wrote:

This guy describes the glands as sort of looking like a bean. Should be easy enough to tell meat from inedible parts.

<div class=”ido-oembed-wrap”><iframe loading=”lazy” title=”How to Butcher and Remove Scent Glands from a Groundhog” width=”850″ height=”478″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/9a-13JrEaO0?feature=oembed&#8221; frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen=””></iframe></div>

I watched that video and couldn’t find the glands. Do they come off with the skin most of the time?

Kraig5858 wrote:

Woodchuck, also known as groundhog, should be handled in accordance with the general rules for game in the field. The blood should be drained, and the entrails removed and the body cavity wiped clean. When hung for 48 hours, they are ready to the skinned and cooked. Woodchuck meat is dark, but mild flavored and tender. It does not require soaking; however, many people like to soak it overnight in salt water. If the woodchuck is caught just before he begins his winter sleep, there is an insulating fat layer under the skin. Remove excess fat. remove 7 to 9 “kernels” (scent glands) in the small of the back and under the forearms. Parboil the meat of older animals; cook by recipes calling for chicken or rabbit.

Are there any tutorials for how and where to remove the glands? That’s the bit I’m having trouble with. Any pictures would help.

Also, what would happen if I do not remove the glands before cooking?

Fantastic advice. Really cleared things up for me. You guys are great!

These ideas really do solve my dilemma.

Huntindave wrote:

Everyone may do it a bit different. I do what I do because it has worked the best for me over a long hunting span of over 60 plus years.

I find squirrels can be skinned with much greater ease, while they are still body temperature. So, 1st order of business is to skin the squirrel, then gut them. Then I wipe any excess blood from the body cavity with a small towel. I find the 12 by 12 inch micro-fiber towels sold in the auto dept to be ideal for this. Then the cleaned carcass is slipped into an empty plastic bread sack and put into my waist pack or hunting vest.

The other side benefit to pausing to take care of the game immediately is, it often leads to harvesting the next squirrel, before I ever take another step. Squirrels are very curious and more than once, I have looked up during the cleaning process to see one or even two squirrels sitting in a tree just watching me and what I’m doing.
A slow deliberate motion of picking up my gun and taking aim, has resulted in the next victim on the ground, awaiting his turn to be cleaned.

My preffered gun started as a .22 cal Bolt action Marlin, but now I am using a Savage bolt action .17HMR,,,,,,,,, head shots only.

What kind of bread bags? You mean the long plastic bread bags that loafs of bread come in at the grocery store?

Thanks for the advice guys. Solid info. I plan to hunt all day before I get to my car. Just as an idea, do you think it would be a good idea to buy a portable cooler with shoulder straps, filled with ice water, so I can just skin/gut game and toss them in, while still out in the forest?