Keeping and Storeing Squirrels

Wallbass45

New member
Growing up i would hunt Squirrels and take them home to clean and Mom would fix them. They were never saved just cooked up. Now many years later Im going huntin them again and may not get the time to cook them right away. Also didnt think back then,but What do you guys do with them on the Ride Home? How do you store them? Thanks Jeff
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P.s.When i was a kid i hunted across the street,never thought about them going bad in 70-80Deg. weather
 
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We didn't save squirrels either... but Rabbits and Quail used to get cleaned and stuffed in those one quart cardboard milk cartons filled with water and frozen until there was a mess big enough for the family (seven people) and then Grandma would fix them for a Sunday dinner..

My favorite meal after church was a bunch of Scrambled Eggs, Fried Potatoes with Onions, Fried Quail and homemade Biscuits with Quail Gravy....Not the healthiest by today's standards, but something to look forward to after sitting in Church for a couple of hours...
 
we used to just throw them in the back seat on the floor till we made it home and never worried about the temp either it was about a 1 1/2 hour drive home after stopping at my uncles and BSing till dark.my wife read in the ball preserving book that they will last a tad over a year by just putting in zip lock bags and freezing I dont think they go bad just not as nutritious (freezer burn) I think turtles grand mother had the right idea if you was going to leave them for more than a year frozen
 
Skin them and get them on ICE as soon as possible just as you would any other game meat in warm temperatures. I skin and process mine ASAP and put them in a cooler with ice for the ride home. Then when home I get a large bowl or two and fill it with ice cold water and put the squirrel pieces in there and sprinkle some table salt over them to draw the blood from the meat. After allowing the salt to work for a couple of hours I rinse the pieces and do a final trimming and cleaning to make them ready to cook, then pat the pieces dry and use the vacuum sealer to seal them for the freezer. If you don’t already have a vacuum sealer – get one! That was one of the best investments I’ve made, it is a super handy tool for the kitchen and it is surprising how often you use it to seal other stuff for hunting/fishing/camping/floating trips ect.
 
Thanks Guys
It sounds like I will be shopping for a Vacume sealer. Any recomendations on Brand? GC: how many pieces per bag do you freeze? Then when you take them out to thaw do you leave it in the Fridge? Thanks Jeff
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Originally Posted By: Wallbass45Thanks Guys
It sounds like I will be shopping for a Vacume sealer. 1) Any recomendations on Brand? 2) GC: how many pieces per bag do you freeze? 3) Then when you take them out to thaw do you leave it in the Fridge? Thanks Jeff
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1) I use a FOOD SAVER brand and it does a good job and seems to get good reviews from other users. Mine is pretty old now so I haven't looked into any of the new ones, something may have changed so a little research might be in order before buying.

2) I bag together a "serving", however many pieces it will take to cook a meal for the family being served. As an example, I just put three young gray squirrels in a bag for my dad and mom, that will make plenty of squirrel for them when served with "fixin's."

3) I don't defrost in the fridge, if I'm going to cook them soon. If it is going to be awhile, like I lay them out in the morning before going to work then I might start them in the fridge and when I get home put them out completely to finish the defrost. Or, I may lay them out completely to defrost and the wife or I run home at noon to check on them and put them in the fridge until we get home that evening. You know how it goes...
 


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