Here's another aspect of a culinary delight...how shall we say, "To add a bit of flavor to the Forum Recipe section!"

Many folks, especially on the east coast region, spend many a day in the woods hunting 'tree' squirrels. Making a fine mess of squirrel stew (or cooked squirrel brains, maybe with eggs sometimes), and enjoy a fine meal this way...along with fresh biscuits lathered up with butter n' honey......tasty, yes.

Several folks in the Forum here shoot ground squirrels, correct?

How many of you have cooked (made stew or fried up) some to eat?
Now think on this a spell....what does a ground squirrel eat - grass n' roots (ok, his wounded pal sometimes too).
What does a cow eat, grass and some of the roots that pop out of the ground along with the grass.

Many folks delight at getting a mess of tree squirrels, but yet most folks don't bother with, or let alone consider, ground squirrels (yes, most often there's not enough left of the ground squirrel to even make fricassee!).

So next time out, take your fishing pole, make a loop at the leader end of the line and put the loop over the hole in the ground. When the squirrel pokes its head out for a looksee, yank the pole back and hang on! You'll have a pan ready ground squirrel then...

Should you cook the brains? I wouldn't, better save them to brain tan the hide.....makes a fine pelt if done right.

I've done that outsidebear. Me and some amigos sitting in lawn chairs. Cooler full of beer. That was great fun.

Never even concidered eating them cause we had steaks and burgers and stuff.

The "fun was in the fishing" that day. Up until now, I thought that we had invented the sport!

Cheezywan

Cheezywan
Most entertaining a ground squirrel on some #6 test line is, huh...

With regards to a loop and catching ground squirrels:
Eskimos of northern Alaska/Canada, and most likely the northern/arctic European natives as well, use to catch their parka squirrels by laying a loop of twine/braided grass or sinew, over the hole in the ground, then lay and wait n' wait n' wait.....until the parka squirrel poked their head out to see how the weather was, and with a quick pull of the wrist, there was both food for dinner, and another squirrel hide for making under garments, socks/inner footwear, or even lightweight shirts/parkas, from...

Cheezywan
Most entertaining a ground squirrel on some #6 test line is, huh...

With regards to a loop and catching ground squirrels:
Eskimos of northern Alaska/Canada, and most likely the northern/arctic European natives as well, use to catch their parka squirrels by laying a loop of twine/braided grass or sinew, over the hole in the ground, then lay and wait n' wait n' wait.....until the parka squirrel poked their head out to see how the weather was, and with a quick pull of the wrist, there was both food for dinner, and another squirrel hide for making under garments, socks/inner footwear, or even lightweight shirts/parkas, from...


#4 or #2 is better from my limited experience. I used #4. It was fun and that is what was on the reel. I caught a few trout with the same rig as I recall?

If I needed the hair, I would shoot or trap them here in Iowa.
Skin a mouse? Sit it down on your thumb and push!

Cheezywan

You guys know how to have fun with that squirrel "fishing"! Might have to try that with a rockchuck, or even better, a badger - with 12 lb test of course. Might have to have a cable leader for those.:D

I think I'll pass on the ground squirrel culinary delight. Haven't found myself that hungry yet.

Umm...looking at the badger I have seen around here, think I would stick to shooting them! What would you do when that 12# test line breaks?:eek:

ID PERSONALY LEAVE THE BADGER ALONE ON THE FISHING LINE, another note on badgers the heavy equipment operators here like to park there broke equipment over the badgers hole for the mechanics(this is great fun to watch) and a neat little urban myth supposedly someone in the klamath falls area decided to take a crap in an already dug hole and founf out badgers dont like getting @#$% on, and got himself castrated roughly. ive shot badgers with a .357 8 times and it didnt slow him down till we got out of sight.