Season here is Sept.1rst-Feb.28th with 6 per day limit.

Clay,
Y'all kill many squirrels with "wolves" in 'em (aka bot fly larvae)?

Comes in the 15th ..and sure miss granny's squirrel and gravy.....

Never in my lifetime Patrick, and I’ve skinned several thousand squirrels in my life.
I’ve heard locals talk about not killing rabbits until after a couple hard frosts. I have no idea what they’re talking about.
Lots of wives tales around here about small game especially.
My favorite is that adult boar squirrels will get into a litter of baby squirrels and casterate them so they won’t compete in breeding.
Stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Clay how about some tips on shucking them fast? Josiah and I need help skinning them quicker.

I have had a couple with bots in them here but not a lot.

How are you skinning them now Keith?

Down here....my guess would be about 2 or 3 out of 10 squirrels in summer (rabbits , too) have bot fly larvae on 'em. Nastiest dang things you've ever seen.

Have also seen them on a couple young deer fawns.

Is it fatal to the critter Patrick?

No...the critter gets a nick or cut. The bot fly lays the egg on the wound. It grows and lives under the skin....not in the muscle. When it matures, it exits. Some are as big as the end of your thumb.

Critter can't get em out. Critter will be fevered up. Not edible by me...lol

I've had a couple like that here, never knew what it was. Now I do.

I’ve never seen anything remotely like that!
Yea that would make them inedible lol

Nice pile of tree rats! One of the funnest critters to hunt and also tastiest to eat. In my early twenties I had a lab that liked to retrieve them. I'd float the Cuiver up river from Old Monroe and knock them out of the trees. She'd jump in the water and retrieve them. It was a blast and I sure miss it...

Our family farm is near Philadelphia Missouri along the north river. Hardly any squirrels around there this year.

Ol dad

That’s more than we have in 15 miles!

Had 2 kittens get a bot on the back of their neck over the years. I removed the bot in less then a week the kittens were dead. They looked healthy and bright eyed other than the soft from the bot on its neck.

Clay - Last few I skinned I slit them mid section almost all way around and peeled them back - one side towards head and other towards tail. Definitely not good at it and terrible at keeping hair off them. I obviously need to watch a squirrel skinning demo.....
Honestly probably have not skinned 50 squirrels in my life but need to learn the better ways of doing it. Last handfuls, Josiah has skinned and he is about 5 times slower than me.....course he has them boraxed and dried all over this place.
We have tons of squirrels on our hickories every year and I need to harvest more as I do like to eat them just don't enjoy skinning them.

Sitting on the front porch drinking coffee this morning and can hear them cutting in one of the hickory. There is not anything more fun then waiting for the little basturds to stop long enough to get a head shot.

I've cut and base of tail, around the body pull a little. Place the tail under you boot and pull straight up will most time make a clean pull to the head and feet cut off toss. And worry about the britches after.

Here you go treed.

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