I'm quite neutral on squirrels but I'm a big fan of beavers.
-
SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
Squirrel Karma
Another thread got, uh, slightly derailed by talk of squirrels. I was in the pro-squirrel camp, others were against. Some wanted to eat them, another wanted to shave them (no mention of whether we're talking a full shave or just a Brazilian).
I said that I love the squirrels, even though they climb over everything, mess up my garden, tear apart Christmas lights, and steal apples from my Honeycrisp tree. However, they leave my boat alone. It's under a tarp next to the garage and even though the squirrels climb on everything else I never see them on the boat.
Well this weekend I went out to re-do some of the bungees holding the tarp down and I saw that I left the hatch boards out last time I was up there. IN OCTOBER! So basically I left a nice cozy warm squirrel nest wide open for nearly four months.
They could have absolutely destroyed my cushions and sails, but as far as I can tell there was never a squirrel in there. Everything looked fine. I think they heard all the nice things I was saying about them and decided to give me a break.
Now that I've put the boards in my nightmare is that I've trapped a squirrel in there and come spring will have to get dead-squirrel smell out of the boat….
I said that I love the squirrels, even though they climb over everything, mess up my garden, tear apart Christmas lights, and steal apples from my Honeycrisp tree. However, they leave my boat alone. It's under a tarp next to the garage and even though the squirrels climb on everything else I never see them on the boat.
Well this weekend I went out to re-do some of the bungees holding the tarp down and I saw that I left the hatch boards out last time I was up there. IN OCTOBER! So basically I left a nice cozy warm squirrel nest wide open for nearly four months.
They could have absolutely destroyed my cushions and sails, but as far as I can tell there was never a squirrel in there. Everything looked fine. I think they heard all the nice things I was saying about them and decided to give me a break.
Now that I've put the boards in my nightmare is that I've trapped a squirrel in there and come spring will have to get dead-squirrel smell out of the boat….
1 - 20 of 49 Posts
I've got a very strange relationship with squirrels. As a kid, I was enthralled with them. They were cute, fun to watch, and probably the most gifted gymnasts and daredevils in the entire animal kingdom including humans. To say that I yearned for one as my constant companion would be UNDERSTATING my love for the things. I simply NEEDED one.. I LOVED them.
So... what's a boy to do? Well, since you couldn't get one at the pet store and my parents thought I was crazy, the only thing left was to figure out a way to trap one live, feed it by hand, and then it would, OBVIOUSLY, be my best buddy for life and be right there by my side looking for treats and my winning smile every time I stepped into the great outdoors. 'Natch.
Trapping one at MY house was out of the question.. my Dad would have handed me my head. So, me and my buddy who had way more "laissez faire" parents decided we'd "trap" one at his place, a few blocks away. His folks were out at the time. Their kitchen window looked directly out onto a high raised deck and a door from their kitchen also opened onto said deck. A huge chestnut tree overhung their deck, with the mammoth trunk butting up right against it; you could stand on the railing of the deck and climb into the tree, about 20 feet off the ground. An adventurous young lad's paradise. Needless to say, with the chestnuts and acorns from surrounding trees scattered about the deck, squirrels were on the deck constantly and sometimes even mixing with humans.
No one is going to believe the following, but it's the truth. We sealed off the doors of the kitchen that led to the rest of the house, then opened the kitchen window that led to the deck. Twenty feet of twine, a piece of cardboard, and a tablespoon of peanut butter were pressed into service by we two intrepid animal lovers. We laid the peanut butter-encrusted cardboard out on the deck near the tree, ran the attached twine across the deck, through the window, and into the kitchen were we crouched silently, expectantly, and with the confidence that only two 8 year old boys can have.
Within a matter of minutes, Scamper (we were SURE that was his name) found the peanut butter and we commenced the inch-by-inch, Telltale Heart-inspired painfully slow reeling in of the twine. As it got close to the window, we backed our way into the dining room adjoining the kitchen and closed the French doors separating the two. We continued to slow reel in the twine and, sure enough, the Scampmeister was soon perched on the window sill. One more small pull and, if he was to continue enjoying his peanut butter ("what IS this nectar from the Gods?!?!?"), he would have to follow the magic cardboard into the kitchen. Well..... we pulled the twine another inch, the cardboard fell to the floor, and Scamp followed without hesitation.
We burst into the kitchen to shut the window quickly so he couldn't get out, just to make sure he'd give us enough time to truly befriend this magical creature.
"Magic" doesn't begin to describe what happened next. Scamp turned into "Taz." He went absoLUTEly berserk. I don't know how he generated enough centripetal force to run around the room midway UP the walls and across the faces of the cabinets, but he did. As a matter of fact, he generated so much force that the cabinet doors OPENED behind him during his first lap. His second lap took him through the cabinets. The physical law of displacement ("two or more masses can not occupy the same space at the same time") required that, to make room for the Scampmanian Devil, some of the contents of the cupboards made the choice to jettison themselves onto the floor and countertops, giving their lives in order to accommodate the furry four-legged whirlwind hellbent on reversing time a la Chris Reeve as he circled the globe backwards in Superman II.
Needless to say, we couldn't get the window and door open fast enough. Eventually Scamp returned to the great outdoors, we did our best to clean what was left of the kitchen, and, at first, attempted to concoct a believable explanation for the myriad of broken dishes, serving bowls, and glassware in the trash... not to mention the surprising amount of extra empty space in my friend's mother's cupboards.
Now, here's where this 100% true tale really becomes unbelievable to those of you who really know eight year old boys. We couldn't come up with anything that we thought my buddy's Ma would believe for a second, so, well... we did the only thing we could think of. We went with the truth when she got home.
She looked at us, sort of like my German Shepherd looks at me when I make a funny sound or ask him a question that's completely beyond his ken; she tilted her head to one side, then the other, then back.. her eyebrows mirroring the motion but in the opposite direction...no words... staring us down.... waiting for the REAL truth...
To this day, over 45 years later, she still doesn't believe us. She's still trying to figure out why we intentionally broke about 1/4 of her dishes and glassware. God Bless her... she never lost her cool, never yelled, didn't cry.. just sort of has that puzzled look on her face whenever I see her. I'm 54 now.
I still like squirrels. In a pot. In a curry. Fried (only when young). Stewed. Braised. They're delicious, truly, but you have to know how to cook them. A very healthy, lean, natural, GMO-free meat. Other than that, I have no use for the little agile high society rats. You can NOT get the best of a squirrel. They are smarter than we are, more tenacious than we are, MUCH faster and more agile than we are, and their problem-solving skills make Michio Kaku jealous. The only way to win a battle with a squirrel, whether it's trying to get them out of your attic or away from your bird feeder, is to eat it.
You are what you eat. Hopefully, I'll be getting, once again, a little smarter, faster, and more cunning soon, courtesy of yet another one of Scamper's progeny.
Barry
So... what's a boy to do? Well, since you couldn't get one at the pet store and my parents thought I was crazy, the only thing left was to figure out a way to trap one live, feed it by hand, and then it would, OBVIOUSLY, be my best buddy for life and be right there by my side looking for treats and my winning smile every time I stepped into the great outdoors. 'Natch.
Trapping one at MY house was out of the question.. my Dad would have handed me my head. So, me and my buddy who had way more "laissez faire" parents decided we'd "trap" one at his place, a few blocks away. His folks were out at the time. Their kitchen window looked directly out onto a high raised deck and a door from their kitchen also opened onto said deck. A huge chestnut tree overhung their deck, with the mammoth trunk butting up right against it; you could stand on the railing of the deck and climb into the tree, about 20 feet off the ground. An adventurous young lad's paradise. Needless to say, with the chestnuts and acorns from surrounding trees scattered about the deck, squirrels were on the deck constantly and sometimes even mixing with humans.
No one is going to believe the following, but it's the truth. We sealed off the doors of the kitchen that led to the rest of the house, then opened the kitchen window that led to the deck. Twenty feet of twine, a piece of cardboard, and a tablespoon of peanut butter were pressed into service by we two intrepid animal lovers. We laid the peanut butter-encrusted cardboard out on the deck near the tree, ran the attached twine across the deck, through the window, and into the kitchen were we crouched silently, expectantly, and with the confidence that only two 8 year old boys can have.
Within a matter of minutes, Scamper (we were SURE that was his name) found the peanut butter and we commenced the inch-by-inch, Telltale Heart-inspired painfully slow reeling in of the twine. As it got close to the window, we backed our way into the dining room adjoining the kitchen and closed the French doors separating the two. We continued to slow reel in the twine and, sure enough, the Scampmeister was soon perched on the window sill. One more small pull and, if he was to continue enjoying his peanut butter ("what IS this nectar from the Gods?!?!?"), he would have to follow the magic cardboard into the kitchen. Well..... we pulled the twine another inch, the cardboard fell to the floor, and Scamp followed without hesitation.
We burst into the kitchen to shut the window quickly so he couldn't get out, just to make sure he'd give us enough time to truly befriend this magical creature.
"Magic" doesn't begin to describe what happened next. Scamp turned into "Taz." He went absoLUTEly berserk. I don't know how he generated enough centripetal force to run around the room midway UP the walls and across the faces of the cabinets, but he did. As a matter of fact, he generated so much force that the cabinet doors OPENED behind him during his first lap. His second lap took him through the cabinets. The physical law of displacement ("two or more masses can not occupy the same space at the same time") required that, to make room for the Scampmanian Devil, some of the contents of the cupboards made the choice to jettison themselves onto the floor and countertops, giving their lives in order to accommodate the furry four-legged whirlwind hellbent on reversing time a la Chris Reeve as he circled the globe backwards in Superman II.
Needless to say, we couldn't get the window and door open fast enough. Eventually Scamp returned to the great outdoors, we did our best to clean what was left of the kitchen, and, at first, attempted to concoct a believable explanation for the myriad of broken dishes, serving bowls, and glassware in the trash... not to mention the surprising amount of extra empty space in my friend's mother's cupboards.
Now, here's where this 100% true tale really becomes unbelievable to those of you who really know eight year old boys. We couldn't come up with anything that we thought my buddy's Ma would believe for a second, so, well... we did the only thing we could think of. We went with the truth when she got home.
She looked at us, sort of like my German Shepherd looks at me when I make a funny sound or ask him a question that's completely beyond his ken; she tilted her head to one side, then the other, then back.. her eyebrows mirroring the motion but in the opposite direction...no words... staring us down.... waiting for the REAL truth...
To this day, over 45 years later, she still doesn't believe us. She's still trying to figure out why we intentionally broke about 1/4 of her dishes and glassware. God Bless her... she never lost her cool, never yelled, didn't cry.. just sort of has that puzzled look on her face whenever I see her. I'm 54 now.
I still like squirrels. In a pot. In a curry. Fried (only when young). Stewed. Braised. They're delicious, truly, but you have to know how to cook them. A very healthy, lean, natural, GMO-free meat. Other than that, I have no use for the little agile high society rats. You can NOT get the best of a squirrel. They are smarter than we are, more tenacious than we are, MUCH faster and more agile than we are, and their problem-solving skills make Michio Kaku jealous. The only way to win a battle with a squirrel, whether it's trying to get them out of your attic or away from your bird feeder, is to eat it.
You are what you eat. Hopefully, I'll be getting, once again, a little smarter, faster, and more cunning soon, courtesy of yet another one of Scamper's progeny.
Barry
Tree rats. We shoot them here in Tennessee. The little boogers get into the attic, cars, trucks, tractors, bird feeders, and gardens. I have yet to figure out why God would make such a hideous creature. They eat the nuts, clog up trees with their nest and harasses the pretty birds.
Squirrels, huh, yeah
What are they good for
Absolutely nothing.
Well, maybe eating.
Squirrels, huh, yeah
What are they good for
Absolutely nothing.
Well, maybe eating.
As we speak, Handsome Husband and I are enjoying Cajun Squirrel Masala:
In your pressure-cooker, make a roux using ghee and flour. When the roux is properly browned, add chopped onion, garam masala, salt, 1/4 of a Trinidad Scorpion "Butch T" pepper, and quartered squirrels.
Brown the meat and seasonings in the roux. When the meat is browned, add several new potatoes and just enough to water to cover.
Close up the cooker and cook for five whistles.
In your pressure-cooker, make a roux using ghee and flour. When the roux is properly browned, add chopped onion, garam masala, salt, 1/4 of a Trinidad Scorpion "Butch T" pepper, and quartered squirrels.
Brown the meat and seasonings in the roux. When the meat is browned, add several new potatoes and just enough to water to cover.
Close up the cooker and cook for five whistles.
Dad had flying squirrels in his attic. Somehow he managed to catch a youngun. He had it as a pet for a couple of years, but it was in a stout cage. Dad was in his 60's and I thought HE was crazy.
He would sit on the porch and birds would occassionally lite on him.
As a kid I shot a squirrel, shotgun, came down kicking. My dog jumped it. I was afraid for the dog so instinctively grabbed the squirrel. I'm 64 and have by now retrieved most the the feeling in my left index finger.
I like em pan fried, but the wife likes em stewed until tender, bout a week will do.
They are honestly my favorite meat. Specially if they have been eating chestnuts. I've a heavy barrel Ruger in 22WMR, sweet.
He would sit on the porch and birds would occassionally lite on him.
As a kid I shot a squirrel, shotgun, came down kicking. My dog jumped it. I was afraid for the dog so instinctively grabbed the squirrel. I'm 64 and have by now retrieved most the the feeling in my left index finger.
I like em pan fried, but the wife likes em stewed until tender, bout a week will do.
They are honestly my favorite meat. Specially if they have been eating chestnuts. I've a heavy barrel Ruger in 22WMR, sweet.
Liked your squirrel tail. Barry. My personal experience is more grounded. Ground squirrels ,that is. On the flats of saskatuwn .Cousins and a horse pulling a stone boat (big sled) out into the hinterland of gopher suburbia. Brought along a few barrels of water and pails. Idea was to pour water down a hole. Gopher thinks its a flood and heads for higher ground, Right into our loving, grasping hands.Had a cage all set because we figured this was going to work. Work it did and before long headed back to the homestead with a passel of new friends. By the time our wounds had healed we had decided that wild gophers don't make very good friends. As we let them go in the backyard, Mom told us how their tails were worth a penny a piece back in the day and she had bought a new tire for that '28 Durant in the barn with the bounty . (We were driving the '16 Chev touring (no top and way cool) Learned a lot about mechanics before I was legal.
I know nothing about squirrels except that an innocent search once for "squirrel catapault" on youtube resulted in a somewhat guilty chuckle.
In squirrel free zones we have to resort to this:
Wack a Squirrel on Scratch
Wack a Squirrel on Scratch
Wow, everyone has a squirrel tale!
And a lot of people eat them... Seems odd to us northerners... But what the hell, I'd eat a squirrel. When I was in Guatemala I tried everywhere to find Guinea Pig, because they eat that there, but I was never able to find some. Same with with Nutria in New Orleans, I never found a place that served them. Oh well.
When I was a kid a Richardson's Ground Squirrel (flickertail) took up residence in my friend's garage and would not vacate. After several days we caught in in a live-catch trap and took it to the zoo. The zoo actually wanted it and it ended up on display for a few years.
Anyway.
Now I'm getting really paranoid that I trapped a squirrel in my boat when I put the hatch boards back in. I think I have to climb back up tomorrow to make sure.
And a lot of people eat them... Seems odd to us northerners... But what the hell, I'd eat a squirrel. When I was in Guatemala I tried everywhere to find Guinea Pig, because they eat that there, but I was never able to find some. Same with with Nutria in New Orleans, I never found a place that served them. Oh well.
When I was a kid a Richardson's Ground Squirrel (flickertail) took up residence in my friend's garage and would not vacate. After several days we caught in in a live-catch trap and took it to the zoo. The zoo actually wanted it and it ended up on display for a few years.
Anyway.
Now I'm getting really paranoid that I trapped a squirrel in my boat when I put the hatch boards back in. I think I have to climb back up tomorrow to make sure.
A passing comment about eating squirrels should include the mystery of Kuros, ,a neurological disease found in a mountain tribe in New Guinea. Seem they had a ritual eating of their dearly departed while the men were out hunting (not symbolic like some other cults) Affected were mostly women and children. It was noted that there were similarities to problems in the hillbilly culture in the southern states where squirrel pie was a common dish. (whole critters sans skin) Later on Creulzfeldt and Jakob connected the dots with mad cows .They (the British cows)had been feed bone meal made from left over cows parts and probably bones pulled from the Ganges in Calcutta.. Canada quietly stopped feeding bonemeal to cows some years ago but since the incubation can be 25 years the suspense is killing me
New Orleans is NOT Cajun.Same with with Nutria in New Orleans, I never found a place that served them. Oh well.
And they're having a hard time getting Cajuns to eat nutria, which says a lot, because Cajuns will eat most anything, and that is fo'true. (I don't know why I said 'fo'true', because like NOLA, Justin Wilson is also actually not Cajun. Emeril Lagasse is from Fall River MA, although he was married to a girl from Gulfport MS) Unfortunate, because nutria are super destructive exotically introduced little bastards.
I've had nutria (nutri-rat) and it really is not good. Have to season the hell out of it to get it sort of palatable. It's too muddy (gamey), and that is compared to things like gar, choupique, carp...
back to squirrels:
I had a thought to do other recipes with squirrel, such as squirrel tandoori. Given how tough squirrel meat is, have to parboil or marinate the squirrel first but I'd bet tandoori would be good. Another idea is to do squirrel Moroccan (Tajine) style with preserved lemons. The slow cook of the tajine would do the right thing for the squirrel.
I shoot them with a 1200 fps .177 pellet gun. I then toss them over the fence into the street to feed the turkey vultures.
Sailing related?
Personally, I don't care if you shoot them or not. Dealer's choice. I would say the same for Seagulls, but the law is clear there.
Personally, I don't care if you shoot them or not. Dealer's choice. I would say the same for Seagulls, but the law is clear there.
I had them in my last house in the attic. Could not get rid of them. 22 short took care of them, without making too much noise. though the neighbors behind me used to shoot trap in there yard. Nothing like sitting in your pool, and having buck shot rain down around you! I always found pellet gun not quite strong enough to kill them effectively. Suppose we have bigger squirrels in New York.
Also if you want to get rid of them, Rat traps (the over sized mouse traps) work quite well on them baited with peanut butter. Just make sure there are no cats or small dogs able to get to them.
Also if you want to get rid of them, Rat traps (the over sized mouse traps) work quite well on them baited with peanut butter. Just make sure there are no cats or small dogs able to get to them.
My pellet gun goes through my wooden privacy fence, 1/2" thick pressure treated boards.I always found pellet gun not quite strong enough to kill them effectively. Suppose we have bigger squirrels in New York.
Holy [email protected]! I think it has been too long since we have been sailing!
An 1884 Trapdoor Springfield in .45-70 works great on them. If you have them coming straight at you or going away you don't have to clean them, just skin them. You want something interesting put a dead squirrel in your game pouch of your hunting jacket as my dad, 51, did and have it come back from the dead. Didn't know he had those moves, put MJ to shame, till he fail off the dock.
Naw, I'd suppose you had a BB gun, not a good quality pellet gun. My RWS Diana is 1400fps, and I've killed squirrels out of pines, probably 150' awayI always found pellet gun not quite strong enough to kill them effectively. Suppose we have bigger squirrels in New York.
Oh my..... you just conflated enough "facts" and diseases to make an infectious disease doc stab himself in the eye with a pencil. KURU is the prion disease I believe you are referring to that occurs in PNG among cannibals. CJD (mad cow) is not the same thing, and squirrels are tasty I'm sure.A passing comment about eating squirrels should include the mystery of Kuros, ,a neurological disease found in a mountain tribe in New Guinea. Seem they had a ritual eating of their dearly departed while the men were out hunting (not symbolic like some other cults) Affected were mostly women and children. It was noted that there were similarities to problems in the hillbilly culture in the southern states where squirrel pie was a common dish. (whole critters sans skin) Later on Creulzfeldt and Jakob connected the dots with mad cows .They (the British cows)had been feed bone meal made from left over cows parts and probably bones pulled from the Ganges in Calcutta.. Canada quietly stopped feeding bonemeal to cows some years ago but since the incubation can be 25 years the suspense is killing me
MedSailor
1 - 20 of 49 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
SailNet Community
A forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Top Contributors this Month
View All
colemj
138 Replies
OntarioTheLake
135 Replies
SanderO
81 Replies
Recommended Communities
