squirrels

[jeff...]

Has anyone noticed an abundance of squirrels this year? I mean we have one that I think is darn near tame. It comes up on the porch when we are sitting out there like it owns the place. It obviously has no fear of humans. The other day My wife said to it "this is my porch not yours" it just sat there and looked at us for a little bit then ran off. Then my son said one chased him off the porch - it was funny cause we were talking about the squirrel that comes up on the porch and my son said you mean the the one with the nut in his mouth? - I about fell over laughing cause most squirrels I see have nuts in their mouths - it would be hard to identify one by just that characteristic - you know?

I really don't know what those crazy squirrels do. I watched one today dig about 20 holes till it found a nut - then it moved about 30' away dug a hole and reburied the nut. What's it trying to do - hide the nut from the other squirrels? crazy squirrel... Last week I was doing a little yard work and one fell out of the tree landed with a plop sound about 5' from me - my old dog who doesn't leave my side - just looked at it, then it got up and ran back up the tree. Those squirrels must be tough it fell from pretty high and it didn't seem to phase it one bit.

[DaveO]

Mmmm, squirrel. Nutty flavor, best smoothed in gravy.
Consider it a blessing, you got lunch running around your yard. When I lived in an sub-urban setting I was amazed at how many squirrels I would see. Gone hunting for them and you can't find a one.

Dave

[Mike Davis]

When we first moved here there was a guy who lived in the trailer at the end of the road. He lived off the land, collected herbs, nuts, dug roots and hunted squirrels. For three or five years there wasn't a squirrel in 2 miles of here. After he moved away they started coming back. Now they are pretty abundant again.

My son wanted to go hunting a few years ago and we went out and sat down in the woods. Within 10 minutes they were all around. He shot three with his Ruger Mark I and we came back to the house. I showed him how to skin and clean one and he did the other two.

[rsitzejr]

Dang tree rats, don't like them, destructive little rodents. Several years ago a family decided to nest in my attic, got in through a hole in a vent. Spent a month catching them with live traps. Christmas stuff, old uniforms, etc torn to shreds for nesting.

[Jim M.]

Not afraid to wear fur -no known fear! Has my respect. Jim M.

[sawduster]

Use bloodmeal with your plants and cayenne pepper with your birdseed

[woodArtz]

Squirrel Sauce Piquante

• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1 large serving spoon of all purpose flower
• 2 onions chopped
• 1/2 lemon chopped(pulp and zest only)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 1 medium can whole tomatoes
• 1 small can tomatoes with chilies mashed
• 1 small can tomato paste
• green onion tops chopped fine
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• One of following or a mix of whatever you'd like(as much as you want in your sauce):
  • shrimp and/or crab
  • browned and cut up chicken breast
  • browned and cut up rabbit, squirrel or deer.(or possum, raccoon, etc. kidding!)
  • any other ingredient. Large mushrooms are great!

Sauce Piquante Recipe Instructions: Heat oil and flour together until golden brown. This is a roux. Add onions and cook together for about 5 minutes stirring.(don't burn your onions or roux) Add whole tomatoes, tomatoes w/ chilis, and tomato paste. Stir and immediately add celery, bell peppers and lemon. Set heat to medium and cook about a half hour or until oil rises to the top. Add water to desired thickness and salt and pepper taste.( A great alternative to salt and pepper for a real creole taste is Tony's Chachere.) Cook mixture down for about 45 minutes to an hour adding water or stock made from ingredients as needed. In the last 20 minutes of cooking add one of the meats from above or other goodies you've decided to try. When done cooking turn off heat and add Worcestershire sauce and green onion tops.

[Robert Arrowood]

Originally Posted by woodArtz

Squirrel Sauce Piquante

Originally Posted by woodArtz

• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1 large serving spoon of all purpose flower
• 2 onions chopped
• 1/2 lemon chopped(pulp and zest only)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 1 medium can whole tomatoes
• 1 small can tomatoes with chilies mashed
• 1 small can tomato paste
• green onion tops chopped fine
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• One of following or a mix of whatever you'd like(as much as you want in your sauce):
  • shrimp and/or crab
  • browned and cut up chicken breast
  • browned and cut up rabbit, squirrel or deer.(or possum, raccoon, etc. kidding!
  • any other ingredient. Large mushrooms are great!

Sauce Piquante Recipe Instructions: Heat oil and flour together until golden brown. This is a roux. Add onions and cook together for about 5 minutes stirring.(don't burn your onions or roux) Add whole tomatoes, tomatoes w/ chilis, and tomato paste. Stir and immediately add celery, bell peppers and lemon. Set heat to medium and cook about a half hour or until oil rises to the top. Add water to desired thickness and salt and pepper taste.( A great alternative to salt and pepper for a real creole taste is Tony's Chachere.) Cook mixture down for about 45 minutes to an hour adding water or stock made from ingredients as needed. In the last 20 minutes of cooking add one of the meats from above or other goodies you've decided to try. When done cooking turn off heat and add Worcestershire sauce and green onion tops.

Man I just burried a possum this mornig. Caught one in the cat food last nite. Wished I would have read this first.

[ACobra289]

Our Jack Russell terrier has killed 2 baby opossums withing the last couple weeks. Then this morning about 6:30 he is going crazy. I go outside and find a big raccoon sitting on top of our chain link fence. Our dog is jumping up trying to get it and the raccoon his hissing and taking swipes at him. I got the dog inside and by the time I got back outside, the coon was gone.

The coon was bigger than our dog, so it's probably a good thing the dog didn't get a hold him.

Bill

[Glennbear]

Originally Posted by rsitzejr

Dang tree rats, don't like them, destructive little rodents. Several years ago a family decided to nest in my attic, got in through a hole in a vent. Spent a month catching them with live traps. Christmas stuff, old uniforms, etc torn to shreds for nesting.

BTDT, my ex affectionately referred to them as tree rats also. Apparently crocus bulbs resemble acorns since they would dig them up and rebury them all over the lawn A family of them chewed through a plastic screen on a roof vent and moved into the scuttle attic also in my NJ house. I had to cut a hole in the side of the house to gain access so I could set traps and reinsulate. Apparently fiberglass batt insulation makes great squirrel nesting material The surprising thing is that there are very few squirrels here in my section of rural VA but there was a gaziilion in suburban NJ where there was an abundance of mature acorn producing oaks, guess I should count my blessings down here

[sapwood]

Squirrels drive me nuts
Scampering around the deck, digging in the potted plants, even eating newly sprouted maple leaves

But I love to watch them

Roger

[Bryan S]

They have found all our bird feeders and have a daily feast. Our yellow lab Morgan sees them from the bay window and waits for us to open the door so she can chase them away. Sometimes there are so many squirrels she dosen' know which way to go.

[LeftyTom]

Originally Posted by DaveO

Mmmm, squirrel. Nutty flavor, best smoothed in gravy.
Dave

Let us not forget the required hot biscuits.

[CaptnA]

Lest I be accused of collaborating... I'll eat a squirrel - mostly in a Brunswick stew.
The 'herd' (5 dogs) keeps them at bay - at least in the fenced yard here.
Just wondering any of y'all got the white ones?
We're about 15 miles from Brevard and this is the weekend of their white squirrel festival. We have them a plenty and so do other areas of Henderson County. Just curious about other parts of the state?
And fyi white tastes just like the grey.

[Gotcha6]

In laws live in the southern edge of the county near the state line & they regularly see Fox Squirrels there. They aren't white totally, but striped up similar to a skunk & larger than a regular squirrel. They aren't plentiful enough to be a nuisance yet.