Preparing squirrel for tiers...

[articwolf]

just read an old thread in here on the preparation of squirrel...there is NO problem if you follow what I'm about to post..

..first off if it is a road kill or one you shot..it must be placed into a bag, sealed, put into the freezer for minium of 3 weeks!...this will kill all parasites that maybe on the skin.
..

AW, there are certain "bugs" that go into hibernation when frozen. After de-frosting, bag the items up & give them a quick zap in a microwave will prevent them from hatching after the thaw.

..many thank to "arkle"for the forgotten step
..skin the animal , and flesh it clean..
..tack it up on a board, flesh side exposed to the sun..
..here is the key factor..buy either..Alum or Borax powder from the drug store..
..apply a liberal amount to the fleshy side of the side, rub it into the skin ..super saturate it..
..put the board outside and now let nature take her course..
..once the skin is dried it will become a bit brittle, so take care on how you remove it from the board..

..Well gents that is how I've prepared not only animals but bird skins as well for years without the worry of bugs...I place each hide in it's separate plastic bag just in case...................AW

[arkle]

AW, there are certain "bugs" that go into hibernation when frozen. After de-frosting, bag the items up & give them a quick zap in a microwave will prevent them from hatching after the thaw.

[articwolf]

Originally Posted by arkle

AW, there are certain "bugs" that go into hibernation when frozen. After de-frosting, bag the items up & give them a quick zap in a microwave will prevent them from hatching after the thaw.

bloody hell...I knew I was missing a step....thanks m8..I'm going edit my post....cheers.......AW

[neil26]

gray squirrels are the most flea ridden animal i have dealt with thus far. i found it useful to soak the skin in a weak detergent overnight which seems to kill most mites and helps with the scraping off the fat- i use an old hacksaw blade. i dont bother inning it on a board, i dry between newspaper with borax on skin side, when almost dry- about a week, i put in between dry newspaper near a boiler for 2w to fully dry.

[articwolf]

that's an interesting method..I like the idea of the detergent..time to make sure I have ..'sunlight' handy.
..the animal I've found to be nasty is the Richardson's ground squirrel [gopher] [prairie dog]..a little rodent who loves to tunnel it's way to China if it could..but has real nice fur to work with and colour.

[christy27]

Don't waste the body though. Cut through the spine leaving the saddle i.e. two back legs attatched. Clean throughly. Quick dusting with seasoned flour and into the frying pan-brown off. Prepare a pot full of veg as for stew, bay leaf, pearl barley, garlic, carrot, onion, parsnip, all the usual suspects.

Put in slow cooker for 3-4 hours (really need four squiff wiffs for this so freeze until you have).

The meat will now fall off the bone. Collect and put in a pie dish with some of the veg and juices, add a clove or two of minced garlic-to your taste, season again. Make pastry hat/lid. Bake long enough to cook pastry. No sides or bottom to the pie (whatever that's called) just a top. Serve with mash, some of the veg, juice and french beans sprinkled with paprika. Have it!

[articwolf]

Originally Posted by christy27

Don't waste the body though. Cut through the spine leaving the saddle i.e. two back legs attatched. Clean throughly. Quick dusting with seasoned flour and into the frying pan-brown off. Prepare a pot full of veg as for stew, bay leaf, pearl barley, garlic, carrot, onion, parsnip, all the usual suspects.

Put in slow cooker for 3-4 hours (really need four squiff wiffs for this so freeze until you have).

The meat will now fall off the bone. Collect and put in a pie dish with some of the veg and juices, add a clove or two of minced garlic-to your taste, season again. Make pastry hat/lid. Bake long enough to cook pastry. No sides or bottom to the pie (whatever that's called) just a top. Serve with mash, some of the veg, juice and french beans sprinkled with paprika. Have it!

....so now you are a cook to.....but you can't tie flies..

[christy27]

Originally Posted by articwolf

....so now you are a cook to.....but you can't tie flies..

Yep you're right, I am rubbish at tying flies. That's why I joined "the beginners" fly swap.

[articwolf]

Originally Posted by christy27

Yep you're right, I am rubbish at tying flies. That's why I joined "the beginners" fly swap.

I was joking...those leeches will work just fine m8..I didn't expect to get any flies from you...mine was a gift...AW