Squirrel Pole Snares

[ElisaTheDuck]

There are many ways to fix it....it is lean meat, no fat to speak of....so anything you can ad with enhance the flavor.

Being real hungry helps.....
DW fixes it with French onion soup mix and rice..then baked.

I have had it on a stick over the fire...and was hungry...hit the spot.
Haven't had one in a while now....nor have bothered to hunt them...
If I don't plan on eating it I won't kill it.

Sounds amazing!

[ElisaTheDuck]

one trap, right bait and set up and I think you could eliminate every squirrel in the area. Squirrels have a good nose.

There are a lot of people in my area that would appreciate me getting rid of the squirrels that infest their attics, so I'll do that.

[ElisaTheDuck]

I made the mistake of attaching a red Lazer to my 22 high powered air rifle.... and saw the squirrel dance as I am trying to pull the trigger... I could not stop laughing to take the shot. It happened over and over again.. Here I am trying to end its life and its doing a moon walk for a Lazer dot. Had to turn that thing off before I pissed myself! Must make a great U tube....

LOL! Next thing on my list for me to try xD

[ElisaTheDuck]

Attachment 10862

ask the Russians... they still do it.

Oh goodness. xD So I'm guessing squirrel fur is good for coats...

[hunter63]

Sounds amazing!

Actually Recipe #1 is close....not exactly the same.

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/5-best-squirrel-recipes/

Onion soup mix sprinkled dry on top or meat rice and the cream of mushroom soup.

Pretty good with just about any small lean mystery meat.....LOL

[TXyakr]

I will definitely eat anything I catch, and I believe my laws allow hunting and trapping, at least, I've never read or heard others wise. But thanks for the advice.

Don't know about Quebec but in Texas a trapping license is an extra $19 per year. There may be a limited season for squirrels but probably not just for Beaver and especially others like Marten. Fur is not worth keeping except during the late fall and winter in most places, summer time just throw it away, remove when it is still warm because then it is easiest, comes right off.

May not be legal to use air gun for small game but if it is these are fairly quiet and ammo is cheap and easy to find. CCI Quiet 22 is about the same volume as a high powered air gun .22 caliber. Sometimes they are not startled and you can get a second shot or take another one nearby. But if it is forested in your area (most of Quebec is I believe) then a .410 is just easier but shells cost a bit more than .22lr which should be fairly easy to find in most of Canada. Just apply for a gun license or ask your brother to help you shot. Could also try bow and arrows but that is much more difficult. I like blowpipe but even more difficult. I used front end muzzle loader when I was your age because it was very cheap and I liked the challenge, most are less accurate than .410 shotgun. Especially one I had that was made from a steel pipe with an obvious seam in it. I liked to mix bird shot and buck shot and just be creative with the loads, never blew up in my face or anything but did have some misfires. Fun times.

Note the Cubby set and also Pole set where effort was made so the Marten could not easily get to the bait by going around the trap:
http://trappingtoday.com/furbearers/marten/

EDIT: OBVIOULY no one should ever make a firearm out of a steel pipe. People do foolish things like that in third world countries in South America, SE-Asia and Philippines but hopefully not North America. As a kid I tested mine out very carefully by tying it to a tire and over loadaing it then multiple regular loads before shoulder shooting it. I still have one but would never shoot it again. A good quality muzzle firearm kit is not that expensive and comes with a quality barrel, buy that if you want one.

Article about Small Game Muzzle Loader hunting (these are not easy to find most are .50 caliber for deer):
http://www.realtree.com/small-game-h...-muzzleloaders

In Canada a Minors' Licence will enable young people (ages 12-17) to borrow a non-restricted rifle or shotgun for approved purposes such as hunting or target shooting.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/i...ic-per-eng.htm

I have relatives in Alberta and BC they are all very active outdoors people.

[hunter63]

Don't know about Quebec but in Texas a trapping license is an extra $19 per year. There may be a limited season for squirrels but probably not just for Beaver and especially others like Marten. Fur is not worth keeping except during the late fall and winter in most places, summer time just throw it away, remove when it is still warm because then it is easiest, comes right off.

May not be legal to use air gun for small game but if it is these are fairly quiet and ammo is cheap and easy to find. CCI Quiet 22 is about the same volume as a high powered air gun .22 caliber. Sometimes they are not startled and you can get a second shot or take another one nearby. But if it is forested in your area (most of Quebec is I believe) then a .410 is just easier but shells cost a bit more than .22lr which should be fairly easy to find in most of Canada. Just apply for a gun license or ask your brother to help you shot. Could also try bow and arrows but that is much more difficult. I like blowpipe but even more difficult. I used front end muzzle loader when I was your age because it was very cheap and I liked the challenge, most are less accurate than .410 shotgun. Especially one I had that was made from a steel pipe with an obvious seam in it. I liked to mix bird shot and buck shot and just be creative with the loads, never blew up in my face or anything but did have some misfires. Fun times.Note the Cubby set and also Pole set where effort was made so the Marten could not easily get to the bait by going around the trap:
http://trappingtoday.com/furbearers/marten/

Are you seriously suggesting a teen builds a black powder pipe gun, when even the legally of a firearm, age and seasons come into question?

I don't think that was called for, nor wise........Just saying....
OP question was a squirrel pole.

[natertot]

Another question: what can you use squirrel skins for?

I have heard ( but never seen ) that they make great hongs.

[natertot]

Are you seriously suggesting a teen builds a black powder pipe gun, when even the legally of a firearm, age and seasons come into question?

I don't think that was called for, nor wise........Just saying....
OP question was a squirrel pole.

+1 I agree with you!

[MrFixIt]

I have successfully used pole traps for squirrel. Mind you that they were abundant in the area I was in at the time.
And squirrel stew is great when cooked in a big pot over an open fire.

[TXyakr]

Are you seriously suggesting a teen builds a black powder pipe gun, when even the legally of a firearm, age and seasons come into question?

I don't think that was called for, nor wise........Just saying....
OP question was a squirrel pole.

Of coarse not, that was about 40 years ago in a 3rd world country where fire arms and ammo was expensive. Guns are not super easy to get in Canada today but you can get them. Especially a .410 shotgun or .22LR rife and the ammo for them. It is also far more easy and cheap to buy a legal and safe muzzle loader than a black market one from a foreign country or to make one yourself. "If you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras." Silly conclusion of yours.

[TXyakr]

Be careful of the advice you get from random people on forums of anyplace on the internet it may be out of context...

I have had it on a stick over the fire...and was hungry...hit the spot.

As a kid I ate lots of small and large game cooked on a stick but rarely do any more. I watched that N&A show on Discovery Channel where they were loosing body fat and cooking it that way, palm to face OMG and they had cook pots, the foolishness. It is difficult to control the temperature of all the meat especially that right at the stick. Typically it will over cook on the outside and remain raw or undercooked beside the stick and what little fat there is on the wild game will burn off and drip into the fire due to the heat. E. Coli and Salmonella are a major concern and some other animals have Trichinellosis. I have recovered from these but it was very painful and took a long time with painful medications.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/fd..._wild_game.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichin...s/hunters.html

This is why I recommended earlier that you cut them up into small pieces and cook in a stew. Especially if I am out in some place where there is not much clean water I use disposable gloves to process the game then pull them off carefully. It can be difficult to get the blood from under your fingernails. Better to be overly cautious than doubled over in pain especially if you are many miles of hiking from your vehicle.

I have also heard some people say to only eat squirrel or rabbit certain times of the year because that is when they don't have parasites. This is nonsense. It is not like all the E. Coli, other pathogens and parasites leave them due to the weather. Parasites may be worse sometimes but wild game or even domestic live stock is never 100% safe. Always cook your food carefully. Best to cook foraged vegetation as well, a wild pig may have done something nasty on it. I could tell some funny stories about people eating stuff beside the trail where dogs did their business a minute before... nasty. Some folks are just not very observant and don't think things through.

[TXyakr]

Wild Boars, Feral pigs or hogs or whatever you wish to call them are headed your way in Quebec if not already there from western Canada through Ontario and to you. I saw a huge one high up in the Rocky Mountains east of the divide a few hours west of Edmonton, Alberta. They are vectors for E. Coli which spreads to other animals like squirrels, vegetation like acorns which they like to eat and spinach and just about anything except banana peels which they avoid for some reason, so do I. LOL

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...astern-ontario

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2876768/

Wild Hog near Ottawa, Canada, looks like a pet from SE Asia...:
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Not far from where I live feral hogs come up into peoples front yards during the night in densely populated suburban neighborhoods and tear up their lawns. Some folks violate city ordinance and shoot them with bow and arrows. I have trapped them but it can be very difficult. They will tear up even heavy duty traps. Then if the trap is in your yard hope animal control gets there quickly! Or neighbors don't report discharge of a firearm. I found a youtube video of some people shooting wild hogs near Sanglier, Far South Quebec with SKS rifles but will not link it, some people might be upset by its graphic nature, they were not good shots.

Bottom line squirrel and rabbit meat is best cooked very completely and with proper technique! If it looks like hogs have been eating in your garden or herbs just cook all of them.

[hunter63]

Of coarse not, that was about 40 years ago in a 3rd world country where fire arms and ammo was expensive. Guns are not super easy to get in Canada today but you can get them. Especially a .410 shotgun or .22LR rife and the ammo for them. It is also far more easy and cheap to buy a legal and safe muzzle loader than a black market one from a foreign country or to make one yourself. "If you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras." Silly conclusion of yours.

As Paul Harvey would say.....

"And here folks is the Rest of the story".........
No mention was made of 40 years ago, in a 3rd world country in your post....

I don't not suggest that any kind of firearm manufacture made to a teen is a good idea....if that is a silly conclusion of mine, so be it.
Normally I would just let your rambling statements go considering the source.....but not when it comes to teens and firearms.
How would you feel if some stranger suggested something like that to your kids?

[TXyakr]

Elisa ask a Game Warden in your area most probably don't care how many squirrels you snare in your own back yard but in Texas you technically need both a hunting license and trapping license to do so. In Quebec it appears your parents may need these for you to do it.

http://www.mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/p...ions/child.asp

http://www.mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/p...-SmallGame.pdf

I saw hunting and fur trapping seasons for Eastern Cottontail and Raccoon but not squirrels, in some parts of Texas there is a daily bag limit for squirrel but it is very generous. This is a funny story about someone moving squirrels to Quebec from Ontario but not really that funny disease can wipe out large numbers of wildlife that way. Thousands of deer have died in TX and OK because of deer being illegally moved live by trailers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...to-Quebec.html

[hunter63]

OK, I'm "Over myself"......I moving on....

[hunter63]

Well, since I can not see the direct post after my last I must assume that it is giving thanks for the assistance.



You are quite welcome Tex, I was glad to be of help.

Naw....Just kinda just shipped over your post and when back to random musing....LOL

Packing for a trip to the place......so all y'all are on your own......

[natertot]

Thanks hunter and Kyrat. I was beginning to think I was the only one with those viewpoints.

[TXyakr]

As I said before, it is best to call up and talk to a Wildlife Officer (Americans call them Game Wardens) there in your area to be certain about the requirements. All your immediate neighbors may be OK with snares for squirrels but if someone from a km away jogs by, looks through the fence and gets upset about seeing one hanging there they could cause trouble for you. A friend and myself have had trouble with this while blowpipe hunting for squirrels and rabbits. (I am NOT recommending blowpipes they may not be allowed in Quebec and can be difficult to use and fabricate.) However, here is some information that you probably already know but may be helpful for others.

“Quebec Hunting licence
In order to hunt, a young person or adult must hold the appropriate hunting licence and carry it with them. A young person or a student may, however, hunt by virtue of an adult’s licence (see the section entitled “Notion of family, age required to hunt and initiation licence. To obtain a hunting licence for residents, you must reside in Québec and hold a valid hunter’s certificate on which the code corresponds to the type of hunting implement that you intend to use, i.e. code “F” for a firearm, code “B” for a crossbow, and code “A” for a crossbow and a bow (see the exception to this rule in the section entitled “Initiation licence”). It is not necessary to hold a hunter’s certificate to obtain a licence to snare hares or eastern cottontail rabbits, to hunt leopard frogs, green frogs and American bullfrogs or to hunt certain species of small game with a bird of prey.”

http://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/publi.../questions.asp

I could not find any reference to tree squirrels of any species. It is unlikely there are restrictions on them, but best to check your local municipality as well. I have heard of some places protecting albino or lutino squirrels with large fines I do occasionally see lutino animals in the wild, but never a true albino.

This is a VERY good article about hunting squirrels from Outdoor Canada also a link at bottom to a very short article about processing a squirrel. They are fairly easy and have more meat than some people think they do. Like I mentioned before it is recommended that you cook the meat completely at about 73C (165F) and avoid eating the spine. I cut off the back-straps before cooking it and put in a pot, NOT on a stick or metal wires.

http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/how-to-s...ting-squirrels

If you are borrowing someone else’s firearm and are not under their direct supervision you will need to pay $10/year for a Minor’s License (this is not required in most parts of the USA I believe). But some form of hunter’s safety or firearm safety usually is this may be free in Quebec but usually costs a modest amount in the USA.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/f...mineur-eng.htm

I looked up the regulations for air guns: only the very low powered ones are not regulated as firearms in Canada, these might be able to take a squirrel humanely but only at very close range so I would NOT recommend it. These low powered air guns are useful for target practice but not hunting small game IMO. Read the article from outdoor Canada above: a .410 shotgun with the proper shells or a .22lr with sub sonic ammo used with a lever action or bolt action rifle is good or I prefer high velocity with semi-auto rifles like Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60 (slightly more accurate but tube feed is not fun to load). Note high velocity is less accurate at close range 5-20 meters, but sub-sonic has less energy or knock down force beyond 25 meters where most people are not very accurate with rimfire (.22) anyway. Article mentioned other choices that are not ideal for such small game. With your young eyes, assuming they are good I recommend using peep or aperture sights, but a .22 or “rimfire” scope is fine or the open/iron sights that come with the rifle. Read a lot before you buy anything. If you (I mean your parents, in Canada minors cannot own firearms) get a shotgun find a local hunter that reloads their own shells and will reload some special ones for you to try. This is a better option than building your own smooth bore or ignoring the rifle grooves on a muzzle loader and/or building your own .32 -.40 gauge from a barrel you buy online from a quality supplier ($100-200 typically same cost or more than a good single shot gun which I recommend over a muzzle loader as your first.) Obviously never make your own barrel that requires a lot of advanced skill. I never did, it would be an illogical, foolish waste of time and dangerous as I mentioned before. Better to buy one: Barrels and other parts and kits are available from Dixie Gun Works and many other retailers, probably several in Canada and avoid extra shipping costs.

Have fun and be safe. Bon Appétit

[Rick]

Okay. Enough is enough. Let's let go. Everyone had their say. Let's agree to disagree.