I hate Squirrels

[soFlaNative]

Few months back the power failed at the south end (influent) of the wastewater plant that I work. One generator was being serviced, the pneumatic starter failed on the second and the third, being the typical city worker decided the work load was excessive and shut down.
The wet well quickly backed up until a gen was restarted and an influent pump run in inverter mode. This is done from a Motor Control Center (MCC) separate from the pump station. Others were dealing with that issue so when power was restored I reset the bar screens and decided to check in the pump station.
As I went downstairs the vapor lights had barely lit, something seemed not quite right so I stopped halfway to the first landing. As the light improved I still couldn't see the pumps and realized I was looking at a lake of wastewater. A small air compressor failed, feeding a valve that will open a line common to the suction side of pump #5 to empty the dry well in case of a flood. That valve failed open and pump #5 had been removed a week earlier for service leaving 3 ft. opening for the pump station to flood.
The culprit? Flash fried squirrel bits were found scattered under the power lines where the fusible links had blown


The I-beam just above the raw influent is 20 ft. above the floor.
The pipe elbowing into the far wall is 48 inch.

 

[joeintexas]

My cat used to kill a lot of squirrels. At least once a week the driveway would look like a mass murder scene. A head over here, a leg over there, a kidney on the steps...body parts were strewn all over. He even killed a good sized opossum once. We don't get many squirrels where we live now despite backing up to open space and a nice sized creek. The coyotes, bobcats, hawks, and owls keep them at bay.

What will you take for the cat??

 

[Chuck24]

Wasn't Madonna. Was Cyndi Lauper.

Don't mess up a good joke with facts.

 

[mtgianni]

We don't have them here but when I lived in Western MT they really raised havoc with the native songbirds. They are egg eating, nest raiding mongrels.

 

[Tom S.]

When my daughter was around 3, the neighbor watched her each day for a few hours between the time I had to go to work on second shift, and my wife got home from her day job. One day the husband brought a squirrel that he had got while hunting and was skinning it in the back yard with my daughter watching. When I my wife got home, our daughter couldn't wait to tell my wife about Jack taking the pants off that squirrel!

 

[Bugkiller99]

The aftermath:

Drunk Squirrel Tries to Climb Tree - Break Fails - YouTube

They run in circles the opposite way south of the equator.

 

[Cyrano]

Thread drift; some time ago I was living in a BOQ on Ft Bliss. The power went out for the northern half of the fort. I later learned that a skunk had electrocuted himself in the power station. I'm glad I didn't have to clear that mess.

 

[model70hunter]

I just have a problem visualizing opening the freezer and seeing dead squirrels inside.

The first thing to do in freezer prep is to wipe the little coy grin off their face.

 

[model70hunter]

Few months back the power failed at the south end (influent) of the wastewater plant that I work. One generator was being serviced, the pneumatic starter failed on the second and the third, being the typical city worker decided the work load was excessive and shut down.
The wet well quickly backed up until a gen was restarted and an influent pump run in inverter mode. This is done from a Motor Control Center (MCC) separate from the pump station. Others were dealing with that issue so when power was restored I reset the bar screens and decided to check in the pump station.
As I went downstairs the vapor lights had barely lit, something seemed not quite right so I stopped halfway to the first landing. As the light improved I still couldn't see the pumps and realized I was looking at a lake of wastewater. A small air compressor failed, feeding a valve that will open a line common to the suction side of pump #5 to empty the dry well in case of a flood. That valve failed open and pump #5 had been removed a week earlier for service leaving 3 ft. opening for the pump station to flood.
The culprit? Flash fried squirrel bits were found scattered under the power lines where the fusible links had blown


The I-beam just above the raw influent is 20 ft. above the floor.
The pipe elbowing into the far wall is 48 inch.

Squirrels can bug the raw influent out of one at times.

 

[model70hunter]

I have never shot any animal... but now that I am properly armed and educated by all the damage they do, I am guessing a squirrel may be my first kill. Husband and I have our "one day not soon" retirement cabin up in the North Carolina mountains. We have about 6 beautiful apple trees that would be loaded wth apple one weekend and empty when we returned 2 week ends later. Could not ever figure it out until this post!!


Sunsetview45 "I'm a girl [emoji151]" Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield, Sako Finnwolf VL63 243cal, Marlin 60 1982 model

Sunset, the Sako with 80 grain hollow points might be the gun if you don't want to eat them. But I'd reconsider, an apple fed squirrel might be tasty, use the Marlin 60 and clean out the orchard. Grey squirrels will be there at dawn or sooner, fox squirrels will show up late and spend the day there. Fox squirrels are larger and are better eating.

 

[Watchdog]

Hopefully Annie & Beau learn how tasty they are. My yard
dogs crunch em down, head to tail, as tasty treats!

Annie and Beau have never caught a squirrel. And if they did, I wouldn't let them eat it.

 

[Sunsetview45]

Sunset, the Sako with 80 grain hollow points might be the gun if you don't want to eat them. But I'd reconsider, an apple fed squirrel might be tasty, use the Marlin 60 and clean out the orchard. Grey squirrels will be there at dawn or sooner, fox squirrels will show up late and spend the day there. Fox squirrels are larger and are better eating.

So how do you even clean and cook a squirrel?!


Sunsetview45 "I'm a girl [emoji151]" Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield, Sako Finnwolf VL63 243cal, Marlin 60 1982 model

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[arjay]

So how do you even clean and cook a squirrel?!


Sunsetview45 "I'm a girl [emoji151]" Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield, Sako Finnwolf VL63 243cal, Marlin 60 1982 model

Like a rabbit [emoji1]

 

[UncleEd]

For all the comments about squirrels, remember that squirrels really never give any of you a thought.

 

[Watchdog]

I have never shot any animal... but now that I am properly armed and educated by all the damage they do, I am guessing a squirrel may be my first kill. Husband and I have our "one day not soon" retirement cabin up in the North Carolina mountains. We have about 6 beautiful apple trees that would be loaded wth apple one weekend and empty when we returned 2 week ends later. Could not ever figure it out until this post!!

Well, unless you're there to witness the apple pilferage, you can't blame it all on the squirrels. Deer will get the apples on low hanging branches. Black bears (especially cubs) love apples and can climb an apple tree faster than you can say "climb an apple tree". Possums and coons will add apples to their diet at every opportunity. And apples do fall from trees, you know, though they may not fall far from it. Not to mention the occasional predatory human who wanders through an apple orchard.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

So how do you even clean and cook a squirrel?!


Sunsetview45 "I'm a girl [emoji151]" Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield, Sako Finnwolf VL63 243cal, Marlin 60 1982 model

Here is a link to a "how-to" video that might help you:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZB7iE2b21M[/ame]

Generally, it takes about 2-3 squirrels to make a nice stew. If you know any fly fisherman who tie their own flies, save the squirrel tails for them and they will be quite grateful. (Just cut off the tail, place it in a plastic zip lock bag and store them in the freezer.) When I was a kid, we used to save the squirrel tails up and sell them to the companies that made fishing lures. We didn't get a lot of money for them, but usually enough to keep you in .22LR ammo. Oh, those were the days.

Good luck,

Dave

 

[model70hunter]

Annie and Beau have never caught a squirrel. And if they did, I wouldn't let them eat it.

Lessons from a dog.

When I bought my first Lab I did not know much about them. I bought a 2 year old that had never hunted. He took to hunting like a, well duck or Lab to water, he was smart and learned quickly.

But I also hunted squirrel and rabbits. So I'm thinking hey this pup is a retriever. I can walk the farm roads and trails squirrel hunting and have my new faithful dog run into the ticks and chiggers to pick up the squirrels. With me so far?

We worked on retrieving, he was great. So one morning we leave the house and make a circle in the bottoms, lots of Fox squirrels there.

SIT Pup, a large Fox squirrel coming to the walnut tree in front of us. OH BOY! He jumps up about 2 feet and stops broad side. I was a Deputy and Squirrel hunted with my carry gun, a Python loaded with 38 special wadcutters. Head shots only.

He, He no chiggers this time, pull back the hammer, align sights, squeeeze. Head shot, WHOO fetch.

He flys thru the knee high stuff too fast for chiggers, picks up the squirrel and starts chomping, he was a large lab, 95 lbs. In 3 bites he swallowed the squirrel whole as I flew thru the chiggers and ticks to him. When I got there the tail only was hanging out the side of his mouth, he did a couple of swallows and it was gone.

I the human, the master, the alpha dog was in shock. I've seen dogs eats squirrels, they do it in pieces. He just swallowed the whole thing.

I walked out of the ticks and chiggers with a dog that now loves squirrel hunting, what a deal, I shoot and he eats. He is happy.

Gotta rethink this. The next squirrel dropped and I said fetch, but raced the lab thru the blood suckers to the recently dead squirrel, AHA, I beat him, when he picked it up his first thought was swallow, I grabbed the squirrel, made him sit and we went to school, hold this pup. nope can't eat it, pull it out and repeated this 50 gazillion times. The next squirrel he slowly brought to me, probably thinking if I swallow quickly it's mine, but he got to me, I rewarded him.

When he was a fully trained and mature dog I would bag rabbits while quail hunting, he would retrieve them.

A downed duck or goose was his, dive or swim a mile he got them.

In hind sight him eating the 1st squirrel schooled me and made me a better trainer, instantly.

My wife does not like squirrel based dinners due to a city girl mental block, gonna have to make one and tell her it's wild rabbit. Once she was at work delivering babies and called me asking that I fix chicken Fahitas for dinner, chicken breasts in the freezer.

I go to the freezer and the cupboard was bare, not a chicken in sight. But there were some tasty wild rabbits, I defrosted them, soaked them in salt water and made "chicken' fahitas.

Everyone ate like they were starved. After dinner when we were alone she said the chicken tasted different, id I use the chicken like she asked, I said, there wasn't any chicken. She said the oh my goodness word and almost not wanting to know asked what we ate. I said it was good, right? She said yes, but different, I said wild rabbit. It did not freak her out but then she already knew I had pawned off venison meals when her half of the brady bunch thought it was beef, they never knew the difference.

Sometimes I think she thought my Missouri farm boy upbringing and eating habits might at times include road kill. She got over it and loves to read while I cook. She tells folks I am a great cook, just don't ask what's in the pot.

I think many folks have the mental block on squirrel, they are tasty and good for you when cooked right.

Sunset, you have a mobile grocery store meat counter right outside your door. Good protein, no cholesterol. Can be had at .07 cents per pound.

 

[model70hunter]

Like a rabbit [emoji1]

Yes but squirrel hide is tougher and stronger.

Go on line there are several ways and I use 2, if there are 2 of us One holds the back legs while the other slices the skin up the rear legs and cuts the hide loose and then pulls the hide off.

The other method is to slice the skin around the midsection and pull the hide off in different directions. The first methos is similar to skinning a deer. I have used the first by putting a six penny nail in a big tree and wrapping the hide around itwhile pulling the squirrel free.

When I was young I killed and we ate perhaps thousands. No kidding.

I gave the offal to my squirrel dog. What I did not know then is the dog is ingesting the animals parasites like worms and one needs to worm the dog afterwards, my brother and I found this out by giving beagles rabbit innards and always had wormy dogs. A vet wised us up. Throw the stuff a way, don't let the dogs have them.

Do some youtube searching on how to skin squirrels. Some of us rednecks know how to put up a video......

 

[6518John]

Well, unless you're there to witness the apple pilferage, you can't blame it all on the squirrels. Deer will get the apples on low hanging branches. Black bears (especially cubs) love apples and can climb an apple tree faster than you can say "climb an apple tree". Possums and coons will add apples to their diet at every opportunity. And apples do fall from trees, you know, though they may not fall far from it. Not to mention the occasional predatory human who wanders through an apple orchard.

Predatory HUMAN! What about those apple trees? Don't forget some apple trees throw their own apples too!