What is the easiest way to clean a squirrel?

[Coal Man]

What is the easiest or quickest way to clean a squirrel? I always get hair all over the meat. Thanks

 

[Baxter83]

I just cut the skin down the back right next to the spine from the bottom of the neck to the top of the tail and just peel that all the way down as far as I can get it to peel off the legs and abdomen. Cut the legs, head, and tail off and you're done.

My dad and uncle always cut at the base of the tail across the "poop shooter", step on the tail and pry up on the back legs, but I always screw up that way so I do it the other way. I figured I'd throw that out there in case you wanted to try it.

 

[Coal Man]

Thanks guys. Im gonna try these later this week and see how I do with it.

 

[Dienamic]

X1 on up the back. Head and feet off. Up the back from the base of the tail. Pull from center till u get daylight at the belly then pull all 4 legs free from the belly. I leave the tail on till last to have something to hold for gutting. My uncle could jerk em clean from the tail but I have yet to accomplish anything other than pulling the tail off.

 

[Baxter83]

I just cut the skin down the back right next to the spine from the bottom of the neck to the top of the tail and just peel that all the way down as far as I can get it to peel off the legs and abdomen. Cut the legs, head, and tail off and you're done.

My dad and uncle always cut at the base of the tail across the "poop shooter", step on the tail and pry up on the back legs, but I always screw up that way so I do it the other way. I figured I'd throw that out there in case you wanted to try it.

So you cut along the spine as if you were opening up a deer's belly? I can see that working well enough. -probably takes some time, but I'm not exactly fast myself.

I meant to say base of the neck, but it don't matter because I was wrong anyway...

I got to thinking about that after I left work and I said it wrong. I start in the middle (middle of the back) and cut from side to side (over to each side of the belly) like you explained, and pull from end to end, like you explained. It's been a while for me...oops

 

[Rob R.]

I just get my bestest oldest friend to do it for me!

 

[huntintn]

throw them in a bucket of water before you clean them, the hair will not stick while wet.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

throw them in a bucket of water before you clean them, the hair will not stick while wet.

x2

 

[Dienamic]

Cool. Will try that next weekend. Im still full of tree rat.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

First soak squirrels in water then cut off front feet above pads on feet. Cut just above the rectum into the tail until u severed the tail and have skinned an inch or so up the back...step on tail at the cut pull legs until skinned to the neck...pull arm through with fingers then sever head...next grab belly skin with pliers and remove skin then cut feet off rear lastly proceed to gut like deer. Takes about 2 minutes a squirrel

 

[Coal Man]

Nice! Im gonna try this weekend. Thanks every1

 

[Baxter83]

throw them in a bucket of water before you clean them, the hair will not stick while wet.

We used to clean ours in a creek that ran through our property. We'd just empty them out into the water in a calm pool next to a spring and pluck em out one by one. That makes it a loooot easier. :grin: