skinning grey squirrels

[Old saw fixer]

I hate to reveal this fact, but at 72 years old I still struggle with skinning squirrels.  We are overrun with them around the house, and they need to be thinned out.  I hate to kill game without utilizing the meat, so looking for some help from the country boys here. 
Thanks.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

The way I do it, pinch the skin up in the middle of the back, cut a slit perpendicular to the spine, stick 2 fingers of each hand in the cut and pull, lop off the head and feet, remove innards, apply your favorite BBQ rub and throw in the smoker. They can be tough but tasty.
Jon

[WV Sawmiller]

    Turn the deceased victim on his back, Roll the tail over your index finger and slice through the skin on the underside as close to his butt as you can. Cut all the way through the tail but be very careful to leave the skin on the underside. You should have a couple of inches of skin there when properly cut. Put the squirrel down on a solid surface like a concrete walk, rough board  or such and place the heel of your foot firmly on the base of the tail. Pull up on both of the hind feet the squirrel at the same time and the skin should peel right off leaving a V on the belly. Cut the front feet and head off, unless you want to eat the head and if so skin it out. turn the skinned squirrel over in the palm of your hand and pull the V of skin on the belly towards the hind end to to remove "the pants". Then split the pelvis, reverse the squirrel and stick your knife in the chest and rip up to split the skin the entire length and remove the insides. My old mentor used to save the livers and maybe the heart but most folks do not.

  If the tail breaks off (As will sometimes happen with an old tough squirrel until you master the process) you can cut the skin crossway in the middle of the back, insert a couple of fingers on either side and pull in opposite directions till it is pulled over the front and back ends and cut or skin out the heads, front and back feet.

 The first method gets much less hair or the animal and is much faster when done correctly. Both methods assume you are not saving the skin.


 If you are saving the hide I would "case" the hide like a coon or fox and ring the back feet, split the skin on the back legs, split the hide on the belly to his chin then peel the hide off. Much slower and tedious but will also work.

  Good luck. Practice makes this much easier.

[Tacotodd]

WV, I was about to respond to this thread with that same exact method, until you beat me to it. I learned it from dad when I was 14, and he learned it from someone else shortly before showing me. THAT'S how much he liked it. I'll never forget it, undress them is how he referred to it. Us country boys and our ways to get things done. And I don't want to trade it for the world!

[Old saw fixer]

Thanks for the advice, guys.  I have tried the standing on the tail method but it never seemed to work for me.  At the time it was easier to give them to my granddaughter's paternal grandmother, a full blood Cherokee.  My wife won't eat them anyway, along with chitlins, steak fat or other good food.
I'll give it another try, the squirrels have to go, or I'll never get any corn from the garden.

[Wudman]

My method is much like WV Sawmiller's, but I like to have him hung up to start the cut around the tail.  My skinnin' tree has a couple of nails.  I'll make a knife cut through the hind legs between bone and tendon so I can hang him belly to tree.  Roll the tail around the your index finger and make the incision like WV at the base of the tail.  Start your skinning and then take him down and set foot on tail as described.  Same process from there on.  I like to hang him back up to gut him.  I like to parboil them and put in frying pan to finish up.  Make some gravy with it and serve over toast.

Wudman

[WV Sawmiller]

   OSF - just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it. You will occasionally break off or strip the hair off a tail where you don't have it pinned down well enough. I find I have to use my heel to get enough direct pressure to hold him. Even if the tail breaks off if there is a flap of skin wide enough you can put your heel on it and continue. If all else fails cutting the skin in the back is still an option as is casing him.

   My old mentor showed me how to skin them that way. He was also the best squirrel cook I ever saw. He had no teeth left and would flour then fry them about done then he would wrap them loosely in foil and float that on about an inch of water in a pressure cooker and cook them on pressure 10-15 minutes. They would fall right off the bone. He'd serve them with fresh, home ground, coarse yellow grits, home grown field peas and probably the world's best hushpuppies. I remember one night I was coming up to eat with them and his wife asked if I wanted grits or hushpuppies and I immediately told her "Both". No reason to be shy when it comes to food. It was common in the south where I grew up to eat grits just like you would rice or potatoes for lunch or dinner.

[YellowHammer]

I do it the way W_S does it.  

We crock pot them with taters and stuff, or fry in batter.  

If they are overcooked, they will turn into teeth cracking jerky.  

[timberking]

I'm a stand on the tail guy and just add I cut a little more up to get a tendon or something in there that will make it harder

[Old saw fixer]

The replies are much appreciated!

[WV Sawmiller]

   I have not tried it but I don't see why you could not clamp the tail tightly in a small vice if that was easier than bending over and standing on his tail. 

[Old saw fixer]

  I have not tried it but I don't see why you could not clamp the tail tightly in a small vice if that was easier than bending over and standing on his tail.

     Now that might be the thing to do, since right now bending to reach a squirrel with it's tail under my heel is not easy!!!