Many hunters find themselves pursuing the squirrel at some point throughout the fall and winter months. Veteran outdoorsmen, casual hunters, those new to the sport, and many other types of people enjoy hunting this small game animal. Some hunt for meat, some for the thrill, and some to continue a tradition. Whatever their reason, every squirrel will find themselves with a squirrel carcass that needs skinning.
The Method
A substantial amount of hunters, myself included, look at hunting as an escape rather than a chore. Due to this, they prefer to not carry needless amount of gear to the woods. If you're one of these hunters, you will find my method for skinning squirrels refreshing. This method is as old as squirrel hunting, but seems to be lost in the sea of tutorials found online. I learned it from my grandpa the day I killed my first squirrel. He learned it from his dad, who I'm sure learned it from someone before him.
What You'll Need
While many methods of skinning a squirrel require an array of tools, this method requires much less. You're going to need a sharp knife, a flat surface, and a source of cool running water.
The Knife
There is no specific style of knife needed to skin a squirrel, but a few important factors must be considered. The first of these factors is size. A knife for skinning a squirrel should be relatively small. Skinning a squirrel requires many precise cuts, so in my opinion your knife should be no longer than 4 inches. The other main consideration is edge sharpness and retention. Obviously when skinning any animal a sharpened edge is important, yet a blade that can retain that edge is very beneficial as well. It can be very troublesome when a knife continuously needs resharpening, especially when you have many animals to skin.
Example of a knife designed for skinning squirrels
Small folding knives also work well for this task
The Surface
While many regular hunters own game processing tables, one is not needed for this method. A board, a stump, or even the ground will all serve your purpose. However, I recommend the avid squirrel hunter purchase a processing table. These tables are plastic folding tables, with racks underneath and a sink. You can hook a water hose to the sink, and rinse things off in the basin. The racks underneath serve well for storage of tools or game. Utilizing one of these tables would allow a hunter to more quickly and efficiently.
An example of a processing table
Many hunters find themselves pursuing the squirrel at some point throughout the fall and winter months. Veteran outdoorsmen, casual hunters, those new to the sport, and many other types of people enjoy hunting this small game animal. Some hunt for meat, some for the thrill, and some to continue a tradition. Whatever their reason, every squirrel will find themselves with a squirrel carcass that needs skinning.
The Method
What You'll Need
While many methods of skinning a squirrel require an array of tools, this method requires much less. You're going to need a sharp knife, a flat surface, and a source of cool running water.
The Knife
There is no specific style of knife needed to skin a squirrel, but a few important factors must be considered. The first of these factors is size. A knife for skinning a squirrel should be relatively small. Skinning a squirrel requires many precise cuts, so in my opinion your knife should be no longer than 4 inches. The other main consideration is edge sharpness and retention. Obviously when skinning any animal a sharpened edge is important, yet a blade that can retain that edge is very beneficial as well. It can be very troublesome when a knife continuously needs resharpening, especially when you have many animals to skin. |
| Example of a knife designed for skinning squirrels |
|
| Small folding knives also work well for this task |
The Surface
While many regular hunters own game processing tables, one is not needed for this method. A board, a stump, or even the ground will all serve your purpose. However, I recommend the avid squirrel hunter purchase a processing table. These tables are plastic folding tables, with racks underneath and a sink. You can hook a water hose to the sink, and rinse things off in the basin. The racks underneath serve well for storage of tools or game. Utilizing one of these tables would allow a hunter to more quickly and efficiently. |
| An example of a processing table |
When to Begin
While reading other tutorials, you might read conflicting recommendations on when to start the skinning process. Some people say to skin squirrels immediately, and others may give certain amounts of time you can wait. In my experience, the amount of time you can wait depends on the temperature and condition of the carcass. Colder temperatures mean you can wait longer, and carcasses with heavy damage may require immediate processing. Trust your gut on when to begin the process. If you're going to wait a substantial amount of time, even in extremely cold weather, it is best to remove the organs after the kill. This ensures the carcass cools down and doesn't spoil.
The Process
1. First place the squirrel on a flat surface.
2. Then pinch the skin on the squirrels back and slice across it.
3. Hook index fingers into the incision.
4. Pull skin in both directions, widening the hole.
5. Grab the skin on front with hand and the skin on back with the other.
6. Pull in opposite directions until skin has been removed to the feet, hands, tail, and head of the squirrel.
7. Break each leg at the foot.
8. Slice through the spot of the break, removing the squirrels feet.
9. Slice all the way around the base of the tail.
10. Cut through the base of the tail.
11. Pull the skin, tail, and feet off the back end of the squirrel.
12. Break each arm at the hand.
13. Slice through the break, removing hands.
14. Slice the flesh around the base of the neck.
15. Cut through the spine at the base of the neck.
16. Pull the skin, hands and head off the front end of the squirrel.
17. Slice from the bottom of the ribs to the pelvis, make sure to not
cut into the organs
18. Hook finger around the organs and pull them out.
19. Slice up the center of the ribs.
20. Break the ribs apart and remove the organs.
21. Break the pelvis at the joint and remove the anus and sex organs
22. Rinse carcass under cool water until clean.
23. Store or cook in whatever manner you wish.
Warning- Skinning knives are kept sharp, and there are many sharp bones in a squirrel. Cuts can occur, but can be prevented. Always cut away from yourself, never put your fingers where you can't see, and have first aid materials ready.
Conclusion
Whether you are a veteran hunter venturing into small game, or brand new to the sport, this simple technique is a must know. With a knife, a flat surface, and running water you can have a squirrel ready for the freezer or the frying pan. Once again, this is not the only method of skinning squirrels, and I would encourage you to look into others. Now go bag some tree rats.
1. First place the squirrel on a flat surface.
2. Then pinch the skin on the squirrels back and slice across it.
3. Hook index fingers into the incision.
4. Pull skin in both directions, widening the hole.
5. Grab the skin on front with hand and the skin on back with the other.
6. Pull in opposite directions until skin has been removed to the feet, hands, tail, and head of the squirrel.
7. Break each leg at the foot.
8. Slice through the spot of the break, removing the squirrels feet.
9. Slice all the way around the base of the tail.
10. Cut through the base of the tail.
11. Pull the skin, tail, and feet off the back end of the squirrel.
12. Break each arm at the hand.
13. Slice through the break, removing hands.
14. Slice the flesh around the base of the neck.
15. Cut through the spine at the base of the neck.
16. Pull the skin, hands and head off the front end of the squirrel.
17. Slice from the bottom of the ribs to the pelvis, make sure to not
cut into the organs
18. Hook finger around the organs and pull them out.
19. Slice up the center of the ribs.
20. Break the ribs apart and remove the organs.
21. Break the pelvis at the joint and remove the anus and sex organs
22. Rinse carcass under cool water until clean.
23. Store or cook in whatever manner you wish.
Warning- Skinning knives are kept sharp, and there are many sharp bones in a squirrel. Cuts can occur, but can be prevented. Always cut away from yourself, never put your fingers where you can't see, and have first aid materials ready.
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