Fox Squirrel Courtesy of Pete Walker
There was a time in my life, I was a whole lot
younger and had more hair, when me and one of
my best friends went camping, packing in and
hunting a lot. We were just teens and apt to do,
or try just about anything at least once.
When you have hiked into the wilderness with
nothing but a sleeping bag, gun, fishing tackle
and very little to eat, one learns how to survive.
I was telling my wife this morning about cleaning
and cooking squirrel. We had a package of
stroganoff mix, added water from a stream and
squirrel meat. Honestly, for all the work of
skinning it and cleaning it, the little guy was not
bad eating. The smell was really not bad either.
Chipmunk, Courtesy of Michael Seraphin, DOW.
However, if one of these little rascals is all you
come across, don’t bother yourself with it. I can
promise you my wife has already named it Fred
and it is a pet. Besides, there really is not enough
protein in one of these.
Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Courtesy of The Washington DC Library and the DOW.
Jackrabbits are real stringy, and tougher than
woodpecker lips. They smell pretty bad when
you skin and clean them, and so does any kind of
rabbit. You really want to watch out when it
comes to transporting these lanky critters. It is
not wise to drive a load of them home, inside the
vehicle with you. We, my friend and I, were
nearly eaten alive by fleas.
Western Rattle Snake, Courtesy of Pete Walker.
Now here is a very tasty morsel, but smells
worse than two-week old dirty socks filled with
rotting meat. Seriously, think about the way a
snake digests its food (meat). It rots in there as
it moves on through the belly, body and all.
Whistling Marmot, Courtesy of David Hannigan.
Many years back, my friend and I hiked up a
mountain just a few miles north of where I
currently reside. A freak snow storm hit and
our skinny back sides were stuck up there for a
week. There was this noisy, whistle piercing
our hung over heads and we were real hungry.
Even as a kid I was a cranky old man. We made
short work and a tasty tidbit out of that big
ball of blubber.
Yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but sometimes
a young man has to do, what a young man has to
do to stay alive. My wife and I have a rule, if you
kill it (even by accident) you skin it, clean it and
eat it.
You will all be happy to know I am no longer a
hunting man. Like I said before, my wife has
named them all Fred. She would beat me bloody
about the head and shoulders if I did any of this
stuff now. Besides, I am getting a little too old
for all that work and I have grown to love the
wild beasts around my place. I enjoy providing
them all with a nice safe place to live.
Copyright 2011, by Glenn Raymond.
All Photographs are “Courtesy of” the great
people named in the captions and were obtained
from the Colorado Division of Wildlife website.
Related Articles
- Hunting, cooking, and eating squirrel [VIDEO] (grist.org)
- John Switzer commentary: Winter walk in woods can cure cabin fever (dispatch.com)
It is not just about drywall. There is a whole ball of Earth out there and I will be sharing it with everyone.
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