To do it methodically and to retrieve the most I can for the pot, I usually skin and dress out my squirrels as such:
1. After harvesting, I'll remove the head and feet. This can be done several ways, from continous cutting witha small bladed knife, to one chop with a larger "Rambo" knife (my preference, quick and easy), to using a set of pruning shears.
2. Once that's done, I start back up, belly down, usually on a log, from the point of the neck area. For ease of removing the skin, I leave the entrails "in" at this time.
3. I move down the backbone toward the tail, seperating the skin away from the cut:
4. I then start working the skin away from the body, usually behind the front legs / shoulder blades and at the point of my first cut at the neck:
5. I work it down the body, using my fingers to loosen and turn "inside out" the skin around the front legs:
6. Using the front legs for leverage, I hold it up and start pulling down:
7. I work the rear legs much like the front legs, getting the skin worked away with my fingers (like a finger in a glove) between the skin and legs, then pull and turn inside out:
8. Once clear of the legs, I'll pull past the base of the tail about 3/4", then remove tail the same method of removing the head / feet.
9. At this point I'll remove the entrails, finding the point on the ribcage that comes to a point:
10. I'll make an inscision there and work my way to the anus area. On males, i'll go to one side of the genitals, then using the front legs for leverage, pick the squirrel up, work my index and thumb into the chest cavity breaking the membrane there, and remove the heart, lungs, and gastro tract all at once:
(picture heavy, continued below)
1. After harvesting, I'll remove the head and feet. This can be done several ways, from continous cutting witha small bladed knife, to one chop with a larger "Rambo" knife (my preference, quick and easy), to using a set of pruning shears.
2. Once that's done, I start back up, belly down, usually on a log, from the point of the neck area. For ease of removing the skin, I leave the entrails "in" at this time.
3. I move down the backbone toward the tail, seperating the skin away from the cut:
4. I then start working the skin away from the body, usually behind the front legs / shoulder blades and at the point of my first cut at the neck:
5. I work it down the body, using my fingers to loosen and turn "inside out" the skin around the front legs:
6. Using the front legs for leverage, I hold it up and start pulling down:
7. I work the rear legs much like the front legs, getting the skin worked away with my fingers (like a finger in a glove) between the skin and legs, then pull and turn inside out:
8. Once clear of the legs, I'll pull past the base of the tail about 3/4", then remove tail the same method of removing the head / feet.
9. At this point I'll remove the entrails, finding the point on the ribcage that comes to a point:
10. I'll make an inscision there and work my way to the anus area. On males, i'll go to one side of the genitals, then using the front legs for leverage, pick the squirrel up, work my index and thumb into the chest cavity breaking the membrane there, and remove the heart, lungs, and gastro tract all at once:
(picture heavy, continued below)
