invasive

[Bedrock Bob]

I'm still waiting for my mice. Getting pretty hungry guys.

I tell you what. I don't have many mice these days. But I do have plenty of round tail ground squirrels. They are a lot tastier than mice I hear.

They aren't invasive. And I wont pretend I'm "pesting" or saving the environment. I'll simply admit that I'm enjoying a blood sport. I don't need any other reason.

No excuses. No BS about they carry disease or they burrow under the footings or they grow fangs and chase the chickens at night.

I'll shoot them for the pure enjoyment. I can't think of any other possible reason to shoot a squirrel with a pellet gun or a fish with an arrow. It's not game management. It's just a freaking hoot.

I'll field dress the little rascals, wash them in the sink and send them to you frozen. I'll even pay shipping if you promise to eat them.

How many do you want?

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

I tell you what. I don't have many mice these days. But I do have plenty of round tail ground squirrels. They are a lot tastier than mice I hear.

They aren't invasive. And I wont pretend I'm "pesting" or saving the environment. I'll simply admit that I'm enjoying a blood sport. I don't need any other reason.

No excuses. No BS about they carry disease or they burrow under the footings or they grow fangs and chase the chickens at night.

I'll shoot them for the pure enjoyment. I can't think of any other possible reason to shoot a squirrel with a pellet gun or a fish with an arrow. It's not game management. It's just a freaking hoot.

I'll field dress the little rascals, wash them in the sink and send them to you frozen. I'll even pay shipping if you promise to eat them.

How many do you want?

I dunno about eating chupacabra squirrels, might be bad juju... or Mojo.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I dunno about eating chupacabra squirrels, might be bad juju... or Mojo.

Well if your ever hungry for rodent tacos I'll send you some of the tastiest ground squirrel you've ever laid your lips on. You just say the word.

Its not airgun related but I've been known to take a few long range prairie dogs with my varmint rifle. They are fatter than those round tails. Sometimes there is enough left to snack on after the dust settles. If you want to give that a try just shout. I hate to waste all that good meat and it would make me feel a whole lot better about killing them for the pure enjoyment.

 

[Frozenspyder]

Mice and ground squirrels might not be horrible. You just wouldn't get much meat out of them so they're probably not worth the time and effort it takes to clean them. I've never tried either so I can't say with any certainty whether or not they'd be good though.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I never liked to eat tree squirrel. I hated cleaning them. Didn't like the smell of them cooking. Loved to knock them out of a big ponderosa and watch them fall down through the branches though. It was a tradition for many years and made some sweet memories.

I've eaten squirrel stew that was delicious. If I'd have married her I'd still be hunting squirrel. I can't seem to cook them like that. Come to think of it she probably snuck a rabbit in that pot and just told me it was squirrel.

Ground squirrels are pretty nasty. I'm not going to eat one. I bet they taste just like a tree squirrel with extra tick sauce.

My dog got tularemia from a rock squirrel. He got pretty sick and we both had to quarantine for 2 weeks. A guy I know got it from eating jackrabbit. He got bad sick. I think I'm going to avoid eating any wild rodents for a while. The risk/reward factor is just not there for me.

I'll eat anything from elk to bullfrogs. I enjoy tacos that are made from things most people don't even want to think about. But I'm saving all my rodent hams for Dr. Kralenstein's savory prairie dog frickasee.

 

[Berserkeley Mike]

Stop it, I'm getting hungry! Deep fried crispy mouse on a stick sounds pretty good right now, maybe with a hot garlic pepper seasoning (spicy and salty)? Crunch, crunch, like shrimps, they actually have a fair bit of leg meat for the size. Pair that with a Baltic (Lithuanian) beer.
I'd have the ground squirrel, de-boned meat (legs and arms) baked into a savory pie with leek, carrots, potato in a pepper-Crisco crust (trust me, it's light and flakey). I'm thinking a full bodied white wine with that one, a Gewurztraminer or Cali Chard or go light with Sake.
Prairie dogs, ground hogs and the like might be good quartered and stewed long in a sweet sage tomato sauce, like game hens, and served over rice or pasta. Chianti or Pinot noir please!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Well if your talking ground hogs that's a different story. I'd snarf down a ground hog in an instant.

I have never eaten one but my dog ate a little one whole. Feet just kicking as he swallowed him live like an anaconda. The poor ground hog had a confused look on his face as he disappeared in the jaws of death.

The dog didn't get sick and he swore it was the best rodent he had ever eaten. I believe him too. That dog has never lied to me.

My dog would like me to add that the ground hog was a nuisance animal and needed to be killed to save the ecosystem. He is a very environmentally conscious puppy. It was definitely not his natural blood lust that drove his decision to kill. The fact that he enjoyed it was purely a coincidence.

 

[Coinwa]

….. I wont pretend I'm "pesting" or saving the environment. I'll simply admit that I'm enjoying a blood sport…..

Wow…..

 

[coastal drifter]

I ate armadillo once in Brazil, tastes like ox tail. My neighbor passes me ground venison over the back fence every year just before deer season to empty his freezer I suppose, I've made everything from burgers to chili.

 

[Vana2]

An interesting thread the tuned into a pissing contest that was pretty funny/ridiculous at times. ...Won't participate in that.

I have 10 acres of rural property with a wide variety of critters (skin, scales, fur and feathers) and we get along well. Most traditional "pests" (sparrows, starlings and such) are not an issue and are welcome.

We have an infestation of chipmunks so they get shot on sight (I've killed 25 or so so far this year). Groundhogs are a problem in the garden (and the fur makes excellent fishing flies) so they get taken out at first chance. Porcupines are on the hit-list because they are dangerous for the dogs and do a lot of damage to the trees. Grackles are an aggressive bird that disrupts the peace around around the feeders - they are shot whenever possible and I'll actually go out hunting them.

Other pests like raccoons are ok as long as they stay out of the yard - trespassers will be dealt with. Nothing "evasive" here, it's pretty much live and let live.

I have a couple of miles of trails and love to take an airgun (FWB 124 or HW30) for a walkabout to shoot targets of opportunity... acorns, pine cones, weeds, insects and such.

There's enough humans around here that most of the predators have moved out. The chipmunks are a prime example, they are no problem when there is a family of foxes on the property but there's no foxes this year and I have to keep the chipmunk population in check.

The way I see it, each environment has its own situation and needs to be looked at uniquely. One area's problem may be a non-issue elsewhere.

Cheers!

 

[kanmotexacal]

Where do American bison live?​

Bison were once found from Alaska to northern Mexico, primarily in the grasslands and prairies of North America. Today, they occupy only about 1 percent of their former range.


Herds can be found in parts of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada, as well as Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska and possibly Texas in the U.S. These modern herds are very fragmented, and their distribution is limited.

Don't forget Kansas & Oklahoma. I don't believe that any of them are naturally wild herds, many, for sure managed herds.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

Okay, but who wants iguanas, I'm pretty sure we have enough iguanas to feed everyone

 

[Orv]

Stop it, I'm getting hungry! Deep fried crispy mouse on a stick sounds pretty good right now, maybe with a hot garlic pepper seasoning (spicy and salty)? Crunch, crunch, like shrimps, they actually have a fair bit of leg meat for the size. Pair that with a Baltic (Lithuanian) beer.
I'd have the ground squirrel, de-boned meat (legs and arms) baked into a savory pie with leek, carrots, potato in a pepper-Crisco crust (trust me, it's light and flakey). I'm thinking a full bodied white wine with that one, a Gewurztraminer or Cali Chard or go light with Sake.
Prairie dogs, ground hogs and the like might be good quartered and stewed long in a sweet sage tomato sauce, like game hens, and served over rice or pasta. Chianti or Pinot noir please!

55 years ago on the streets of Siagon we would buy fried "monkey on a stick". I'm pretty sure that it was fried rat. Wasn't too bad after eating rations in the field for a month. I think it might have been the secret sauce. Hey, at least I came home. Orv.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

I never liked to eat tree squirrel. I hated cleaning them. Didn't like the smell of them cooking. Loved to knock them out of a big ponderosa and watch them fall down through the branches though. It was a tradition for many years and made some sweet memories.

I've eaten squirrel stew that was delicious. If I'd have married her I'd still be hunting squirrel. I can't seem to cook them like that. Come to think of it she probably snuck a rabbit in that pot and just told me it was squirrel.

Ground squirrels are pretty nasty. I'm not going to eat one. I bet they taste just like a tree squirrel with extra tick sauce.

My dog got tularemia from a rock squirrel. He got pretty sick and we both had to quarantine for 2 weeks. A guy I know got it from eating jackrabbit. He got bad sick. I think I'm going to avoid eating any wild rodents for a while. The risk/reward factor is just not there for me.

I'll eat anything from elk to bullfrogs. I enjoy tacos that are made from things most people don't even want to think about. But I'm saving all my rodent hams for Dr. Kralenstein's savory prairie dog frickasee.

Extra leprosy for me please!

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Okay, but who wants iguanas, I'm pretty sure we have enough iguanas to feed everyone

Oh I'm sure you can taste that in the air! On a hot Florida day? YUMMY!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Okay, but who wants iguanas, I'm pretty sure we have enough iguanas to feed everyone

What a hoot! Did you shoot all those lizards?

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Everyone's worried about the mice being too small for a meal. I learned long ago it's like blue gill. Get enough and you got a decent meal.

I just bust out the blender and make a smoothie. Couple habaneros, salt, and a few strawberries really accentuate the flavor. Personally I leave the skins on. The hair adds a nice texture and thickness, kind of like a malt shake. The bones add calcium which is very important as we age.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

Oh I'm sure you can taste that in the air! On a hot Florida day? YUMMY!

You have NO idea lol.

What a hoot! Did you shoot all those lizards?

Yessir! 5 days a week, sometimes saturday and sunday if I'm doing iguana tours.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Everyone's worried about the mice being too small for a meal. I learned long ago it's like blue gill. Get enough and you got a decent meal.

I just bust out the blender and make a smoothie. Couple habaneros, salt, and a few strawberries really accentuate the flavor. Personally I leave the skins on. The hair adds a nice texture and thickness, kind of like a malt shake. The bones add calcium which is very important as we age.

That's just sick. And wrong. I like it!

You could let it ferment a while. Just until it gets a nice head on it...

Honestly. That's how that rabbit virus started that swept through the West. Killed a sh!T load of jacrabbits. Started right here in my back yard practically. Killed rabbits all the way to California. Right when covid broke out. Spring of 2020.

Some poppy farmers in New Zealand had rabbit problems. Took some sick rabbits with virus and pureed them. Spread them on the fields. The virus mutated. Killed the rabbits. Got to the US in 2019. The outbreak started right here in my hometown Las Cruces.

I'd see 12-15 dead rabbits daily. Killed almost every domestic rabbit across the southwest. The jackrabbit population still hasn't recovered.

So I can't laugh at your sick joke without telling that story. Humans actually do that sick sh!T and call it management.

One more reason I don't pretend to be a biologist when I'm behind the trigger. Sh!T man. I'm just a natural born killer.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

You have NO idea lol.

Yessir! 5 days a week, sometimes saturday and sunday if I'm doing iguana tours.

Well that's one he'll of a bag of big azz lizards buddy! Air rifle?

If I shot one of those things with my air rifle I'd have to finish him with a bowie knife.

Are they hard to kill? What is a hunt like? In the trees? Tell me more!

Edit- I just saw your post on another thread. Is that your lizard gun?