Processing & Cooking Squirrel | Illinois Learn to Hunt

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Processing & Cooking Squirrel

Discover the essential steps to properly process your harvest from field to table. This page covers step-by-step methods for skinning, gutting, and butchering squirrels, along with expert-recommended guides and recipes to help you turn your wild game into a delicious meal.

Processing

Skinning & Gutting

There are several methods for skinning squirrels, each requiring different tools. Check out the videos below to see which method you prefer.

A man dressed in camo, wearing a "Hunting Public" sweatshirt and blue rubber gloves leaning over a gray squirrel that is resting on a truck tail gate that is draped in an orange cover, preparing to skin it.

The Midsection Cleaning Method

The Midsection Cleaning Method (often called the “shirt and pants” method is a common way to skin rabbits and squirrels. Let us show you how to do it!

Watch Now

For more information on other methods, please visit:

Learn How to Skin a Squirrel by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
How To Process a Squirrel with Becky Bloomfield by Kentucky Afield (Uses the midsection method and includes an overview of breaking down your squirrel into cuts)

Processing for Cooking

Once your squirrel is skinned and gutted, it’s time to break it down into different cuts for cooking.

Video on how to process and cook squirrels, by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.

Recipes

Squirrel is a versatile protein that works well in many dishes that typically call for chicken, especially legs and wings.