Campfire Dutch Oven Smothered Squirrel Recipe
By Michael Pendley
Looking for a fun and inexpensive way to introduce a new hunter to the sport? How about a squirrel hunt? Seasons are long in most states, squirrels abound on most public lands and permission to hunt small game on private land is usually easier to procure than that for popular big-game animals.
The best part? Squirrels are delicious.
Use a Dutch oven over your evening campfire to cook up the day’s take. If you aren’t camping, this same recipe will work just fine on the stovetop. The slow-cooking process tenderizes the squirrels, making them wonderful to eat.
Ingredients
3 gray or two larger fox squirrels, sectioned into leg and back pieces.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
½-inch oil, shortening, bacon grease or lard in the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven
3 yellow onions, chopped
4 cups milk or buttermilk
2 to 4 cups water, as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Start by placing your camp-style (with legs) Dutch oven over eight to 10 coals. Add your oil of choice to a depth of about ½-inch.
While the oil heats, evenly season the squirrel with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning.
Toss the squirrel pieces in one cup of flour to evenly coat the surface of the meat.
Once your oil is hot enough to make a pinch of flour bubble and sizzle, gently add the squirrel to the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and fry the pieces for six to eight minutes or until the surfaces are crisp and golden brown. Flip the squirrel pieces, return the lid to the pot and repeat until both sides are done. Remove the squirrel from the pot and set aside.
Add the remaining cup of flour to the oil to make a roux. Continuously stir the roux until it takes on a golden-brown color, about eight to10 minutes.
Add the chopped onions and continue cooking until the onions have softened, about another five minutes. Again, stir the roux constantly to prevent it from burning at this point.
Add the buttermilk and two cups of water. Stir until the gravy begins to thicken. Add additional water as needed if the gravy is too thick. It needs to be thin at this point, just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Test for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Return the squirrel pieces to the pot, nestling them down into the onion gravy. Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Add six to eight coals or burning charcoal briquets to the top of the lid and allow the squirrel to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the meat is tender.
For stovetop preparation, over medium heat, complete the steps above up to adding the squirrel back to the gravy. Once the squirrel is in the gravy, cover the pot and place it into a preheated 300-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Try Out More Recipes with NSSF’s Game Meat Cooking Series
Where hunter and classically trained chef Georgia Pellegrini shares recipes from her book, “Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time.”
Photo Courtesy of Bob Robb[/caption]
When it comes to gear, precision is essential. A reliable rifle with a suitable caliber, such as a .22 or .17 HMR, is commonly used for prairie dog hunting due to its accuracy and effectiveness. Optics, such as scopes or binoculars, help spot these small targets from a distance. Additionally, a comfortable and sturdy shooting rest can assist in maintaining stability and improving shot accuracy. 
In summer, use a low-power 8x24 or 8x32 binocular to scan areas where you hear or see leaves moving, then be ready to follow up positive identification with a rifle shot.[/caption]
A small binocular—either an 8x24 or 8x32—is useful for this sort of surveillance. Scan areas where you hear or see leaves moving, then be ready to follow up positive identification with a rifle shot.
Find a quiet place to sit, let the woods settle down then listen. In summer, you’ll likely hear squirrels in the leafy treetops. Once leaves drop, listen for squirrels rustling leaves on the forest floor.[/caption]
This is the nut-gathering season for squirrels, and they’re working overtime to store acorns, hickory nuts, and chestnuts for winter consumption, so they’re often visible and vulnerable.
If summer was .22 season, the fall is a better time for a shotgun. Walk the woods and look for snap shots on the forest floor as squirrels run from tree to tree and scamper up trunks. But if you prefer a rifle, then sit on a hillside, wait for the forest to settle down from your intrusion, and then take longer shots at squirrels pausing from their nut-gathering mission.
This can also be a wait-and-listen game, only at this time of year, you’re listening for the loud rustle of squirrels moving through dried leaves. You’d be amazed how often a 2-pound squirrel can sound like a 200-pound whitetail buck moving through the woods.
While a .22 Rimfire rifle is an excellent choice for squirrels, when you want a little more reach, consider a scoped .17 rimfire, like Savage’s A17.[/caption]
The most effective all-around squirrel gun is a scoped .22. You want a rifle that can repeatedly stack shots inside a 2-inch bullseye at 50 yards. Good options include the durable Ruger 10/22, Browning’s T-Bolt, or Marlin’s Model 60 or 795.
An accurate .22 pistol, such as Browning’s Buck Mark, topped with a red-dot sight is another great squirrel rig. If you want to opt for a little more range, consider a .17 rimfire; the light, fast Savage A17 in .17 HMR is a good choice.
A suppressor is a smart addition, because its blast-taming muzzle keeps you from announcing yourself to squirrels with every shot you take.
For shotguns, there’s no need to go heavier than a 20 gauge, and a 28 gauge or even .410 is a better choice. The Federal’s Heavyweight TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) is a wonderful squirrel load. Designed for turkeys, the size 9 shot delivers great penetration and range and is a good choice for a walk-about squirrel hunter who doesn’t want to lug around a heavy shotgun.