Low riskEdible cooked
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Everyday bushmeat of the oak-hickory woods.
- Marks
- White eye-ring; bushy tail
- Size
- 1–1.5 lb
- Habitat
- Hardwoods, towns, hickory groves.
- Season
- Year-round. Best eating in fall after nuts.
- Frequency
- abundant
Gray with a white eye-ring and a big plume tail. Fox squirrels (orange-rust, larger) share the same ridges.
Uses
Fried squirrel, pot pie. Save the brains-and-tannin mix only if you already know hide tanning.