Squirrel Dissection Nov. 2017

Squirrel Dissection 

*Graphic Images*

November 2017

These dissection posts are always hard for me to post, but I know that the science part of me, the 'always amazed at this world that the Lord has made' part of me is always interested in how He put things together.

Honestly, my side of the family are NOT hunters, but my husband has hunted for most of his life.  Dd has been keenly interested in hunting for years and loves spending time with Dh and providing food for our family.  The activity is not about killing, but about providing food.  I also appreciate consuming food that hasn't been in a store!  When our food is an animal I prefer the animal to have had a wild free life and a quick sudden death.

Dd shot both squirrels through the lungs, though she was hoping for their hearts.

Dh spent over an hour with Dd showing her and then having her skin and dissect the squirrels.

They have stretched and salted the skins and they are drying in our outbuilding.

Dd skinned and dissected the male; which was a Red Squirrel.  Dd did the Gray Squirrel.

After Dh did one he had her try her hand at the other:

Dd was a bit hesitant where to begin!  I imagine so!

Unlike so many hunting seasons in our past, this year was beautiful and perhaps TOO warm!

Seeing all the organs was very interesting!  Dh went over each one with us.

You can see the hole through its lung.

Dh took out the heart and livers for Giz and Grampy to eat.  They always eat the livers from the deer Dh hunts, so Dd wanted to provide them with the livers she got too.

Livers in the plastic baggy for Giz and Grampy

The female's stomach was SO full, she had clearly been a much better eater than the boy.

Check out how full the female (Gray) Squirrel is!  Her stomach was huge!

All clean and ready to eat, though not very much food for all the hard work.  I think Dd learned a lot.

Here is what the skins look like stretched and salted.

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