Bushy Tails for Dinner

Spartan

Member
Jan 18, 2020
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937
USA
Just hit 50 for the year. Last few sessions have been with my beloved FX Dreamlite Compact in .22, ~890fps, FX Atomics.

Fresh out of the fryer. This is living 😄

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Process/Recipe:

I quarter out the squirrels and put the parts in ziplock bags, squeeze out the excess air, and in the fridge for 6-10 days, usually around 7 days. This gets them nice and tender. Ages the meat just like butchers do. Then the bags either go in the freezer for later use, or get ready for cooking.

I grill more often than fry, but the last couple batches have been fried, and oh so good! Recipe for the fry:
  • 3 parts flour to 1 part corn starch for the coating. Corn starch gives them a little crispiness and keeps the coating from falling off while cooking
  • Season the flour mix with black pepper, garlic powder, and "Slap Ya Momma" seasoning. Not too much. Taste the flour mix and you'll be able to tell if it is at a good strength for your liking.
  • Dredge the dry parts in the flour mix, then dip in an egg bath, then back in the flour dredge. The egg gets a little Slap Ya Momma seasoning put in it too.
  • Have your pot of oil ready at 375-400 degrees F while doing the dredging. Use a thermometer that clips on the pot. It's important to keep the temp right the whole time they're cooking.
  • About 8 minutes in the oil. Gently move the parts around every couple of minutes. See that golden brown come in and you're good
 
Nice shooting! Love the gun, BTW. Been looking for a compact dreamline with the tube like yours, and they’re hard to find.

I've noticed that too. Guess the CF bottle versions are more popular now. But I very much prefer the tube as well. Makes a great rest. I think people weren't happy with the shot count with the tube. But I have it tuned to get exactly a full mag on a fill (18 shots for my .22 cal) and that's more than enough for any of my hunting ventures for the day, be it from a blind or woods walking. Drop the fps down closer to 850 and it can get 30+ shots on a fill, but I like it around 890. For how small and light the gun is, it's perfect for my needs.
 
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Good luck. We have until the end of Feb here, and then season is out until September.
Thanks. We started Aug 1 so it's not so bad. I've been up to the limit and then we ate some, so I could get 4 more tomorrow. Today was a bust but I had lots of stuff going on. I'd be really psyched to get a rabbit too.
 
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Thanks. We started Aug 1 so it's not so bad. I've been up to the limit and then we ate some, so I could get 4 more tomorrow. Today was a bust but I had lots of stuff going on. I'd be really psyched to get a rabbit too.

Good luck. I love rabbit hunting, but unfortunately the bunnies are mostly gone in my area. Used to have so many around you almost couldn't walk in the yard without stepping on one. That was 15 or more years ago. Not sure what happened, but they are a rare sight these days.
 
Good luck. I love rabbit hunting, but unfortunately the bunnies are mostly gone in my area. Used to have so many around you almost couldn't walk in the yard without stepping on one. That was 15 or more years ago. Not sure what happened, but they are a rare sight these days.
Not sure where you are but around here it's HAWKS and cats. I wish there were controlled seasons on hawks they can take over and devastate many game species.
 
50 in a year is Great! I am barely over that in 4 years. My favorite 22 is my P35-22 tuned to about 32 fpe. All 9 of it's kills were DRT. I'm sure you get similar experience with even more power from your dreamline.

I’m getting about 28 fpe out of my tune on the compact. Knocks them down great. Even on the occasional free-handed body shots that aren’t perfect. I’ve found that Atomics (Hades) in 22 at those speeds have a very similar knock-down power as .25 cal domes which I used exclusively for a couple years. 25 domes might have a very slight edge but it’s subtle. Hard pressed to see any difference there. Love this setup.