A Denver, Colorado man got candid about his interesting solution to curb a squirrel problem on his property. Jason Salzman says he's been dealing with "nuisance" squirrels messing up his garden and trees.
"The squirrels in the backyard ate a good chunk of our garden this year, and they’re attacking our Maple trees as I write this, so I’m trying to decide if I should eat squirrels in my backyard – again."
You heard that right. This is Salzman's second time feasting on the small rodents, the first time being right before the COVID-19 pandemic. For those worried about the legality of this, Colorado Parks & Wildlife says you're allowed to kill wildlife if they're causing damage to your property.
"I realize it’s much easier to pick up a chicken at Safeway, but hear me out on this. By eating squirrel, you get the added benefit of imagining all the tomatoes, peaches, apples, cherries, Maple trees, and other stuff you’re saving from being eaten by the rodents," Salzman explains. "Even my house, which has endured serious squirrel destruction over the years, is safer with each squirrel that’s consumed. And they might taste good, too."
The Denver resident says he's had squirrel stew and squirrel meat served alongside some greens and chicken sausage pasta. Salzman even invited some friends over for a squirrel-focused dinner party.
He was concerned with the possibility of the squirrels being poisonous, considering these squirrels live in urban environments and consume trash. Luckily, he didn't taste anything strange or toxic while consuming his catch. In fact, he says it's "much better than expected."
"It tasted kind of like it had an oily coating on it, even though it’s lean," Salzman describes. "I wouldn’t call the flavor gamey but maybe mildly so. It also had a slightly acidic taste. Which is not to say it was very good, but the risk and low expectations probably made it taste better to us."
As for whether he would do it again, Salzman says he may stick to trapping the destructive rodents and releasing them somewhere. He adds that "the flavor of these squirrels wasn’t good enough for a repeat... But I personally think chicken is hard to beat and the grocery store is like four blocks from my house."