Edible small game in WA?

[PoseurMarksman]

Could I interest you in about 10K starlings...

That's per square mile, right?

[nwwanderer]

Pick the right spot that is per acre

[boneaddict]

You can use a pellet gun.   I mean I have one with more muzzle velocity than a .22, but I also have killed quite a few squirrels with the cheap crossman pump.   

[buckfvr]

Serious .22 lr with a can shooting sub-sonic ammo.  Savage offers .22 lr that are threaded.

[bkaech]

I'm curious what small game is NOT edible? Parasites are an overblown issue in most cases, if you are smart and cook it right, every animal is edible (as far as I can think of). Usually the thing that keeps you from eating an animal is your preconceptions about it or the fact that you didn't grow up eating it.

As much as I love elk, my favorite animal to eat is Ruffed Grouse.

[ducks4days]

I'm curious what small game is NOT edible?

Pokemon on the original gameboy is pretty small, technically you could eat it once but probably not more than that

[Boss .300 winmag]

I'm curious what small game is NOT edible? Parasites are an overblown issue in most cases, if you are smart and cook it right, every animal is edible (as far as I can think of). Usually the thing that keeps you from eating an animal is your preconceptions about it or the fact that you didn't grow up eating it.

As much as I love elk, my favorite animal to eat is Ruffed Grouse.

Yep.👍

[PoseurMarksman]

I'm curious what small game is NOT edible?

Pokemon on the original gameboy is pretty small, technically you could eat it once but probably not more than that

[Goshawk]

New member, here.  Infrequent and rarely successful fisherman, haven't hunted since ducks and pronghorns many years ago as a teen.

Looking around, it seems like the amount of edible, mammalian small game in Washington isn't impressive.  I was looking for an excuse to buy a nicer .22LR rifle, and it took me a while to realize that, if I'm reading things correctly, rifles aren't allowed for squirrels here?  And maybe the population of huntable squirrels is pretty small?

I'm not interested in shooting coyotes, so maybe the best "small" game is the puny blacktail deer we have?  Or what am I missing.

Western Washington is pretty much the hind end of small game.  If you do hunt the eastern gray, and this is very important, Do Not Eat Them if you're in or around a town.  A recent study shows where they are loaded with rat poison from raiding rat and mouse bate. 

[Goshawk]

FYI, Squirrels taken around towns often test high for rat poison. I wouldn't even begin to consider eating one taken inside a city limit, or farm. 

[Duckslayer89]

New member, here.  Infrequent and rarely successful fisherman, haven't hunted since ducks and pronghorns many years ago as a teen.

Looking around, it seems like the amount of edible, mammalian small game in Washington isn't impressive.  I was looking for an excuse to buy a nicer .22LR rifle, and it took me a while to realize that, if I'm reading things correctly, rifles aren't allowed for squirrels here?  And maybe the population of huntable squirrels is pretty small?

I'm not interested in shooting coyotes, so maybe the best "small" game is the puny blacktail deer we have?  Or what am I missing.

Western Washington is pretty much the hind end of small game.  If you do hunt the eastern gray, and this is very important, Do Not Eat Them if you're in or around a town.  A recent study shows where they are loaded with rat poison from raiding rat and mouse bate.

Never thought of that. Wouldn’t that kill the squirrel?

[HikerHunter]

Eastern grey squirrels are invasive and can be hunted year round. There is no restriction on firearm. If hunted off of your property, a big or small game license is required. The attached PDF describes the different squirrel species in WA and their ranges. Eastern grey squirrels, also known as Chicken of the Trees, are wonderful breaded or battered, and deep fried. They also make a great stew.

I LOVE squirrel hunting, and its a damn shame we dont have more opportunity. The problem is that Eastern's are mostly clustered around populated city areas where they were introduced. Ive had convos with Sherriff's deputies more than once because people got nervous about me shooting squirrels around Issaquah. I have a few that hang around my property, but I cant convince myself to take more than a couple a year for fear of wiping them out of the area for good. I want to continue having opportunity.

The best squirrel habitat I have seen in the state is between Klickitat and Goldendale where oak trees are the dominant plant species. Its also the epicenter of the protected Western Gray squirrel distribution for the same reason.

The SJ islands have fox squirrels that are HUGE and DELICOUS. Access is a problem, but if you can get somebody to let you hunt, you can stack them up quickly.

My experience is that they are like any rodent, extremely hard to actually eradicate. If there is good habitat, more will find it and move in.