stress and game prep

[olddogrib]

Okay I confess, cabin fever has set in a I desperately need more "dirt time"!  I started a thread over in the recipe section about tenderizing squirrels.  I'll leave it there because that's where it belongs, but I have a theory .  Basically, I tried to tenderize 3 squirrels with 8 hours in a slow cooker on low. One (the largest and most likely oldest)was falling off the bone, the smaller 2 were still tough as leather.  After I posted I had an "epiphany" I'd like some feedback on. I declared war on squirrels raiding my bird feeder a month or so ago.  One of said squirrels was shot "free range" off the feeder and the other two were live trapped and dispatched, in an admittedly unsportsmanlike fashion. In my defense,  I relocated approx. 12 unharmed for any "bunny-huggers" reading this.  There is nothing more "wired" than a live-trapped squirrel and I've read that animals that are stressed, i.e. dogged deer, etc. wiil have tougher meat from the build-up of lactic acid or something. Did this make the difference?
P.S. I haven't seen a squirrel in a week.  The word is out in the trees....squirrels fear me!

[Killdeer]

I think you're right.
There may be other factors in play as well, such as how long did they age before cooking, did they get through rigor mortis before being spitted, etc.

I will not hunt deer with dogs, given the chance, because of this. But then, I have not heard of lion or bear hunters having this problem. I have not spent time in forums devoted to dog hunting these animals, and perhaps I should, in order to broaden my understanding and to learn more about the critters.

Killdeer

[jsweka]

It sounds like a reasonable hypothesis.  You can test it by continuing to both trap and shoot squirrels and keep track while cooking and the final taste test which were which.  If you want it to be really scientific, have a "blind taster" who doesn't know which were which give their opinion.

[magnus]

I know it does have a difference in cattle. As crazy as it sounds an angry steer has tense meat after being slaughtered and electricity is used to relax the meat. It holds more blood when they're tense. I think it would be the same with any animal. Ever tasted a full rut buck? Not as tasty as other deer. IMO.

[maineac]

I think your theory is right on.

[JamesV]

I am an avid squirrel hunter and I have noticed that some are tougher than others, You may have hit on something there.

[Joeabowhunter]

I totally agree.

[TSchirm]

I believe you are exactly right.  I have read this as well as seen it many times.  When I was a game warden in Wyoming, many of the local hunters thought antelope meat wasn't any good.  I commented that I had never had a bad one, and thought the meat was quite good.  Over several years working that area, I found out many were just road hunting and shooting at antelope that were running away from the vehicle.  I causght several of them chasing antelope on two-track "roads" until they could shoot them.  By then, the antleope were so pumped up with lactic acid, it was like trying to eat your boot.