Reactions to Field Dressing.

[Longstreet]

A few years ago I decided to take up hunting and got my small game license to do so. One of my friends is into hunting and since I live in a gun phobic city (archery and/or crossbows are considered the same as guns), finding other people to do go with not easy. So I have pursued this activity pretty much alone (the one hunting friend I have is rarely available to go hunting with).

I will admit that I sometimes have visions of taking down big prey such as a moose or a deer, but I am starting small as if I was to kill anything big, I have no idea what I would do with it and fear it would be wasted. So squirrel season has started in my province and I went out last weekend. Using a high powered pellet gun, I was impressed with myself as I killed a squirrel about five minutes into my hunt and did so with one shot (he was about 30 yards away). I grabbed my squirrel by the tail and took him to a prepared spot where I planned to clean him. This is where I fell apart.

Before going out hunting, I watched several YouTube videos about how to clean a squirrel. I learned how to remove its fur and clean it. I intended to BBQ my squirrel and have it as an (ahem) hors d'oeuvre as I did not want to simply kill it for practice and then have the squirrel go to waste. Unfortunately I made many mistakes when skinning it and the whole thing turned into a huge mess with me in the end simply throwing the squirrel in the garbage.

Now the reason I am making this post is because of the state I was in when cleaning the squirrel. I had not exerted myself while hunting, but I was sweating profusely. The temperature was about 65 degrees and I was working in the shade with a light breeze; still, my shirt was damp from sweat. A few times I felt like I was going to gag and had to stop a for a quick break. So I am now wondering is this normal when dealing with game for the first time? And more importantly, how do I overcome it? Is it simply a more you do it the easier it becomes or do I need to somehow prep myself psychologically? During the event it was strange as my stomach and sweat glands seemed to be saying no, but my brain was saying yes because I really want to learn how to hunt and prep any game that I have. I will overcome all of this, but am looking for some pointers to better deal with it. Any help or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

jaYson