cleaning squirrel with creek water?

Question

If I use a creek to rinse off squirrel after cleaning, then boil it in water, will it then be safe to eat?

Answer 1

Yes it will be fine! Don't forget to carry small amounts of salt and pepper just for some seasoning! The small packets from fast food places work great. They weigh nothing and don't take up room in your pack! I prefer to cook them on a stick over the open fire rather than boiling it. Boiling takes the flavor out of the meat.

Answer 2

Not for me. The bacteria in the water goes to work on your animal if the temperature the meat in held in is above freezing. It really doesn't matter about using boiling water later or the fact that your going to cook the meat. The damage is done at the creeks edge. What bacteria is in the water, where did it come from, is a pasture land near to it, did a bear crap in it.
A better plan would be to simple gut the animal and finish the skinning later where you can use a reliable water source to clean it with.
I know a lot of people who will use a creek, but It only takes once to get the bug.

Answer 3

YES.But there is no need to boil them after rinsing in creek water. Cooking will kill any bacteria that might be in the creek water. I always soak mine when I get home for about an hour in salt water to remove any blood, then fry, broil or bake them..Whatever way you wish. They will be fine regardless of how you cook them....

Answer 4

Only minimally, if at all. If the water were not collected, it would have made it downhill to the nearest creek anyway. To clean up a creek, you have to eliminate the source of pollution. Rain barrels are nice as a source of water for the garden. In hardwater areas (USA west of the 100th meridian, for example), rainwater is good for washing your hair.

Answer 5

there is no need to boil it in water just because you have rinsed it in the creek. normal cooking... frying baking ect to temp internal of 170 deg will kill any bacteria in it. i also like many of the others on here soak mine for 1 hr min in salt water to remove excess blood

Answer 6

Ideally you should soak it in saltwater overnight before cooking it. After that, it's the temperature of the meat that determines if the creepy-crawlies are dead. I'm not sure what the recommended temp for squirrel is, but it's probably around what it is for chicken or pork.

In short, you should be OK.

Answer 7

As long as you thoroughly cook it, it doesn't matter if you boil it, fry it or roast it, the bacteria and cysts will be killed. What you have to be concerned with is that you thoroughly wash your hands after handling the raw meat. If you don't, you can then recontaminate the cooked meat when you handle it.

Answer 8

if you boil it all germs and bacteria will die
and it will be safe to eat

Answer 9

yes boiling kills the bacteria.

Answer 10

Yep.