I've had squirrel, though not chicken-fried. It was gamey but not bad, more like rabbit than venison. ("Chicken-fried" just means breaded and fried cutlets of s

I've had squirrel, though not chicken-fried. It was gamey but not bad, more like rabbit than venison. ("Chicken-fried" just means breaded and fried cutlets of something that isn't chicken. Often served back home with white sausage gravy, and just the thing for supper on a chilly night.) Hawks will take more than squirrels. My mom carries a pistol to let her dog out - he's a Shih Tzu, well within the size range of prey a redtail will stoop on, and it has been a problem before - and her chickens occasionally benefit from a little anti-air fire as well. Urban environments can be well suited to raptors, especially those with a habit of preying on birds. Peregrine falcons nest in a fair number of our structures, one of which is visible from my front porch, and Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks are frequent visitors; while as accipiters these latter favor taking passerines on the wing, they won't shy from taking mammal prey. Squirrels are fast and agile, and big raptors can have a hard time giving chase after a failed stoop, so it isn't as one-sided a contest as it might seem.