Virginia deer hunter Jim Crumley was unhappy with traditional military camouflage, so he started dabbing splotches of brown dye on some gray work clothes to match his surroundings. After two years of increased hunting success, he meticulously applied a bark pattern with magic marker. Soon, other hunters were pestering him for the new outfits.
Crumley’s original printed Trebark was created in 1980, and modern camouflage was born. The introduction of Trebark planted seeds in the minds of Toxey Haas who created Mossy Oak, Bill Jordan who created Realtree, Leland Sikes of Natural Gear and a host of other farsighted individuals who later crafted their own camouflage patterns and subsequently produced specialized lines of camo clothing for hunters.
Nowadays, hunting clothes aren’t the only things patterned with camouflage. No, indeed. In fact, it would be hard to name any product you can’t buy somewhere in one camo pattern or another. There are camouflage sunglasses, bedclothes, eating utensils, padlocks, hammocks, notebooks, purses, bikinis, teddy bears, pencils, rugs, sofas, chairs, curtains, ceiling fans, seat covers, shoes, bottles, pillows and iPods. More unusual items available in camo include diaper bags, balloons, fishing lures, Bibles, gumballs, toilet paper, Christmas ornaments and refrigerators. If you so choose, you can even be buried in a camo casket.
It would seem to me, however, that some items simply aren’t meant to be colored with camouflage. I say this from the practical standpoint of one who has learned the hard way that the ultimate purpose of camouflage is concealment, and if you happen to drop, place or otherwise position a camouflaged object on the ground or in the bushes, it will become as invisible as a copperhead in a leaf pile. For that reason, objects likely to be intentionally or unintentionally placed where there are leaves, bark or other items commonly a part of camouflage patterns should not themselves be camouflaged.
Here are 15 such items:
1. Toddler clothes
Mommy puts Junior down to play in the yard. Junior crawls into the pile of leaves Daddy raked but didn’t bag. Junior disappears. Amber Alert time. It should go without saying, camouflage clothes on little kids are a bad idea.
2. Cell phone cover
Bubba is sitting on the ground deer hunting. He has his earbuds in and is listening to Hank Williams Jr. on his new high-dollar, do-everything cell phone when Muy Grandé walks out. He puts the phone down to take a shot, spends the next hour looking for a non-existent blood trail and later can’t figure out what he did with his cell. He’ll never know.
3. GPS
Bubba’s new handheld GPS unit, also patterned in beautiful Realtree camouflage, is laying next to his cell phone. Gone, too.
4. Arrows
Have you ever tried to find a fluorescent-colored arrow that missed the target and skidded up under the leaves? So why would anyone want to shoot camo arrows?
5. Pocketknives
These handy-dandy utensils need no help whatsoever disappearing.
6. Binoculars
You might be OK if you keep them around your neck, but ever tried finding a set of camo binoculars you hung on a tree branch or laid on the ground? It’s like trying to cross your eyes and see the spaceship in one of those funny pictures.
7. ATVs
No one could lose something as big as an ATV, right? Only the camo models. Make mine red.
8. Wallet
Mr. Hunter’s camo wallet slips out of his back pocket while he’s walking through the woods. Odds of finding it again? About the same as his chances for killing the next world-record non-typical.
9. Packs
Daypack, backpack—it doesn’t matter. Set it down when you take a rest and it could disappear quicker than a biscuit at the camp dinner table.
10. Guns
A friend of a friend once fell asleep while sitting by a tree with his camo turkey gun laying on the ground beside him. When he awoke, he thought someone had stolen his gun and actually went home without his firearm, which he found the next day right where he left it. Not too bright, that guy, but how many times have you placed your gun by a tree or on the ground while you stepped away to go to the bathroom or do something else? Ever had a hard time finding it again? Imagine if it was camouflaged.
11. Two-way radios
Like cell phones and GPS units, these electronics should be made only in bright colors, never camouflage.
12. Hunting stools
Ditto.
13. Backpacking tents
When you pitch a little camo tent in unfamiliar backcountry, then take a hike to enjoy the scenery, be sure you have something besides a camo GPS to help you find your “home away from home” again.
14. Cigarette lighters
To date, I have lost 342 of these.
15. Baseballs
In fact, it should be against the law to make balls of any sort in camo colors. They always wind up rolling into the woods and are next to impossible to find, even in normal colors.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Upland Bird Hunter's Quiz
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For those of you who enjoy bird hunting, here’s a fun little quiz to test your knowledge. Can you identify the lesser-known upland gamebirds described in these paragraphs? The answers are at the end of the post.
1. Plowing of their prairie habitat almost wiped out these “pinnated grouse,” which once ranged throughout most of the continental U.S. They can be hunted now only in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and Colorado.
2. These imports from India and Pakistan adapted extremely well to the drier, rockier terrain of northern Nevada. This species is now the most common upland gamebird in the Silver State. Oregon and Idaho also are top producing states.
3. These crested gamebirds are native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, with introductions in Nevada and Washington. Some hunters know them as “cottontops,” but their most-accepted common name is derived from their distinctly patterned plumage.
4. Common along south Texas’ Rio Grande River, this pheasant-sized bird, named for its unusual call, can be hunted in the Lone Star State, Mexico and Central America. Some call it the Mexican Tree Pheasant.
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5. At some point in the 1980s, this gamebird, once found primarily on the Indian subcontinent, migrated, without assistance, from the Bahamas to Florida. The birds soon nested in Florida, then started popping up outside the state. The species now has been reported from California to North Carolina, and in recent years, several states have added it to their lists of legal game birds.
6. Between 1963 and 1979, the Nevada Division of Wildlife released more than 2,000 of these central Asian gamebirds in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range. A hunting season opened in 1980, but with an estimated population of only 1,000, these alpine birds, which are hunted above 10,000 feet and only in Elko County, may present North America’s most difficult wing-shooting challenge. Most years, 100 to 150 hunters harvest only 20 to 30 birds.
7. These quail, found in mountainous portions of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and southwesternTexas, are known for their habit of holding extremely tight in cover when approached. This behavior earned them the nickname “fool quail.” Two other common nicknames are harlequin quail and Montezuma quail.
8. Two separate populations of this gamebird, our largest pigeon, exist in North America. The coastal population ranges from British Columbia to southern California. The interior race lives primarily in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
9. To hunt these Eurasian gamebirds in the U.S., you’ll have to travel to Hawaii. Small populations persisted in parts of Louisiana and Florida for years after their introduction, but apparently died out. This beautiful bird’s image has been featured on postage stamps in Cyprus, Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey.
Answers: 1) Lesser and Greater Prairie Chickens; 2) Chukar; 3) Scaled Quail; 4) Plain Chachalaca; 5) Eurasian Collared-Dove; 6) Himalayan Snowcock; 7) Mearns’ Quail; 8) Band-tailed Pigeon; 9) Black Francolin
1. Plowing of their prairie habitat almost wiped out these “pinnated grouse,” which once ranged throughout most of the continental U.S. They can be hunted now only in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and Colorado.
2. These imports from India and Pakistan adapted extremely well to the drier, rockier terrain of northern Nevada. This species is now the most common upland gamebird in the Silver State. Oregon and Idaho also are top producing states.
3. These crested gamebirds are native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, with introductions in Nevada and Washington. Some hunters know them as “cottontops,” but their most-accepted common name is derived from their distinctly patterned plumage.
4. Common along south Texas’ Rio Grande River, this pheasant-sized bird, named for its unusual call, can be hunted in the Lone Star State, Mexico and Central America. Some call it the Mexican Tree Pheasant.
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5. At some point in the 1980s, this gamebird, once found primarily on the Indian subcontinent, migrated, without assistance, from the Bahamas to Florida. The birds soon nested in Florida, then started popping up outside the state. The species now has been reported from California to North Carolina, and in recent years, several states have added it to their lists of legal game birds.
6. Between 1963 and 1979, the Nevada Division of Wildlife released more than 2,000 of these central Asian gamebirds in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range. A hunting season opened in 1980, but with an estimated population of only 1,000, these alpine birds, which are hunted above 10,000 feet and only in Elko County, may present North America’s most difficult wing-shooting challenge. Most years, 100 to 150 hunters harvest only 20 to 30 birds.
7. These quail, found in mountainous portions of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and southwesternTexas, are known for their habit of holding extremely tight in cover when approached. This behavior earned them the nickname “fool quail.” Two other common nicknames are harlequin quail and Montezuma quail.
8. Two separate populations of this gamebird, our largest pigeon, exist in North America. The coastal population ranges from British Columbia to southern California. The interior race lives primarily in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
9. To hunt these Eurasian gamebirds in the U.S., you’ll have to travel to Hawaii. Small populations persisted in parts of Louisiana and Florida for years after their introduction, but apparently died out. This beautiful bird’s image has been featured on postage stamps in Cyprus, Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey.
Answers: 1) Lesser and Greater Prairie Chickens; 2) Chukar; 3) Scaled Quail; 4) Plain Chachalaca; 5) Eurasian Collared-Dove; 6) Himalayan Snowcock; 7) Mearns’ Quail; 8) Band-tailed Pigeon; 9) Black Francolin
Thursday, December 20, 2007
More Rhetorical Questions
A while back I posted some rhetorical questions everyone seemed to enjoy. Here are a few more I hope you like.
Do deer ever get stuck in the rut?
If a wolf can take down a deer from either flank, does that make it bambidextrous?
Why is it you never see a mounted fish with its mouth shut?
Do voyeurs use peep sights?
Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors?
Why do bank fishermen cast as far as they can from the shore, and boat fishermen cast as close as they can to the shore?
Can you communicate with fish by dropping them a line?
If fishing is the way to catch a fish, why isn’t ducking the way to catch a duck?
Did you ever notice that if you blow in your hunting dog’s face it goes crazy, yet when he rides in your vehicle he sticks his head straight out the window?
If olive oil comes from olives, where does gun oil come from?
How do you tell if stinkbait goes bad?
What are male ladyfish called?
Why are bait-casting reels used for casting lures?
Can a bass be a tenor, too?
Shouldn’t you be able to ring a bell sinker?
Are bluefish sad?
Do deer ever get stuck in the rut?
If a wolf can take down a deer from either flank, does that make it bambidextrous?
Why is it you never see a mounted fish with its mouth shut?
Do voyeurs use peep sights?
Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors?
Why do bank fishermen cast as far as they can from the shore, and boat fishermen cast as close as they can to the shore?
Can you communicate with fish by dropping them a line?
If fishing is the way to catch a fish, why isn’t ducking the way to catch a duck?
Did you ever notice that if you blow in your hunting dog’s face it goes crazy, yet when he rides in your vehicle he sticks his head straight out the window?
If olive oil comes from olives, where does gun oil come from?
How do you tell if stinkbait goes bad?
What are male ladyfish called?
Why are bait-casting reels used for casting lures?
Can a bass be a tenor, too?
Shouldn’t you be able to ring a bell sinker?
Are bluefish sad?
Monday, December 17, 2007
State Fish
There’s no accounting for some peoples’ tastes. Did you know, for example, that the brook trout is the most popular state fish? Eight states claim this pretty little salmonid as their official state fish.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against brook trout. But making the brook trout your official state fish would be like making the chickadee the symbol of our country instead of the bald eagle.
The largemouth bass … now there’s state fish material. It’s the state fish of five states, making it second most popular behind the brook trout. Georgia was the first to make the bucketmouth their state fish in 1970, not surprising since George Perry caught the world record there in 1932. Mississippi followed in 1974, Alabama and Florida in 1975 and Tennessee in 1988.
Six states still don’t have an official state fish, including my home state of Arkansas. My advice to those states is this: don’t pick some wimpy little fish to represent your state. Pick a fish with character, something big and tough like the largemouth bass. Or something even bigger and tougher like a blue or flathead catfish.
The catfish … now there’s state fish material.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against brook trout. But making the brook trout your official state fish would be like making the chickadee the symbol of our country instead of the bald eagle.
The largemouth bass … now there’s state fish material. It’s the state fish of five states, making it second most popular behind the brook trout. Georgia was the first to make the bucketmouth their state fish in 1970, not surprising since George Perry caught the world record there in 1932. Mississippi followed in 1974, Alabama and Florida in 1975 and Tennessee in 1988.Six states still don’t have an official state fish, including my home state of Arkansas. My advice to those states is this: don’t pick some wimpy little fish to represent your state. Pick a fish with character, something big and tough like the largemouth bass. Or something even bigger and tougher like a blue or flathead catfish.
The catfish … now there’s state fish material.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Catfish Gumbo’s 1st Annual Holiday Gift Guide
Can’t figure out the right Christmas gift to buy the outdoors enthusiast who already has 57 rods and reels, 20 guns, 127 knives and 17 tackle boxes full of fishing lures? Well, the staff here at Catfish Gumbo is ready to help. After weeks of research (and three gallons of eggnog), we’ve come up with the following list of great gift ideas that are so unique you’re sure to say, “You made these up, right?'”
Indeed, we didn’t. (There is not enough eggnog in Arkansas.) All our Holiday Gift Guide items are actual products you can buy—at least the manufacturers say you can. And chances are real good the person you need to buy for doesn’t have any of these.
Super-Size Swiss Army Knife
Officially, it’s the Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife V1.0, Model 16999. And “giant” is certainly an appropriate monicker. This brute weighs 2 pounds, 11 ounces and measures 8.75 inches wide. It’s just made it into the 2008 Guinness World Records Book as the world’s “most multifunctional penknife,” with 87 tools that can be used for at least 141 different functions. Tomorrow morning it may have replaced you at work.
The giant knife features every implement Wenger has put into its Swiss Army knives during its 100-year history, including seven blades, three types of pliers and seemingly countless screwdrivers, saws, wrenches and other tools. Some of the more unique implements include a 12/20-gauge choke-tube tool, self-centering screwdriver for gunsights, signal whistle, cigar-cutting scissors, watch-case opener, laser pointer, fish scaler, flashlight, tire-tread gauge and, of course, the requisite toothpick and tweezers.
“The most-often-asked question is about whether or not we have a pouch for it,” said Dennis Piretra, Wenger’s director of marketing. “Our answer is simple. You don't need a pouch; the knife has a key ring.”
This special-edition knife must be individually ordered through Wenger, NA and has an MSRP of just $1,200. Check it out at www.wengerna.com.
Ammo With Flavor
I don’t know if you can actually buy this stuff yet, but if you can, it’s sure to make a great stocking stuffer for the sportsman-epicure on your list. Season Shot is a new shotgun ammo that will not only bring down your quarry, but will also season it with your choice of spices at the same time. Flavors include Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic, Teriyaki and Honey Mustard.
The Season Shot website says the pellets contained in its shotgun shells are comprised of “tightly packed seasoning bound by a fully biodegradable food product.” When the shot strikes a game animal, the beast is instantly seasoned from the inside out. The seasoning pellets melt into the meat during cooking, spreading the flavor throughout the meat. You’ll never worry again about shot breaking your teeth, and there’s no harmful waste left behind in the environment. For real. Check it out at www.seasonshot.com.
Pink Guns
If there’s a special lady on your list who enjoys hunting and shooting, and you’re thinking about giving her a pistol, rifle or shotgun for Christmas, think pink. That’s right: firearms are now available in sissy colors, too. But you might want to be careful who you call a sissy if they’re packing pink.
Gander Mountain (www.gandermountain.com) was one of the first companies to bring out these brightly hued firearms, with an exclusive line of shotguns, rifles and pistols in the hot new color.
“Women are a growing segment of the outdoors customer, and we want to be able to offer them the products they want, in the colors they like,” said Gary Buescher, Vice President for Hunting and Firearms.
A 20-gauge pink shotgun first hit the shelves last year and sales were strong enough that Gander Mountain decided to add a wider selection of pink firearms. Choices now include a Remington 870 Junior 20-Gauge Pink Shotgun, Remington Model 597 22 Rifle with pink laminate stock and a Taurus Millenium Pro semi-auto pistol with pink polymer grip that’s available in .32 ACP, . 380 Auto or 9mm.
We like the writing on the butt of each pink Remington rifle: “Shoot like a girl—if you can.”
Easy Crank
If the person you’re buying for is a real lazy son-of-a-gun, so lazy, in fact, he doesn’t even want to turn a reel handle to reel in a fish, the Elec-Tra-Mate Reel Winder from Cabela’s is just the ticket to fishing bliss.
“Reeling in the big ones has never been so easy,” says Cabela’s. “These reels and accessories are designed to alleviate the exhausting energy it takes to crank on large gamefish from deep water without taking away from the enjoyment of feeling their hard fighting characteristics.”
Now your favorite angler can drink a beer and smoke a cigarette while bringing in that 500-pound marlin. You’ll find it at www.cabelas.com.
Blood Spotter
Got a CSI wannabe in the family? They’re sure to love Primos’ Bloodhunter Blood Trailer Spotlight. They can use this baby next time they’re called out to help analyze a crime scene, or put it to the test in the deer woods when they need to blood-trail a whitetail that gave them the slip. This rechargeable light “optimizes the reflective properties of blood to the human eye, making it stand out against most backdrops at night. Point the spotlight in the direction of suspected blood and sweep the light from side to side to find blood trails."
Too cool. Visit www.primos.com for more info.
He Scores!
If you’re looking for something perfect for the electronics enthusiast who’s also a deer hunter, here’s just the thing. The Rackulator is a dandy device that lets you measure the antlers or horns of a trophy game animal by just following step-by-step instructions that guide you through the process. By rolling the electronic wheel and stretching the electronic tape measure, the Rackulator automatically calculates seven final scores in different categories and systems with the push of a button. The Rackulator totally eliminates potential for mathematical errors and revolutionizes the scoring process.
View your rack's gross and net tally in both typical and non-typical in all major scoring systems, including Safari Club International and Buckmasters Trophy Records. Includes instructions for measuring all major game animals. Go to www.rackulator.com.
Just Heat And Eat
Food makes a great Christmas gift, especially if it’s the kind of delicious food you can eat hot from the package on the water or in the woods. That’s what you get with HeaterMeals. Simply place the pre-cooked, sealed entree in the Food Heater Bag, pour the enclosed packet of water into the bag and reseal. Close the food back in the box, and the reaction from the bag heats your meal in minutes. Comes with a fork, salt, pepper, salt-free seasoning and a napkin, in selections that include Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Beef; Homestyle Chicken and Noodles; Green Pepper Steak with Rice; BBQ Beef; Three Cheese Lasagna; Pancakes w/Blueberry Fruit Topping and Bacon; and Chicken Pasta Italiana. See them at www.heatermeals.com.
Books, Books, Books
And finally, give the gift everyone is sure to love—a book. Check out our selection of great outdoor titles, including The Crappie Book, Catfishing: Beyond the Basics and Hunting Arkansas at www.catfishsutton.com.
Indeed, we didn’t. (There is not enough eggnog in Arkansas.) All our Holiday Gift Guide items are actual products you can buy—at least the manufacturers say you can. And chances are real good the person you need to buy for doesn’t have any of these.
Super-Size Swiss Army Knife
Officially, it’s the Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife V1.0, Model 16999. And “giant” is certainly an appropriate monicker. This brute weighs 2 pounds, 11 ounces and measures 8.75 inches wide. It’s just made it into the 2008 Guinness World Records Book as the world’s “most multifunctional penknife,” with 87 tools that can be used for at least 141 different functions. Tomorrow morning it may have replaced you at work.
The giant knife features every implement Wenger has put into its Swiss Army knives during its 100-year history, including seven blades, three types of pliers and seemingly countless screwdrivers, saws, wrenches and other tools. Some of the more unique implements include a 12/20-gauge choke-tube tool, self-centering screwdriver for gunsights, signal whistle, cigar-cutting scissors, watch-case opener, laser pointer, fish scaler, flashlight, tire-tread gauge and, of course, the requisite toothpick and tweezers.
“The most-often-asked question is about whether or not we have a pouch for it,” said Dennis Piretra, Wenger’s director of marketing. “Our answer is simple. You don't need a pouch; the knife has a key ring.”
This special-edition knife must be individually ordered through Wenger, NA and has an MSRP of just $1,200. Check it out at www.wengerna.com.
Ammo With Flavor
I don’t know if you can actually buy this stuff yet, but if you can, it’s sure to make a great stocking stuffer for the sportsman-epicure on your list. Season Shot is a new shotgun ammo that will not only bring down your quarry, but will also season it with your choice of spices at the same time. Flavors include Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic, Teriyaki and Honey Mustard.
The Season Shot website says the pellets contained in its shotgun shells are comprised of “tightly packed seasoning bound by a fully biodegradable food product.” When the shot strikes a game animal, the beast is instantly seasoned from the inside out. The seasoning pellets melt into the meat during cooking, spreading the flavor throughout the meat. You’ll never worry again about shot breaking your teeth, and there’s no harmful waste left behind in the environment. For real. Check it out at www.seasonshot.com.
Pink Guns
If there’s a special lady on your list who enjoys hunting and shooting, and you’re thinking about giving her a pistol, rifle or shotgun for Christmas, think pink. That’s right: firearms are now available in sissy colors, too. But you might want to be careful who you call a sissy if they’re packing pink.
Gander Mountain (www.gandermountain.com) was one of the first companies to bring out these brightly hued firearms, with an exclusive line of shotguns, rifles and pistols in the hot new color.
“Women are a growing segment of the outdoors customer, and we want to be able to offer them the products they want, in the colors they like,” said Gary Buescher, Vice President for Hunting and Firearms.
A 20-gauge pink shotgun first hit the shelves last year and sales were strong enough that Gander Mountain decided to add a wider selection of pink firearms. Choices now include a Remington 870 Junior 20-Gauge Pink Shotgun, Remington Model 597 22 Rifle with pink laminate stock and a Taurus Millenium Pro semi-auto pistol with pink polymer grip that’s available in .32 ACP, . 380 Auto or 9mm.
We like the writing on the butt of each pink Remington rifle: “Shoot like a girl—if you can.”
Easy Crank
If the person you’re buying for is a real lazy son-of-a-gun, so lazy, in fact, he doesn’t even want to turn a reel handle to reel in a fish, the Elec-Tra-Mate Reel Winder from Cabela’s is just the ticket to fishing bliss.
“Reeling in the big ones has never been so easy,” says Cabela’s. “These reels and accessories are designed to alleviate the exhausting energy it takes to crank on large gamefish from deep water without taking away from the enjoyment of feeling their hard fighting characteristics.”
Now your favorite angler can drink a beer and smoke a cigarette while bringing in that 500-pound marlin. You’ll find it at www.cabelas.com.
Blood Spotter
Got a CSI wannabe in the family? They’re sure to love Primos’ Bloodhunter Blood Trailer Spotlight. They can use this baby next time they’re called out to help analyze a crime scene, or put it to the test in the deer woods when they need to blood-trail a whitetail that gave them the slip. This rechargeable light “optimizes the reflective properties of blood to the human eye, making it stand out against most backdrops at night. Point the spotlight in the direction of suspected blood and sweep the light from side to side to find blood trails."
Too cool. Visit www.primos.com for more info.
He Scores!
If you’re looking for something perfect for the electronics enthusiast who’s also a deer hunter, here’s just the thing. The Rackulator is a dandy device that lets you measure the antlers or horns of a trophy game animal by just following step-by-step instructions that guide you through the process. By rolling the electronic wheel and stretching the electronic tape measure, the Rackulator automatically calculates seven final scores in different categories and systems with the push of a button. The Rackulator totally eliminates potential for mathematical errors and revolutionizes the scoring process.
View your rack's gross and net tally in both typical and non-typical in all major scoring systems, including Safari Club International and Buckmasters Trophy Records. Includes instructions for measuring all major game animals. Go to www.rackulator.com.
Just Heat And Eat
Food makes a great Christmas gift, especially if it’s the kind of delicious food you can eat hot from the package on the water or in the woods. That’s what you get with HeaterMeals. Simply place the pre-cooked, sealed entree in the Food Heater Bag, pour the enclosed packet of water into the bag and reseal. Close the food back in the box, and the reaction from the bag heats your meal in minutes. Comes with a fork, salt, pepper, salt-free seasoning and a napkin, in selections that include Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Beef; Homestyle Chicken and Noodles; Green Pepper Steak with Rice; BBQ Beef; Three Cheese Lasagna; Pancakes w/Blueberry Fruit Topping and Bacon; and Chicken Pasta Italiana. See them at www.heatermeals.com.
Books, Books, Books
And finally, give the gift everyone is sure to love—a book. Check out our selection of great outdoor titles, including The Crappie Book, Catfishing: Beyond the Basics and Hunting Arkansas at www.catfishsutton.com.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Blood Satisfaction
A week ago, I accompanied my 23-year-old son Matt for a deer hunt on a friend’s place in central Arkansas. Matt did the hunting. I went along to watch.
For years, our friend Alex Hinson has been kind enough to let my sons and me hunt as guests on his hunting club’s lease in the Ouachita Mountains. This is a wonderful thing for us because it allows us to hunt for just a morning or afternoon when time permits. We can be at Alex’s house in 45 minutes and in a stand 15 minutes later. Alex’s kindness, and that of his father Lin, who often lets us use one of his stands, has enabled us to put venison in the freezer several years now. We are very grateful to them for inviting us each year to hunt on their lease.
My younger son, Zach, killed a buck each of the past two years while hunting with Alex, but Matt, because of work responsibilities, hasn’t had an opportunity to go deer hunting the last two seasons. Therefore Matt was very eager to go when Alex invited us a few weeks ago, and prior to our most recent hunt, we had sat in Lin’s stand one morning already but had come home empty-handed. This was not because we didn’t see deer. We did. In fact, the deer we saw was a nice eight-point buck Matt could easily have killed. Matt could not take that buck, however, because Alex’s hunting club has a rule: all guests must first kill a doe each season before killing a buck.
The reason for this is to keep doe numbers in balance with the number of bucks, and it’s working nicely. There are more bucks and better bucks to hunt now. But as you can imagine, it was frustrating for Matt to see a buck and no does, when a doe was all he could kill.
Matt took all this in stride, nevertheless, and we found ourselves back in Lin’s stand just two weeks later. This time, luck was on Matt’s side. We had hardly gotten situated in the stand when a small doe walked out into plain view. Another much larger doe came out behind her seconds later, and five minutes after our hunt began, Matt made a clean, 134-yard shot with a .30-06 that dropped the larger doe in her tracks.
It is always pleasing for me to be sitting beside one of my sons when he kills a deer. There is a shared excitement that comes from such an experience, which I enjoy to the utmost. And because Matt and I hadn’t had an opportunity to deer hunt together for a while, this hunt was more special than most.
Alex arrived a short time later, and we loaded the doe in his truck and took it to his house. Each deer we kill is hung from a gambrel in Alex’s front yard and skinned. Some are then taken to a meat processor to be prepared as hamburger, steaks and sausage. Others we take home and butcher ourselves. On this day, because the hunt ended so quickly, we decided to take the latter course of action.
It is this part of the hunting experience—skinning the deer and butchering it—that prompted me to write this blog. I know I would probably be better off not saying what I am about to say, for some will misconstrue what I say and take offense at it. Some may even believe I am crazy, or at the very least somewhat disturbed, because of the feelings I am about to share. That doesn’t really bother me, though. I’ve always been one to say what’s on my mind, despite what others think, and I wanted to say something about this part of the hunt—the blooding of one’s hands and the emotions that evokes—because it is an aspect of our sport no one says much about any more.
There are reasons for this, I suppose. We live in a world where a person who enjoys getting their hands bloody is immediately thought to be dangerous or unbalanced in some way. Saying you enjoy skinning and butchering a deer makes you nothing less than a pervert in the eyes of many people who buy all their meat at the Superstore neatly packaged in plastic and styrofoam. That is a shame, for there is a deep sense of satisfaction to be gained by killing what you eat and preparing it for the table, and one need not feel guilty for enjoying that contentment.
I felt that sense of satisfaction when we hung Matt’s deer from the gambrel and started skinning it with our knives. And I won’t hesitate to tell you I always enjoy that feeling, for it is a wonderful sentiment I gain from nothing else I do. It is not a feeling of joy at the death of the animal we are preparing to eat. It is not elation or happiness. It is rather a sense of fulfillment because the hunt has been successful and there will be venison to eat later. The crimson stains on my hands symbolize that success, and as we skin the animal and gut it and then butcher it for the table, I feel immensely satisfied, much as I believe our ancestors did centuries ago when the preparation of an animal in this way often meant the end of a long spell of hunger.
For my family, food is at the core of hunting. Although none of us would starve if wild game did not reach our tables, it is equally certain we would not live as comfortably. Game provides many meals for us each year, and we enjoy the rich flavors found in meat that comes straight from nature’s larder.
We eat game for other reasons, too. In her cookbook, Eat Like a Wild Man, Rebecca Gray notes, “One of the very best reasons for eating what you’ve caught or shot is that it conjures up an event, a nice memory, the time and place of when you caught the fish or shot the critter.” That, too, is part of our incentive. A taste of venison conjures up visions of running deer, beautiful woods and good friends. When we dig into a freshly cooked quail, we’re back in the field behind a dog on point.
In the book, A Rough-Shooting Dog, author Charles Fergus said it best: “We kill the game to eat it. Tasting it, we thank it. Thanking it, we remember it; how we hunted it, how it tested us, how we overcame it, how it finally fell.” Only hunters like us can truly understand the compassion of the eater for the eaten.
For my sons and me, and our friends, it is not the shooting that matters, but what we do with this food we gather: how we prepare the game to eat, how we share it with friends and family, how we raise our glasses before we eat and thank the animals for their lives. This is why we are hunters—because we want this kind of intimate relationship with the food we eat. And that is why, as I skinned and butchered the deer my son had killed, I was warmed by an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. And I am not ashamed of that in the least.
For years, our friend Alex Hinson has been kind enough to let my sons and me hunt as guests on his hunting club’s lease in the Ouachita Mountains. This is a wonderful thing for us because it allows us to hunt for just a morning or afternoon when time permits. We can be at Alex’s house in 45 minutes and in a stand 15 minutes later. Alex’s kindness, and that of his father Lin, who often lets us use one of his stands, has enabled us to put venison in the freezer several years now. We are very grateful to them for inviting us each year to hunt on their lease.
My younger son, Zach, killed a buck each of the past two years while hunting with Alex, but Matt, because of work responsibilities, hasn’t had an opportunity to go deer hunting the last two seasons. Therefore Matt was very eager to go when Alex invited us a few weeks ago, and prior to our most recent hunt, we had sat in Lin’s stand one morning already but had come home empty-handed. This was not because we didn’t see deer. We did. In fact, the deer we saw was a nice eight-point buck Matt could easily have killed. Matt could not take that buck, however, because Alex’s hunting club has a rule: all guests must first kill a doe each season before killing a buck.
The reason for this is to keep doe numbers in balance with the number of bucks, and it’s working nicely. There are more bucks and better bucks to hunt now. But as you can imagine, it was frustrating for Matt to see a buck and no does, when a doe was all he could kill.
Matt took all this in stride, nevertheless, and we found ourselves back in Lin’s stand just two weeks later. This time, luck was on Matt’s side. We had hardly gotten situated in the stand when a small doe walked out into plain view. Another much larger doe came out behind her seconds later, and five minutes after our hunt began, Matt made a clean, 134-yard shot with a .30-06 that dropped the larger doe in her tracks.
It is always pleasing for me to be sitting beside one of my sons when he kills a deer. There is a shared excitement that comes from such an experience, which I enjoy to the utmost. And because Matt and I hadn’t had an opportunity to deer hunt together for a while, this hunt was more special than most.
Alex arrived a short time later, and we loaded the doe in his truck and took it to his house. Each deer we kill is hung from a gambrel in Alex’s front yard and skinned. Some are then taken to a meat processor to be prepared as hamburger, steaks and sausage. Others we take home and butcher ourselves. On this day, because the hunt ended so quickly, we decided to take the latter course of action.
It is this part of the hunting experience—skinning the deer and butchering it—that prompted me to write this blog. I know I would probably be better off not saying what I am about to say, for some will misconstrue what I say and take offense at it. Some may even believe I am crazy, or at the very least somewhat disturbed, because of the feelings I am about to share. That doesn’t really bother me, though. I’ve always been one to say what’s on my mind, despite what others think, and I wanted to say something about this part of the hunt—the blooding of one’s hands and the emotions that evokes—because it is an aspect of our sport no one says much about any more.
There are reasons for this, I suppose. We live in a world where a person who enjoys getting their hands bloody is immediately thought to be dangerous or unbalanced in some way. Saying you enjoy skinning and butchering a deer makes you nothing less than a pervert in the eyes of many people who buy all their meat at the Superstore neatly packaged in plastic and styrofoam. That is a shame, for there is a deep sense of satisfaction to be gained by killing what you eat and preparing it for the table, and one need not feel guilty for enjoying that contentment.
I felt that sense of satisfaction when we hung Matt’s deer from the gambrel and started skinning it with our knives. And I won’t hesitate to tell you I always enjoy that feeling, for it is a wonderful sentiment I gain from nothing else I do. It is not a feeling of joy at the death of the animal we are preparing to eat. It is not elation or happiness. It is rather a sense of fulfillment because the hunt has been successful and there will be venison to eat later. The crimson stains on my hands symbolize that success, and as we skin the animal and gut it and then butcher it for the table, I feel immensely satisfied, much as I believe our ancestors did centuries ago when the preparation of an animal in this way often meant the end of a long spell of hunger.
For my family, food is at the core of hunting. Although none of us would starve if wild game did not reach our tables, it is equally certain we would not live as comfortably. Game provides many meals for us each year, and we enjoy the rich flavors found in meat that comes straight from nature’s larder.
We eat game for other reasons, too. In her cookbook, Eat Like a Wild Man, Rebecca Gray notes, “One of the very best reasons for eating what you’ve caught or shot is that it conjures up an event, a nice memory, the time and place of when you caught the fish or shot the critter.” That, too, is part of our incentive. A taste of venison conjures up visions of running deer, beautiful woods and good friends. When we dig into a freshly cooked quail, we’re back in the field behind a dog on point.
In the book, A Rough-Shooting Dog, author Charles Fergus said it best: “We kill the game to eat it. Tasting it, we thank it. Thanking it, we remember it; how we hunted it, how it tested us, how we overcame it, how it finally fell.” Only hunters like us can truly understand the compassion of the eater for the eaten.
For my sons and me, and our friends, it is not the shooting that matters, but what we do with this food we gather: how we prepare the game to eat, how we share it with friends and family, how we raise our glasses before we eat and thank the animals for their lives. This is why we are hunters—because we want this kind of intimate relationship with the food we eat. And that is why, as I skinned and butchered the deer my son had killed, I was warmed by an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. And I am not ashamed of that in the least.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Photographs and Memories
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Recently, a young man I met almost twenty years ago in the duck woods called me. His name is David Bendigo. His father Bob Bendigo was a very good friend of my sons and me because we hunted with Bob many times at the Poor Boy Duck Club near Humnoke, Arkansas. Bob was a big man, always smiling, always eager to help others have memorable trips in “his” duck woods. My sons think the world of him although they only met him a few times.
The reason David called was to tell me Bob passed away quite unexpectedly the day before. “I know you shot many photos of my dad in the duck woods,” David said. “And our family was wondering if you can let us use some of them for his memorial services.”
I hadn’t seen Bob in a while. My friends lost their lease on the Poor Boy Club several years ago, and Bob had retired from his job to enjoy hunting and fishing around the country. The week before his death, he had been fishing with a friend in New Mexico. He came home in time to watch his favorite college football team, the Arkansas Razorbacks, play on TV, and his wife found him dead in his favorite easy chair late at night with the game still on. Those of us who knew Bob try to console ourselves by saying he died a good death—quietly, in his favorite chair, watching his beloved Razorbacks. But it was shocking to me to learn that someone still so young (62) and so beloved by the many people whose lives he had touched was now gone, and I would never have a chance to hunt with him again.
I cancelled other plans so I could attend Bob’s funeral services. The day before I had emailed all the photos I had of Bob to a Walgreen drug store near the family’s home so they could pick them up quickly and have photos printed for the service. When I arrived at the service, I was amazed to see a gigantic, beautifully framed photo of Bob at the head of the room beside a small wooden box that contained Bob’s earthly remains. It was a photo I shot one beautiful autumn day when the leaves were still colored and the mallards were so thick we had a limit apiece early. At the back of the room were several other photos I had taken of Bob over the years, including one previously published as a two-page spread in Ducks Unlimited that showed Bob standing in the middle of an incredible snowstorm that struck without warning one day. It is a stark but beautiful photograph, one Bob always loved.
I knew no one in the family but David, and hadn’t seen him since he was a teenager. He was now a grown man and I hardly recognized him. He recognized me, however, and came to me and embraced me with tears in his eyes. “You can’t possibly realize how much these photos mean to us,” he said. Then he took me around and introduced me to everyone in the family, all of whom embraced me and told me how much the photos meant to them as well.
Six months ago, the daughter of Skip Cullum, another member of the club I had often hunted with, called to tell me her father, just 51 (my age) had also died unexpectedly. Skip had already been buried several months before she called, but she called for the same reason as David. She knew I had taken many photos of her father in his beloved duck woods and wanted to know if I could send some she and her family could keep. I did.
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Over the years, this has happened at least six times. Friends of mine who I hunted with during almost 25 years visiting Poor Boy as a guest passed away one by one and family members called to ask if I could provide photos of their loved ones hunting in places they loved very much. Each time I have lost a good friend, but I’ve found some small measure of comfort in the fact that during my days with that person I had taken photographs of them in places many of their family members had never seen, places dearly loved, and those photographs in some way provided solace for the people who loved my friend as a father, son, uncle, grandfather or other relation.
Why do I tell you this? As a little form of encouragement, I suppose. Next time you go hunting or fishing with a friend, take a camera. And for an hour or so that day, put down your gun or your fishing rod, and take some photographs of your friend doing something he or she loves in a place he or she loves. Worry not that you don’t have a great camera. Worry not that the photos aren’t perfect. Snap lots of photographs anyway, and some day, someone will thank you for the memories you’ve created in that way.
The reason David called was to tell me Bob passed away quite unexpectedly the day before. “I know you shot many photos of my dad in the duck woods,” David said. “And our family was wondering if you can let us use some of them for his memorial services.”
I hadn’t seen Bob in a while. My friends lost their lease on the Poor Boy Club several years ago, and Bob had retired from his job to enjoy hunting and fishing around the country. The week before his death, he had been fishing with a friend in New Mexico. He came home in time to watch his favorite college football team, the Arkansas Razorbacks, play on TV, and his wife found him dead in his favorite easy chair late at night with the game still on. Those of us who knew Bob try to console ourselves by saying he died a good death—quietly, in his favorite chair, watching his beloved Razorbacks. But it was shocking to me to learn that someone still so young (62) and so beloved by the many people whose lives he had touched was now gone, and I would never have a chance to hunt with him again.
I cancelled other plans so I could attend Bob’s funeral services. The day before I had emailed all the photos I had of Bob to a Walgreen drug store near the family’s home so they could pick them up quickly and have photos printed for the service. When I arrived at the service, I was amazed to see a gigantic, beautifully framed photo of Bob at the head of the room beside a small wooden box that contained Bob’s earthly remains. It was a photo I shot one beautiful autumn day when the leaves were still colored and the mallards were so thick we had a limit apiece early. At the back of the room were several other photos I had taken of Bob over the years, including one previously published as a two-page spread in Ducks Unlimited that showed Bob standing in the middle of an incredible snowstorm that struck without warning one day. It is a stark but beautiful photograph, one Bob always loved.
I knew no one in the family but David, and hadn’t seen him since he was a teenager. He was now a grown man and I hardly recognized him. He recognized me, however, and came to me and embraced me with tears in his eyes. “You can’t possibly realize how much these photos mean to us,” he said. Then he took me around and introduced me to everyone in the family, all of whom embraced me and told me how much the photos meant to them as well.
Six months ago, the daughter of Skip Cullum, another member of the club I had often hunted with, called to tell me her father, just 51 (my age) had also died unexpectedly. Skip had already been buried several months before she called, but she called for the same reason as David. She knew I had taken many photos of her father in his beloved duck woods and wanted to know if I could send some she and her family could keep. I did.
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Over the years, this has happened at least six times. Friends of mine who I hunted with during almost 25 years visiting Poor Boy as a guest passed away one by one and family members called to ask if I could provide photos of their loved ones hunting in places they loved very much. Each time I have lost a good friend, but I’ve found some small measure of comfort in the fact that during my days with that person I had taken photographs of them in places many of their family members had never seen, places dearly loved, and those photographs in some way provided solace for the people who loved my friend as a father, son, uncle, grandfather or other relation.
Why do I tell you this? As a little form of encouragement, I suppose. Next time you go hunting or fishing with a friend, take a camera. And for an hour or so that day, put down your gun or your fishing rod, and take some photographs of your friend doing something he or she loves in a place he or she loves. Worry not that you don’t have a great camera. Worry not that the photos aren’t perfect. Snap lots of photographs anyway, and some day, someone will thank you for the memories you’ve created in that way.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Game Shooting Records
In nineteenth-century England, hunters often gathered in large shooting parties and competed to see who could bag the most game in a single day. Their gunning practices seem terribly excessive by today’s standards, but it’s interesting, nevertheless, to read about some of those shooting records, which were remarkable feats of skill and endurance.
MOST AMAZING GROUSE HUNTER
Consider, for example, the individual single-day shooting record of the 6th Lord Walsingham (1843-1919) who killed 1,070 grouse at Yorkshire’s Blubberhouse Moor on August 30, 1888. To do it, he fired 1,510 cartridges during 20 drives and twice killed three birds in the air with just one shot. He used three guns, which were continually reloaded by his two loaders and his cartridge boy.
MOST VARIED BAG
In January 1889, Walsingham also shot what may be the most varied bag ever recorded. It included 65 coots, 39 pheasants, 23 mallards, 16 rabbits, 9 hares, 7 teal, 6 partridges, 6 gadwalls, 4 pochard ducks, 3 swans, 3 snipe, 2 moorhens, 2 herons, 1 otter, 1 woodcock, 1 woodpigeon, 1 goldeneye, 1 rat and a pike that was shot while it swam through shallow water.
MOST PROLIFIC BIRD HUNTER
Perhaps only one man ever surpassed Walsingham in bird-hunting skills, and that was the Lord de Grey, later the Second Marquess of Ripon (1867-1923), who bagged 556,000 birds during his lifetime, 241,000 of which were pheasants. On the morning of September 22, 1923, he shot 52 birds, then himself fell dead on a grouse moor.
ALSO PROLIFIC
Another prolific hunter was Lord Malmebury of Great Britain who kept a detailed hunting diary from 1798 to 1840. During those 42 years of hunting, his total of game taken was as follows: 10,744 partridges, 7,417 rabbits, 8,862 pheasants, 5,211 hares, 4,694 snipe, 1,080 woodcocks, 145 rails, 50 quail, 8 geese, 6 golden plovers and 3 swans. Altogether he hunted 3,645 days, walked 36,200 miles and fired more than four tons of shot.
MOST RABBITS
The biggest bag of rabbits ever shot in Great Britain was probably at Blenheim Palace in
Oxfordshire. Here, on October 7, 1898, 6,943 rabbits were bagged by just five guns on seven drives.
SINGLE MOST KILLING SHOT
On October 26, 1826, at Whittlesea Mere in Cambridgeshire, England, a Colonel Hawker, firing one shot from a massive double-barrel punt gun loaded with nearly two pounds of fine shot, downed 504 starlings.
MOST AMAZING GROUSE HUNTER
Consider, for example, the individual single-day shooting record of the 6th Lord Walsingham (1843-1919) who killed 1,070 grouse at Yorkshire’s Blubberhouse Moor on August 30, 1888. To do it, he fired 1,510 cartridges during 20 drives and twice killed three birds in the air with just one shot. He used three guns, which were continually reloaded by his two loaders and his cartridge boy.
MOST VARIED BAG
In January 1889, Walsingham also shot what may be the most varied bag ever recorded. It included 65 coots, 39 pheasants, 23 mallards, 16 rabbits, 9 hares, 7 teal, 6 partridges, 6 gadwalls, 4 pochard ducks, 3 swans, 3 snipe, 2 moorhens, 2 herons, 1 otter, 1 woodcock, 1 woodpigeon, 1 goldeneye, 1 rat and a pike that was shot while it swam through shallow water.
MOST PROLIFIC BIRD HUNTER
Perhaps only one man ever surpassed Walsingham in bird-hunting skills, and that was the Lord de Grey, later the Second Marquess of Ripon (1867-1923), who bagged 556,000 birds during his lifetime, 241,000 of which were pheasants. On the morning of September 22, 1923, he shot 52 birds, then himself fell dead on a grouse moor.
ALSO PROLIFIC
Another prolific hunter was Lord Malmebury of Great Britain who kept a detailed hunting diary from 1798 to 1840. During those 42 years of hunting, his total of game taken was as follows: 10,744 partridges, 7,417 rabbits, 8,862 pheasants, 5,211 hares, 4,694 snipe, 1,080 woodcocks, 145 rails, 50 quail, 8 geese, 6 golden plovers and 3 swans. Altogether he hunted 3,645 days, walked 36,200 miles and fired more than four tons of shot.
MOST RABBITS
The biggest bag of rabbits ever shot in Great Britain was probably at Blenheim Palace in
Oxfordshire. Here, on October 7, 1898, 6,943 rabbits were bagged by just five guns on seven drives.
SINGLE MOST KILLING SHOT
On October 26, 1826, at Whittlesea Mere in Cambridgeshire, England, a Colonel Hawker, firing one shot from a massive double-barrel punt gun loaded with nearly two pounds of fine shot, downed 504 starlings.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Rub-a-dub-dub, Give Game a Rub
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Next time you’re grilling a prime cut of venison, a brace of quail or other fresh game, take a hint from barbecue aficionados and give it a rub.
A rub is a mixture of dried spices and seasonings that's rubbed directly onto the meat's surface. This adds more intense flavor, and the coat of seasoning seals the meat to keep it juicy. Any type of game can be prepared with a variety of homemade rubs that add a special flavor that keeps family and guests coming back for more.
After the meat has been "rubbed," let it stand at room temperature for up to an hour before cooking to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat. A longer stay in the refrigerator will add a stronger flavor.
Paprika-Pepper Breakfast Steaks
1 pound venison steak or tenderloin, cut in small pieces 1/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic salt, freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each: Accent flavor enhancer, white pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Make a rub by thoroughly combining all spices in a small bowl. Pierce each piece of meat all over, on both sides, with a fork. Sprinkle each side with rub mix (lightly if you prefer a less spicy taste, heavily for real pizzazz), and press it into the meat. Allow to sit at room temperature one hour.
Heat olive oil and butter or margarine over medium heat in a small black-iron skillet. Stir to mix. Sear each side of the venison pieces in the hot oil/butter mixture, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately, hot and preferably rare.
Chili-Rubbed Quail
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
10 quail, split up the back and flattened
Mix all ingredients but quail. Rinse quail, pat dry with paper towels and rub spice mixture on all sides of each bird. Let stand 1 hour.
Grill over low to medium heat, covered, turning often, until done to taste.
Catfish's All-Purpose Barbecue Game Rub
1 cup Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together and rub to your heart's content. Covered and stored in a cool, dark place, this rub will keep for about 6 weeks.
If you’re interesting in wild game cookery, check out “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook,” written by my wife Theresa and me. Copies are on sale for holiday shoppers and can be purchased by visiting our website, www.catfishsutton.com.
A rub is a mixture of dried spices and seasonings that's rubbed directly onto the meat's surface. This adds more intense flavor, and the coat of seasoning seals the meat to keep it juicy. Any type of game can be prepared with a variety of homemade rubs that add a special flavor that keeps family and guests coming back for more.
After the meat has been "rubbed," let it stand at room temperature for up to an hour before cooking to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat. A longer stay in the refrigerator will add a stronger flavor.
Paprika-Pepper Breakfast Steaks
1 pound venison steak or tenderloin, cut in small pieces 1/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic salt, freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each: Accent flavor enhancer, white pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Make a rub by thoroughly combining all spices in a small bowl. Pierce each piece of meat all over, on both sides, with a fork. Sprinkle each side with rub mix (lightly if you prefer a less spicy taste, heavily for real pizzazz), and press it into the meat. Allow to sit at room temperature one hour.
Heat olive oil and butter or margarine over medium heat in a small black-iron skillet. Stir to mix. Sear each side of the venison pieces in the hot oil/butter mixture, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately, hot and preferably rare.
Chili-Rubbed Quail
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
10 quail, split up the back and flattened
Mix all ingredients but quail. Rinse quail, pat dry with paper towels and rub spice mixture on all sides of each bird. Let stand 1 hour.
Grill over low to medium heat, covered, turning often, until done to taste.
Catfish's All-Purpose Barbecue Game Rub
1 cup Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together and rub to your heart's content. Covered and stored in a cool, dark place, this rub will keep for about 6 weeks.
If you’re interesting in wild game cookery, check out “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook,” written by my wife Theresa and me. Copies are on sale for holiday shoppers and can be purchased by visiting our website, www.catfishsutton.com.
Friday, December 7, 2007
How To Cook Your Goose
“You take them.”
“No, you take them.”
“But I took them last time.”
“That’s OK. Take them anyway.”
“I’d rather not.”
“But I insist.”
“I’ll be glad to take them if y’all don’t want ‘em.”
“Whaaat?”
We had just concluded a successful snow goose hunt. Seven geese had fallen to our guns, and my hosts were quarreling over who should take them home. They seemed startled when I offered to take the handsome birds.
“Have you ever eaten a snow goose?” one man asked.
“If not, then let me warn you,” said the other. “Snake livers and boiled shoestrings probably taste better.”
I acted ignorant and insisted on taking the birds off their hands. They seemed pleased, though a bit worried about my state of mind.
That night, I slow-cooked the breasts of two birds in a rich sour cream and mushroom gravy. They were fork-tender and as tasty as the finest rice-field mallard I’ve ever eaten. The legs, backs, wings and giblets flavored a delectable gumbo. The remaining birds were prepared in a variety of ways—roasted, grilled, braised, on the rotisserie. They were among the finest game entreés I’ve ever eaten.
Next time I hunted with my two friends, I let them wheedle me into taking 15 more geese. “My neighbor’s hogs will eat them,” I said. I figure what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
A successful goose hunt provides the makings for some of the most delectable wild game meals you’ll ever eat. The dark, richly flavored meat of snow geese is superb when properly prepared. But if you listen to some hunters, you might wrongfully conclude that snow geese aren’t fit to eat.
No doubt, poor field preparation accounts for some hunters’ dislike of geese. A goose’s body is superbly insulated with feathers and down. So after killing one, it’s important that it be quickly drawn and cooled. If it’s not, residual body heat may render the meat unfit to eat. This should be done even during the frigid days of January when many geese are killed. If you don’t believe it, gut a goose an hour after you kill it. Steam will rise from the body cavity! In warm weather, it’s also wise to pluck the feathers from the breast to promote quicker cooling.
Field dressing is simple. Use a sharp knife to open the body cavity just below the end of the breast bone, then pull out the innards. If you like giblet gravy or gumbo, save the heart, gizzard and/or liver, storing them in a small zip-seal plastic bag. Keep the field-dressed birds in a cool place outside or, better yet, place them on ice in a large cooler.
When the hunt is over, it’s time for plucking or skinning. Be aware, however, that federal waterfowl regulations require hunters to leave the head or one feathered wing on each carcass until the bird reaches the “point of consumption,” usually your home.
When I plan to cook the birds using dry-heat methods like roasting, I pluck them. Wild geese, unlike their domestic cousins, have little body fat; the skin flavors the meat and keeps it moist during cooking. Large feathers are plucked from the body, then the bluish pin feathers and down are carefully removed.
If the geese will be prepared using a moist-heat method of cooking, they can be skinned. Part the feathers along the breastbone, slice the skin from neck to tail, then spread the feathered skin until meat on the breast and legs is exposed. Run a sharp knife along both sides of the breastbone to remove two thick fillets. Then remove the legs and add them to the plastic bag full of gumbo and gravy meat. Wings and back have little meat. Trim away bloodshot flesh, remove any visible shot pellets, and the bird is ready to cook or freeze.
White-fronted geese and Canadas can be field-dressed and prepared in the same manner. Recipes for each are interchangeable, if you take into account the different sizes of the birds and vary cooking time accordingly.
A just-shot snow goose typically weighs 5.5 to 6 pounds, with females being slightly smaller than males. When plucked and prepared for cooking, each bird will yield 3 to 3.5 pounds of meat for the table, enough to serve two or three hungry hunters. Giant Canadas average 11 to 12 pounds each, Interior Canadas 7 to 9, with smaller races of the bird running 3 to 6 pounds. White-fronted geese average 5 to 6 pounds. The yield of meat is about half the live weight. When roasting, the recommended cooking time is 18 to 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.
Baked Goose Breast Fillets
Breast fillets from three snow geese
Salt, pepper
Flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 (10.5-oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans milk
Season fillets with salt and pepper, and roll in flour. Put butter or margarine into a skillet, and heat to frying temperature. Brown fillets on both sides. Place the fillets in a glass-covered casserole dish and bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.
Mix soup and milk, and pour over meat. Reduce heat to 275 degrees and cook 30 to 45 minutes or until breasts are done. Serves 3 to 4.
Roast Snow Goose With Apple & Apricot Stuffing
1 snow goose, plucked
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1 cup chopped onion
1 tart apple, cored and diced
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
3 cups soft bread crumbs
3 bacon strips
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the goose with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
To make stuffing, place bacon grease in a large skillet. Sauté onion until tender. Stir in apple, apricots and bread crumbs. Stuff the goose with this mixture, and close the opening.
Place goose, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Drape bacon strips over the breast of the goose. Place goose in the oven, and baste the bird several times while cooking with a heated mixture of melted butter and apple juice or cider. Roast for 20 minutes per pound. At the end of the calculated cooking time, pour the cup of boiling water in the roaster, cover and cook 30 minutes more. Serves 2 to 3.
Canada Goose Dardanelle
1 Canada goose, plucked
Juice of one lemon
Salt, black pepper, garlic salt to taste
2 green onions, whole
1 stalk celery with leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig fresh rosemary or thyme
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup Pinot Noir wine
1/2 cup Chardonnay wine
Rub goose with lemon juice and season. Place onions, celery, garlic and rosemary in cavity. Place in a deep Dutch oven along with oil. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Add heated wine and cover, reducing heat to 350 degrees. Cook until goose is tender when tested with a fork. Baste goose several times while cooking. Serves 3 to 6.
Specklebelly Goose with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
1 specklebelly (white-fronted) goose, plucked
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups stale bread crumbs
1 cup cornbread crumbs
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the goose inside and out with salt and pepper.
To make the stuffing, cook celery and parsley in butter for five minutes. Blend lightly with the remaining ingredients. Stuff the goose with this mixture, and close the opening.
Place goose breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes per pound. Serves 3 to 4.
Grilled Marinated Goose Breasts
Boneless breast fillets from 2 to 4 geese
“No, you take them.”
“But I took them last time.”
“That’s OK. Take them anyway.”
“I’d rather not.”
“But I insist.”
“I’ll be glad to take them if y’all don’t want ‘em.”
“Whaaat?”
We had just concluded a successful snow goose hunt. Seven geese had fallen to our guns, and my hosts were quarreling over who should take them home. They seemed startled when I offered to take the handsome birds.
“Have you ever eaten a snow goose?” one man asked.
“If not, then let me warn you,” said the other. “Snake livers and boiled shoestrings probably taste better.”
I acted ignorant and insisted on taking the birds off their hands. They seemed pleased, though a bit worried about my state of mind.
That night, I slow-cooked the breasts of two birds in a rich sour cream and mushroom gravy. They were fork-tender and as tasty as the finest rice-field mallard I’ve ever eaten. The legs, backs, wings and giblets flavored a delectable gumbo. The remaining birds were prepared in a variety of ways—roasted, grilled, braised, on the rotisserie. They were among the finest game entreés I’ve ever eaten.
Next time I hunted with my two friends, I let them wheedle me into taking 15 more geese. “My neighbor’s hogs will eat them,” I said. I figure what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
A successful goose hunt provides the makings for some of the most delectable wild game meals you’ll ever eat. The dark, richly flavored meat of snow geese is superb when properly prepared. But if you listen to some hunters, you might wrongfully conclude that snow geese aren’t fit to eat.
No doubt, poor field preparation accounts for some hunters’ dislike of geese. A goose’s body is superbly insulated with feathers and down. So after killing one, it’s important that it be quickly drawn and cooled. If it’s not, residual body heat may render the meat unfit to eat. This should be done even during the frigid days of January when many geese are killed. If you don’t believe it, gut a goose an hour after you kill it. Steam will rise from the body cavity! In warm weather, it’s also wise to pluck the feathers from the breast to promote quicker cooling.
Field dressing is simple. Use a sharp knife to open the body cavity just below the end of the breast bone, then pull out the innards. If you like giblet gravy or gumbo, save the heart, gizzard and/or liver, storing them in a small zip-seal plastic bag. Keep the field-dressed birds in a cool place outside or, better yet, place them on ice in a large cooler.
When the hunt is over, it’s time for plucking or skinning. Be aware, however, that federal waterfowl regulations require hunters to leave the head or one feathered wing on each carcass until the bird reaches the “point of consumption,” usually your home.
When I plan to cook the birds using dry-heat methods like roasting, I pluck them. Wild geese, unlike their domestic cousins, have little body fat; the skin flavors the meat and keeps it moist during cooking. Large feathers are plucked from the body, then the bluish pin feathers and down are carefully removed.
If the geese will be prepared using a moist-heat method of cooking, they can be skinned. Part the feathers along the breastbone, slice the skin from neck to tail, then spread the feathered skin until meat on the breast and legs is exposed. Run a sharp knife along both sides of the breastbone to remove two thick fillets. Then remove the legs and add them to the plastic bag full of gumbo and gravy meat. Wings and back have little meat. Trim away bloodshot flesh, remove any visible shot pellets, and the bird is ready to cook or freeze.
White-fronted geese and Canadas can be field-dressed and prepared in the same manner. Recipes for each are interchangeable, if you take into account the different sizes of the birds and vary cooking time accordingly.
A just-shot snow goose typically weighs 5.5 to 6 pounds, with females being slightly smaller than males. When plucked and prepared for cooking, each bird will yield 3 to 3.5 pounds of meat for the table, enough to serve two or three hungry hunters. Giant Canadas average 11 to 12 pounds each, Interior Canadas 7 to 9, with smaller races of the bird running 3 to 6 pounds. White-fronted geese average 5 to 6 pounds. The yield of meat is about half the live weight. When roasting, the recommended cooking time is 18 to 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.
Baked Goose Breast Fillets
Breast fillets from three snow geese
Salt, pepper
Flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 (10.5-oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans milk
Season fillets with salt and pepper, and roll in flour. Put butter or margarine into a skillet, and heat to frying temperature. Brown fillets on both sides. Place the fillets in a glass-covered casserole dish and bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.
Mix soup and milk, and pour over meat. Reduce heat to 275 degrees and cook 30 to 45 minutes or until breasts are done. Serves 3 to 4.
Roast Snow Goose With Apple & Apricot Stuffing
1 snow goose, plucked
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1 cup chopped onion
1 tart apple, cored and diced
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
3 cups soft bread crumbs
3 bacon strips
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the goose with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
To make stuffing, place bacon grease in a large skillet. Sauté onion until tender. Stir in apple, apricots and bread crumbs. Stuff the goose with this mixture, and close the opening.
Place goose, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Drape bacon strips over the breast of the goose. Place goose in the oven, and baste the bird several times while cooking with a heated mixture of melted butter and apple juice or cider. Roast for 20 minutes per pound. At the end of the calculated cooking time, pour the cup of boiling water in the roaster, cover and cook 30 minutes more. Serves 2 to 3.
Canada Goose Dardanelle
1 Canada goose, plucked
Juice of one lemon
Salt, black pepper, garlic salt to taste
2 green onions, whole
1 stalk celery with leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig fresh rosemary or thyme
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup Pinot Noir wine
1/2 cup Chardonnay wine
Rub goose with lemon juice and season. Place onions, celery, garlic and rosemary in cavity. Place in a deep Dutch oven along with oil. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Add heated wine and cover, reducing heat to 350 degrees. Cook until goose is tender when tested with a fork. Baste goose several times while cooking. Serves 3 to 6.
Specklebelly Goose with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
1 specklebelly (white-fronted) goose, plucked
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups stale bread crumbs
1 cup cornbread crumbs
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the goose inside and out with salt and pepper.
To make the stuffing, cook celery and parsley in butter for five minutes. Blend lightly with the remaining ingredients. Stuff the goose with this mixture, and close the opening.
Place goose breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes per pound. Serves 3 to 4.
Grilled Marinated Goose Breasts
Boneless breast fillets from 2 to 4 geese
3 teaspoons grated onion
4 tablespoons grated carrots
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon sage, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups white wine
Marinate the goose fillets overnight in a mixture of the remaining ingredients, turning occasionally. Remove the breasts and pat dry. Grill over medium heat 10 minutes per side, or until done to taste. Serves 2 to 6.
Marinate the goose fillets overnight in a mixture of the remaining ingredients, turning occasionally. Remove the breasts and pat dry. Grill over medium heat 10 minutes per side, or until done to taste. Serves 2 to 6.
Goose Jerky
4 to 5 pounds boneless goose breasts
4 to 5 pounds boneless goose breasts
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon meat tenderizer
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash’s spicy seasoning
2 cans diced jalapenos
Cut meat into 1/4-inch strips and marinate overnight in a mixture of the remaining ingredients. Place meat strips in a dehydrator, or hang on a rack in a slow oven (150 degrees) with the door slightly ajar, until the meat is dry and bendable but will not break. Store in zip-seal plastic bags or jars.
Goose Stroganoff
2 goose breast fillets, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 large can sliced mushrooms
1 pint sour cream
6 tablespoons flour
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Cooked egg noodles
Brown meat in butter. Add onion soup mix and mushrooms. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes. Mix sour cream and flour. Stir into meat mixture. Add seasonings and liquid smoke, and heat through (do not boil). Serve over noodles. Serves 2 to 3.
If you’re interesting in wild game cookery, check out “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook,” written by my wife Theresa and me. Copies are on sale for holiday shoppers and can be purchased by visiting our website, www.catfishsutton.com.
Cut meat into 1/4-inch strips and marinate overnight in a mixture of the remaining ingredients. Place meat strips in a dehydrator, or hang on a rack in a slow oven (150 degrees) with the door slightly ajar, until the meat is dry and bendable but will not break. Store in zip-seal plastic bags or jars.
Goose Stroganoff
2 goose breast fillets, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 large can sliced mushrooms
1 pint sour cream
6 tablespoons flour
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Cooked egg noodles
Brown meat in butter. Add onion soup mix and mushrooms. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes. Mix sour cream and flour. Stir into meat mixture. Add seasonings and liquid smoke, and heat through (do not boil). Serve over noodles. Serves 2 to 3.
If you’re interesting in wild game cookery, check out “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook,” written by my wife Theresa and me. Copies are on sale for holiday shoppers and can be purchased by visiting our website, www.catfishsutton.com.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Cooking Up A Casserole
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There’s nothing like a hearty casserole to satisfy your hunger after a long day outdoors. These belly-filling, one-dish meals are quick and easy to prepare, and while it is cooking, the casserole requires little watching. Mix the ingredients in the cooking dish, place in the oven and go tend to whatever needs tending to. Your casserole will be ready when you are.
Casserole cookery may have originated with the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies also are related; the pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings.
One of the earliest published recipes, “To dres[s] Rabbits in Casserole,” appeared in The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy in 1747. “Divide the Rabbits into Quarters, you may lard them or let them alone just as you please, shake some Flour over them, and fry them with Lard or Butter, then put them into an earthen Pipkin with a Quart of good Broth, a Glass of White Wine, a little Pepper, and Salt if wanted, a Bunch of Sweet Herbs, and a Piece of Butter as big as a Walnut rolled in Flour; cover them close and let them stew Half an Hour, then dish them up and pour the Sauce over them. Garnish with Seville Orange cut into thin Slices and notched, the Peel that is cut out lay prettily between the Slices.”
Today, the word casserole is used in two quite different ways. Properly speaking, a casserole is a dish or pot made from a material such as glass, cast iron, aluminum or earthenware in which food is baked and, often, served. The word may also refer to the food itself. It originally described rice, potatoes or fried bread used as a border or mold around a central dish of meat or vegetables. It wasn’t until sometime around the 1870s that the use of the word in its current sense—a mixture of foods slowly baked in a closed pot—came into widespread use.
Casseroles didn’t become popular in America until the 20th century. “There is no doubt that the fashion of cooking in casseroles or eathenware dishes has come to stay in this country,” Marion McNeil wrote in How to Cook Casserole Dishes (1912). “And it is hardly a matter of surprise when the advantages of this form of cookery are really understood …”
By the 1950s, when new forms of glassware and lightweight metal were first marketed, casserole cooking was all the rage. The virtues of easy-to-prepare, one-dish meals were increasingly promoted in the women’s magazines of the era, thereby supposedly freeing the housewife from the lengthy drudgery of the kitchen.
Today, casserole cookery is still popular, and there are many recipes that incorporate game as one of the main ingredients. Here are several for you to try.
Mexican Rabbit Casserole
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1 bag (9.5 oz.) Doritos, crushed
3 cups cooked, diced rabbit meat
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or Velveeta
Combine soups, Rotel and chicken broth. Layer Doritos, rabbit and soup mixture in a casserole. Cover with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves four.
Venison-Noodle Casserole
2 cups cooked egg noodles
1 pound ground venison
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cooked noodles in the bottom of a two-quart casserole dish.
In a frying pan, brown the ground venison along with the garlic. Drain and discard fat. Add tomato sauce to the meat, heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the meat mixture over the noodles in casserole dish.
Combine the cream cheese with the sour cream in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Stir in green onions. Spread this combination over the meat mixture, then sprinkle cheddar cheese over top of the cream cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Serves four.
Quail Casserole
6 quail, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
4 cups water
1 package. onion soup mix
Spread rice evenly in the bottom of a casserole dish. Place quail on top. Mix cream of mushroom soup and water, and pour over the quail. Sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Serves six.
Sumptuous Squirrel Casserole
3 cups boned, diced, cooked squirrel
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup Bisquick baking mix
1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded Longhorn-style cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the squirrel, milk, sour cream and soup in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Spoon into a 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish. Beat the remaining ingredients, except the cheese, with a wire whisk or hand beater until almost smooth. Pour evenly over hot squirrel mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the top is set and soup mixture bubbles around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serves six
Duck Casserole with Pinto Beans
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 wild ducks, cut into serving pieces
Seasoned flour
3 strips salt pork, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
Pinch basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Drain, and simmer them in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain again, reserving the liquid, and place them in a casserole.
Dredge the pieces of duck in seasoned flour. Fry the salt pork in a skillet till crisp. Place the bits of pork in the casserole with the beans, and brown the duck quickly in the pork fat. Transfer the duck to the casserole.
Add the onion, basil, pepper and mustard. Work the pieces of duck down into the casserole so the beans cover them; do not crush the beans. Add boiling water or bean liquid just to cover, cover the casserole, and place in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cook until the duck and beans are well done, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add more water if necessary, but when done, the casserole should not have too much liquid. Serves four.
For more great game recipes, visit my website, http://www.catfishsutton.com/, where you can order autographed copies of “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook.”
Casserole cookery may have originated with the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies also are related; the pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings.
One of the earliest published recipes, “To dres[s] Rabbits in Casserole,” appeared in The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy in 1747. “Divide the Rabbits into Quarters, you may lard them or let them alone just as you please, shake some Flour over them, and fry them with Lard or Butter, then put them into an earthen Pipkin with a Quart of good Broth, a Glass of White Wine, a little Pepper, and Salt if wanted, a Bunch of Sweet Herbs, and a Piece of Butter as big as a Walnut rolled in Flour; cover them close and let them stew Half an Hour, then dish them up and pour the Sauce over them. Garnish with Seville Orange cut into thin Slices and notched, the Peel that is cut out lay prettily between the Slices.”
Today, the word casserole is used in two quite different ways. Properly speaking, a casserole is a dish or pot made from a material such as glass, cast iron, aluminum or earthenware in which food is baked and, often, served. The word may also refer to the food itself. It originally described rice, potatoes or fried bread used as a border or mold around a central dish of meat or vegetables. It wasn’t until sometime around the 1870s that the use of the word in its current sense—a mixture of foods slowly baked in a closed pot—came into widespread use.
Casseroles didn’t become popular in America until the 20th century. “There is no doubt that the fashion of cooking in casseroles or eathenware dishes has come to stay in this country,” Marion McNeil wrote in How to Cook Casserole Dishes (1912). “And it is hardly a matter of surprise when the advantages of this form of cookery are really understood …”
By the 1950s, when new forms of glassware and lightweight metal were first marketed, casserole cooking was all the rage. The virtues of easy-to-prepare, one-dish meals were increasingly promoted in the women’s magazines of the era, thereby supposedly freeing the housewife from the lengthy drudgery of the kitchen.
Today, casserole cookery is still popular, and there are many recipes that incorporate game as one of the main ingredients. Here are several for you to try.
Mexican Rabbit Casserole
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1 bag (9.5 oz.) Doritos, crushed
3 cups cooked, diced rabbit meat
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or Velveeta
Combine soups, Rotel and chicken broth. Layer Doritos, rabbit and soup mixture in a casserole. Cover with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves four.
Venison-Noodle Casserole
2 cups cooked egg noodles
1 pound ground venison
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cooked noodles in the bottom of a two-quart casserole dish.
In a frying pan, brown the ground venison along with the garlic. Drain and discard fat. Add tomato sauce to the meat, heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the meat mixture over the noodles in casserole dish.
Combine the cream cheese with the sour cream in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Stir in green onions. Spread this combination over the meat mixture, then sprinkle cheddar cheese over top of the cream cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Serves four.
Quail Casserole
6 quail, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
4 cups water
1 package. onion soup mix
Spread rice evenly in the bottom of a casserole dish. Place quail on top. Mix cream of mushroom soup and water, and pour over the quail. Sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Serves six.
Sumptuous Squirrel Casserole
3 cups boned, diced, cooked squirrel
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup Bisquick baking mix
1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded Longhorn-style cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the squirrel, milk, sour cream and soup in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Spoon into a 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish. Beat the remaining ingredients, except the cheese, with a wire whisk or hand beater until almost smooth. Pour evenly over hot squirrel mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the top is set and soup mixture bubbles around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serves six
Duck Casserole with Pinto Beans
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 wild ducks, cut into serving pieces
Seasoned flour
3 strips salt pork, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
Pinch basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Drain, and simmer them in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain again, reserving the liquid, and place them in a casserole.
Dredge the pieces of duck in seasoned flour. Fry the salt pork in a skillet till crisp. Place the bits of pork in the casserole with the beans, and brown the duck quickly in the pork fat. Transfer the duck to the casserole.
Add the onion, basil, pepper and mustard. Work the pieces of duck down into the casserole so the beans cover them; do not crush the beans. Add boiling water or bean liquid just to cover, cover the casserole, and place in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cook until the duck and beans are well done, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add more water if necessary, but when done, the casserole should not have too much liquid. Serves four.
For more great game recipes, visit my website, http://www.catfishsutton.com/, where you can order autographed copies of “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook.”
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Delicious Game Stews
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Throughout our history, an iron pot filled with stew simmering over a wood-burning fire or hot coals was the practical way to cook and share a meal. Today, one-pot dinners like stew—easy to prepare, simple to serve and perfect to make ahead—speak directly to our busy lives. Delicious, belly-warming stews never go out of style.
Stews are dishes made of vegetables, meat, poultry or seafood cooked in some sort of broth or sauce. The line between stew and soup is a fine one, but generally a stew’s ingredients are cut in larger pieces and retain some of their individual flavors; a stew may have thicker broth, and a stew is more likely to be eaten as a main course than as a starter.
Soup is for folks who are not feeling well. You never hear, “I brought you some chicken stew for your cold.” Stew is for more hearty appetites.
A stew may be either simmered in a pot on the stove top or campfire, cooked in a covered casserole in the oven or slow-cooked in a Crock-Pot. Prepared properly, the stew never boils, but simmers at slightly less than 200 degrees, a process that tenderizes tougher foods and mingles flavors. Even the least tender cuts of meat become tender and juicy when properly stewed. Thus, this is a popular method for preparing cuts of game that often are somewhat tough and lean.
Many stews had their origins in Southern kitchens, and included game in the ingredients. Gumbo, for example, is a hearty, spicy stew that originated in Cajun Louisiana where duck and goose were among the commonly used ingredients. Rabbit or squirrel was called for in the original Brunswick stew, which had its origins in Virginia and the Carolinas. Kentucky burgoo included whatever game was brought home from the hunt, including deer, opossum, squirrel and/or game birds.
Fact is, you can prepare stews using any game meat you have on hand. The following recipes are proof of that.
Grandpa’s Favorite Rabbit Stew
2 rabbits, cut in serving pieces
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup flour, for dredging
3 slices bacon, cut in pieces
3 tablespoons shortening
4 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water
4 medium potatoes, diced
1-1/2 cups diced carrots
2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup sour cream
Mix flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; dredge rabbit in mixture. Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon. Add shortening to bacon drippings, and sauté rabbit until browned. Add onions, garlic, diced potatoes, diced carrots, water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and stir in paprika and sour cream. Do not allow stew to boil after adding sour cream. Serves 6 to 8.
Alex’s Venison Stew
3 pounds venison, cubed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 carrots, diced
6 potatoes, cut in large pieces
1 cup diced celery
1 large onion, cut in large pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon marjoram
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
In a large stew pan, brown the venison in the oil. Cover with water, and boil until the meat is tender. Drain the water, cover again with water, and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and seasonings, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Put the cornstarch and flour in a shaker, and add enough water to make a thick paste. Shake until cornstarch and flour are completely dissolved. Add the mixture to the stew, stir, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.
Gulf Mountain Bear Stew
3 pounds bear meat, cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 cups water
8 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Sauté bear meat in olive oil heated in a Dutch oven or large stew pot. Cook until well done. Stir in flour and seasonings. Add water, potatoes and mushrooms. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Serves 8 to 12.
Stewed Wild Goose
2 goose breast fillets
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 medium potatoes, quartered
Cut the breast meat into bite-sized pieces. Place in a slow cooker with the next six ingredients and cook on high two hours. Add potatoes, and cook another 1-1/2 hours. Serves 3 to 6.
January Stew
1 raccoon, cut in serving pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Louisiana hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Place coon in a large pot, add chicken broth and enough water to cover. Parboil until coon is tender and falling from the bone. Remove meat from the bone and reserve. Discard bones.
Place meat and remaining ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir to mix. Cook on low heat 10 to 12 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Serve hot. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
For more great game recipes, visit my website, http://www.catfishsutton.com, where you can order autographed copies of “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook.”
Stews are dishes made of vegetables, meat, poultry or seafood cooked in some sort of broth or sauce. The line between stew and soup is a fine one, but generally a stew’s ingredients are cut in larger pieces and retain some of their individual flavors; a stew may have thicker broth, and a stew is more likely to be eaten as a main course than as a starter.
Soup is for folks who are not feeling well. You never hear, “I brought you some chicken stew for your cold.” Stew is for more hearty appetites.
A stew may be either simmered in a pot on the stove top or campfire, cooked in a covered casserole in the oven or slow-cooked in a Crock-Pot. Prepared properly, the stew never boils, but simmers at slightly less than 200 degrees, a process that tenderizes tougher foods and mingles flavors. Even the least tender cuts of meat become tender and juicy when properly stewed. Thus, this is a popular method for preparing cuts of game that often are somewhat tough and lean.
Many stews had their origins in Southern kitchens, and included game in the ingredients. Gumbo, for example, is a hearty, spicy stew that originated in Cajun Louisiana where duck and goose were among the commonly used ingredients. Rabbit or squirrel was called for in the original Brunswick stew, which had its origins in Virginia and the Carolinas. Kentucky burgoo included whatever game was brought home from the hunt, including deer, opossum, squirrel and/or game birds.
Fact is, you can prepare stews using any game meat you have on hand. The following recipes are proof of that.
Grandpa’s Favorite Rabbit Stew
2 rabbits, cut in serving pieces
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup flour, for dredging
3 slices bacon, cut in pieces
3 tablespoons shortening
4 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water
4 medium potatoes, diced
1-1/2 cups diced carrots
2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup sour cream
Mix flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; dredge rabbit in mixture. Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon. Add shortening to bacon drippings, and sauté rabbit until browned. Add onions, garlic, diced potatoes, diced carrots, water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and stir in paprika and sour cream. Do not allow stew to boil after adding sour cream. Serves 6 to 8.
Alex’s Venison Stew
3 pounds venison, cubed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 carrots, diced
6 potatoes, cut in large pieces
1 cup diced celery
1 large onion, cut in large pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon marjoram
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
In a large stew pan, brown the venison in the oil. Cover with water, and boil until the meat is tender. Drain the water, cover again with water, and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and seasonings, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Put the cornstarch and flour in a shaker, and add enough water to make a thick paste. Shake until cornstarch and flour are completely dissolved. Add the mixture to the stew, stir, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.
Gulf Mountain Bear Stew
3 pounds bear meat, cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 cups water
8 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Sauté bear meat in olive oil heated in a Dutch oven or large stew pot. Cook until well done. Stir in flour and seasonings. Add water, potatoes and mushrooms. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Serves 8 to 12.
Stewed Wild Goose
2 goose breast fillets
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 medium potatoes, quartered
Cut the breast meat into bite-sized pieces. Place in a slow cooker with the next six ingredients and cook on high two hours. Add potatoes, and cook another 1-1/2 hours. Serves 3 to 6.
January Stew
1 raccoon, cut in serving pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Louisiana hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Place coon in a large pot, add chicken broth and enough water to cover. Parboil until coon is tender and falling from the bone. Remove meat from the bone and reserve. Discard bones.
Place meat and remaining ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir to mix. Cook on low heat 10 to 12 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Serve hot. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
For more great game recipes, visit my website, http://www.catfishsutton.com, where you can order autographed copies of “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook.”
Monday, December 3, 2007
Ducks For Dinner
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This week is “Wild Game Cookery Week” at Catfish Gumbo, and to start things off, we’ll continue with last week’s waterfowl theme and share some recipes for the ducks you’re hopefully bagging right now.I started hunting ducks late in life, but they occasionally showed up on the dinner table when I was a boy, gifts from hunting relatives. I did not like the ducks my mother and grandmother prepared. Both women were wonderful cooks, but ducks weren’t common fare in our household, and apparently my mom and granny had no proper experience in their preparation. The birds they served were roasted for long periods with no enhancements. They tasted like liver and were dry and tough.
I remember well the first time I tasted good duck—a fat ricefield mallard cooked to perfection by Betty, a chef at Hartz’ Duck Camp near Stuttgart, Arkansas. What a revelation! Could this succulent bird really be the same animal my mother and grandmother had prepared? Had I been so foolish as to turn my nose up at this incredibly delectable game bird for all those years?
I soon discovered that duck can serve as the basis for a wide variety of mouth-watering recipes. The meat is dark and less moist than domestic duck, with a much more pronounced—and in my opinion, pleasing—flavor. If you prefer your game well done, larding, basting and cooking in a covered pan or slow cooker add moisture that might otherwise be lost. It’s been my experience, however, that wild ducks should always be on the rare side if you want to enjoy the full flavor. When roasting, allow 20 minutes per pound at the very maximum.
Here are some great recipes you can start with:
Stuttgart Betty’s Roast Mallard
Any number of mallards
Salt
Baking soda
Onions
Green bell peppers
Celery
Flour
Salt the ducks to taste, and rub with baking soda. Allow to sit one hour, then wash off the soda. Stuff the body cavity of each bird with small chunks of onion, bell pepper and celery, then rub each bird with flour. Place in a large roasting pan with enough water to half cover the ducks. Cook in a 350-degree oven for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until the birds are tender. Remove the vegetable stuffing and discard. Halve each bird lengthwise before serving. If desired, thicken the broth from the ducks with a milk and flour mixture to make gravy.
As befits a recipe from Stuttgart, these birds should be served over a bed of rice. Each mallard serves two people.
Rotisserie Duck
Rub the inside of the ducks with salt, secure a piece or two of bacon to the breast with toothpicks, and place on the rotisserie spit. Set the spit so the revolving birds are just above the fire. Roast and check for doneness in 1.5 hours. Brush ducks last 15 minutes with your favorite barbecue sauce or a mixture of 1/3 cup each butter, orange juice and wild plum or crabapple jelly melted together and applied hot.
Quick & Easy Duck in a Bag
1 duck
1 large oven cooking bag
1/2 stick butter
1/2 can beef consomme
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup currant jelly
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup red wine
Put duck in bag with all ingredients. Follow directions for using the oven bag. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours.
Grilled Marinated Duck Breasts
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 3 lemons
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pepper to taste
16 boneless duck breast fillets (2 from each duck)
16 slices bacon
Combine first five ingredients and pour mixture over duck breast fillets. Marinate in refrigerator at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Remove duck breasts from marinade, and wrap each in a bacon slice; secure bacon with toothpicks. Grill over slow coals 7 minutes on each side or until bacon is done.
Duck Casserole
2 whole ducks or 4 breasts
1 onion, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 (6-oz.) box long grain and wild rice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 (6-oz.) can sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 (3-1/2-oz.) package slivered almonds
Boil ducks for two hours with sliced onion and celery. Cook rice according to directions on box. In a deep skillet, melt butter; sauté chopped onion, and stir in flour. Add mushrooms and their liquid. Add half-and-half, parsley, salt and pepper. Add rice. Bone ducks and add chunks to other ingredients. Place in a 2-quart casserole, sprinkle with almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. When it bubbles in the center, it’s done. Serves 8.
Duck, Sausage and Oyster Gumbo
1 pound sliced okra
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 large white onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
7 cups water
Cubed breast meat from 2 cooked ducks
1 pound smoked sausage, cubed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 pint oysters
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Gumbo file’ powder (optional)
Cook okra in 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings until tender; set aside. Make a roux by heating the remaining bacon grease and butter in a Dutch oven; stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the roux is a caramel color. Add the white onion, bell pepper and celery; cook until onion is clear. Add three cups water, the cooked okra, duck meat, sausage, salt, black pepper, green onions, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer for 2 hours. Add 4 more cups water with the oysters, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce. Continue simmering 1 hour. Serve over cooked rice. Serves 8 to 12.
If you’re interesting in wild game cookery, check out “Duck Gumbo to Barbecued Coon: A Southern Game Cookbook,” written by my wife Theresa and me. Copies are on sale for holiday shoppers and can be purchased by visiting our website, www.catfishsutton.com.
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