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So for this year...
I plan on tagging out on everything I have tags for. The past few years I got my 2 deer and called it good and just let the season pass. Well this year I'm taking out every single grouse, pheasant, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, dove, goose, duck, bear, and elk I'm allowed or can (some of those are not regulated)... and of course fishing is year round here.
I don't care if some stuff isn't the tastiest thing ever I'm willing to try it. The wife and I want to see if we can last the whole winter without buying any food, part of that plan includes the garden but that's another story. Have any of you done that or do you do it normally?
How about recipes? I'm good with "normal" meat like deer elk duck etc but I'm a little iffy on how to cook up bear and squirrel. Those two are probably my biggest worries. I can lookup recipes all day but I want to know if you guys have tried anything that turned out good.
I don't care if some stuff isn't the tastiest thing ever I'm willing to try it. The wife and I want to see if we can last the whole winter without buying any food, part of that plan includes the garden but that's another story. Have any of you done that or do you do it normally?
How about recipes? I'm good with "normal" meat like deer elk duck etc but I'm a little iffy on how to cook up bear and squirrel. Those two are probably my biggest worries. I can lookup recipes all day but I want to know if you guys have tried anything that turned out good.
Replies
In the last 8 days I have had meals from the following, Mallard Duck, Paradise Shelduck ( Roasted and braised), Fallow Deer ( steaks, sausages and a roast shoulder), Venison/duck salami ( sandwiches for lunches and as an entree/snack with crackers), Canada Goose ( Stirfry). Am slowly eating my way through the freezer. Next week will be wild Turkey, Peacock, more duck and smoked Marlin.
Just finished dinner which was a roast shoulder of venison, roast potatoes, roast Kumara ( sweet potato) and beans. Plenty of cold meat left for sandwiches tomorrow while I am out hunting more ducks!!!!!!!!
If you need any help with recipes I have numerous game cookbooks dealing with deer, hogs, game birds and fish.
First, make sure you have enough freezer space!
Next, get a good meat grinder. You can grind anything and everything into burger.
Keep a good supply of spices.
Bear meat: grind it into what sausage you enjoy. I make breakfast sausage, smokies, and pepperoni. Some people enjoy bear steaks, but I'm not one of them.
Squirrels are great in stews. I also cook 'em like scaled down rabbits.
If you are successful filling all your tags, you can make canned dishes.
The options are limitless.
Adam J. McCleod
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Man, we used to survive on Deer, Hog, Dove, Duck, Goose, Rabbit, Squirrel, you name it. It's all pretty good one way or another. Ducks and Geese need a little special treatment. Unless you are a Cajun Chef, I recommend frying em Turkey style in a turkey fryer. Marinate with a good rub and shoot the breast up with liquid garlic and liquid onion and let them sit in the refridgerator over night. Then fry em til they float. I leave em frying a couple minutes after they float to make sure they're done, but not much longer because they will dry out. I suppose you can fry any wild meat like that.
There's a hundred ways to cook dove. I am weird, as if nobody knew, but I like dove better than quail. They're easy to fry and also they make a great gravy and stew. And you can do as cpj has suggested, bbq em wrapped in bacon and Jalapeno.
For venison and wild hog, I prefer the meat fried like Chicken Fried Steak. However, the back strap is also nice BBQed and served a bit rare. Don't dry it out. And of course, Deer and Hog make great jerky.
As for Bear, I'm not sure at all how the best way to cook it is. Squirrel's a no brainer. I like to roll em in salt, pepper, and Garlic seasoned flour and drop in hot grease. Let it fry for a minute or two and lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Leave frying slowly for about 7-10 minutes are so and raise the temperature to drive out the grease. Then drain and serve. This will help make them tender and won't dry them out. They'll be good and juicy. As for Turkey and other larger game birds, there's probably a thousand different ways to cook them. I like frying in a turkey fryer as I've already mentioned. Good Luck, I think you have a great plan.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
On deer and elk I marinate the back straps and tenderloins, wrap them in bacon and grill. Or you can slice them into medallions and bread and fry them in HOT grease. Makes great milk gravy if you get the rue (sp?) right. With ducks and dove, around here, we only keep the breasts. Marinate, wrap in bacon and grill. I use tooth picks to hold the bacon on.
And don't forget to always eat deer chili the night before the opener so you'll smell like a deer the next morning.