This is simply a Chicken recipe that I've substituted Pheasant for and made it better...
Ingredients:
2 Pheasants (breasts, legs, and wings)
1/4 cup butter
1 0.7 oz package Italian salad dressing mix
1 10 3/4 oz can condensed golden mushroon, soup
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 of an 8 oz. tub cream cheese with chives and onion
Place the pheasant into a 4 quart crock pot. In a medium sauce pan melt the butter while stirring in the Italian dressing mix. Stir in the mushroom soup, wine & cream cheese until it's all blended together. Then pour over the pheasant.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or until done. Shred the meat then serve over pasta or rice.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Wrapped, Strapped & Packin' Heat
One of my favorite aspects of hunting is that when done successfully, it results in a meal, or many meals depending on the game pursued. In the case of a whitetail deer, we have a freezer full of delicious, nutritious, organic venison to be enjoyed throughout the year. So with all of that meat I get to play around with different ways to prepare it. Tonight's dish was one so simple & delicious that I had to share. It's a little on the spicy side, so if you're not into that then don't use the Red Rooster sauce.
I marinaded 4 cuts of backstrap cut into butterfly chops in the following concoction:
After about 4 hours in the fridge, I removed the chops, pressed them into a circular shape, and wrapped then with a slice of bacon secured with a toothpick.
Grill to medium so that you still have a nice warm red center, fix some side dishes, and enjoy.
I marinaded 4 cuts of backstrap cut into butterfly chops in the following concoction:
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Creole Seasoning
- 1 Teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 Teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
After about 4 hours in the fridge, I removed the chops, pressed them into a circular shape, and wrapped then with a slice of bacon secured with a toothpick.
Grill to medium so that you still have a nice warm red center, fix some side dishes, and enjoy.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Ohio Gun Season - Opening Day 2012
I went out for the opening day of Ohio's gun season for the first time in about 5 years. Deciding to take the muzzleloader over the battle tested 870 just in case I needed the extra reach on a deer cruising through the open woods, or slipping along the field edge. Not having a crystal ball at the time, I probably should have just stuck with my preferred weapon of choice, my bow. As I passed the time counting gun shots in the distance, my overly high anticipations of a successful morning hunt were starting to drift away by 9:00 AM. However, just shortly thereafter my ears caught the distinguished sound of over turning leaves behind me, and this time I was certain that the cadence didn't quite match that of the fox squirrels who had fooled me earlier.
Quickly looking over my shoulder I could see the group of deer heading my way in a single file fashion. The occasional pause by the lead deer seemed to catch the followers off guard as they would nearly bump into one another before proceeding. Before I knew it I had 6 does filtering past me at about 10 yards. I wanted to test my long range marksmanship with the muzzleloader so I let them slip off into the distance... and at about 18 yards the gun's stock met up with my shoulder. The group paused once again, just as they had while I watched them work through the woods moments earlier. I quickly scanned the group to isolate the biggest doe, placed the scope's cross hairs on her quartering away chest, applied a little pressure to the trigger, and in fractions of a second my ears were ringing from the BOOM!!!
With only a subtle breeze blowing through the tree tops at the moment, the black power smoke lingered in the air like a misplaced cloud, making it tough to see where my deer had dashed off to. Six had come in, I could make out two scampering off to the south, three still stood in their tracks just mere yards from the spot they held as the shot sounded off, and I thought I could hear the crashing of the sixth unaccounted for deer on the other side of a small thicket.
After letting the three (now partially deaf) deer walk away, I climbed down out of my stand and packed up up gear. Walking over to the point of impact it didn't take too long to find some of this...
Following the blood trail along the edge of the thicket for about 20 yards I looked around the corner into the more open woods, and saw this...
After saying my "thanks" for being blessed with the experience this morning I took a few more pictures before getting back to work (literally, I only took a half day's vacation so I had to get to work!)...
I'm grateful to put a nice big doe in the freezer after so many close, and frustrating calls during the first part of the bow season. Now I can just relax, chase some birds around, and maybe still fill my buck tag later in the season. Oh, and the kids are already asking for jerky.
Quickly looking over my shoulder I could see the group of deer heading my way in a single file fashion. The occasional pause by the lead deer seemed to catch the followers off guard as they would nearly bump into one another before proceeding. Before I knew it I had 6 does filtering past me at about 10 yards. I wanted to test my long range marksmanship with the muzzleloader so I let them slip off into the distance... and at about 18 yards the gun's stock met up with my shoulder. The group paused once again, just as they had while I watched them work through the woods moments earlier. I quickly scanned the group to isolate the biggest doe, placed the scope's cross hairs on her quartering away chest, applied a little pressure to the trigger, and in fractions of a second my ears were ringing from the BOOM!!!
With only a subtle breeze blowing through the tree tops at the moment, the black power smoke lingered in the air like a misplaced cloud, making it tough to see where my deer had dashed off to. Six had come in, I could make out two scampering off to the south, three still stood in their tracks just mere yards from the spot they held as the shot sounded off, and I thought I could hear the crashing of the sixth unaccounted for deer on the other side of a small thicket.
After letting the three (now partially deaf) deer walk away, I climbed down out of my stand and packed up up gear. Walking over to the point of impact it didn't take too long to find some of this...
Following the blood trail along the edge of the thicket for about 20 yards I looked around the corner into the more open woods, and saw this...
After saying my "thanks" for being blessed with the experience this morning I took a few more pictures before getting back to work (literally, I only took a half day's vacation so I had to get to work!)...
I'm grateful to put a nice big doe in the freezer after so many close, and frustrating calls during the first part of the bow season. Now I can just relax, chase some birds around, and maybe still fill my buck tag later in the season. Oh, and the kids are already asking for jerky.
Friday, October 19, 2012
NoDak 10/04/12 Afternoon Jump Shoot
After drying out and warming up a bit, we headed out to explore some more territory in order to add some more ducks to the bag by jump shooting the ponds and potholes that dotted the landscape. It's a fun and exciting way to kill some time, and some birds. Plus, if you're not on the spot & stalk mission at the time you get to sit back in the distance, eat Cheetos, Doritos, cookies and watch the spectacle unfold. It's usually good for a some entertainment.
The first attempt didn't turn up anything other than a few laughs, but the second go at it turned out better with Rob and Kent creeping up on some unsuspecting birds. Soon they were waving Mike and I over to bring the dogs and fetch up some birds.
One of the birds was belly up and drifting toward the reeds along the opposite shoreline. The other was crippled and required another slow approach to try and throw some more steel it's way. When it popped up after a brief dive under the surface the final shot was fired, or at least that's what we thought. The steel shot's pattern covered up the area, causing the water around the bird to look like it was briefly boiling. With the duck surely about flip it's belly skyward, I sent Timber out for the retrieve. As the dog was taking the line towards the bird, somehow it's head once again went upright, and just as quickly the bird again dove beneath the surface confusing Timber as to it's whereabouts. Seconds later the duck resurfaced right in front of Timber. "Gotcha" is what I'm guessing Timber thought as he lunged again towards the diving duck. Empty mouthed, my dog was looking around, wondering "what the heck is going on here." Then just as before, the duck came up for air only inches in front of Timber.
The duck tried to make yet another plunge disappearing with a small splash, that was followed by a bigger splash with Timber now diving down after the duck! They both broke back up through the choppy waters, only this time the crippled bird was grasped securely in Timber's mouth as he paddled proudly back towards shore.
Next up was Storm. He'd hunted hard all week, and the young pup was finally going to get in on some of the action. With another dead duck that had drifted somewhere into the reeds we searched the shoreline looking for that white belly against the dark blue water. A few moments later, Storm was on the bird, bringing it back in. His first water retrieve...
Another first was had later that afternoon on one of the most legendary spot and stalk displays ever witnessed, at least that's what we were told. It was an exhibit in stealthfulness (if that's even a word). If there was a textbook written on subjects like this, it would've been the center piece of that text book. Mike and I were able to use our ninja like stalking skills to slip within yards of the unsuspecting ducks with very minimal, and certainly marginal cover between us and the bobbing birds. With a pair of Teal spotted, a last minute call was made to switch positions, allowing Mike to be able to take the shot and adding Teal to his hit list of ducks taken. Like well trained Navy Seals, we maneuvered into position, made the call, and let the steel fly. And wouldn't you know it, Mike ends up shooting a banded Teal. You're welcome buddy!
That was about it for the hunting. I think we may have hit a few more water holes up along our way back to town, but we decided to call it a week. Electing to go have a nice dinner and sleep in the next morning, rather than grind ourselves to repeating the evening scouting / early morning wake up routine we had been following. Everybody was able to head back to Ohio satisfied and fulfilled with the time we had, and yet at the same time looking forward to the next time out. I know I'll be counting the days...
The first attempt didn't turn up anything other than a few laughs, but the second go at it turned out better with Rob and Kent creeping up on some unsuspecting birds. Soon they were waving Mike and I over to bring the dogs and fetch up some birds.
One of the birds was belly up and drifting toward the reeds along the opposite shoreline. The other was crippled and required another slow approach to try and throw some more steel it's way. When it popped up after a brief dive under the surface the final shot was fired, or at least that's what we thought. The steel shot's pattern covered up the area, causing the water around the bird to look like it was briefly boiling. With the duck surely about flip it's belly skyward, I sent Timber out for the retrieve. As the dog was taking the line towards the bird, somehow it's head once again went upright, and just as quickly the bird again dove beneath the surface confusing Timber as to it's whereabouts. Seconds later the duck resurfaced right in front of Timber. "Gotcha" is what I'm guessing Timber thought as he lunged again towards the diving duck. Empty mouthed, my dog was looking around, wondering "what the heck is going on here." Then just as before, the duck came up for air only inches in front of Timber.
The duck tried to make yet another plunge disappearing with a small splash, that was followed by a bigger splash with Timber now diving down after the duck! They both broke back up through the choppy waters, only this time the crippled bird was grasped securely in Timber's mouth as he paddled proudly back towards shore.
Next up was Storm. He'd hunted hard all week, and the young pup was finally going to get in on some of the action. With another dead duck that had drifted somewhere into the reeds we searched the shoreline looking for that white belly against the dark blue water. A few moments later, Storm was on the bird, bringing it back in. His first water retrieve...
Another first was had later that afternoon on one of the most legendary spot and stalk displays ever witnessed, at least that's what we were told. It was an exhibit in stealthfulness (if that's even a word). If there was a textbook written on subjects like this, it would've been the center piece of that text book. Mike and I were able to use our ninja like stalking skills to slip within yards of the unsuspecting ducks with very minimal, and certainly marginal cover between us and the bobbing birds. With a pair of Teal spotted, a last minute call was made to switch positions, allowing Mike to be able to take the shot and adding Teal to his hit list of ducks taken. Like well trained Navy Seals, we maneuvered into position, made the call, and let the steel fly. And wouldn't you know it, Mike ends up shooting a banded Teal. You're welcome buddy!
That was about it for the hunting. I think we may have hit a few more water holes up along our way back to town, but we decided to call it a week. Electing to go have a nice dinner and sleep in the next morning, rather than grind ourselves to repeating the evening scouting / early morning wake up routine we had been following. Everybody was able to head back to Ohio satisfied and fulfilled with the time we had, and yet at the same time looking forward to the next time out. I know I'll be counting the days...
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
SnowDak 10/04/12 Morning Hunt
The good news this morning was that we were finally going to be getting some colder weather that should help out with the hunting a bit. The bad news was that it was now coming at the tail end of the trip. Oh well, you can't plan for what Mother Nature is going to deal out, you can only play with the cards she gives you. We certainly worked hard to do the best we could with those cards. Thursday morning's hunt looked like we were going to be using those snow covers that we decided to pack, and what a good decision that turned out to be.
The field that we decided to hunt had been holding geese all week, and on occasion the surrounding fields did as well. This particular field however seemed to be the only one that was consistent, so we made the call to hunt here on Thursday morning. The other neat thing about this spot was that is was enlisted into North Dakota's PLOTS program, which stands for Private Land Open To Sportsmen. Essentially anybody could walk right in and hunt here, which leads me to the toughest part about this hunt. We couldn't drive the truck & trailer out into the field to set up. With that in mind, we packed in as light as possible, carrying only 2 dozen Hard Core full body geese and 3 dozen Big Al's goose silhouettes to help hide our layout blinds.
After working up a good sweat from the trek into the field, we hunkered down out of the howling wind behind some pines in the distant fence row. That break didn't last too long because as legal shooting light was drawing near we could hear wing beats over head. Mallards were already circling the spread. A quick dash was made to seek shelter in the snow covered blinds as we watched birds drop down and just about land on top of us. Moments later our watches signaled we were legal, the mojos were flipped on, and whistling wings were once again circling above. Soon the white blanket covering the ground around us was turning red.
After the initial flurry of ducks came through we figured it would be a while before the geese decided to get up and eat. Typically that's the case. Wrong again. From the moment the shooting started it didn't really stop until our four man goose limit was filled, with the intermittent mallards also falling down around us, in short order the immediate area resembled a battle field. This time out, we won.
I recorded this short clip after we were wrapped up and ready to pack out for the morning. This was truly one of those hunts that you don't experience all that often. The amount of geese that showed up, and wanted to feed in this exact field was just simply awesome to watch. It was nearly an endless stream of geese just kept popping up on the horizon and filtering through to the field. The clip doesn't do it justice...
O - H..... I - O!!!!!
The field that we decided to hunt had been holding geese all week, and on occasion the surrounding fields did as well. This particular field however seemed to be the only one that was consistent, so we made the call to hunt here on Thursday morning. The other neat thing about this spot was that is was enlisted into North Dakota's PLOTS program, which stands for Private Land Open To Sportsmen. Essentially anybody could walk right in and hunt here, which leads me to the toughest part about this hunt. We couldn't drive the truck & trailer out into the field to set up. With that in mind, we packed in as light as possible, carrying only 2 dozen Hard Core full body geese and 3 dozen Big Al's goose silhouettes to help hide our layout blinds.
After working up a good sweat from the trek into the field, we hunkered down out of the howling wind behind some pines in the distant fence row. That break didn't last too long because as legal shooting light was drawing near we could hear wing beats over head. Mallards were already circling the spread. A quick dash was made to seek shelter in the snow covered blinds as we watched birds drop down and just about land on top of us. Moments later our watches signaled we were legal, the mojos were flipped on, and whistling wings were once again circling above. Soon the white blanket covering the ground around us was turning red.
After the initial flurry of ducks came through we figured it would be a while before the geese decided to get up and eat. Typically that's the case. Wrong again. From the moment the shooting started it didn't really stop until our four man goose limit was filled, with the intermittent mallards also falling down around us, in short order the immediate area resembled a battle field. This time out, we won.
I recorded this short clip after we were wrapped up and ready to pack out for the morning. This was truly one of those hunts that you don't experience all that often. The amount of geese that showed up, and wanted to feed in this exact field was just simply awesome to watch. It was nearly an endless stream of geese just kept popping up on the horizon and filtering through to the field. The clip doesn't do it justice...
O - H..... I - O!!!!!
NoDak 10/03/12 - The Ohio Hunt
I called this hunt the Ohio hunt because it was a reminder of what we face from time to time hunting in the highly pressured areas back home. It seems at times like no matter how early you wake up, how diligent you try to be getting to the spot first, how hard you try to do everything the right way, somebody is still gonna pull up and hunt right next to you.
That's pretty much exactly what happened to us on our Wednesday morning hunt. After scouting the field the night before and seeing good numbers of birds feeding in the corn, then dropping back down into the roost pond a few hundred yards away, we left for the night feeling like we'd have another solid hunt the next morning.
The alarm rings, and the routine begins again. With our field set up methods working like a well oiled machine we were out in the cool morning air putting the plan in place to kill some more mallards. Then it happened... A truck carrying two other hunters pulls right into the same field we're in. Now there's no way they didn't see us. We had a truck & trailer with parking lights glowing, then the four of us turn on the head lamps and start flashing the guys. Still they proceed to drive straight at the roost pond! Choosing to set up there for their morning hunt. Are you kidding me!?!?
Now, these guys had just as much right to hunt that spot as we did to hunt where we were. Nothing was done that morning illegally. However, it was certainly an instance that questions the "sportsmanship" of the other hunters. They way our group approaches those situations, is that if somebody beats us to a spot, we then move to plan B, rather than screw their hunt up. Why? Because we wouldn't want somebody coming in and screwing our hunt up either. Simple as that. Too bad not everybody looks at it that way. We would all have more success in the field.
The birds were obviously bumped off the roost in the early morning darkness, and while we did see birds as the sun rose, not a shot was sent skyward. Even the roost hunters had marginal shooting, only dropping a few birds from what we saw. At least we had a nice sunrise, and after a while, a good sense of humor about the whole ordeal.
Oh yeah.... we ate pretty good too.
That's pretty much exactly what happened to us on our Wednesday morning hunt. After scouting the field the night before and seeing good numbers of birds feeding in the corn, then dropping back down into the roost pond a few hundred yards away, we left for the night feeling like we'd have another solid hunt the next morning.
The alarm rings, and the routine begins again. With our field set up methods working like a well oiled machine we were out in the cool morning air putting the plan in place to kill some more mallards. Then it happened... A truck carrying two other hunters pulls right into the same field we're in. Now there's no way they didn't see us. We had a truck & trailer with parking lights glowing, then the four of us turn on the head lamps and start flashing the guys. Still they proceed to drive straight at the roost pond! Choosing to set up there for their morning hunt. Are you kidding me!?!?
Now, these guys had just as much right to hunt that spot as we did to hunt where we were. Nothing was done that morning illegally. However, it was certainly an instance that questions the "sportsmanship" of the other hunters. They way our group approaches those situations, is that if somebody beats us to a spot, we then move to plan B, rather than screw their hunt up. Why? Because we wouldn't want somebody coming in and screwing our hunt up either. Simple as that. Too bad not everybody looks at it that way. We would all have more success in the field.
The birds were obviously bumped off the roost in the early morning darkness, and while we did see birds as the sun rose, not a shot was sent skyward. Even the roost hunters had marginal shooting, only dropping a few birds from what we saw. At least we had a nice sunrise, and after a while, a good sense of humor about the whole ordeal.
Oh yeah.... we ate pretty good too.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
NoDak 10/02/12
This time it's 4:00 AM boys... gotta get up a bit earlier to make sure we're set up and completely ready when the birds get off the roost. Pulling the truck into the field in the early morning darkness we all got to work. You could see a system starting to emerge with Kent taking blind placement & brushing duties. He made sure that we disappeared into the corn stubble, leaving our layout blinds looking like guille suits. Mike and I took to setting out the full body ducks and geese, making sure to replicate what we had observed from the feeding birds the prior night. Rob runs the electronics department of the crew, setting up and trouble shooting all the mojo ducks that were intermixed into the set up. By day 3 we're turning into a well oiled machine.
Our hard work finally started to pay off, as we hunkered down in our blinds watching the birds that took to the air about 10 minutes before we could click off our safeties. One of my absolute favorite things about waterfowling is knowing that you've done everything right, and fooled the birds. When they see your decoys from the air, decide to hook in for a closer look, and then actually land in the spot you want them to you know you've just won the game. As the clock ticked ever closer to toward shooting time, we watched as birds practically landed on top of our blinds. The dogs laying in wait, the look in their eyes practically saying "when the hell are you guys gonna shoot!?!?"
Soaking in those moments is an awesome feeling because they don't just come along everyday. You put in a lot of work for those moments like that. Minutes later it was time. Game on. With calls pressed to our lips it only took a few quacks and feeder chuckles to turn the first group of birds our direction. "KILL 'EM!!"
And we did. It was a great morning with the birds working in small groups right into the hole, giving everybody shooting opportunities as mallards dropped to the ground and feathers floated off in the morning's strong breeze. With everybody shooting well this morning we had a four man limit of mallards in short order. Even mixing in a few geese for good measure. The long afternoons driving around just searching for the hunt finally paid off.
The only bad thing that happened was my camera taking a dump. It was set up on a tripod when the wind gusted up and knocked it down, damaging one of the lenses in the process. Luckily the camera body itself was still functioning, and the lens can be replaced. I was about sick.
Our hard work finally started to pay off, as we hunkered down in our blinds watching the birds that took to the air about 10 minutes before we could click off our safeties. One of my absolute favorite things about waterfowling is knowing that you've done everything right, and fooled the birds. When they see your decoys from the air, decide to hook in for a closer look, and then actually land in the spot you want them to you know you've just won the game. As the clock ticked ever closer to toward shooting time, we watched as birds practically landed on top of our blinds. The dogs laying in wait, the look in their eyes practically saying "when the hell are you guys gonna shoot!?!?"
Soaking in those moments is an awesome feeling because they don't just come along everyday. You put in a lot of work for those moments like that. Minutes later it was time. Game on. With calls pressed to our lips it only took a few quacks and feeder chuckles to turn the first group of birds our direction. "KILL 'EM!!"
And we did. It was a great morning with the birds working in small groups right into the hole, giving everybody shooting opportunities as mallards dropped to the ground and feathers floated off in the morning's strong breeze. With everybody shooting well this morning we had a four man limit of mallards in short order. Even mixing in a few geese for good measure. The long afternoons driving around just searching for the hunt finally paid off.
The only bad thing that happened was my camera taking a dump. It was set up on a tripod when the wind gusted up and knocked it down, damaging one of the lenses in the process. Luckily the camera body itself was still functioning, and the lens can be replaced. I was about sick.
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