It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Something to be thankful for....
Since neither John McCain nor Barack Obama are hunters, conservatives were spared the superficial pandering to gun owners, that we witnessed from Kerry & Bush during the run up to the 2004 election. An even more grace-laden reprieve, I would say, is that we were thus spared the ill-conceived notion that the 2nd Amendment has something to do with a recreational activity or providing your family their dinner.
But all of that, as well as vice presidential shootings accidents and gun hating first ladies can be swept aside so room can be made for more pressing matters.
Fall has started to settle in, here in Colorado. Tonight Denver got its first real snow, and for the moment, the city is quiet and pristine. Only 36 hours ago, we scored a record high temp. of 80 if you'd believe it. For many of us, this is the season our mind turns to a slightly more predatory pursuit, and I don't mean politics. Most of the big game seasons for archery and black powder rifles have closed, and we are in the 2nd of 4 rifle seasons for elk and deer, but the day that's marked on my calendar is Nov. 12; opening day of pheasant season. I've got a new Remington 870 Express Super Mag. that needs breaking in. Nothing fancy. A 12 ga. pump with a walnut stock, but reliable as the day is long. So as I give this gun it's first good oiling, I thought I'd see how my fellow Richoteer Sportsman have fared so far this season.
![Hunting-camp,-Copper-River,-Alaska.-SSF---Hunting--Big-Game-[item]...-painting-artwork-print](http://cdn2.ricochet.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/hunting-camp-copper-river-alaska.-ssf-hunting-big-game-item-painting-artwork-print/1243018-1-eng-US/Hunting-camp-Copper-River-Alaska.-SSF-Hunting-Big-Game-item-painting-artwork-print_lightbox.jpg "Hunting-camp,-Copper-River,-Alaska.-SSF---Hunting--Big-Game-[item]...-painting-artwork-print")
Any tall tales, or young hunters first outings to report? Maybe this time of year just brings back a fond memory worth sharing? I love a good story, and would presume I'm not alone.
This year I will have the vicarious pleasure of accompanying a close friend and his father on opening day, for the former's stepson's first trip hunting. In my family at least, this is one of the few rights of passage we have left, and I am always delighted to celebrate it with others.
On another note, since we have such a wealth of life experience at the various ends of the interweb here, do any of you have good wild game recipes? I figure it's worth asking since we're on the topic. Fish as well, I never quite know what to do with brook trout.
I know a back strap makes a great barbeque, but I've been looking for a good way to mellow the gamy flavor and toughness of venison so I can spare the rest of a deer from becoming summer sausage. (not that I have ever seemed to get my fill of summer sausage.) Also, does someone have a good method for cooking duck that leaves it a little less greasy?
I hope October has been generous to you all, and Happy Hunting!
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
I'm a hunter in Southern California and mule deer is our focus right now. They aren't as plentiful as they are in, say, Wyoming, but a day in the wild is a good day, even if I don't tag a buck. Which I haven't.
May '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Looking at the picture I am guessing that there are some bear skins hanging, which on first impression makes me rather sad. Still, if it was that or freeze to death, I would have been out their shooting with the rest of them. Besides, where else can we get properly clad the crowns of Buckingham Palace guardsmen.
Never hunted anything greater than a rabbit, which is something I would like to rectify before I am too old to act upon it.
Edited on October 26, 2011 at 2:14pmOct '11
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
This post conjurs up a lot of great memories. Thank you for that.
Once my dad and I rented a team of pack horses and hired a ranch hand--Slim, believe it or not--to pack us deep into the wilderness northwest of Steamboat for an elk hunt. When the big day arrived, Slim was in jail, and I had to lead the train to a spot I had only seen once several months before. It snowed two feet on us as we were packing in. We lost the trail; one of our pack horses got down in the snow; my dad had terrible altitude sickness, and we missed our camp by miles. We dumped our stuff in an aspen grove and barely got our tent up before dark. But when we woke up the next morning our camp was overrun with elk. Two days later we were quartering a nice bull at midnight. I've never had more fun in my life.
You can help remove the gamey taste from venison or anything else by soaking it overnight in salt water. That helps tenderize it too. If you're roasting it, you might try larding it with salt pork.
Dec '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Gus: I hope your luck improves. most of my fishing this summer produced the same results. I came to much the same conclusion. A good day fishing is better than... well you know.
Talleyrand: Your comment reminded me of this amazing documentary I saw about a man, Dick Proenneke who built himself a cabin in the Alaska wilderness at the age of 50 or so and then spend the rest of his life there. He documented his time with an 8mm camera (I think). You can watch it all here. I believe his sentiments were much like your own. He never hunted for more than he could eat, even though there were some impressive trophies he could have claimed if he had wanted. In total it is an awe inspiring story, that I tend to re-watch when I need to put a little gas in my tank.
May '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Beasley: Gus: I ...
Talleyrand: Your comment reminded me of this amazing documentary I saw about a man, Dick Proenneke who built himself a cabin in the Alaska wilderness at the age of 50 or so and then spend the rest of his life there. He documented his time with an 8mm camera (I think). You can watch it all here. I believe his sentiments were much like your own. He never hunted for more than he could eat, even though there were some impressive trophies he could have claimed if he had wanted. In total it is an awe inspiring story, that I tend to re-watch when I need to put a little gas in my tank. · Oct 26 at 6:30am
Thanks Beasley, will check it out. My Dad grew up on a farm, and recalls having to shoot his lame horse in the desert as a boy, as he could no longer use it for work. That, and my sister's death, are the two times I have seen him close to crying.
Never had a chance to go hunting with him, he left the farm as soon as he could, to become an engineer.
Aug '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Saturday morning, a half hour before sunrise. Sitting in the blind, waiting and watching for the ducks in the half light.
Beretta at the ready, weather will be warm, in the 50s. By the end of the season (12/23), we will be complaining about the frozen water around the blind and the lack of ducks.
But it doesn't matter. Opening day is always good, even if you don't shoot.
Apr '11
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
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WABBIT SEASON!
Aug '11
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
My wife and I once had dinner with a very wealthy man, who could have done both of us a great deal of good, in terms of our businesses.
He'd just returned from Africa and was eager to share photographs of the animals - an elephant, a rhinoceros and a lion - that he had, at great expense, and in cosseted luxury, murdered.
As soon as we said our goodbyes, I turned to my wife and said, "I never want to hear from him again".
Apr '11
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
I never grew up hunting, but living a couple hours from the coast and from Oregon rivers and lakes, I never lacked for fishing trips with my dad. Those were some of the best days of my life.
In college I had a friend in Campus Crusade for Christ who loved hunting. He generally rented with others. No matter where he lived, I could tell his room as it had several hunting trophies and pictures of him with his successes. A great, down-to-earth guy. I'd try hunting myself, but with my allergies I'd scare away half the forest before the morning was done.
Fish can't hear me sneeze.
Oct '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Re: cooking duck. I've never shot a duck, but one year my family decided to start roasting duck for Christmas instead of turkey. My mom said that to make it less oily, you had to prick the skin all over with the tines of a fork. The roasting duck released a ton of oil, which she regularly removed from the pan with a turkey baster and reserved in a pyrex dish. When the duck was done, we had at least a quart of oil. And the duck was deliciously tender. (I can't remember what we did with the oil, but it's nice stuff--still has a gelatinous consistency at fridge temp, which is a sign of a healthier oil).
Oct '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Double post
Edited on October 26, 2011 at 8:35pmMay '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
A few years ago I was pheasant hunting outside Huron, South Dakota. The night we arrived there was a light dusting of snow coming down and the temperature was hovering right around freezing. After dropping off our gear at the lodge, we began the 10 mile trip into town to get dinner.
As we cruised along the two lane highway out in the middle of the plains on a moonless, overcast night, miles from any artificial lighting, without so much as a glow on the horizon from a nearby town, I observed to myself that this is the darkest sort of dark. Dark enough to conceal, say, a big, black cow that has escaped from the yard and is now standing in the middle of the highway, right in front of us.
After cursing, careening across the highway from one shoulder to the other on four wheels or two, we brought the vehicle to a stop halfway off the pavement. Standing in the wind on the side of the road, the guys in the other truck said they thought we'd hit some ice. We showed them the mutilated truck. We would kill more beef than pheasant on this trip.
Dec '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Grew up hunting in the wilds of SE British Columbia. Upon moving to Oregon to attend college, I heard so many stories of morons shooting each other in the woods that I just didn't feel safe going out there. Lo and behold, last week a 67 year old man, out with his 12 year old grandson for the boy's first hunt, guns down a 20 year old hiker (a Marine Reservist, btw). Victim was hiking through a field with a friend and was apparently mistaken for a bear.
Nope, still wouldn't feel safe being out there with those yahoos.
Jun '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
My Dad loved to hunt duck, quail, or dove. I never got to go duck hunting at the club in Arkansas because with a woman there the men couldn't pee off the blind. I did get to go dove hunting in Mississippi once. I was so proud and happy to be sharing this love with my Dad. It was great fun to stand around a baited cleared field with the men all around the edges. I'll never forget the sound of buckshot falling like rain and the thud of the bird. Of course we ate what we killed always.
As to the recipe for duck, I remember one about dress the duck then lay it on an oak shingle in a baking dish. Pour half a bottle of Jack Daniels over it and bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven, throw away the duck and the shingle and drink the sauce. You got to love the South!
Aug '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
he had, at great expense, and in cosseted luxury, murdered.
As soon as we said our goodbyes, I turned to my wife and said, "I never want to hear from him again". · Oct 26 at 11:05am
What was it that bothered you Tom ? He probably paid more in hunting licenses and porters,outfitters, and cooks in whatever African country he was hunting in than the revenues of the tax on thousands of the country's residents. Is there a difference in shooting something if (1) it is attacking you, or (2) you are hungry and there's no grocery store, or (3) a white man is mimicking the traditions of a Masai warrior in whatever "cosseted" fashion ?
While the only thing I care to shoot are flying ducks, as long as the wildlife is managed then the hunting is okay. Murder seems to be an odd choice of words from a carnivorous hunter gatherer descendent.
Jul '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
I'm with Tom.
I'm aware that we're the descendants of hunter-gatherers and it seems hypocritical to object to hunting if you buy pork chops at the supermarket. Meat's meat, right?
Two women got in the local weekly for killing two black bears . The ladies, both hairdressers, were very proud of of their accomplishment and grinned for the camera next to the bodies. They had got up in darkness to reach ambush points and waited for the bears to amble into their sights. I don't know what was more disgusting, the lengths to which they went to, well, yes, murder those living creatures or their pride in the act afterward.
I freely grant that animals don't have the same value as humans. Yet if a creature is capable of feeling pain, isn't it immoral to knowingly inflict pain on it? That argument carries more weight the older I get. If you have a dog, you know they are capable of a range of emotions. Perhaps bears do, too. They have been observed at play in the wild. These are deep waters when you think about it.
Oct '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
The Great Adventure!: Grew up hunting in the wilds of SE British Columbia. Upon moving to Oregon to attend college, I heard so many stories of morons shooting each other in the woods that I just didn't feel safe going out there. Lo and behold, last week a 67 year old man, out with his 12 year old grandson for the boy's first hunt, guns down a 20 year old hiker (a Marine Reservist, btw). Victim was hiking through a field with a friend and was apparently mistaken for a bear.
Nope, still wouldn't feel safe being out there with those yahoos. · Oct 26 at 12:09pm
Had hunted in Oregon in the old style, no blinds, etc. Just stalking in the sportsman way, until it became too dangerous. Thought about taking the sport up again and went looking for a quality rifle. While making inquiries one was told most of the deer hunters use, guess ? Sniper rifles. Now there is a visual ones mind need not have.
Aug '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Of course, animals have feelings, asparagus might too. We really don't know. So where does one draw the line with regard to the butchering of meat and the shooting of it ? While one, i.e. the angus cow is bred for meat production and goes from farm to table, the whitetail deer breeds for survival and occasionally goes from forest to table. Too often it goes from forest to roadside, sometimes killing an unsuspecting driver in the process.
It's a slippery slope to justifying the avoidance of certain foods. Take the diet of "nothing with eyes", basically pure vegan. Is that a religious adherence ? Are scrambled eggs some version of chicken abortion ?
Supremacy in nature is a given for the human race. Why do so many work to deny that ? How would you like a turtle to design your car ? (although I wish they would for my teenaged daughter !)
Edited on October 26, 2011 at 11:30pmOct '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
Just recall Gods command to Adam for all the critters. Fairly clear it appears.
Takes Mankinds twisted self interest to muck it all up...
Aug '10
Re: It's Hunting Season! Oh, and There is This Campaign Or...Something, I Lose Track.
wilber forge
The Great Adventure!: I heard so many stories of morons shooting each other in the woods that I just didn't feel safe going out there. Lo and behold, last week a 67 year old man, out with his 12 year old grandson for the boy's first hunt, guns down a 20 year old hiker (a Marine Reservist, btw). Victim was hiking through a field with a friend and was apparently mistaken for a bear.
Nope, still wouldn't feel safe being out there with those yahoos. · Oct 26 at 12:09pm
Had hunted in Oregon in the old style, no blinds, etc. Just stalking in the sportsman way, until it became too dangerous. Thought about taking the sport up again and went looking for a quality rifle. While making inquiries one was told most of the deer hunters use, guess ? Sniper rifles. Now there is a visual ones mind need not have. · Oct 26 at 2:18pm
Guys, the morons out there in season includes anyone who doesn't wear blaze orange clothes. Sniper rifle is a misnomer, sort of like automatic weapons equal anything with a magazine.