For those of you mourning the conclusion of deer and duck seasons, boy do I have something for you. For those of you who have already dusted off your mouth calls and re-chalked Ol' Reliable, boy do I have something for you. For those of you who just can't wait for the miserable month of February to pass so you can get your jollies in the spring woods setting up on Mr. Tom, boy do I have something for you!
A special thanks to Darin Clifton and Charles Paddock of Open Season TV for letting me post their clip.
Mr. Clifton explains its genesis:
The Open Season / Ol Tom promo intro is the opening segment for a DVD we are producing for use in the Rutwear / Ol Tom booth at the 2010 NWTF Convention to be held in Nashville,TN this February. The clips used here were taken from footage shot in Alabama, Montana, & Wyoming during the past two spring seasons. The final product will also include footage from other states as well.
We would consider this DVD a preview of sorts for upcoming episodes of Open Season which will feature some of the most Awesome Wild Turkey Hunting in the Country! We have some hard core turkey hunters on our staff and feel that these hunts will complement our big game hunts well.
Stay Tuned !
If this doesn't dry out your mouth and get your heart to quake, you...well, I don't know what. I just feel bad for you!
Enjoy and check out Open Season TV!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Dumb Ducks
I’ve been accused of being awfully whiny this hunting season. Things just haven’t gone well thanks to one obstacle or another. Some plans were scrapped and others didn’t go to plan. But it has been pointed out to me that, yes, I’ve been able to get away with regularity, and I did kill a few deer and hogs and quail. Which is all true. I am thankful.
The ducks, though. Honestly, I didn’t spend as much time on it as I’d hoped, and offseason's bar stool plans hit the reality wall a few times. If I have to choose between deer and waterfowl, which I do, deer win every time. It’s terribly difficult to do a combo bowhunt in Pasco County with a ringneck adventure to Toho in one day.
But a few of the opportunities I did have went to pot thanks to weather and other circumstances I have no control over. Cole and I hunted Toho in early January a couple times, but it was freezing cold, the lake had been severely pressured, and the ducks stayed rafted up in the open water far from any concealable vegetation. Had a blast, learned a bit, but no shots were fired.
I enjoy – really, thoroughly enjoy – splashing sea ducks, sawbills, mergansers, whatever you want to call them off Homosassa. A couple days before New Years, Nick and I popped a few. Hunted there this last weekend and didn’t pull the trigger on any in-range birds. Did try to blast some speck of a duck out of the stratosphere Sunday morning in pure desperation.
For whatever reason, there just weren’t as many birds off the Nature Coast this year. No telling how the record cold weather of a few weeks back influenced them. The full moon last weekend pulled a lot of water in on the morning high tides. And it’s rained buckets this winter. My guess is those birds that were present flew to the back bays and creeks protected by the oysters and limestone bars. In years past, there hasn’t been as much water and the ducks are forced to the open bays and accessible side creeks. So, lots of water + fewer birds = limited chances.
Oh well. I prefer to put a lid on this season with some positive thoughts.
1. I have two brand new boxes of shells for next season. With the price of ammo increasing, I’ll save some cash next year.
2. I have a new duck gun, a very stylish Browning BPS in 3 ½ magnum, that promises to be a favorite in the safe, supposing I shake the albatross-like bad luck it has inflicted on me since I acquired it. And not having pulled the trigger, my shoulder doesn’t ache from the mammoth recoil of these loads.
3. I was loaded up with new, good-looking decoys for Christmas that did a great job reeling in cormorants, egrets and sea gulls last weekend.
4. I have a cult of successful duck hunting friends who are more than happy to regale me with tales of their triumphs, and from whom I am able to hunt vicariously through.
5. I did kill the first two ducks I shot at this season, though these incidents occurred almost a month-and-a-half apart.
6. I have almost 9 ½ months before next season starts to forget this season existed.
Hope everyone else had an exciting duck season. Time to look forward to turkey.
The ducks, though. Honestly, I didn’t spend as much time on it as I’d hoped, and offseason's bar stool plans hit the reality wall a few times. If I have to choose between deer and waterfowl, which I do, deer win every time. It’s terribly difficult to do a combo bowhunt in Pasco County with a ringneck adventure to Toho in one day.
But a few of the opportunities I did have went to pot thanks to weather and other circumstances I have no control over. Cole and I hunted Toho in early January a couple times, but it was freezing cold, the lake had been severely pressured, and the ducks stayed rafted up in the open water far from any concealable vegetation. Had a blast, learned a bit, but no shots were fired.
I enjoy – really, thoroughly enjoy – splashing sea ducks, sawbills, mergansers, whatever you want to call them off Homosassa. A couple days before New Years, Nick and I popped a few. Hunted there this last weekend and didn’t pull the trigger on any in-range birds. Did try to blast some speck of a duck out of the stratosphere Sunday morning in pure desperation.
For whatever reason, there just weren’t as many birds off the Nature Coast this year. No telling how the record cold weather of a few weeks back influenced them. The full moon last weekend pulled a lot of water in on the morning high tides. And it’s rained buckets this winter. My guess is those birds that were present flew to the back bays and creeks protected by the oysters and limestone bars. In years past, there hasn’t been as much water and the ducks are forced to the open bays and accessible side creeks. So, lots of water + fewer birds = limited chances.
Oh well. I prefer to put a lid on this season with some positive thoughts.
1. I have two brand new boxes of shells for next season. With the price of ammo increasing, I’ll save some cash next year.
2. I have a new duck gun, a very stylish Browning BPS in 3 ½ magnum, that promises to be a favorite in the safe, supposing I shake the albatross-like bad luck it has inflicted on me since I acquired it. And not having pulled the trigger, my shoulder doesn’t ache from the mammoth recoil of these loads.
3. I was loaded up with new, good-looking decoys for Christmas that did a great job reeling in cormorants, egrets and sea gulls last weekend.
4. I have a cult of successful duck hunting friends who are more than happy to regale me with tales of their triumphs, and from whom I am able to hunt vicariously through.
5. I did kill the first two ducks I shot at this season, though these incidents occurred almost a month-and-a-half apart.
6. I have almost 9 ½ months before next season starts to forget this season existed.
Hope everyone else had an exciting duck season. Time to look forward to turkey.
Scouting Chassahowitzka for Spring Turkey II - First Contact
Part I
My initial three thoughts as I drove around Chassahowitzka WMA Sunday afternoon:
1. Lord, this place is thick – The eastern third of the property, Zone C – the only part you can drive a truck on – is a combination of palmetto flats, scrubs oaks and huge pine stands with choked up cypress bottoms. My eagerness for crawling through this mess in the wee morning hours is decidedly low, and I didn’t see much acreage that would rile up any enthusiasm either. The few open spots had recently been burned; in fact, it looked damn near nuked and very unturkey-ish.
2. There are a ton of people riding around here on a random Sunday – Apparently Chazz is no big secret. I’ve seen fewer vehicles on weekends on the Polk Parkway during Snow Bird Season. Most of the people were bikers with a few Git-R-Dones wheeling muddy Fords amongst the crowd. On the very south end of the South Road was a pile of clothes someone had dumped under a scrub oak. Classy.
3. Where are the animals? – Part of this answer can be described by my preceding observation. Chassahowitzka allows quite a few hunters in during general gun season. Some folks run dogs for deer, and the previous two weekends hosted hog dog seasons. At this point I’m sure most of the fuzzy creatures had developed post-traumatic stress disorder and the sound of a vehicle causes them a nervous tic as they go hole up in those impenetrable bottoms. Still, I saw very, very few fresh tracks – none of them were turkey.
Having said these things, there is still an incredible amount of ignorance on my behalf. I only covered that third of the property that allows motorized vehicles. The western third (Zone A) is accessible only by boat or long hike. The middle third (Zone B) – the area with the majority of the game, I’d think – I need to reach by one of the numerous fire breaks, but that’s for another day.
I did notice some nice spots in Zone C. At the very least they are aesthetically pleasing. The area around Fool’s Stand Road has potential. If this were private land I’d set up where 3 Bridge Road and Rattlesnake Camp Road intersect - beautiful roost pines down in the swamps and it’s fairly open. Again if it were private, I’d set my decoys right in the middle of the road and probably do alright.
I figure ten people drew a tag for this weekend. Seven to eight will actually show. More than half have probably taken my lazy strategy of scouting, if that. So in these two spots I can probably count on at least one other hunter being close by.
What really surprised me about this land was its topography. It is downright hilly in a place I assumed would be flat as a board. In theory, you could get to some of the high points and listen for a gobbler in the morning. How you’d make a stealthy approach through all the underbrush without spooking anything is the curly Q, though.
One other thought kept haunting me after getting a sense of the land. There’s a reason only ten tags were issued for this 33,919 acres. Most of Zone C is not ideal turkey habitat. Sure, some would wander through during the day, but it is thicker woods than most turkey enjoy. These are probably Swamp Birds which really means I need to hoof it down into Zone B before my weekend arrives.
This is just a first impression, however. I got only a small feel for the land and at least a backup plan or two for when the hunt comes.
No doubt there are some gobblers around, and it’s my chance to bust one on a quota permit this year. I’m going to take advantage.
If anyone has any suggestions for me or others who may draw here in the future, feel free to comment below!
My initial three thoughts as I drove around Chassahowitzka WMA Sunday afternoon:
1. Lord, this place is thick – The eastern third of the property, Zone C – the only part you can drive a truck on – is a combination of palmetto flats, scrubs oaks and huge pine stands with choked up cypress bottoms. My eagerness for crawling through this mess in the wee morning hours is decidedly low, and I didn’t see much acreage that would rile up any enthusiasm either. The few open spots had recently been burned; in fact, it looked damn near nuked and very unturkey-ish.
2. There are a ton of people riding around here on a random Sunday – Apparently Chazz is no big secret. I’ve seen fewer vehicles on weekends on the Polk Parkway during Snow Bird Season. Most of the people were bikers with a few Git-R-Dones wheeling muddy Fords amongst the crowd. On the very south end of the South Road was a pile of clothes someone had dumped under a scrub oak. Classy.
3. Where are the animals? – Part of this answer can be described by my preceding observation. Chassahowitzka allows quite a few hunters in during general gun season. Some folks run dogs for deer, and the previous two weekends hosted hog dog seasons. At this point I’m sure most of the fuzzy creatures had developed post-traumatic stress disorder and the sound of a vehicle causes them a nervous tic as they go hole up in those impenetrable bottoms. Still, I saw very, very few fresh tracks – none of them were turkey.
Having said these things, there is still an incredible amount of ignorance on my behalf. I only covered that third of the property that allows motorized vehicles. The western third (Zone A) is accessible only by boat or long hike. The middle third (Zone B) – the area with the majority of the game, I’d think – I need to reach by one of the numerous fire breaks, but that’s for another day.
I did notice some nice spots in Zone C. At the very least they are aesthetically pleasing. The area around Fool’s Stand Road has potential. If this were private land I’d set up where 3 Bridge Road and Rattlesnake Camp Road intersect - beautiful roost pines down in the swamps and it’s fairly open. Again if it were private, I’d set my decoys right in the middle of the road and probably do alright.
I figure ten people drew a tag for this weekend. Seven to eight will actually show. More than half have probably taken my lazy strategy of scouting, if that. So in these two spots I can probably count on at least one other hunter being close by.
What really surprised me about this land was its topography. It is downright hilly in a place I assumed would be flat as a board. In theory, you could get to some of the high points and listen for a gobbler in the morning. How you’d make a stealthy approach through all the underbrush without spooking anything is the curly Q, though.
One other thought kept haunting me after getting a sense of the land. There’s a reason only ten tags were issued for this 33,919 acres. Most of Zone C is not ideal turkey habitat. Sure, some would wander through during the day, but it is thicker woods than most turkey enjoy. These are probably Swamp Birds which really means I need to hoof it down into Zone B before my weekend arrives.
This is just a first impression, however. I got only a small feel for the land and at least a backup plan or two for when the hunt comes.
No doubt there are some gobblers around, and it’s my chance to bust one on a quota permit this year. I’m going to take advantage.
If anyone has any suggestions for me or others who may draw here in the future, feel free to comment below!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Quail Breasts w/ Swiss Cheese
Bobwhite breasts were the first wild game meat I attempted to cook. I’d shoot them in the horse pasture at the family home with pellet guns during my formative years of hunting. Of course, this was 15, 16 years ago when we had quail left in Florida.
As I recall, I fired up the big smoker, lit a small, yet raging fire and placed the bacon wrapped birds on the grill and smothered with barbeque sauce. The outcome was a crusty meatball somewhere in the range of well-done and dusty. But, hey, I cooked it myself.
I got better with more attempts, but my supply of quail flamed out when I went to college. For all five years I got my grubby hands on the meat only once. I pan-fried the breasts in Italian bread crumbs, and they were pretty good.
Truth be told, quail is my favorite game meat. Flavorful, easy to cook and accepted around the table, it is the tops in my book. Unfortunately, hunting the buggers gets trampled by other outdoor pursuits. I’ve eaten it numerous times since college cooked by others, but I’ve not been in the kitchen with my own until we returned with our bag from December’s Georgia quail hunt.
Before I get into the details of how I ended up cooking ‘em, know I am a recipe poacher. Nothing I have is original. I search for recipes online or in books, find a general concept and adapt to my tastes.
I knew I wanted to grill my quail for two reasons:
1. Wild game, unless you are making a stew or spaghetti, should be grilled.
2. All the baked or roasted quail recipes required a laundry list of ingredients that resembled something a witch would toss in a cauldron to create a poison or help her gaze into the future. “One tbs. currant jelly, 2tbs. grape seed oil, 1 tail of newt...”
There comes a point of diminishing returns after you pass the four ingredient marker.
I wanted kinda fancy, but not just the wrapped-in-bacon gimmick I use on everything from venison to sea duck, though I like the concept.
So, I discovered on HuntFishCook.com a recipe by Scott Leysath that fit these criteria – Grilled Quail Breast with Cheese and Prosciutto.
Prosciutto is a cured, salty, dry ham that is excellent in dishes like chicken cordon bleu. Using that line of thought, I substituted the gruyere cheese with Swiss, since ham and Swiss go together - and because a brick of gruyere was $13.
Also, instead of the Italian seasoning Mr. Leysath recommends, I substituted some Mrs. Dash and generous shakes of Ms. G’s Cajun Shaker which will, let me tell you, make your eyes sparkle. Add these two fine ladies to some olive oil and set aside for a marinade.
Take your whole quail and cut the breast halves off the bone, then cut the thighs and legs away from the remnants. Toss all of this in the marinade for an hour or two.
After this, take a slice of Prosciutto and place two breast halves on one of the end of the meat and top with a cube of Swiss cheese. Roll them up and place a toothpick or bamboo skewer through the middle. Leave the thighs as is. No point rolling them in anything unless you are trying to murder your guests by way of choking on hidden quail bone.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Place the thighs and legs to one side and the roll-ups to another. The thighs take only 3-4 minutes to cook and serve as a nice appetizer - toss them in some Frank's Hot Wing Sauce if you're feeling wild. The breasts shouldn’t take more than 8-10 minutes, and that may be overdoing it. Once the cheese bubbles out and the ham is browned, you’re done.
The result is a spicy, salty treat that would go great with an ice-cold brew.
If you want to see Scott Leysath cook this online, check out the video here.
And here is the contact information for Ms. G’s Cajun Shaker:
325 Mills Avenue
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana 70517
800-422-2586
As I recall, I fired up the big smoker, lit a small, yet raging fire and placed the bacon wrapped birds on the grill and smothered with barbeque sauce. The outcome was a crusty meatball somewhere in the range of well-done and dusty. But, hey, I cooked it myself.
I got better with more attempts, but my supply of quail flamed out when I went to college. For all five years I got my grubby hands on the meat only once. I pan-fried the breasts in Italian bread crumbs, and they were pretty good.
Truth be told, quail is my favorite game meat. Flavorful, easy to cook and accepted around the table, it is the tops in my book. Unfortunately, hunting the buggers gets trampled by other outdoor pursuits. I’ve eaten it numerous times since college cooked by others, but I’ve not been in the kitchen with my own until we returned with our bag from December’s Georgia quail hunt.
Before I get into the details of how I ended up cooking ‘em, know I am a recipe poacher. Nothing I have is original. I search for recipes online or in books, find a general concept and adapt to my tastes.
I knew I wanted to grill my quail for two reasons:
1. Wild game, unless you are making a stew or spaghetti, should be grilled.
2. All the baked or roasted quail recipes required a laundry list of ingredients that resembled something a witch would toss in a cauldron to create a poison or help her gaze into the future. “One tbs. currant jelly, 2tbs. grape seed oil, 1 tail of newt...”
There comes a point of diminishing returns after you pass the four ingredient marker.
I wanted kinda fancy, but not just the wrapped-in-bacon gimmick I use on everything from venison to sea duck, though I like the concept.
So, I discovered on HuntFishCook.com a recipe by Scott Leysath that fit these criteria – Grilled Quail Breast with Cheese and Prosciutto.
Prosciutto is a cured, salty, dry ham that is excellent in dishes like chicken cordon bleu. Using that line of thought, I substituted the gruyere cheese with Swiss, since ham and Swiss go together - and because a brick of gruyere was $13.
Also, instead of the Italian seasoning Mr. Leysath recommends, I substituted some Mrs. Dash and generous shakes of Ms. G’s Cajun Shaker which will, let me tell you, make your eyes sparkle. Add these two fine ladies to some olive oil and set aside for a marinade.
Take your whole quail and cut the breast halves off the bone, then cut the thighs and legs away from the remnants. Toss all of this in the marinade for an hour or two.
After this, take a slice of Prosciutto and place two breast halves on one of the end of the meat and top with a cube of Swiss cheese. Roll them up and place a toothpick or bamboo skewer through the middle. Leave the thighs as is. No point rolling them in anything unless you are trying to murder your guests by way of choking on hidden quail bone.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Place the thighs and legs to one side and the roll-ups to another. The thighs take only 3-4 minutes to cook and serve as a nice appetizer - toss them in some Frank's Hot Wing Sauce if you're feeling wild. The breasts shouldn’t take more than 8-10 minutes, and that may be overdoing it. Once the cheese bubbles out and the ham is browned, you’re done.
The result is a spicy, salty treat that would go great with an ice-cold brew.
If you want to see Scott Leysath cook this online, check out the video here.
And here is the contact information for Ms. G’s Cajun Shaker:
325 Mills Avenue
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana 70517
800-422-2586
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
YouTube Video of the Week - Tackleberry
Happened across Police Academy last week. Loved that movie since I was a kid. I had not seen it in a long time, but was pleasantly amused how it has held up over the years, though many of its stars have not.
Anyway, this part of the film had me howling with laughter. Evidently this was true for YouTube users as well since it took no time at all to find this clip.
Three things I love about this:
1. How far the targets are away at the range, especially for what are almost certainly .38's.
2. Look at about the 22 second mark. Notice Bubba Smith's pistol. There's a puff of smoke, a one second delay and then the muzzle flip. Great editing!
3. The red flag at Tackleberry's station. Maybe this is protocol at some police academy ranges I am not familiar with, but I like to think the high strung cop cadet just made a show of his presence.
His hand cannon - a gift from his mom - certainly did!!!
Anyway, this part of the film had me howling with laughter. Evidently this was true for YouTube users as well since it took no time at all to find this clip.
Three things I love about this:
1. How far the targets are away at the range, especially for what are almost certainly .38's.
2. Look at about the 22 second mark. Notice Bubba Smith's pistol. There's a puff of smoke, a one second delay and then the muzzle flip. Great editing!
3. The red flag at Tackleberry's station. Maybe this is protocol at some police academy ranges I am not familiar with, but I like to think the high strung cop cadet just made a show of his presence.
His hand cannon - a gift from his mom - certainly did!!!
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