There are many ways to cook wild game, however, one thing that stands clear is that field prep is the most important part of eating wild food. Yes, now the work begins, you owe it to the animal to do this right!

1. Field dressing: Get the guts out ASAP.  Do this right, take your time.  Most of the time if your shot is not perfect, you will have done damage to the gut, bowel or urine sack. Don’t freak out.  Clean it out right then.  The best way to do this is with water bottles, however, you do not want to add bacteria from contaminated water like a hose, dirty river or pond. Once you clean out your animal, don’t rewash it.  Let nature take its course. Be sure to use two knifes, one knife for dirty work like throat, esophagus, musk glands, bowel and rectum. Leave skin on until you get to camp.

2. Birds: get the guts and feathers off  ASAP.  Keep in ice ASAP…….              

3. I don’t care what anyone says skin your game ASAP.

4. Use paper towels to remove hair from meat.  Nothing taints meat as fast as hair.  Do your best to get all of it…. Your meat processors will judge your field care and sometimes make a judgment call that this hunter did not take care of his meat and the meat processor may not take as much care either as when they see a hunter that knows what is right field care….     

5. Put in game bags and start cooling it down.  For early season bow hunters, this is a challenge so get to cold storage immediately….. however, you can keep meet in camp as long as you make an ice run 10-20 bags and a tarp. Now the battle begins with the flies.  It only takes them less than 5 minutes to lay eggs (maggots).  You must fold your animal with ice stuffed in the cavity and ice the back of  the animal in tarp tightly and put in shade.  Put thick blankets on the tarp, if possible, to keep the cold in. You must open tarp twice a day to let the game breath and check ice.. Yes, this sucks, but it can give you a few extra days in the field. This is not the only way but it does work….

6. Fish clean and scale all in the same day.  Get them on ice if they are dead. You can keep in cold water but after they die decomposition starts so remove from stinger.

 

 

 

Venison Back strap

First you need Wild game.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Clean your back straps and remove all silver membranes, take your time do this right.

• Rinse your meat.

• Season with salt, pepper, minced onions and garlic salt, both sides (easy on the onions).

• Use thick sliced bacon; lay two or three slices in shallow baking pan depending on size of back straps.

• Place back straps on bacon; lay two or three slices on top.

• Pull bacon from bottom over top of meat and use toothpicks to pin down bacon on both ends and across center to keep bacon from curling up.

• Pre heat oven on broiler as hot as possible. Use top rack nearest to broiler flame or element.

• It only takes 5 minutes, then flip back straps over and cook another 5- 10  min DON’T overcook,  bacon should look done on top side.  Watch carefully and remember it already dead so don’t over cook…

 

 

 

 

Dove Stuffed Jalapeno

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. First you will need 15 birds, breasted

2. 10 large fresh jalapenos

3. 1 stick of butter

4. Cheese 1/3 pound sharp cheddar

5. Thick sliced bacon, 12 strips

• Carve breast off the bone

• Chop up breast meat into about 1/4 x 1/4 pieces

• In frying pan melt the butter on high heat but don’t burn butter.

• Add dove just slightly brown 3 minutes max and remove from pan. Drop on a cool plate

• Salt and pepper dove.

• Slice jalapenos in half remove seeds and wash

• Slice cheese 3/8 thick and as long as jalapenos

• Take jalapeno halves and stuff with dove meat

• Add cup of cheese on top of meat stuffed jalapeno

• Put other half of jalapeno on top and wrap bacon around the whole stuffed jalapeno. Place seams of bacon on bottom and lay on a shallow baking sheet at least inch apart

• Set oven to high broil, place on top rack next to broiler.  Watch carefully depending on oven should take no longer than 10 minutes.  When bacon is slightly browned, pull from stove and transfer to serving plate.