Deer, Moose, Elk, Caribou,
Antelope:
Get
the cleanest kill possible, head or neck is best, heart
would be second choice. Bleed carcass immediately after
the kill, place on a slope with head facing downhill for
best drainage. Keep carcass as cool as possible before,
during, and after dressing and skinning. While in the
process of dressing be careful not to let the contents of
the bladder or intestines come into contact with the
meat. If you remove the musk gland from the hind 1/4
don't let the secretion get on your hands, knife, or
meat. When skinning don't let the hairs from the musk
gland come into contact with the meat. When dressed, wash
the inside cavity out thoroughly with clean water and
wipe dry. When dressed, clean, and dry, store in a well
vented game bag or wrapped well in cheese cloth. When you
skin the animal remove any hair from the carcass before
it dries. Carcass should be hung in a cold locker at
least 10 days to acquire the best taste. If you skin the
carcass after it has aged the meat will be moister and
will not turn dark. When preparing for the freezer, wrap
first in saran wrap, then freezer paper, this will
prevent some of the freezer burn after long storage.
Here is some
helpful suggestions from Stephen Miles of Massachusetts:
I generally carry tie
wraps to either tie off the penis and anus or just the
anus, if a doe, when I score (not too often) and wear
latex gloves when
cutting the scent glands before gutting. The gloves are
removed before
gutting. A word of caution. Here in the Northeast bow
hunting is a very
popular sport and a broken broadhead in the chest cavity
healed over can give
a rather nasty cut when probing for the windpipe. Enjoy
your recipes and hope
you continue them.
Stephen C. Miles
Massachusetts
Buffalo:
My family raised
buffalo at the White Buffalo Livestock Co. in Hayden
Lake,
ID for a number of years, and I wanted to give you some
tips on preparation,
and cooking. As far as preperation, treat it exactly as
you would a cow.
skin, gut, remove head, etc... cooking gets a little
tricky, as buffalo has
litterally NO fat. (as with most game type animals) it
needs to be cooked
very slowly (under 300 degrees) to keep from drying out.
roasting in a crock
pot or something like that works well, as does oven
baking with a lid and
veggies to keep moisture in.. many people will mix beef
and buffalo to
maintain moisture, this of course only works in burgers
and stews... but I'm
rambling.. I just wanted to let you know that for the
most part, you can use
any beef recipe for buffalo, just don't cook too hot or
too quickly. BBQ is a
good bet..
Monica
Bear:
Remove
all possible fat. Never let the bear's hair come in
contact with the meat. Keep carcass as cool as possible,
bear has a large amount of fat and fat becomes rancid
much faster than meat.
Boar:
Remove
the scent gland from the center and toward the rear of
the back, be careful not to rupture it, rinse, clean your
knife, and wash your hands immediately after.
Sheep:
The
sheep should be skinned and hung as quickly as possible.
Cover the carcass with a well vented game bag or wrapped
well in cheese cloth.
Goat:
Bobcat:
Help!
Raccoon:
As
always start with a clean kill to the head. Raccoon are
best when taken in the winter months. Cut the jugular
vein and hang by tail immediately after the kill. Keep
cool until ready to dress. Remove the glands from under
the front legs and fleshy part of the rear legs before
dressing. Remove as much fat as possible from the
carcass. Gut, remove head, tail, and feet, rinse well. In
a non metallic container mix 2 gallons water with 5
tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 cup salt. Completely
submerge possum in brine, refrigerate overnight before
preparing. If you are going to store in the freezer for
any length of time it is best to freeze in a plastic
container filled with water with a tightly sealed lid.
Possum:
As
always start with a clean kill to the head. Possum are
best when taken in the winter months. Cut the jugular
vein and hang by tail immediately after the kill. Keep
cool until ready to dress. Scald in boiling water with
1/2 cup lime until the hair has loosened, "about 30
seconds." With a trowel or large dull knife, scrape
the hair from the carcass. Remove musk glands from under
front legs, gut, remove head, tail, and feet, rinse well.
In a non metallic container mix 2 gallons water with 5
tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 cup salt. Completely
submerge possum in brine, refrigerate overnight. If you
are going to store in the freezer for any length of time
it is best to freeze in a plastic container filled with
water with a tightly sealed lid.
Armadillo:
Help!
Porcupine:
Help!
Squirrel:
Get
a clean head shot or use a light load with size 6-7 shot
to avoid deep penetration. Cut the jugular vein and bleed
immediately after the kill. Keep the squirrel cool until
skinned and dressed, field dress is even better. When
dressing, inspect the liver for signs of tularemia. if
infected the liver will have white of yellow spots on it.
If any signs exist discard the carcass. You can cook
squirrel right after dressing but if you intend on
cooking it later place in the refrigerator in a non
metallic container with a mixture of 1 gallon water, 1/4
cup salt, and 2 tablespoons baking soda. If you are going
to store in the freezer for any length of time it is best
to freeze in a plastic container filled with water with a
tightly sealed lid.
Groundhog:
Get
a clean head shot or use a light load with size 6-7 shot
to avoid deep penetration. Cut the jugular vein and bleed
immediately after the kill. Keep the squirrel cool until
skinned and dressed, field dress is even better. Place in
the refrigerator in a non metallic container with a
mixture of 1 gallon water, 1/4 cup salt, and 2
tablespoons baking soda. If you are going to store in the
freezer for any length of time it is best to freeze in a
plastic container filled with water with a tightly sealed
lid.
Rabbit:
Get
a clean head shot or use a light load with size 6-7 shot
to avoid deep penetration. Only hunt rabbit if the
weather has been cool for a month or so. Cut the jugular
vein and bleed immediately after the kill. Keep the
rabbit cool until skinned and dressed, field dress is
even better. When dressing, inspect the liver for signs
of tularemia "rabbit fever," if infected the
liver will have white of yellow spots on it. If any signs
exist discard the carcass. You can cook rabbit right
after dressing but if you intend on cooking it later
place in the refrigerator in a non metallic container
with a mixture of 1 gallon water, 1/4 cup salt, and 2
tablespoons baking soda.Larger, older rabbits should be
parboiled to tenderize. Place in a large pot of boiling
water with 1 tablespoon salt, cover and boil until
tender, be careful not to overcook. If you are going to
store in the freezer for any length of time it is best to
freeze in a plastic container filled with water with a
tightly sealed lid.
Muskrat:
Remove
musk glands from the lower belly. Soak in 1 gallon water
with 1/8 cup of salt added for 8 hours. If you are going
to store in the freezer for any length of time it is best
to freeze in a plastic container filled with water with a
tightly sealed lid.
Snake:
If
you are going to store in the freezer for any length of
time it is best to freeze in a plastic container filled
with water with a tightly sealed lid.
Alligator:
Help!
Beaver:
Duck, Goose, Turkey, Pheasant:
Shoot
your birds at a distance that will not tear up the meat
but obtain a clean kill. Clean and dress your birds as
soon as possible after the kill. Some people like to take
the easy way out by skinning instead of plucking, the
bird will be much more juicy and flavorful if you leave
the skin on. For easier removal (not recommended by me)
place the bird in scalding water for about 30 seconds,
then remove feathers. Pull the feathers out in the
direction they grow to prevent the skin from tearing. The
smaller pinfeathers can be removed singeing them off with
a torch or holding over the flame of your stove. When
dressing be careful not to break the gall bag attached to
the liver. Save the liver, heart, gizzard, and neck for
broth or an extra treat. Soak birds overnight in a non
metallic container with a mixture of 1 gallon water, 1/4
cup salt, and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Larger, older
birds can be parboiled to tenderize. To parboil place in
a large pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt,
cover and boil until tender, be careful not to overcook.
If you are going to store in the freezer for any length
of time it is best to piece the bird out and freeze in a
plastic container filled with water with a tightly sealed
lid.
Chuckar,Grouse, Quail, Dove,
Partridge, Pigeon
Shoot
your birds at a distance that will not tear up the meat
but obtain a clean kill. Clean and dress your birds as
soon as possible after the kill. Some people like to take
the easy way out by skinning instead of plucking, the
bird will be much more juicy and flavorful if you leave
the skin on. If you are going to store in the freezer for
any length of time it is best to freeze in a plastic
container filled with water with a tightly sealed lid.
Crow:
Shoot
your birds at a distance that will not tear up the meat
but obtain a clean kill. Clean and dress your birds as
soon as possible after the kill. Clean, and cut out the
breast, discard the rest of the bird. Soak breasts
overnight in a non metallic container with a mixture of 1
gallon water, 1/4 cup salt, and 1 teaspoon garlic juice.
If you are going to store in the freezer for any length
of time it is best to freeze in a plastic container
filled with water with a tightly sealed lid.
Frog:
When
gigging frogs, stick them in the head or back to preserve
the meat on the legs. In warmer temperatures keep your
frogs in a ice chest with a chunk of block ice. In cooler
temperatures just throw them in a vented container. You
can dress them in the field or when you get home,
"they will still be alive." Skin and remove the
legs. Soak them covered with milk for about 2 hours in a
non metallic container before cooking.
Crawfish:
1) Western
Style:Keep your crawdads alive until you clean
them by keeping them wet. Pinch off the tail and discard
the rest, "be careful these critters can
pinch." Peel off the shell and legs, slice the top
of the meat and remove the intestine. Place the meat in a
bowl of ice water or in the fridge until your ready to
cook. 2) New
Orleans Style: Take your live bugs, rinse them off
with fresh water to get all of the mud off of them (you
don't want to soak them if you have chlorinated water.)
While you're rinsing them you have to put a huge pot of
water on the fire to boil. In the water you'll use a few
pounds of seafood boil per 10 pounds of crawfish, a lot
of cayenne pepper, some small red potatoes, some ears of
corn, a few cut up onions and you let these boil for
about 5-7 minutes. Then you dump the mudbugs in. Let the
water come to a boil again and leave it on the heat for
about 4-5 minutes then take it off. Let the crawfish
stand in the hot water for another 10-20 minutes (the
longer they soak the spicier they get.) Scoop dem bugs
out onto a big platter (you better be outside cause these
things are messy...) and get at eatin'! Pinch da tails
and suck da heads.
Turtle:
Keep
your turtle alive until you are ready to dress him out.
Pull the head out of the shell with a pair of pliers then
cut off with a sharp knife. Hang the turtle by his tail
or rear legs to bleed for 45 minutes. Prepare a pot of
boiling water large enough to accommodate the turtle, dip
turtle and boil for at least 5 minutes, remove and let
cool. Remove shell and guts, be careful not to rupture
the gall bag. Skin the neck, legs, and tail. Place meat
in 1 gallon water with 2 tablespoons baking soda and 4
tablespoons salt, refrigerate overnight before preparing.
Fish:
For
premium flavor you should keep your fish alive until they
are cleaned. If you fowl hook one and it will not stay
alive, clean it. After fish are cleaned immediately throw
into a cooler and keep refrigerated until ready for
cooking.
