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Upland Final Weekend

I was able to get out for the final weekend of pheasant and quail season. I was invited along by an old friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in a while, nor had I ever hunted with before. He took us to some family land down in south central Kansas. And like what we had seen back in November on opening weekend, the birds were a bit few and far between.

But as the saying goes, it’s better to be out hunting than not. And we still had a great time. I came home with one pheasant and a quail. Two others of the group took 4 quail. Again, not a great hall, but typical for this season (due to the heat and drought of last summer). I hoping we don’t have a repeat of the heat again, or next season could be even worse.

I’ve also found my favorite way to enjoy quail and pheasant, Pheasant (and quail) Teriyaki. I got the idea from another hunting buddy who did something similar with Goose. Here’s the basic recipe, I don’t measure much, but it’s pretty simple.

I cut up the quail and pheasant in bite size pieces and marinated in teriyaki sauce for a couple of hours. Chop up some onion and garlic. I probably used a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Saute the onion in oil to soften, don’t brown it. Once the onion is soften up a bit, toss in the garlic and game with all the teriyaki sauce. Saute for a few minutes until the meat is almost done. I had about 1/2 cup of chicken broth left over from the rice, so I tossed that in with a few more dashes of teriyaki. Simmer until meat is fully cooked and liquid is reduced some. Server over rice or noodles.

Yumm!

I’m grateful for good friends and good food. Thanks Alan for taking us out for one last chance to get some game.

Keep your powder dry.

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My Venison Chili Recipe

Is there anything better than chili in the fall? I think not. Add in some deer meat, and it’s one of my all-time favorite meals. So if you’re needing to clear out some of last season’s venison from your freezer before the new batch comes in, here’s my venison chili recipe. It’s pretty good, if I may say so myself.

2 lbs ground venison (I actually use the venison breakfast sausage my processor makes)
1 lb hamburger (optional)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chopped, diced, stewed tomatoes (whatever you have)
1 large onion
1 large bell pepper
3-4 jalepenos
4-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp chili powder (or more to your taste)
2 tsp cummin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to your taste)
salt and pepper
1 cup water
1-2 cans black beans, rinsed (optional, black, red, pinto, etc.)

Saute the onions, bell pepper, jalepenos and garlic until tender. Be sure to salt and pepper the vegetables. Then add the ground venison and/or hamburger and brown.

Now add the tomato sauce, can of tomatoes and water. Let that simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. I usually leave the lid on for the first half and then off for the second half to reduce and thicken a bit. Now add the spices. Taste now and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Also adjust the other spices if needed as well, if you want more heat.

At this point, you could add a can or two of beans if you are so inclined. I know, here in Kansas, most people like beans in their chili. Go further south, into Texas, and you’d be committing heresy if you add beans in. Do you what you like. Adding 1 can of black beans goes very well in this recipe. If you decide to add beans, cook until beans are done.

Serve with cornbread, corn chips, cheddar cheese or other toppings you like. I’m pretty simple, just some shredded cheese for me. This recipe will make a full crockpot or average stock pot full. Sometimes, I’ll make it the night before on the stove and then rewarm in a crockpot the next day for lunch.

So that’s it. It won’t blow your head off with the heat, but it has a nice burn to it. What is your recipe for chili?

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Hunting Info From Around The Web

Here’s several stories and articles from around the web I thought were interesting.

I think these guys do a great service, Outdoor Mentors

Why I hunt. It’s a little sappy at times, but interesting. Other good ones are here http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2002/06/why-i-hunt and here http://www.biggamehunt.net/sections/Off_Season/Why-I-Hunt-01190907.html

I’ve always wanted to learn how to tan hides, it doesn’t look too hard, just very time consuming.

The Kansas Upland hunting season outlook is shaping up to be a pretty good season and here is another regional report.

Deer population efforts and how hunting and hunters help: http://www.groundreport.com/Business/How-Deer-Hunting-Preserves-The-Deer-Herds/2908324 and http://bullsandbeavers.com/2009/07/03/for-the-ages/

An awesome sounding turkey and wild rice soup recipe.

This guy has some great black powder and muzzleloading information.

And then some that’s obviously a concern of mine, gun control: The Downside of Gun Control and The Media Bias Against Guns

And this both amuses and horrifies me, The Deer Hunter.

That’s all for now, keep your powder dry.