MDF and WildEats have teamed up to help generate the much-needed funds to continue our on going efforts for wild life habitat and SAVE YOU MONEY!
WildEats Enterprises and Chef John McGannon is extending a 10% discount to all MDF Members on any purchases of their fine line of Dry Rubs and Seasonings AND will donate an additional 5% back to MDF for every MDF member purchase.
Simply log on to the WildEats website – www.wildeats.com and input the special MDF discount code on the shopping cart and automatically receive your 10% discount. WildEats will then send a check for all MDF member purchases back to MDF on all orders received from its members.
Go to www.Muledeer.org for additional information.
The revival of the Guardsmen Trap & Skeet tournament on Saturday, February 21st was a huge success! The turnout was higher than anticipated, with approximately 50 shooters of various skill levels taking to the fields for a fun filled day of trap, skeet, and delicious wild game. The Guardsmen also registered another 30 people for the BBQ, which, coupled with the volunteers involved, brought the overall participation level to well over 100 persons! Multiple PRGC members could not recall a time when they had seen the parking lot as packed as it was on Saturday!
As shooters arrived, they were formed into squads of mixed skill levels. Participants consisted of PRGC members, Guardsmen, and guests who registered as a “novice”, “hunter”, or “shooter” based on their experience. These squads, led by a PRGC “squad captain”, hit the fields for one round of trap, and two rounds of skeet, with PRGC “Field Captains” pulling targets and offering tips on shooting as well as enforcing safety rules.
Once all participants had shot their 75 rounds, they were able to retire to the clubhouse for a gourmet buffet of Guardsmen harvested wild game, influenced by WildEats Enterprises. The menu included dove breast skewers, grilled duck breast, brined and grilled chukar and pheasant, duck sausage stuffed peppers, Tule Elk chili, wild rice, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and homemade brownies.
During the luncheon, awards and prizes were presented to the top shooters in each category, with trophies going to the shooters with the highest scores. Names of the top five shooters in each class were placed into a hat and drawn randomly for prizes donated by Bird’s Landing, WildEats Enterprises, Cabela’s, and Ducks Unlimited.
The top shooters for the tournament were:
Shooter Class: Herb Gaewhiler: 70/75
Hunter Class: Pete Griffith: 63/75
Novice Class: Patrick Rosanelli: 63/75
At the end of the day, the tournament grossed approximately $5,000, of which its net proceeds will go to sending at-risk youth in the Bay Area to summer camp and awarding academic scholarships. The Guardsmen are looking forward to making this event even bigger and better next year, and hope that those who were unable to attend the tournament this year will clear out their schedules in advance next year to enjoy such a fun event supporting such a great cause.
The Guardsmen would especially like to thank Esposto’s Catering for donating the use of their kitchen and supplies, Chef John McGannon of WildEats Enterprises for providing his products and expertise for the BBQ and prizes, Bird’s Landing, Cabela’s, Ducks Unlimited, and of course Ed Figone, Jeanine Mahl, and the dozen-plus PRGC volunteers that made this event possible—it really could not have been done without their help.
Editor’s Note: Patrick Gilligan is a member of PRGC as well as Guardsmen. I believe he was assisted in this endeavor by Justin Hildebrandt, who is also a member of the PRGC as well as a Guardsmen.
I would also like to thank the Pacific Rod & Gun Club members who stepped up and volunteered
to help with this worthwhile event. It is really good to have so many of our members willing to give of themselves.
Patrick forwarded several of the very positive emails he got after the shoot. Hopefully, this will be an annual event.
Ready Made Excuses for “Why I Missed That Bird” courtesy of Mark Ferraro and the Wayside Skeet Club
The ultimate purpose being to save time on the shooting stations…when appropriate, please give the following excuses:
1. My trigger feels funny.
2. My barrel is bent.
3. My stock is loose.
4. The butt of my stock slipped just as I was about to fire.
5. It’s a new gun and I’m not used to it yet.
6. It’s an old gun and I haven’t shot it in a long time.
7. It’s a borrowed gun.
8. The wind made the bird wobble.
9a. I thought I saw a piece off the front.
9b. I thought I saw a piece off the back.
10. I didn’t say, “pull.”
11a. That was a fast pull.
11b. That was a slow pull.
12. I had something in my eye.
13. The guy next to me flinched.
14. I never could hit that bird.
15. I closed the wrong eye.
16. I had the wrong foot position.
17. I missed on purpose to show you that I could miss.
18. If I had hit it, I would have killed a bird flying by.
19. There was some fuzz on my bead.
20. A fly landed on my barrel and I thought it was my front sight.
21. I missed due to an oval pattern.
22. Nobody yelled, “pump.”
23. It was one of ____’s reloads and _____’s hulls.
24. I hate shooting after _____ pm.
25. I have sunburn on my shoulder.
26. My shorts are too tight and I can’t breathe right.
27. I caught my foot on a crack in the walkway.
28. I have slippery shoes on today.
29. Look how dirty my barrel is.
30. The moon distracted me.
31. ______exposed himself…and I got to laughing.
32a. The guy ahead of me shoots too slow.
32b. The guy ahead of me shoots too fast.
33. My glasses fogged up.
34. Someone forgot to put a primer in my shell.
35. I missed on purpose because I didn’t want my brother to feel bad.
The National Conventions for Mule Deer Foundation, FNAWS (now called Wild Sheep Foundation) & Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife gathered at Utah’s Salt Palace this past week. If you’re a trophy addict like most of us this WAS the place to be. Displays from Mossback, Trophy Hunter, and Muley Crazy were everywhere. You would be hard pressed to see a collection of bigger more impressive animals anywhere.
The atmosphere in the exhibit halls was of excitement, passion and hope for the future for wild life and wild life habitat. There was a great collection of industry leading experts giving seminars that covered everything from International hunting, to turkey and elk calling techniques to wild game cooking seminars (by yours truly). The evenings were filled with energetic banquets that featured live auctions for some of the most coveted big game tags in the country. If you ever wanted to fulfill your dreams of hunting in the most impressive areas for the most impressive animals this was the place for you to be (or at least have a representative on the phone with your phone bid). Governor’s tags from Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and a collection of over 200 prized tags from Utah at $5 per tag that are drawn in lottery fashion. (You had to be present to enter.) This is a great way for Utah to raise the much-needed funds to manage their wild life resources. One doesn’t need to look much further than the flow of record-breaking animals taken in recent years in Utah to see that they are doing a great job with these funds.
Keynote speakers for the evening events were Baseball hall of famer Wade Boggs (host of Hitting the Outdoors), Wayne La Pierre of NRA fame and the mesmerizing pros of Shane Mahoney all informed and motivated the attendees with hard core visions of the future of for wildlife management and the challenges that we all face to the future.
We’ve made great progress in the past several decades managing our wild life resources and with today’s economic challenges it would be easy to turn a blind eye to that effort. I encourage everyone to continue to support your favorite Wild Life Organization….our kids will be grateful.
GOOD LUCK WITH THE DRAWS—b2f14ba05729735ea00c9788006c3886—>
Hunters and fishermen came out to their yearly pilgrimage to attend the International Sportsmen’s Expo in San Mateo and Sacramento California. Despite the lagging economy the halls were filled, especially in Sacramento, which has taken over as the ISE crown jewel. After 12 years of feeding just about everyone of the attendees (over the years) with our famous Controlled Burn Chili many of the faithful came by to say hello and share stories of the year past..
We’re off next week to Salt Lake City for the big Western Hunting & Conservation Expo, which is the Mule Deer Foundation, Sportsmen for Wildlife and The Wild Sheep Foundation’s (formerly FNAWS) National Convention. I will be doing wild game seminars – Wild Game Made Easy, which will cover proper handling methods as well as the pitfalls that may present themselves to hunters in the field as well as cooks in the kitchen.
I will be participating as a committee member in our local Central Coast Chapter of MDF this Saturday (1/31/09) down in San Jose California. We are hoping for another great turnout that generates large amounts of money for wildlife.
In today’s economically challenged environment the programs that we take for granted, (like our wildlife resources) usually take the hardest hit. This presents a very difficult time when people are struggling to keep jobs and supply their families with the day to day necessities. We, as conservationist have worked very hard to maintain the wildlife we all love and it would be a disaster to allow all those efforts go to waste by eliminating the vital programs that are required to sustain ongoing survival of our wildlife. I urge everyone to help support these organizations. Currently, the US Government has a lot to deal with and spending funds on the critters that we love is not high on the survival list. Its up to US to keep this alive for the generations that follow.
PLEASE HELP TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONS LISTED IN MY RECOMMENDED LINKS- with whatever you can.
Additionally, with the advent of our new administration we need to be aware of the issues that concern us all. Make sure you communicate with your legislators that they are representing YOUR interests….Not theirs!
We are also happy to announce that we will be assisting the Guardsmen with their first annual Trap and Sporting Clays tournament to benefit under privileged youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.
For those in the BAY AREA here’s an opportunity to compete at the beautiful Lake Merced – Pacific Rod and Gun Club, eat a great WildEats influenced BBQ AND help the kids of the area.
As the cold months of winter go by an International approach to our traditional comfort food might be a good change of pace.
Throughout history people have traveled around the world in search of spices. They were once so important to everyday life that countries invested in fleets of boats to send adventurers around a world that they thought was flat in search of spices. I would say that equals importance!
Spices played a significant role in maximizing the usability of what little meat people had. It was a tool that allowed people to consume tainted or semi spoiled foods during pre-refrigeration days one had limited supplies of meat and when they did have it , it was vital that they got the most out of it. During cooler months it wasn’t so critical but when the warmer months came about spoilage presented a big problem. Spicing up a cut of meat that was a little off was key to keeping people’s food supply in working order. Spices also help in digestion and supply a significant amount of nutrition.
Most spices derive from the equatorial regions of the globe. In hotter climates the heat of the spicier ingredients are helpful as a coolant (persperation is the bodies cooling system) as well as an appetite stimulant. The farther you go from these hot regions the blander and fattier the food becomes. The calories from fatty foods helps to keep the body warm in colder climates. If you look at the global picture its easy to see how climate and the spices that are available in a location play a big part of the local cuisine.
Spices v Herbs
Spices derive from – dried berries, minerals, seeds, bark, plant stamen, pollen and roots
Herbs – are generally leaves from plants, shrubs and trees
TIPS TO MAXIMIZE SPICES
1.Whenever possible buy spices in whole form and grind them as needed (the oils and esters in spices will hold up much better when not exposed to air)
2.Lightly toast the whole spice in a pan to develop its true natural flavor (doing this gives the spice a burst of flavor and allows you to use less, saving you money!)
3.Store spices in a sealed container away from sunlight
4.Only purchase spices that you will consume in a six month period, the fresher the better
Basically every nationality has a version of a comfort food that utilizes the less than desirable cuts of an animal. “There’s only two back straps!
The following recipe is India’s version of our Tex-Mex Chili.
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY NEW INGREDIENTS….KEEP IN MIND YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE, IT’S TAKING IT OUT THAT PRESENTS A REAL PROPBLEM
CURRIED Coconut VENISON
5 lbs chili ground venison – bottom round, eye round, neck meat or shoulders
(grind using a ¼ inch grinding bit) senue removed – diced or cubed meat will work just as well
1-2 cups cooking oil
4 stalks celery, diced
2 lg onons, small dice
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp crushed red chiles
2 finely chopped jalapeno or serrano chilies
6 tbsp Madras or Bombay Curry Powder
1 tbsp each – whole cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds – (toasted and ground fine)
½ bottle red wine
1 qt beef broth or stock
3 16 oz cans unsweetened coconut milk (found in Asian markets)
Season the ground meat with salt and pepper and brown in a heavy gauge pot in small batches and place into a large pot. Continue until all the meat is browned. In the same pan add the vegetables, chilies and spices, lightly saute and deglaze with the wine. Add all of this to the large pot with the coconut milk and broth. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Occassionally remove the oil and scum that forms on top of the sauce. Adjust the seasonings and dig in. The heat of the chilies will be balanced by the sweetness of the meat and coconut.
Last note on spices – Most people have had a negative experience when dealing with dishes that contain spices. The number one issue is the “over use” of assertive spices. We don’t live in pre-refigeration times, we don’t need to blow the doors off our meat. The object in all cooking is to create balance, so all the ingredients can be identified, including the fantastic flavor of wild game meat that has been properly handled. The rule to live by is – “you can always add more”…taking it out presents a whole new problem. Everyone has a different palette so go easy at first when dealing with new ingredients, don’t be afraid to try new flavors.
Just think of yourself as one of those adventurers who faced going over the edge of the flat world for the sake of flavor—bd7239e516be1aa459779ce817a147b3—>
After spending nearly a month afield it seems like the stories from the wild has been either gold rush or bust. As usual weather has played a big roll and an apparent under-estimate of last year bone chilling winter kill plagued many of the states out here in the west.
It appeared that there was extremes in weather conditions. I was in South Dakota in early October chasing antelope and pheasants and we went from unseasonally warm, to extreme rain. The same front that dropped 2 ½ inches of very cold rain on South Dakota dropped two feet of snow on Montana and the northern parts of Wyoming. When you go from very warm and dry to freezing, wet and blowing it usually means the animals will react in a semi-panic mode. They’re up high in the hills and then here comes this storm that could very well trap them in the high country. More than likely you’ll see an early migration, at least from the smaller animals (deer & antelope).
Back in 1992 I got caught in what folks refer to as “the perfect storm.” I was in northern Colorado when three fronts converged together and stalled over that area for nearly nine days. It went from warm and dry to seven foot snow drifts. We had to abandon our camp at 10,500 feet and luckily we had horses that transported us out of harms way. Well, that same storm was responsible for wiping out nearly 90 % of the mule deer in that area because they got caught in the high basins and couldn’t get out to their winter range. Luckily for us we found a guy who was just as crazy as we were and he had a D8 Caterpillar who we hired to plow a twelve mile road to retrive our gear ( trucks, tents, trailers etc.) I’m sure the Routt National Forest had some new unautorized roads in the spring.
After a very successful antelope (3 for three) and pheasant hunt in South Dakota my hunting partner, Bill Keenan and I traveled to Western Wyoming right after the same front that dropped 2 ½ inches of rain on SD. We both had three antelope tags there and the conditions could not have been better. We arrived at our cabin to 16 – 18 inches of fresh snow and temperatures in the teens. The antelope were coming out of the hills like fleas. And, as I said earlier they were heading right to their winter grounds where they knew they would have groceries or at least be able to get to them through the crusty snow. The next three days were about as much fun as you could have hunting.
John with a Trio of Speed Goats
Unlike most other wild game animals you don’t have to get up at an ungodly predawn hour to persue antelope as they are pretty much out all day or at least visible. So getting up and having coffee and a hot breakfast was a very good change from the normal hunting experience. We literally saw over 1000 antelope. It was so much fun shopping for “the buck”. The doe tags we had were filled and we had a rule that they had to be singles (no does with fawns) and they had to be with fifty yards of where we could get the truck…..hey antelope hunting affords you those priviledges.
Sunset with a 15 1/2 inch Wyoming Buck
Our journey home had us hauling back 9 antelopes and a handfull of wild North Dakota Pheasants, in addition to a few tender cottontails. The freezers are full at my house! Stay tuned for a bunch of new antelope recipes in the weeks to come.
Bill Keenan, John and a full meat pole in Wyoming
Four days after my return from South Dakota and Wyoming I headed to northern California for our annual deer hunt during the late season. Last year was going to be impossible to match. Although the weather started to cooperate in early Septmeber it never materialized. When we arrived at our camp the temperature was in the mid-ninties! Not your ideal deer hunting weather and considering a week prior I was in the teens it was a bit disappointing. The openner came and each and every day a deer was taken and it seemed like our unit was the only one even seeing deer. Through focused hunting and not getting down because of the weather Tony Naples from Danville, CA was able to score on a monster 27 1/2 inch wide, heavy antlered three x three buy. To say he was happy would be an understatement. I don’t think he slept for the next two days. He had the right, what a great California Buck!
Tony’s great blacktail buck
We managed to go 9 out of 14 on deer. I took a nice big bodied 4×4, with eye guards …..at 11.35 am, when it was 85° F ….go figure?
John’s big body blacktail
It was quite an adventure and in thinking back on these three trips it was probably the most field cleaning I have ever done. In South Dakota we were six hunters and had taken 18 antelope. I probably cleaned, gutted and skinned at least 10 of those. In Wyoming I had my hand in all six and in northern California I cleaned at last 3-4 deer.
I would like to acknowledge a product that I had with me on all these trips. It was my Outdoor Edge Kodi- Pak. It performed flawlessly and with the help of a steel it kept its edge through all of those cleaning sessions. Over the years I’ve collected a lot of knives and have put them all to work. This line of cutlery from Outdoor Edge performed as good as any I’ve ever used including some that were more than twice the price. They’re durable, hold an edge, lightweight and come in a very sturdy leather sheath. I can say without reservation that this product is the real deal!
As we return from our annual pilgrimage to “God’s Country” in search of his finest protein. Hopefully you have passed on a tradition that goes back to our earliest ancestors – the sharing of the days harvest. There’s something very deep that accompanies freshly gathered meat from a successful hunt.
We are all very tempted to pull out those prized tenderloins right after a kill BUT as we have covered in several of the past Carnivore’s Kitchen even those tender cuts will benefit greatly from a period of dry aging. HOWEVER, all is not lost. The heart, liver and even the skirt steaks, which are the diaphragm muscles that hold up the internal organs, are suited for consumption right after a kill. I believe drying out the heart just like any of the other muscle groups benefits from dry aging, even if its for several hours.
Whole Untrimmed Elk Heart
elk heart with the top cut off, exposing the various chambers
splitting the heart makes it easy to clean the blood and internal fibers
a cleaned split heart, ready for slicing
prepared elk heart ready for fajitas
Consuming the heart of an animal is probably the most ritualistic of this celebratory exercise. The heart is a muscle and not an organ like the liver and should be treated much like the tenderloins. Cooked very quickly and underdone. Although the Plains Indians would argue that raw is the traditional “post hunt” dinning method. The secret in dealing with the heart is to properly clean and prepare it. The heart contains several compartments and outer membranes that need to be trimmed and dissected to reveal the delicate tender muscles. On a properly dispatched animal there will also be coagulated blood that can look somewhat unappealing. Running some clean cold water into the internal compartments will remove that.
To prepare the heart for cooking you will need to break in down into sections. Run a sharp knife down the side top to bottom and open it up, much like opening up a bell pepper. And just like a bell pepper you have to trim off the seeds and pith you have to do the same to the heart. There are a bunch of veins and possibly fat that needs to be trimmed off. I like to cut the outer shell into a couple of sections. This makes it easier to trim off the outer membrane as well as help get consistent cooking results.
The heart actually has a great flavor and doesn’t need a lot of seasoning. As I said, these are muscles and are great cooked very quickly so something like a fajitas works very well.
You won’t believe just how good this Muscle” can be unless you try it
“Bloody Hands” Heart Fajitas
1 elk heart, cleaned, trimmed and cut into strips
1 small onion, cut into thin strips
1-2 jalapeno peppers-optional (seeds removed and cut into very thin strips)
a couple of shakes of granulated garlic or ½ tsp fresh garlic (if you have it)
¼ tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
(in a perfect world) – cilantro and lime wedges
corn tortillas my favorite but flour will also do
your favorite salsa
oil for sautéing
Clean the heart as described above and season with garlic, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and place the heart meat into the hot oil, spread it out and let it sear there for a minute*. Then add the sliced onions and jalapenos and stir for a couple of minutes. Remove from the fire and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the tortillas and fill with a little heart and onions. Splash on some salsa, sprinkle with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Crack open the cold beers and raise a taco to the elk gods for another successful hunt!
TIP OF THE MONTH
When you add cold meat to a hot pan the temperature of that pan is reduced significantly. If you don’t allow the temperature to recover, or use a heavy gauged pan, you lose all your searing capabilities. Cooking in a cold pan causes the meat to purge its internal fluids. You’re now cooking that meat in its own juices and are no longer sautéing. The end results are a dry and tough because it is boiled not caramelized.
The type of pan also plays a big role in the searing capabilities. The old-fashioned black iron skillets are the best for searing because they are so dense. That dense metal holds the heat much better than the sexy lightweight aluminum pans that everyone likes to cook with today.
This year the California Deer Association (CDA) has increased to 25 the number of free junior deer hunts it will give away in an October drawing, making this the largest privately sponsored junior deer hunting opportunity in the state. Plus, these are no ordinary deer hunts. The lucky juniors who are drawn will have one-on-one guided antlerless deer hunts on the famous 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch in Southern California. First-class lodging on the ranch is included and each junior hunter will receive Federal Premium ammunition loaded with non-lead Barnes copper bullets from Federal Cartridge Company, a pair of high-quality binoculars from Alpen Optics, plus hunting and shooting equipment from Hunter’s Specialties and Birchwood Casey.
This is the fifth year in which CDA and the Tejon Ranch have held these “Sharing the Tradition” hunts. To date, 65 junior hunters have participated in these hunts and 64 have taken home a deer to share with their family. For over 90% of these juniors, this was their first deer.
In addition, while hunting deer these juniors and their accompanying adult will have an opportunity to see elk, wild hogs, bears, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, quail, squirrels, hawks and condors as well as learn about the largest private ranch in California.
The deadline to apply for this year’s drawing is October 15, 2008. Hunts will take place during the second half of December. Entry forms can be found on the CDA website at www.caldeer.org or requested by e-mailing the hunt coordinator, Jerry Springer at Jerry@WesternHunter.com.<—43ad31a763949484186d8d2d15f3ca4a—>
Jim & Dorothy Peters present recognition award to Gayla Bergstrom from the Bay Area SCI Chapter at the First Annual Bob Bergstrom Memorial
August 23, 2008 marked the First Annual Bob Bergstrom Memorial Sporting Clays and BBQ hosted by the Bay Area Chapter of SCI down in Morgan Hill, CA at Coyote Valley Sporting Clays. Many of you recall the blog entry I posted back in February regarding the passing of our dear friend Bob Bergstrom. The San Francisco Chapter of Safari Club International dedicated this outing that Bob spearheaded. Jim and Dorothy Peters headed the group and organized a great BBQ, which included some of Bob’s favorite elk burgers, which was expertly handled by Bob’s wife Gayla, (Bob would be proud).
Bob and a young Eric Bergstrom at an early shooting lesson
In all about fifty friends, family and supporters were there to help celebrate Bob’s passion for sharing his love of the outdoors and his involvement with young people. I was proud to have my two young boys there to honor our very missed friend.
We had the pleasure of hanging out with Buck Buchanan, who is a Certified Hunter Education Instructor with my two boys, Ryan and Taylor and my wife Judy. Buck was kind enough to give the boys a full morning of shot gunning instructions and by the end of the day were actually shooting better than the old man. Thanks Buck, now I have to hear that every time we go afield with my two new outdoor enthusiasts.
Taylor, John and Ryan McGannon having a great time at Bob’s Memorial Event at Coyote Valley
Buck is the Tri-Valley Hunter Safety Shooting instructor and arranges classes for anyone, young or old, who is interested in getting their hunter safety certification. He can be reached at 925-998-5086.
If you are interested in obtaining additional information or you know someone who is looking for a hunter safety course Buck is your man. Give him a call he has a great way with the young guns.
Master Instructor Buchanan has also been gracious enough to step into Bob Bergstrom’s position as the driving force to the Safari Club International’s Cub Program, which exposes our youth to all the great experiences that await them in the great outdoors.
It’s been a very busy summer for WildEats Enterprises. Things started at the Bohemian Grove for the annual Spring Jinks back in June. We did several events during June, including a wedding for 250 at the Federal Reserve building in San Francisco, a wild game feast for fifty at Sparky’s Hot Rod Club (see the menu below) these guys had a GOOD TIME and a corporate event for 150 and then back to The Grove for three weeks to complete the 2008 Encampment.
In the middle of that, I managed to get down to San Carlos, California to provide the culinary portion for my good buddies – Joe and Paula Bullock’s Annual Fund Raiser/Hot Rod Show for 1250 people.
This year’s event benefited the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
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