Life of a Hunter

Well I know this has absolutely nothing to do with hunting, but what the heck. It is my blog and I will write about what ever I want to. This pass weekend we threw our famous almost (I will explain this) annual Mud Bug Boil!
Now to me this is one of the most favorite parties of the year. We usually have it at the end of summer and try to invite just about everyone that we know. This year was no exception and we had a terrific turn out. Plenty of food was eaten and it was a good chance to catch up with people that we don’t get a chance to see very often. Now living in Colorado, most people would ask “Where do you get the crawfish?” Well for the previous two parties I have gotten them from Kyle Leblanc Crawfish Farms and we have never been disappointed. This year was no exception and the crawfish that met there fate this last weekend were as large and lively as ever! One thing to note when you are going to have a party like this. Keep the crawfish off limits from your kids and the rest of the neighborhood children until the day of the party!
If you don’t, you will probably have only a small portion left for the actual boil. As I mentioned this was our almost annual boil. Last year around the time that we were supposed to have our Annual boil, we welcomed our newest member to our family.
Even though my trooper of a significant other
said that it would be OK to go ahead and throw the party, she stressed that it would completely on my own. Now, I have never been one to back down from a challenge, but from the immortal words of Clint Eastwood “A man’s got to know his limitations!” I decided that I knew mine and that it would have to wait for another year.
For those that are interested in doing a boil such as this, I would suggest that you have several friends that have Turkey cookers that you can borrow. This year we used five of them.
Even though that was enough, we could have probably used a couple more. By the time you figure everything that goes into a pot, the corn, potatoes, shrimp, sausage and the crawfish of course! It makes for a very full pot. All in all a great time was had by all that attended and I am looking forward to next year’s boil as well. Hope to see you there.

Photo by Bill and Anita.

One of the most enjoyable things about hunting to me is
trying to figure out new and exciting recipes to use with game meat. I love to
cook and I am always looking for new recipes. (You can see some of my cooking at My Man’s Man.)  My favorite standbys are elk chili and goulash, as well as bacon wrapped elk or deer loin
braised with maple syrup. However, I am always keeping my eyes open. With most
game meat, you can substitute it into just about any recipe that calls for
beef.  Be careful though! There are definitely some dishes that do not taste
good with venison or elk but for the most part, it will work just fine. The
problem that most people have with game meat is that they over cook it.
Especially when it comes to steaks. I hate to say it, but if you like your steaks
well done, you should probably just stick to regular old beef. Game meat is
best cooked a little bit south of medium with medium-rare or even rare being even more appealing to the pallet.

Go rare!

For those people that think that going hunting is a
cheap way to feed your family, I am sorry to disappoint you.  By the time
you figure in the cost of licenses, gas, lodging, gear, and food for your trip, the price per pound of game meat is quite a bit higher than the price of a good beef steak. But
on the other hand, the first time that you bite into a juicy piece elk steak,
you can’t help but feel proud of what you have achieved.  Plus you have the adventures, memories and stories to tell!