Venison Hot Sticks

Ken Sparks, a fellow forum member on the Texas BBQ forum has a killer recipe for Venison Hot Sticks that I thought some of you might like to make out of this years deer harvest. Here is a link to the best BBQ forum on the web with lots of great recipes and tips on BBQ.

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/index.php?sid=488ac6ba8235f56a9b1cbe1196044cc5

Venison Hot sticks

2 1/2 pounds ground venison

3/4 pound fatty ground pork

2 teaspoons canning salt

1 teaspoon Morton Tender Quick

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

I like the meat mixture around 80/20 So if you want it more moist go to a 70/30.. Also for larger amounts adjust your measurements accordingly.. Mix all ingredients and until tacky.. rest in frig for a couple of hours while you clean up the work area.. You can use a jerky gun to shoot it ..Or insert into casings.. Put in frig overnight the longer it sets the better the flavors get.. No more than 24 hours. Put on your smoker or in the oven for 4 to 6 hours.. Or 160* internal temp.. Cool on a rack and refrigerate... You can vacuum seal and freeze them in small batches..So when you’re hungry for a few sticks..Pop some out and thaw...

Enjoy Ken Sparks and Wild Ed

Texas Raptor Deaths

As I drive the roads of Texas I am appalled at the number of dead raptors I see along the roads. In one season of driving to take a hawk for falconry I found three birds that had been shot but were still surviving. I saw a few that had been hit by cars and killed on the highway. I saw over a dozen that had been electrocuted by sitting on electric poles along the highway. This is one of the real killers of hawks, falcons and other large birds in Texas. I am sure I saw just a fraction of the real numbers killed. Just think about where you often see raptors, they are perched on poles along our roads and highways of this great State.
The other thing that makes my blood boil is to see hawks that have been shot. They are not being shot by hunters but by criminals. I saw one large ranch in South Texas that had several dead hawks hanging on boundary fences; apparently someone was letting the rancher know they were taking care of business. What many ranchers and farmers do not realize is that these birds eat mostly rats and mice and are their best friends. Many landowners believe they are taking quail and turkey and it is just not so. A few hawks may take a quail once in a great while but it is the exception to the rule. Quail hunting is big business and too many people have looked the other way when people kill hawks.
Until the public, you and me, start making electric companies put up poles that cannot electrocute raptors and until we start turning in those that would shoot such a majestic bird we will lose great numbers of these birds every year. It is time we move out of the dark ages and take care of these birds for future generations. Wild Ed

Oriental Squirrel Dish

Ken, a friend of mine from the Airgun Sport Forum came up with an Oriental Squirrel Dish that fits right in with the game dishes I put on this Blog. I would think this dish could be made with any small game or wild fowl. Ken is not from Texas but can sure come visit if he will cook this for me. If you are interested in Airguns and Airgun Hunting be sure and click on the link in the left hand column and go visit the forum.

A wok and peanut oil are needed to prepare this dish.

Breading (batter):

1/2 cup corn starch
3 eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Honey Sesame Sauce:

2 packs of Sun-Bird Honey Sesame mix (or any other brand)

De-bone 4-6 young squirrels (you need about 3/4 to 1 lb. of cleaned meat). Place meat in a zip-lock bag with enough soy sauce to cover all the meat. Place the meat in the fridge for 24 hrs.

Cooking:

Mix the breading (batter) in a large bowl and add the meat. Put enough peanut oil into the wok to fill 1 1/2" deep and heat to 350-400 degrees. Grab 8-10 pieces of meat from the bottom of the batter bowl (so they're well covered with batter) and drop in wok. Turn meat once when golden brown then remove to a wire rack. Repeat till all the meat is done. Set aside.
Remove oil from wok (I strain it for reuse). Now add the sauce mix and meat to the wok. Stir continuously over medium heat until it thickens. Serve on a bed of rice.


If you are into Airguns and Hunting this is the spot on the web to go and read or talk about the sport. http://www.network54.com/Forum/543831/
I highly recommend this site. Good Eating and Shooting, Wild Ed

Become a Better Shooter

My Uncle and I went up to the family ranch the other day to fill feeders and sight in a few rifles to get ready for deer season. As we spent the afternoon getting ready for deer season we got to talking about people we had hunted with through the years and which were good shots and which were poor. Shooting ability often goes hand in hand with hunting ability and is mostly the attitude and effort you put into your sport. We decided that the proper equipment had the most to do with shooting other than the effort or practice you put into the sport. Remember money can buy proper equipment but it can not buy ability, attitude and effort. We have all seen the guy that shows up with the latest and greatest Super Ultra Mag with high dollar glass and can’t hit the back of the deer camp. I have also seen the old guy that shows up with a simple rifle and modest glass. The stock is worn smooth and the blue is worn in places as he has carried this rifle on many hunts and uses it regularly. Which would you pick to be the better shot? Remember the old saying beware the man with one gun. He probably knows how to use it.

I decided to list a lot of the things I have observed in my many years of guiding and hunting with others. These are the things you learn with time and will make the difference in being a great shot or mediocre in your sport. Some of these tips are for your equipment others are for you to do yourself. I just wish someone had told me these 50 years ago.

Scope, Mounts and Rings: Buy the best you can afford as this is your aiming system. A cheaper scope may work fine unless it is just as the sun is coming up or going down. Thick dark forest or bright afternoons the glass will make a difference. If you are shooting long range on a hot day, a super cold day or in the rain glass quality will show at the worst times. Mounts should be screwed on the gun tightly and the screws should be set with loctite. Many are shocked to learn I have used epoxy to attach my mounts and the screws to the gun. Rings should fit the scope well and use Allen or torque head screws not slot head or Phillips screws. Sight your rifle in properly and shoot it yourself if someone else sights it in for you. Bore sighted is not sighted in; it is only to get on paper. I will not knowingly hunt with someone that has had a rifle bore sighted and has not shot it in themselves. While guiding I have made clients use my rifle or go to the range when they tell me they had their rifle bore sighted

Caliber: Shoot a caliber with enough knock down for the game you are hunting. DO NOT Shoot some magnum you can not control or you are afraid of the recoil. Have some one load the rifle for you at the range behind your back and hand it to you for each shot. If you jerk all over the bench when you pull the trigger on an empty chamber you have a recoil problem. I do not like recoil and shoot a .243 most of the time. If I need a magnum I will shoot it but not all the time. You can also reduce recoil with special pads and muzzle brakes. Recoil is a major cause of misses.
Trigger: You can not be a consistent good shot if you have to pull a heavy trigger or one that is full of creep. If you do not have a good trigger on your rifle take it to a gunsmith and have it adjusted or an after market trigger installed and set at a good safe crisp trigger break. It will do wonders for your accuracy with that rifle. Do not adjust it yourself unless qualified to do so, it is not worth the risk.

Ammo: Buy ammo from the same manufacturer with the same bullet weight and same lot number if possible. I have had a client show up with 4 kinds of ammo and 4 different bullet weights in the gun case telling me it shoots the same with all of them. He said he shot an inch group with the gun the weekend before he showed up to hunt. We went to the range. I loaded 4 cartridges in the gun and handed it to him to shoot. The group was about a 9 inch group. We picked all the 120 grain same brand bullets he had and re-sighted the gun. It shot about a 1.5 inch group. We then went hunting.

Rest: Good hunters use a rest if at all possible. I carry a telescoping bipod as a walking stick and have made many a shot off of it. Use a tree, rock or your knees. There is almost always something you can use to help support your rifle. Shoot off hand only as a last resort. I saw a tripod by Stoney Point the other day that I want to test if I can find someone that has one. If you have used it let me know what you think.

Range Estimation: I have never seen anyone that was good at this. A lot of the places I hunt I know the ranges because I have been there many times. If I am some place new I use a rangefinder. Get one and use it, they work.

Bullet Drop: Here is the question do not cheat. How much will your favorite caliber with your favorite bullet and rifle barrel length drop at 475 yards? Write down your guess then go to your favorite ammo manufacturer’s website and look up the ballistics. Memorise the chart or make a small chart to tape to your rifle stock. It will amaze you to learn that most of those 500 yard shots your hear about could not be made without a tremendous amount of holdover. Most of those long shots were estimated range, another good reason for a laser range finder.

Rifle Mount: Practice mounting your rifle by keeping your head still and bringing the rifle to your face. Do not lower your face to the rifle. Keep both eyes open so that you can go directly to the target in the scope. Remember speed is not fast, smooth is fast.

Aim Small, Miss Small: Mel Gibson made this line famous in the movie Patriot. I have heard it all my life from my Grandfather and father. Later I was reminded of it when learning to shoot a traditional bow, then again in the Shoot where you look program used by the military and NSCA program. This is one of the most important tips in this article so pay attention. Pick a small spot, hair, off color, crease, muscle or an imaginary dot on your game. Once you look at the horns and make a decision to shoot focus only on the spot you want to put the bullet. If you focus on the whole animal you will miss or cripple. If you miss one hair you are focused on and hit a couple of hairs away so what. This technique works. I have seen people shoot aspirin out of the air with BB guns that have the sights removed by using this technique. I can shoot vanilla wafers out of the air all day long with no sights using this method. Focus only on the spot you want that bullet to go and that is where it will go if you have your equipment up to standard and follow the tips in this article. Good Shooting, Wild Ed

Texas Birds of Prey Migration

Kettle of Hawks

Here at home October is a month of change. One can often feel a hint of the cold to come later in the year. The animals also feel the change and many start their winter migrations to warmer zones. Hawks, falcons and other raptors come through Central Texas in large numbers on their trip south. I have seen kettles of Broad wings that numbered in the hundreds and quite a few Kestrels and Red Tailed hawks in the air winging their way down. I have also noticed quite a few Sharp Shinned and Coopers hawks in the crowd this year. Others have reported seeing Marlins and Peregrines also headed to the coast where they will feed up on birds for a few days before heading to South America.
If you enjoy watching birds you will love hawk watching. There are many different kinds and some such as Red Tailed hawks have so many variations of species that I do not believe I will ever learn them or be able to identify them all. All one needs is a guide book and some decent binoculars to watch the parade. I find I need at least eight power glass and would recommend a 40mm objective lens for light gathering. You can watch for hawks wherever you are and see quite a few as they pass through. There are several places where they stack up on the way south and you are able to see large numbers and kinds of raptors. Two of the best places in the world are the Texas Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande Valley to observe raptors and other birds. My favorite is Padre Island National Seashore. On the beaches I have seen Sharp Shinned and Coopers hawks, Peregrines and Merlin falcons, Kestrels, Red Tailed hawks, White-tailed hawks and on one special day an Aplomado falcon.
I have listed a few of the Raptor Guide Books I like in my Amazon favorites. Good Hawk viewing, Wild Ed

Harris Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk

Marsh Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk

Texas Hawking at Balcones Canyonlands Expo

Ed, Joe and New Falconry Friends

The Texas Hawking Association was represented by THA members at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge at the open house during National Wildlife Refuge Week. Dustin McCoy and Ed Thomas did a presentation of Falconry and flew Cash, Dustin’s Red-tailed hawk. Many new friends were educated and converted to falconry supporters during the day. Lots of visitors asked questions and took pictures of their kids with the hawks. The questions from the numerous youngsters were amazing and quite perplexing. Sallie Delahoussaye and Ed Sones did a raptor rehab presentation and brought along a few of their rehab birds. A good time was had by all and a lot of newcomers were introduced to Falconry and raptors.

Sallie and Dustin with Hawks

Good Hawking, Wild Ed

Meet Joe Hawk, My New Hunting Partner

Joe is a wild caught passage Harris Hawk from South Texas, he has hunted one season with a falconer friend of mine and I will be hunting him this year. He is already calming down and sitting on a perch in the living room watching all that goes on in the house. He lets the cat know who is boss by screaming and raising his wings when the cat walks in the room. Hopefully he will soon accept the cat and not try to eat him. I am looking forward to his retraining and hunting him in the near future. Here are some pictures of Joe in a pose and hunting last year. Good hunting, Wild Ed

Texas Style BBQ Brisket

I was smoking a brisket and some pork loin today for my grand daughter’s birthday and thought some of you might like to know how to BBQ a great brisket.First off pick out a brisket that is very flexible and less fatty if possible. In other words you pick it up and it bends easy back and forth. Start fire in pit, I prefer oak and or dry mesquite. Trim brisket of all excess membrane on lean side. Cut out hard section of fat on lean side up by point and any other hard fat on the brisket. This fat will not render so cut it off. Rinse meat well and pat dry with paper towels.Rub down entire brisket with Rub. Make sure your lump charcoal or wood coals are burning well and around 225-250 degrees or close. Place the brisket directly on the grating and put it fat side down on a smoker or away from the fire on a barrel. This will protect the lean from the heat of your fire and keep it from drying out. I cook it at a constant 225-250 degrees for about an hour per pound or an internal temperature of 185-195 degrees. Place in brown paper sack for last hour or more. Take it off and place brisket still in greasy sack in ice chest with out ice of course for a minimum of 1/2 hour. Then remove and slice across the grain. Cooking in this method will produce a crust or "bark" on the out side of the meat with a great smoke ring. The meat will be extremely juicy and tender with lots of smokey flavor.

Brisket/Wild Game Rub and Steak Seasoning
8 Parts Salt
5 Parts Course Ground Black Pepper
2 Parts Garlic Powder (Not Garlic Salt)
1/2 Part Allspice
1/2 Part Paprika (optional)
Enjoy, Wild Ed

Is Texas Feral Hog Problem Real?

I keep reading all these articles about how bad the feral hog problem in Texas is becoming and all the destruction they are doing to crops and range lands. State biologists now estimate the population at 2 million plus and with all the rain and vegetation this year that could jump to 4 million feral hogs in the State. Feral hogs cause an estimated $52 million dollars in damage in Texas every year and landowners are clamoring for the State to help control the problem.

I have a hard time with using State funds to control feral hogs when there are so many that would be willing to hunt them to help control them. The problem can’t be that bad if Ranchers and Farmers are still insisting on charging high rates for hunters to kill a hog. I have contacted landowners that have said in print or public that they have hog problems and get answers like sure come on out, we charge $250.00 a day but you can only kill one. Any extras are $100.00 each. That sure does not sound like they have a problem they want to get rid of anytime soon to me. Other places charge similar prices with the lowest per day hunts I found of $75.00 with a two day minimum and a one hog per day limit. There is no closed season on feral hogs and no limit set by the State.

The State has passed laws that make trapping and selling of feral hogs very difficult and not profitable so many in the business have quit. There are feral hogs in every county in Texas so what difference would it make where they were taken in the State if they are to be sold for meat.

If people truly want to get rid of the hogs allow hunters to come at reasonable rates and kill whatever they can dress and use. Have underprivileged youth hunts, disabled veterans or whatever club or group you want to come kill them for free. There are lots of hungry people that could use the meat in their diets. Create hunter and landowner clearing houses to get together approved hunters with landowners that need hogs killed. For the landowners that say they have a problem but do not want hunters or want to charge high rates to remove the hogs, let them solve their own hog problem and don’t use our State Tax dollars to help them do it. For others make hunts available at reasonable costs and the hunters will come. Good Hunting, Wild Ed

Deer Feeders Feed More Than Deer

My brother and our wives made a trip to our place in Lampasas County this weekend to work on the girl’s deer stands and feeders. We cleared brush and shooting lanes, set up a pop up blind and did general clean up around the stands. In one of the wood box blinds we found a cotton rat that was not amused by our cleaning. It stood on the window edge and watched us for about 30 seconds before jumping and heading for a brush pile.
At one of the feeders I have an old tire in the feeder pen that I use to hold a mineral block for the deer. I have reached down and moved that tire around a hundred times and never given it a thought. I learned a lesson this trip, as a four foot Texas Rat snake has made the tire his home. I was fortunate it was not a copperhead or rattlesnake. Lesson learned, and you can bet I will look before moving old tires for the rest of my life. The Old Rat Snake was taking advantage of all the rodents and birds that come to the deer feeder.

The deer are not coming in to the corn feeders or blocks as there is an abundance of browse and acorns. There was ample sign that squirrels, rabbits and coons have all found the corn. The feeders have become a hangout for a large number of songbirds and the predators that feed on them. The grass and vegetation at the ranch is as lush as I can remember in my lifetime. There is some surface water but it is going away rapidly. After a record year for rain the ground is getting hard and dry again.
Also seen yesterday were passage red tailed hawks and the seasons first Kestrels. A lone Great Horned Owl flew from one of the large oaks when we were filling a feeder. There is an assortment of wildlife to be seen on every trip is one just pays attention to the world around them. There are still mosquitoes and chiggers out so prepare accordingly. Good hunting, Wild Ed