The cold and windy weather has frequently curtailed many outdoor activities. And this weekend is the biggest party day of the year. Even if you are not a football fan, the Super Bowl is a great excuse for a party. What better way to prepare for the “Big Game” than to use some wild game recipes. Show off your skill in hunting and fishing, along with being a cook and a host with the following recipes.
Turkey Poppers: Try jalapeno turkey poppers for snacks as well as cleaning out the sinuses. If you don’t want smoke coming from the nostrils of your guests, substitute yellow banana peppers.
Cut off the ends of the peppers and hollow them out with a thin knife. Chop up turkey into small pieces and mix with cream cheese, onion powder and Mozzarella cheese. Stuff the hollow peppers with the mixture and bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Wait before serving because cream cheese mix will be very hot.
Grilled Venison Cubes: Take four pounds of venison cut into small cubes. Mix the following ingredients and marinate for 24 hours – 1/3 cup cooking oil, ½ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, 1 tablespoon crushed rosemary, 1 bay leaf. While meat is being grilled, baste frequently with tomato juice mixed with Tabasco sauce to taste. Serve with hot Italian bread.
Salmon Appetizer: 12 ounces beer, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, skinned salmon fillets cut into chunks. Mix batter ingredients together, dip bite sized chunks in batter and drain. In deep fry pan heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry the chunks five or six at a time, until golden brown. Test to see that they are moist and flake easily. Serve with lemon slices and hot mustard.
Poor Man’s Shrimp: Place skinless perch fillets in a saucepan of water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for about four minutes. Drain the meat and add cold water to cover the fish. As water warms, change to fresh cold water and place in refrigerator to cool. Drain the pieces of fish and dip in cocktail sauce. A variation called Poor Man’s Lobster is to steam the perch fillets or nuggets in melted butter and serve hot.
Duck Roll-Ups: Four large duck breast fillets, one each red and green bell pepper, one large shitake mushroom, one sweet onion, lemon pepper mix, wild game marinade. Cut breast fillets lengthwise into ½ inch strips and marinate for at least three hours. Cut bell peppers, mushroom, and onion lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. Place strip each of duck fillet, onion, mushroom, and each pepper color and bacon together and dust them with lemon pepper mix. Roll them all up with over-lapping wraps of bacon so that entire kabob is covered. Hold bacon in place with toothpicks. Cook over grill at medium heat until bacon is fully cooked (20 – 25 minutes). Serve as a hot appetizer.
Teriyaki Venison Burger “Sliders”: Use ground venison to make mini burgers or “sliders.” Make Teriyaki burgers to add variation to this popular appetizer.
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground venison, 1/4 cup sautéed and diced onions, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, one egg.
Preparation: Combine and mix all dry ingredients, combine egg and soy sauce, mixing thoroughly. Combine all the ingredients and meat and mix thoroughly. Press meat into slider sized patties. Place on a hot grill turning over once while cooking. Cook until thoroughly cooked and serve on miniature buns or slices of French bread.
SHORT CASTS
Great American Outdoor Show – Harrisburg: The Chittenango Rod & Gun Club invites area sportsmen to join them on a bus trip to the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA on Saturday, February 8. They will leave Shoppingtown Mall, Dewitt at 5 a.m. in a luxury coach and return to the mall around 10 p.m.
Cost per person is $60 and includes admission to the show. Cal Bruce Berean at 315-439-0260 or email bbcaddy@aol.com to reserve your seat.
Crossbow Update: Most people are aware that Governor Cuomo included a key provision in his budget bill that would establish the crossbow as a legal hunting implement and give the DEC authority to regulate it. If you want to see a crossbow season in New York, now is the time to act. You can bet that the opponents of crossbow season are busy working on legislators and thinking of strategies to alter or water down the provision.
If you are in favor of legalizing the crossbow, then you should write to key legislators such as Sheldon Silver, Dean Skelos and your local legislators. Keep the letter simple and ask them to support the Governor’s budget bill with the provision to allow crossbows and give the DEC the authority to regulate the crossbow as a legal hunting implement.
Mention the fact that it would have a positive economic impact and would allow many more sportsmen to participate. Don’t add your personal views about how you can no longer pull a compound bow, etc. This will only confuse the legislators and perhaps cause some to try and add amendments to the bill.
I do have the addresses of legislative leaders and some sample letters provided by the New York Sportsmans Advisory Council if you need these. But the important things are to use your own words, keep it simple and act now.
Hinckley Reservoir: Today is the final day to urge the DEC to hold public hearings on the proposed increased water withdrawals from Hinckley Reservoir. Submit your comments by e-mail at r6dep@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 793-2555 and ask that a public hearing be held before this potentially damaging action is approved.
Central New York Sportsmans Show: Save the date of February 8 for the always popular CNY Sportsmans Show. There will be the usual mix of tackle vendors, conservation groups guides, and exhibitors. You will have the chance to meet and talk with expert deer and turkey hunters, as well as various anglers. There will be new attractions as well as the return of the popular ones such as the Salerno Brothers, Trout Unlimited, NYS Big Buck scorers and Fish Creek Atlantic Salmon Club. The new lineup of attractions and seminars will be publicized in the next few weeks. Meanwhile don’t forget to submit your nominations for Sportsman of the Year.
Great Backyard Bird Count: This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by Cornell University Lab of Ornithology will be February 14 – 17. It is easy to participate; all you have to do is count the different species of birds in your backyard or other area on a given day and report it to the Cornell website. It can be a fun, family friendly way to discover and help the birds in your community. Visit the website www.birdcount.org to learn more about this event.
DEC Summer Camp Program: The NYS DEC will be accepting online applications for its 67th Annual Summer Camp Program starting January 22. The 2014 camp season begins June 29.
Parents may register campers beginning January 22 at 10 a.m. only through DEC’s convenient, online registration system and pay by credit card, e-check or with a sponsor code. Fees for the 2014 camp season remain $350 per one-week session per camper. Camp dates and a link to the online registration system are posted on DEC’s website: www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html. Families without internet access should call the camp office at 518-402-8014 for information on how to register for camp alternatively.