A couple of months ago a squirrel ran in my parent’s house.  And when I wrote about that story I found this picture.

Have I told you how much I love this picture?

Because I do.

Cute squirrel image by: seizethedave – Love it!

Well a few weeks ago I headed to my parents house to investigate the squirrel situation.  Long story short -  if you sit on their living room couch, you can see squirrels from all neighborhoods running down the street to their back door to be fed peanuts.  It was like a neighborhood block party.  Except for  critters only.

So I fed them …

And if I would’ve open that door any wider, he would’ve run in.  I just know it.  And it would have made a great video.  But then you would’ve all thought I need to wash my mouth out with soap.

Because I would’ve have said $%^$

And not the “s” word.

And then it would’ve jumped in my hair.

And I’d say $#$%.

Definitely not the “s” word.

Have a great day all …. I’m off to buy my parents a new mat for their back door.  I think that’s from 1960 something.  WTH

And then my Mother will say, “You’re not throwing that out.  That was given to me from Billy down the street that use to be on your Dad’s baseball team when he was 10.  He was married with 3 kids but he’s divorced now and he moved to Alaska.  I got a card from him last Christmas.” And then she’ll show you his picture with his 3 kids on her refrigerator.

The woman saves everything because it has a story.  And believe me, she knows all the “town” stories.

Even the squirrels …

Mom:  That squirrel started coming from Marge’s house across the street. And he runs back and forth all day with his nuts.

Me:  Mom I think you need to get out of the house more.  WTNutso.

As I feed squirrels and tell them to sit up like a damn dog.

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Venison Round-Pot Roast

When I think of Soul Food, I think venison. Remember the homemade meals mom and grandma used to labor over for hours in the kitchen. They filled the house for hours with the unmistakable aroma of love. These meals were the kind of meals childhood memories are made of and set the standards for the meals I eat today.

For those of you who follow Outdoors International, you know that I am not only a hunter but I am also a professional chef, and for me, Chicken fried venison with milk gravy, pheasant pot pie, turkey tamales and venison pot roast are foods that comfort my soul (Soul Food). These foods bring back memories of family and friends around the dinner table. We all love our childhood memories when it comes to food.

Our families today have extremely busy schedules and eat outside the home more than ever. Even fast food restaurant are now offering foods that resemble those home cooked meals of old. But nothing for me really stands up to redneck soul food. Food like braised elk short ribs, pan fried rabbit or duck jambalaya. And there is no better place to enjoy foods like these than on a cold, damp day in hunting camp. So next time your stuck in camp and waiting for the weather to clear think about enjoying a great home cooked meal and instead of beef or chicken substitute game meat. Cook it slow and let the flavors permeate the lodge and bring back some childhood memories of grandmas cooking. Here is a great recipe to try.

Venison Round-Pot Roast
Ingredients:
2 lbs. venison round roast
1 tablespoon salt
1tablespoon of cracked black pepper
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup butter
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup red wine
½ cup tomato paste
One bay leaf
1 quart brown gravy

Now rub meat with olive oil, blend spices and flour, and rub meat with spice blend. Heat 4 quart pot and lightly brown your meat. Now add the butter and vegetables and sauté. Deglaze with red wine and add tomato paste, bay leaf and gravy. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in a 300 degree oven and cook until fork tender (approximately 3 hours).

Imagine the aroma that will permeate the entire lodge after hours of slow cooking. These are the kind of memories that make a hunt truly memorable. Eating and thinking of mom and grandma mixed in with the memories of the hunt. Memories that are with you for a lifetime. An Outdoors International memory.

Happy eating and God Bless,
Doak

See the original article at GotHunts.com

On November 6, a friend in South Dakota had seen a buck in the distance with his head down. It wasn’t moving, and although she honked the car horn repeatedly, he wouldn’t raise his head. She grabbed her binoculars and looked at him, and saw that the buck’s horns were entangled with those of another one, which was dead. So she called friends and asked if they wanted an adventure — untangling them.

They were tangled in an old fence line just east of a golf course, where some railroad tracks had been. The live buck was on the high side, and the dead buck on the slope. They estimated that other buck had been dead for 2 or 3 days. The live buck had the bigger rack – a 5 x 6. The dead buck was bigger bodied and looked to be an older deer. It had more “stickers” on its rack

They attempted to break a point off the dead buck’s rack with his pliers, but couldn’t. Then they tried turning the dead buck’s head but the other one just became more frightened and started backing up. The now scared buck eventually got out of the fence, and out in the open. Terry pulled an old post out of the fence line and used it to try and pry the racks loose, but it didn’t work.

They finally decided to go to a friend’s house in order to borrow his chainsaw, but then they thought something quieter would be better, and so got a hacksaw instead. Terry sawed the main beam on the dead buck and then other one was free!

The buck didn’t realize this for probably 30 seconds or so. When he did, he started striking the dead buck in the face repeatedly. He finally raised his head a little, and then a little more. He stood there with his head held high looking at them and they wondered if he was going to try charging them! Then he turned and ran off rather wobbly. He went a short distance, lay down briefly, and then got up and took off in the direction of the Big Sioux River .

See the original article at GotHunts.com