Another (rare) rainy day here and thinking about what to cook outside when the sun next shines. What’s your favorite wild game fare? Or, in light of our grandkids’ answer, what’s your most unusual favorite?

I just asked our three local grandkids whom we’re keeping this weekend what theirs was and they immediately and enthusiastically answered, “Panda!” (as in Panda Express 😉)

Squirrels, marinated and grilled

Dove and eland.

Dove, wild bobwhite, and duck.

Elk, ruffed grouse, and walleye.

Elk, most upland birds probably Bobs first, and waterfowl off their nesting grounds. But, if you want fresh and unusual, 'yotes are in season?

Snipe, woodcock, dove, woodduck, GW teal, acorn fed greenheads, wild quail. Gil

Snapping turtle stew.

One fine morning in the duck blind in eastern Arkansas we were joined by a good friend who was a restauranteur in Forrest City. He loved to cook more than hunt ducks and would often go with us just to cook our breakfast. This particular morning he had a couple armloads of stuff loaded into the boat headed to the blind, including a small charcoal grill. By about 9 a.m. he said it was ready and we wanted to eat it while it was hot. He had made duck "rolls". They were absolutely the most heavenly duck blind breakfast of my life. Filleted mallard breast meat, sliced thin, and rolled up in the right "direction" to bite through tenderly, with ground sausage and cream cheese rolled into them before grilling. I'll never forget them, and make them occasionally for myself and friends. Just wonderful.

The small inner venison loins sliced lengthwise, marinated, and grilled. It's tradition for the first deer killed every fall. Weirdest was probably cobra. I was very very hungry so "good" is relative.

Wild rabbit provencal, woodcock no matter how it is cooked, hare, and a recipe concocted on a whim: woodpigen breasts cooked the way of Spanish oxtail (rabo de toro) in a pressure cooker.

Fried Bobwhite quail...Geo

Moose, Wood Duck.

Bob White, Wood Duck, elk and cotton tails.

I had mountain lion once at a game dinner, quite tasty and tender. I read that on the Lewis & Clarke expedition it was the men's favorite meat after buffalo hump.

Bighorn sheep antelope and the straps off a grain fed mule deer. Unfortunately the sheep only comes a few times in ones lifetime.

Fried quail, chukkar breasts in mushroom gravy
Oryx
Crappie, Freshwater Perch and Bream, Flounder
Southern style baby shrimp
Salmon fire roasted on a cedar plank

LOL. Collard doves might be a better "fresh" choice. Sandhill crane is my favorite bird.

Aged venison loin grilled to medium rare (125 degrees)
Sauteed mallard breast with Cumberland (cherry) sauce
Squirrel parboiled then fried in butter, pan gravy to sop rolls in
Smothered birds (braised quail)

Wild game = better than 5-star big city restaurant fare

This is a good choice. I don't run into it too often, but a friend of mine calls it, ribeye in the sky.

That's strange to me. I've heard others say the same thing, but I would rate it among the worst birds I've ever eaten. We can blame the cook, I suppose.

Everyone is different.

I’ve never had much Sandhill, nor consistently. Maybe, it is just luck, but high heat seared, pinkish on the insides of a not too thick breast fillet. Just some sea salt sprinkled after it’s fairly thin sliced across the grain. We eat it finger food style, I guess not really as a meal. It’s a nice side dish to a game sampler type spread, I would say. I don’t think it’s ribeye, but I think it’s enjoyable, probably comes down to preference.

I’ve seen a fair bunch of nesting Sandhills, so the ones I’ve eaten, may not have done much migrating. It’s a huge contrast to diver duck, for my taste buds. I absolutely can’t get enough wing shooting Scaup, but I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t run into many, way down on the table fare list for me

These white wings were very good.


Feel the stag Macleod!




Rabbit?


I like all of it for what it is.

Grilled sheep loin is pretty special.
Might be the rarest, and possibly the most delicious.

Shanks from deer, antelope, or elk, braised in liquid for a long period. When the shank breaks down, it is wonderful eating.

Hard to beat bacon wrapped Dove but last week I Smoked a Splatchcock goose with candy-bacon over the breast. It was superb. Moist, Smokey meat, crispy skin with that candy bacon on top. Served with wild rice and grilled asparagus.

I'm with Daryl on the shanks...





Served over rice with a nice Red.....not bad at all.

I can't eat red meat anymore because of my Gout. But I made some Elk burgers one time years ago in french onion soup. My gosh were they ever good. And pheasant.....oh yeah!!

I had catfish for the 1st time in something like 30 years the other day. Freshly caught and with a couple of decent size fish (3/4 lbs), it was pan-fried in vegetable oil and was shockingly good.

Nothing wrong with a fried catfish. I prefer it to cod. That said, I don’t turn down cod.

Best,
Ted