SQUIRREL WITH RICE AND POTATOES

2 old squirrels, cut up
Fat
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
1 green pepper, chopped
3 med. potatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper
Water

Brown squirrels in skillet with small amount of fat. Place squirrel in pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 15 minutes to tenderize. Saute onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic in drippings in skillet; add rice, squirrel, potatoes, seasonings, and enough liquid to cook rice and potatoes. Cover; simmer slowly until tender.

WOODCHUCK (GROUNDHOG) STEW

1 woodchuck
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
Flour
Vinegar and
water
alt and pepper
Cloves

Clean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour

OPOSSUM AND SWEET POTATOES

1 opossum (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 1/2 tsp. salt Pepper to taste
Flour
1/2 cup water
4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. sugar

Trim excess fat from opossum and discard. Wash quickly inside and out with warm water; drain thoroughly. Rub salt and pepper well into the opossum inside and out. Sprinkle inside and out with flour. Lay the opossum on its back in a roasting pan.

Add water, cover and bake in 350 degree F. oven until about half done (45 - 60 minutes). Split peeled potatoes in half lengthwise and place in pan around opossum. Add more water if needed. Cover sliced potatoes and opossum and cook 30 more minutes.

RABBIT WITH DARK RAISIN GRAVY

1 to 2 rabbits cut into quarters
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. minced onion flakes or 1 sm. onion, chopped
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. allspice (optional)
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup brown sugar

Place rabbit pieces in deep pot and cover with cool water. Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to water and bring to a boil. Let boil 5 minutes. THROW THIS WATER AWAY! Again, cover rabbit with cool water and add 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tsp. salt, onion, cloves, bay leaves, and allspice. Cook until almost tender and then add raisins and brown sugar. Continue cooking until rabbit is tender and done. Remove rabbit from pot and thicken liquid with a paste of flour and water. Replace rabbit in thickened gravy and heat just before serving.

SMOTHERED MUSKRAT AND ONIONS

1 muskrat (dressed & disjointed)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp. fat
3 large onions
1 cup sour cream

Soak muskrat overnight in salted water (1 tbsp. salt to 1 qt. water). Season with 1 tsp. salt and paprika, roll in flour, and fry in fat until browned. Cover muskrat with onions, sprinkle onions with 1/2 tsp. salt. Pour in the cream. Cover skillet tightly and simmer for 1 hour. Serves 4.

BAKED COON WITH SOUTHERN DRESSING

1 small coon or hindquarter and loin
of larger young coon 2 to 2 1/2 lbs.
3-4 cups cold water
1 tbsp. salt
1/3 tsp black pepper
or 1/2 tsp. dry hot red pepper pod

Set oven to moderate hot (400 degrees) 10 minutes before baking. Dress coon carefully so as not to leave any clinging hair. Remove scent glands, kernels under legs. Wrap coon in waxed paper or foil and chill thoroughly or freeze for several hours. Trim off all but a thin layer of fat and any discolored spots. Wash well in lukewarm water.

Cut whole coon or hindquarters and loin into 4 pieces with kitchen scissors or heavy butcher knife. Put into 3 qt. kettle, add water, salt, and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to simmering, cover and cook until tender (1-2 hrs depending on age of animal).
Meanwhile prepare Southern Dressing as described below.

Pour dressing into a casserole dish. Lay coon over top of press down into dressing. Cover and bake until coon is tender (45 - 60 minutes). Uncover and continue baking until coon and dressing are nicely browned (about 30 minutes). Parboiled pared sweet potatoes or winter squash may be baked with this coon instead of the dressing. A tart vegetable such as sauerkraut, sweet-sour red cabbage, or pickled beets are a good accompaniment. Serves 4.

Southern Dressing:

6 slices white bread from 1 1/4 lb. loaf
1/2 cup finely chopped onions (2 small)
1-1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 - 1 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
2 small eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup coon broth, from parboiling coon or1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water

Bread should be 2-3 days old, but not stale enough to be dry. Tear into course crumbs and place into mixing bowl. Add rest of ingredients and stir gently until well blended. 4 cups dressing are enough for 2-3 lbs. coon.

Beaver Recipe

COUNTRY STYLE BEAVER

2-3 lbs beaver steaks 1/2 inch thick
Bacon grease
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 medium onions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can or 1/2 lb mushrooms

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a closable bag or 2 quart closable plastic container and shake until mixed. Add beaver and shake until well coated.

Save remaining flour. Dice onions. Melt enough bacon grease in the bottom of a fry pan to saute onions and beaver. Saute onions and floured beaver in bacon grease, adding more grease as needed. Place beaver aside.

Combine soup and mushrooms in frying pan. Dissolve 2 to 3 heaping tbsp of seasoned flour in 2 cups cold water. Add to soup mix and simmer 5 minutes. Add beaver and onions to mix and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Now dat soun good!!

How many can you have?

This is an unbelievable photo. I've seen twins and triplets but quadruplets! Talk about a healthy deer heard. They say when nutrition and forage is highest and predation is lowest there will be an explosion in the whitetail deer population. This is happening in the Urban areas rapidly. All the tasty plants and the fact that the deer learn humans are of no threat to them in the city. Developers are slowly encasing the deer in the urban areas. This pretty much is true where I live. I have hunted coon, squirrel and dove here in my area for years. Never seeing a deer one time. As the bottom lands get developed deer are being pushed around becoming more visual. The deer will slowly see a benefit in this push soon. However the residents won't see it that way. The deer will ravage the gardens and the front ends of the vehicles they drive too. So in some parts of this state communities are allowing bowhunting because discharging a firearm in the city limits is unlawful and down right dangerous. Other parts are enjoying seeing a deer in their back yard and could care less about the potential effects the deer could have on their life.

Stay tuned!

Need a recipe for exotic wild game? Beaver, coon, muskrat, rabbit, opossum, woodchuck and squirrel. These are real no joke recipes. 7 recipes in 7 days and you thought the food channel had it all! Keep an eye on my blog!

Old Texas Home

Ever driven by an old house and your curiosity gets you. You wonder who, what, why and when someone lived in that house. You can tell by looking that quite possibly they were wealthy and most likely owned a large parcel of land. This house being off US 77/SH 36 just south of Cameron TX. Its a real full blown stone house. Most likely those stones were collected directly from the land in which the house was erected. Also the cedar railing was for sure off the land. You can tell at some point in this home's long history a chimney fell or was in disrepair and torn down. So that makes me wonder then did this house have electricity, gas and water? Maybe I study things too much but I just wonder those things above. I'd like a home that looks the way that house does.

Going Coastal!

here's a few more saltwater fish picks. The half fish actually was caught and a bigger fish came up and bit half off. Here's a little info on coastal aids in fishing.

One biological truism states that habitat diversity creates ecological diversity. You've also probably heard, If you build it, they will come. Texas Artificial Reef Program has been applying both these concepts for decades in creating new reefs.

Natural structure and hard bottom are rare in the Gulf of Mexico where the bottom is pretty much a vast featureless plain of mud and sand. Where structure does occur, natural or otherwise, it is like an oasis in a desert. Virtual gardens of sessile (permanently attached) invertebrates like barnacles, corals, sponges, clams, anemones, bryozoans and hydroids quickly attach to every available surface and in every nook and cranny. On the natural side, this biological richness can be seen in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, a natural reef complex located about 100 miles from Galveston, Texas, and 400 miles north of the nearest tropical coral reef. On the man-made side, the hundreds of petroleum platforms dotting the Gulf of Mexico also support a vast array of natural reef-like communities, functioning as hard substrate upon which animals and plants can settle.

Living within the shelter of these encrusting animals, a host of reef fish species like beautiful angelfish and damselfish, as well as snappers and groupers feed and breed. Further up the food chain, larger predatory fish like mackerel, shark and billfish can be found seeking shelter and the occasional lunch. The final link in this natural chain is us; human beings who have learned that where there is structure, there will be fish to catch.

However, for that vast muddy featureless bottom, TPWD has applied the build-it-and-they- will-come philosophy. Those who arrive are not only the reef community animals from barnacles to mackerels, but also the anglers and divers who want greater fishing and diving opportunities in the Gulf!

Hit the coast running!

The Office...

Some of the greatest ideas came from the inside of one of these. Out houses are great if it is not cold. Can smell in the heat of the summer but they are interesting places of thought.

Why Hunt Hogs?

Feral hogs (or Domesticated Wild Hogs) continue to grow in numbers in Texas and elsewhere in the United States. Because of their destructive feeding habits and their ability to spread disease, feral hogs are a liability to agriculture and native wildlife in the great state of Texas. However, these animals are also sought for recreational hunting and commercial harvest. Land owners now try to keep a manageable level of feral activity on ranches for off season hunts. If the game and wildlife management services had their way they would be eradicated from free ranging. Some hunts for feral hogs can exceed 500 dollars for a trophy boar with huge tusks. On the flip side some areas of Texas cannot kill enough feral hogs or find hunters willing to travel to these locations. Some ranchers are loosing hundreds of acres per week due to hogs aggressive feeding habits. Areas with intense populations may look like a cultivated pasture due to their grazing. They are also a great threat to motorists who travel high populated areas. A large hog can total a truck in a blink of an eye. Feral hogs damage stock tanks and streams by wallowing, rooting up farm roads, hay fields, fences and stealing feed put out for livestock. Feral hogs will eat some of the same foods deer eat, and they will compete with white-tailed deer and other wildlife species native to Texas. So hunt a hog and do your part!

Tecomate heart attack buck!

Where to start? This was the highest scoring 10 point of all time, and he was never harvested. Instead he was a stud buck on the Tecomate Ranch, and he was designated as a non shooter so he could pass along his genes to his offspring. If this buck walked out in front of me, I figure I would drop dead from of course a heart attack. That would honestly be where the name comes from. It is huge! Gargantuan! Hella Hante! Unfreaking believable! Just look at the size of this thing's neck! Any ways enjoy the picture.

UFO, Bird, Plane, gnat, what is it?

I was taking some pictures of Project Glue Factory one evening when I dumped them onto my computer I never noticed anything. It wasn't till later that I saw the blip on the picture. I'd bet it is a gnat, fly, something other than a UFO but it still pretty funny to joke around. Take a look and you decide. It is in the upper right corner.

El Torro!

Thought this was a pretty neat picture of a longhorn on my old deer lease. I have never encountered a mean one before, however I would hate to be forced to run for a tree and escape this set of horns. These aren't even really big. Got a buddy whose dad had a herd of the lean mean machines. He had a bull with a name "Man Of War" which should put some fear in ya. I've been told they can be difficult to keep fenced in. These guys are the hardiest of the beef producers. Longhorns can survive quite well in the scrub brush region of Texas. These longhorns were actually hated by many northern cattle producers. Reason for the hatred was due to a disease the longhorn carried and was immune to. Other breeds would contract the disease and soon after the spread of the disease was rapid. It pretty much devastated some northern producers. Missouri farmers would kill to keep the diseased longhorns out of their state. Some cattle drives were routed around these hostile regions. Places such as Ft Worth, Abilene and Dodge were where the drives ended. Here they met the market trains and were shipped east. They are very lean animals and produce a lean steak. I think these are the prettiest cattle next to Brahmas. Anyhow thought this would add a little Texas to the post.

Project Glue Factory

Everything went good. We had problems beating the spindle off but we got it. The axle joints went well also. So the next part of project glue factory is just maintenance such as changing the front and rear diff fluids. trans fluid, and t-case fluid. This should go well with no hitches. Stay tuned to project glue factory!

A deer nose knows best!

Studies have shown that whitetail deer can smell human scent on underbrush for days after we leave the woods. Wary whitetail bucks react very negatively when they run across our scent, often becoming leery of the area for weeks afterwards.

Bucks most often bed by laying on their right side and facing downwind, which allows them to use their eyes, ears and nose to detect danger approaching from any direction.
Deer are quick and skillful swimmers, often taking to water when frightened. Deer can easily swim across lakes or rivers at over 10 miles per hour.

Deer thru the seasons.

Well-nourished whitetailed bucks begin growing new racks each April. Antlers can grow more than 1/2" per day. If temperatures drop to single digit farenheit, whitetail deer often move during the midday hours. The large ears of whitetail deer can rotate 180 degrees and pick up high frequency sounds. The entire molting process for whitetail deer is gradual, taking several months to complete. From early spring to late summer, a deer's coat transforms from a ragged pelage to a solid deep auburn. When hunting in October, hunters will notice that the whitetail's coat has changed from red to grey. The change occurs quickly, often within one to two weeks. A whitetail's hair appears bluish grey in winter. New hair that grew in during autumn provides whitetails with added insulation. The tips on these new hairs are dark, giving the winter hide its richer hue.

Bronctastic Bronco!

Well, I will spend my Saturday working on project Glue Factory. This poor old Bronco is slowly regaining his race horse days. Axle joints are the project today that will test me and my buddies abilities to replace the joints so the Bronco runs on all four feet. Well he's a senior master ford tech. so I feel strong it will happen. If not I will report back. Its an ugly ass ride that has character. Picture of Glue Factory to the right---->

Texas Coastal Fishing

In a previous post I mentioned my nephew who saltwater fishes. He went out awhile back and caught these guys with his guide buddy and a female companion. I'd say they did all right considering I don't fish saltwater. I plan however to go on a trip with them out into the deep water and do a little bay fishing. Hopefully I don't get sick from the rocking of the boat. Needless to say I won't have my sea legs by the trips end. Have a great Friday night!

Know your pork?

Hogs are part of the order Artidactyla and the family Suidae. The five genera and nine species live on every continent except Antarctica. Wild hogs roam forests, meadows, and swamps. They are surefooted and fast runners, excellent swimmers and love a mud bath. When cornered they will fight courageously and will use their tusks as weapons. They will chase you to defend their young when you bother their piglets. They are mainly active at night and have an omnivorous diet of fungi, roots, bulbs, tubers, fruit, snails, earthworms, reptiles, young birds, eggs, small rodents and carrion. In hog country you can bait them with sweet and sour corn which they love!

The first domestication of the pig is thought to have taken place in China around 4900 BC and may have occurred as early as 10,000 BC in Thailand. Many hog breeds were developed especially in Europe and they became very important farm animals. The first pigs in the United States were brought by Polynesians to Hawaii around 1000 AD. and by the Spanish in the Southeast in the early sixteenth century. Average lifespan in the wild is 15-20 years but may be up to 27 years. Litter size varies from 2-12 piglets.

Domestic pigs have much larger litters with one of 37 recorded. Hair varies from coarse bristles and practically hairless to the curly woolly coats of Ecuador herd hogs. Colors vary too, from the white or black solid and many colors inbetween to the rust colored with white and black highlights of the Red River Hog. Groups of pigs are called herds or sounders. The basic sounder is made up of females and their babies from this year and from the previous year.

Now you know alittle about your pork?

Choke Canyon State Park Texas!

I have not been to this park yet. My brother-in-law has been numerous times. I actually would stay pissed off just knowing these huge ass deer roam those South Texas plains. Goes to show that if hunters just let deer mature to ripe old ages we would have monster deer everywhere. These deer will let you hand feed them which is totally insane! This park offers hunts but they are bow only. I have been thinking of getting me a bow. I just don't know. Got a buddy I work with and he says its a whole different world than rifle hunting. His reasoning is that you can bring them in close. Well, I can too using my Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag or even my 12 gauge with buckshot or slug for ammo. I hope to get out there some day and check it out. I put these pictures on cause I think they are huge for a free range deer that has had no supplement feeding what so ever. Enjoy!

Something smells fishy!

This is 2 of my nephews. They seem to have a zone on the water. The one on the left likes to fish freshwater and the one on the right likes the saltwater. Me I like what ever is willing to get caught. My one nephew does some tournament fishing on the weekends and places quite well. He's only like 19 and has won a few. The other nephew is a chef in the making and should do well cooking for some rich people somewhere. I can just let him do all the cooking from now on.
Ones a yellow cat and that saltwater fish I think is a blue runner? I'm not sure I live too far from the coast!!!! Ha ha!!

! El Chupacabra !

Well, it happened. My buddy while giving his son a ride on the tractor. Finally saw the nasty old coyote with the mange this evening. Now you hardcore Latin folks from Puerto Rico may not want to read on and look at the pictures.

Awhile back a big fuss was made up in Maryland. There was a Chupacabra sighting. Well, I saw the video and said it was a coyote or fox with the mange. I was right they trapped it and put the fox down. So I want to say my buddy has shot the southern Chupacabra.


E poppie! So just alittle info on El Chupacabra. El Chupacabra - Means "the goat sucker" in Spanish. First spotted in Puerto Rico in 1994, the Chupacabra has since migrated off the island and has recently been spotted in many locations including South America as well as the US.

Although some people say they have seen the Chupacabra's tracks, in many cases there are no signs of blood or tracks around the dead animals. It is hard to describe the appearance of El Chupacabra because sightings greatly differ. Most say it is either gray or green. Some say it has a large lizard-like tongue, others say it has wings.

Like the descriptions of El Chupacabras' appearance, people's ideas of its origin widely vary. Many say it's a new species, or a relative to the panther. Its an alien! LOL!

Lobos!

Here are 2 coyotes that have been eating my buddies chickens and guineas. These guys responded to my Johnny Stewart game call in about 10 minutes and came within 80 yds for the first one. The second one on the bottom came in at about 30 minutes within 60 yds. There are lots of these guys out there and he is still loosing livestock to them. I have a friend who is after one coyote that looks like a chupacabra. If he gets it I'll post it. It is hairless with the diesease mange which is a flea/mite condition that cause the hair loss.

Egg eater!

This is just 1 of 7 snakes we have gotten rid of at my buddies house in about a month. He has not been getting any chicken eggs lately. We have gone through quite a few snakes. The possums we just haul off, but the snakes we just kill cause there is actually a lot of these critters around. He is roughly about 6'6" and pretty fat. This one actually came out of the turkey pen. We lost about 5 eggs to this one from under the turkey hen. When we caught him he was actually under the hen and she was just sitting there. He was by far the biggest yet!

Rooting Pigs!

Well, my trailcam is always working overtime. Actually he works 24-7-365 which I just get excited about. If I could just get a camera that over looks the whole place I would be in heaven. I have found some things like it on the web but I must first win the Mega millions jackpot to afford it. So here is a random pig picture that I thought was pretty cool. I got lots o pictures of pigs. You may get tired of seeing them before too long. These guys grow fast so I hope they all get big fast so I can take some buddies hunting. Speaking of fast growing. These little piglets grow like wild fire. Those little guys in the bottom right-hand corner are plumping up quick. Here is a better shot of all 7 of these boys in the top left photo. They are pretty cute when little. However adult hood does them no good at all. They will be pretty ugly in about 3 months.

Rack'em up!

I've mentioned hog feeder already once. Something happened last winter that shook me pretty good. I live in area not well known for deer. Hell just no deer at all. I thought! I monitor my feeders with a moultrie trailcam. They ain't the best trailcams but I can't see spending much more on a object that easy to run off with. I have spent alot of money on my feeders but you would have to spend time removing him, and get'n past by buddy's house. This 12 point ain't really huge but he is pretty good for an area deer. I like to think he's at least a 130 class deer. I hope to try and camera hunt this guy this fall and see how big he's gotten. Since the winter I have discovered alot of deer that are pure nocturnal. Plus there is a big heavy 14 pt and a neighbor said there is a large deer with droptines! So take a look!

Cancoon?

I hate littering. People don't see what it does to our enviroment. While checking my hog feeder one night me and 2 of my best friends spotted this wild looking Coon with something on his arm. Seeing how he couldn't get around well my buddy put him down. Upon further inspection it was a Dr Pepper can that the old boy stuck his hand into. Maybe to get a bug, grub, or who knows. It must have really sucked to have been this Coon. Take a look at the pic supplied. Pretty crazy! His foot was so swollen that the meat had bursted where his fingers meet the palm of his hand.

Where its at!

Well, figure I would start some posts of my adventures in the wilds of Texas. I enjoy hunting alot. If there is predation involved I like varmints too. Got a friend who has a ranch and I have got some coyotes with my game caller. Lots of skunks! There is so many skunks at his house that you pretty much can't take a stroll with out encountering one. Plus make a distress call and watch out! I plan on posting lots of photos of animals and just some pretty Texas scenes. So for starters here is a pic of a camp house that I think is a kick-ass house. I have had lots of good times at this place. So, check in and see what I may throw up here. Could be just about anything from cars to deer to......well, anything hunting. Till next time.