Duck Recipes: Great Tasting Duck –
Easy As Three Simple Steps

Posted on February 6, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Steve Weisman

Too many ducks don’t get eaten. Try these two recipes,
and your dinner guests will devour them!

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Decoys are set as the sun rises over a slough in northwest Iowa. In a few minutes, some good eating will arrive.
(Photo by Steve Weisman)

The waterfowling challenge few people solve is how to turn ducks into quality table fare.  Bottom line? It’s no different than any other type of food – it’s all in the preparation. Fix it correctly, and it is a delight. Fix it incorrectly, and it’s a disaster.

No question about my two favorite recipes – they fit into the “delight” category. And both are easily prepared in three simple steps.

Recipe #1 – Fried, browned and baked

Step 1 – Slice ’em

  • Skin the duck, slicing the breast off the breast bone and keeping the legs. The legs are tender and the bone provides additional flavor.
  • Next, slice the breasts into ¼-inch thick strips so you can see to remove any steel shot and to make the meat tender when cooked.
  • Place in water and chill in refrigerator over night.

Step 2 – Fry ’em

  • Use olive oil and a spoonful of refrigerated bacon grease.
  • Dredge the cut-up portions in flour, salt and pepper and fry at 350 degrees until brown on both sides.

Step 3 – Bake ’em

  • Place all of the meat in one pan and put a can or two (depending on the amount of duck) of Cream of Mushroom soup over the breasts and cook them again either in the skillet or the oven at 300 degrees for another hour (do not cover with a lid).
  • The length of time is determined by how long it takes for the meat to get tender.
  • Serve with whatever side dishes you want. My favorites are fresh squash, a cucumber salad and tomatoes.
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The author’s grandson and son hold a limit of ducks taken in Iowa last fall. Those retrievers know these are going to taste great! (Photo by Steve Weisman)

Recipe #2 – Grilled duck (hors d’oeuvre) and Jalapeño poppers

Step 1 – Cube ’em

  • Marinate in Italian dressing overnight.
  • When ready for the grill, drain off the dressing,
  • Wrap strip of bacon around the breast using a toothpick to hold the bacon.


Step 2 – Add some zing

  • Clean seeds out of Jalapeños
  • Fill peppers with cream cheese, mozzarella, browned sausage and crumbled blue cheese.

Step 3 – Grill ’em

  • Place duck cubes on the grill and cook until bacon is cooked, but be careful not to burn.
  • Place Jalapeño poppers on grill and cook until cheese melts and peppers lose their firmness.
  • For good measure, throw in some freshly made salsa (fresh garden produce) and chips. Marinated duck breast, poppers and salsa – wow, what a mixture of tastes!

***

About Steve Weisman

Digital CameraA retired teacher, Steve Weisman is a member of OWAA and AGLOW* and has been a freelance outdoor writer for 19 years. He writes for several publications throughout the Midwest. He enjoys sharing news about the outdoors through his own experiences and the information gained from DNR wildlife and fisheries biologists and outdoor experts. Contact Steve at stweis@mchsi.com.

*OWAA is Outdoor Writers Association of America.

AGLOW is Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers.

Click here to read more articles  by Steve Weisman.

Don’t forget your Havalon knife in the kitchen when preparing your duck.

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Easy As Three Simple Steps

Coyote Hunting: Tips On Coyote Calling

Posted on February 3, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Bernie Barringer

Two experts share their coyote calling tips.

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Coyotes love to travel the edges of lakes and rivers hunting downwind of deer bedding areas in the winter.

“Find the food and you’ll find the coyotes.” This axiom holds true across North America wherever hunters pursue the yodelers. That’s why Duane Fronek, from Wisconsin, starts where deer are wintering. “I look for areas that hold deer – like clear cuts that border swamps or frozen rivers that go by swamps and tag alders. Deer hang in these areas and coyotes frequently cruise the rivers checking them out.”

In Indiana farm country, habitat is a little different. That’s where Jake Socha calls his coyotes, but food is still the key to finding them. “Coyotes in Indiana do like to hunt along fence rows, and we have a lot of them. My best and preferred set-up is on a fence row on the upwind side of a woods, marsh or thicket.”

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Success in coyote calling is a very rewarding feeling. You beat the predator at his own game.

Socha says that coyotes do not like to reveal themselves by crossing open areas while coming to a call so he likes to set up in a way that it allows the coyotes to use cover until they are close. “They like to circle downwind and come up through woods, marshes, and thickets,” he explains. “I always have a hunting partner who usually does the shooting set up between 50 to 70 yards upwind on a fence row, connected to a woods, marsh, or thicket. Then I call from a short ways beyond him, putting the focus on me, and not the shooter’s area. This helps minimize the movement they may possibly see or hear.”

Using The Right Call Is Key In Coyote Hunting

Once you are set up in a good spot, using the right call is key. “For early winter calling sequences I like to keep it simple when starting out.” Fronek adds, “The regular rabbit or fawn distress does the job early on. I use mainly open reed calls, then as the season progresses start with a howl before the distress. Later into the season when the breeding is taking off a howl or two is all I’ll use on stand and then sit it out for a half hour.”

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Any coyote that tries to circle downwind of the caller here is going to have to cross this cut and he is in trouble
when he does.

Fronek believes that hunting pressure can condition the coyotes so he takes a low-profile approach in the late season. “I actually back off on calling sounds later in the season and may only howl a time or two on a set and then silence.”

“Also later in the season I will go farther off the roads to call, sometimes walking into a spot that may be a mile in. Most of the easier to get to spots have been called heavy and the coyotes just don’t respond. If you go to them you have a better shot at calling one in; they seem more relaxed.”

Realism Is The Key To Coyote Calling

Indiana’s Jake Socha agrees and says that realism is the key to getting them coming. “With a reed call, you can really emphasize the fact you’re mimicking a dying rabbit, and can adjust everything in one breath and really sound authentic. A real dying rabbit doesn’t just repeat itself over and over with the same pitch and volume like you get out of electronic calls. Don’t be afraid to let out a howl here and there while using a dying rabbit call, because 9 times out of 10 if they howl back, they’re on the way, so get ready.

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Clearcuts are great areas to call because they are used by the coyotes for hunting areas and they have just enough cover to make the coyote feel comfortable crossing the openings.

Watching for the incoming coyotes is an art in itself and sometimes they will really surprise you where they show up. When hunting alone it is often best to face downwind and have a clear field of view to the sides if the cover is fairly thick. If it is open country, facing toward the location you expect the coyotes to come from is best.

Of course, having a partner eliminates much of the guesswork because you can eyeball a lot more area. Keep in mind the advice that Socha offered, the shy ones like to circle downwind and they can be right in your lap before you know it if the cover is thick. Getting a coyote to howl before starting the calling sequence can also help you know where to look. If they howl back, you have the location pinpointed and you can guess the most likely incoming point.

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When you choose a spot to call from, give yourself some background cover to break up your outline.

Calling coyotes is not for the faint of heart. Seeing a major predator bearing down on you, coming in hard with bloodshed on his mind, is a real adrenaline rush. And when you pull the trigger and see him pile up, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you fooled him at his own game, not to mention a nice pelt to take home with you.

Expert Bottom Line Tips on Calling Coyotes:

  1. Coyotes patrol fencerows, so set a shooter up 50 to 70 yards upwind on a fence row, adjacent to woods, marsh, or thicket. The caller should set up a short ways beyond him. –Jake Socha
  2. Early in the season, the regular rabbit or fawn distress does the job. –Duane Fronek
  3. As the season progresses start with a howl before making distress calls. –Duane Fronek
  4. Later in the season when the breeding is taking off, offer a howl or two and then sit it out in silence for a half hour. –Duane Fronek
  5. A real dying rabbit doesn’t just repeat itself over and over with the same pitch and volume like you get out of electronic calls. Use a reed call and vary the pitch, volume and intensity. –Jake Socha
  6. Don’t be afraid to let out a howl here and there while you’re mimicking a dying rabbit. If you hear them howl back get ready, because 9 times out of 10 that means they’re on the way. –Jake Socha

***

About Bernie Barringer

bernie barringer 204x173Bernie Barringer hunts a variety of species in several states and Canadian provinces. He has published more than 400 articles in two dozen outdoor magazines and authored ten books on hunting, fishing and trapping. He is the managing editor of Bear Hunting Magazine, and blogs his hunts on his website www.bowhuntingroad.com.

To read more articles by Bernie Barringer, click here.

Don’t forget the best skinning knife for coyote, Havalon Piranta.

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Tales From Malarkey Cabin

Posted on February 1, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Ray Dillon

Bobby Ray and the Dancing Ground Blind

malarkey-cabin-sign-336x392Bobby Ray was a big man, a 6′ 8″ Alabaman and handy to 500 pounds. An enormous potbelly caught dribbles of tobacco juice which leaked out from between his tobacco stained teeth – amply displayed whenever he grinned, which was all the time. His sense of humor as as big as he was and he rarely got angry. Except one time.

It was deer season and Bobby Ray had booked into Malarky Cabin to hunt the great New Brunswick whitetail. He would always arrive in camp in one of those tiny Austin Minis and it was a treat for everyone to watch him pry himself from the interior of that car. It reminded me of watching that toy kids played with that swelled to enormous proportions when water was added. But it didn’t bother Bobby Ray any when all the spectators at the lodge cheered as he extricated himself from the vehicle.

One rainy windy morning in November, Bobby Ray asked me to station him in a ground blind for his hunt. I had nothing but a small pop-up blind and I had my doubts that Bobby Ray would fit inside. It was quite funny to watch Bobby Ray attempt to squeeze his huge frame in through the narrow slit of a doorway but with me bracing myself and the blind on the opposite end, he finally pushed his way through and sat down on a launcher, opening the shooting windows on the front and sides of the blind.

He had a voice that can only be described as deep and whining, and he commences to whining that the blind was very small and he didn’t like the wind making the fabric slap against the frame. When I offered to have him sit in the tree stand he declined, moaning and groaning that the blind would have to do.

I cover-scented the blind and put some deer attractant scent on scent cloths near the apple bait pile, wished Bobby Ray luck and left the area, still concerned about the vicious wind and the stinging rain, but more concerned about Bobby Ray being in that tiny blind. It’s not a fib to say I cared about Bobby Ray, but honesty compels me to say I cared mostly about the blind.

whitetail-buck-watching-bobby-ray-in-blind

There was a big buck, standing munching apples, and watching my pop-up blind stagger around in circles with two stubby legs sticking out beneath.

Later that morning I drove back to the area in heavy wind and driving rain. And as I came over the knoll, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a big buck, standing munching apples, and watching my pop-up blind stagger around in circles with two stubby legs sticking out beneath. I started laughing as soon as I saw the situation.

Bobby Ray, adorned with the blind, was staggering toward the apple pile. I stifled my laughter as he came within 30 feet of the trophy buck. Finally, all 500 pounds of Bobby Ray crashed to the ground and the big eight-point finally overcame its puzzlement, snorted, and ran off into the woods.  But the episode wasn’t over because Bobby Ray was helplessly inseparable from the ground blind.

To that day, I’d never before heard Bobby Ray say a cuss word – but the air was blue that morning. “Ray is that you?” he yelled. It took a good 20 minutes to get the pop-up frame pried away from his body, with Bobby Ray fuming and muttering and waving his rifle around while telling me how close he had been to a trophy New Brunswick whitetail. Frankly, it was hard to work any faster, doubled over with laughter. That, and I had my own safety to think about.

Bobby Ray has been back many times since, and heard the many funny stories I always tell our whitetail hunters. But when Bobby Ray is at Malarky Cabin, I never talk about the dancing blind I came upon in the deer woods. The moral of the story is “don’t take your ground blind dancing in the woods of New Brunswick.” Not if you’re a quarter-ton mountain of a man like Bobby Ray!

***

About Ray Dillon

A licensed New Brunswick hunting guide, Ray is owner and operator of Malarkey Cabin Guiding Service where he has been guiding hunters on deer, moose, bear and partridge hunts for the past 22 years. He was President of the New Brunswick Alliance of Professional Outfitters for eight years, and is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. You can contact him through his website, www.MalarkeyCabin.com.

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Hints for Successful Late Season Deer Hunting

Posted on January 29, 2013 by HavalonKnives

By Vikki Trout

Here’s how to hunt deer when they
hunker down in the late season.  

When the long-awaited rut is over, and when weather takes a drastic turn, and when plush fields offering clover and other delectables have dwindled, many of us are still deer hunting. Now what? It’s time to locate a hotspot, such as a sanctuary, which could harbor whitetails. Here are some hints that may increase your chance for success.

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By late season, big bucks find refuge even in small sanctuaries. Additionally, it provides them with cover and escape from harsh weather. (Photo courtesy of John and Vikki Trout)

1. Sanctuary ingredients – Several elements classify an area as a sanctuary. These range from honeysuckle thickets, dense briars, autumn olives, and even pine thickets. During late-season, deer need food, water and shelter. They must spend the least energy possible to get it. Survival, more so than breeding, is their focus.

The rut has taken a toll, and bucks have thinned down. In the post-rut their key focus is on replenishing their body. Many sanctuaries provide dense foliage that not only hides a buck, but also offers sustenance.

When the wind howls and the cold rain or snow falls, the whitetail must have cover to crawl into. We all know that deer move and feed just before a front, however, once the precipitation starts to fall, they have little desire to travel and, instead, seek refuge from the elements. Hunting on the fringe of the sanctuary can increase the odds for success.

2. Sanctuary size doesn’t matter – Nothing says the sanctuary has to be a minimum of 20 acres. Sometimes a sanctuary is only an acre or two. As long as the area includes the key ingredients previously mentioned, it could provide a safe domain for whitetails. Moreover, bucks can be quite comfortable in a small area that provides cover as well as visibility. They can see (or smell) predators approaching and vacate if necessary prior to being detected. Yes, that’s bad news for the hunter.

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After identifying a sanctuary, it is critical that it remains undisturbed. Always avoid penetrating the area and hunt only the fringe. (Photo courtesy of John and Vikki Trout)

3. Sanctuary game plan – Sanctuary hunting can produce a late-season deer, providing the hunter follow certain rules. My husband John and I have hunted sanctuaries for many years and have savored success. However, we follow certain self-imposed regulations. This may sound extreme, but it has produced some dandy bucks over the years. With that said, here are some of our strategies that may help you tag a “sanctuary buck.”

A)  Avoid penetration – After identifying the sanctuary you want to hunt, be careful to keep the area undisturbed. Sanctuaries are different from hunting food sources and active trails. Once a deer detects problems in the sanctuary, it will look for another safe haven and may not return during the late hunting season.

Avoid temptation to scout inside the sanctuary. Nothing disturbs a whitetail more than a predator lurking inside their safety zone. After identifying the sanctuary, search for sign along the fringe. Locating fresh sign such as deer droppings, fresh tracks or late-season rubs lets you know that deer are using the sanctuary. A stand placed at the intersecting edge of the sanctuary and a travel corridor often proves beneficial.

Penetrating the sanctuary and placing a blind in its midst can spell disaster. Sanctuaries such as pine thickets may seem a likely place to quietly enter and remain undetected. Don’t fall for that myth! Whitetails using pine thickets for their comfort zone can easily detect the presence of danger – either visually or through their incredibly sensitive olfactory sense. Even if the sanctuary includes several acres, it is often best to hunt only the fringe.

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The deer was on a well-traveled corridor, heading directly towards the refuge.
(Photo courtesy of John and Vikki Trout)

B) Don’t overdo it – Avoid over-clearing your area. Although sanctuaries are typically thick and brushy, too much clearing will alert the deer that something or someone has infringed upon their environment. That will spell trouble for the hunter. It is better to open small shooting lanes because they are less noticeable than to clear for every possible shot opportunity.

In an effort to clear only what is necessary, John and I use the buddy system. One of us gets in the blind and points out particular limbs for the other person to prune.

C)  Have several stand sites – Deer hunters fully realize the importance of hunting with the wind in their favor. However, when hunting a sanctuary, it is even more important to hunt wisely because human scent blowing into a sanctuary may cause the deer to vacate the premises permanently.

I recall a particular hunt when wind direction was favorable to hunt our sanctuary. As time passed and the wind began switching, a dandy buck heading my way scented me. To this day, I have not laid eyes on that deer. Since that time, if I am hunting a sanctuary and the wind becomes variable, I will leave that location and move somewhere else.

Having several ambush locations around the sanctuary is a plus. Obviously, it will give you opportunity to choose a stand where the wind is favorable. If one place does not work, another one may.

Deer hunting in one location time-after-time can set you up for detection. Setting up several different stands also benefits you by keeping you on the move. If you remain mobile, there is a better chance that a late-season sanctuary will produce the buck of your dreams!

***

vikki-trout-hunter-outdoor-writer-160x160

About Vikki Trout

Vikki Trout is a full-time freelance writer and photographer from southern Indiana. She loves hunting turkey, deer, bear, and small game. When she’s not hunting, she loves capturing wildlife thru the lens of her camera. Please visit her website at www.troutswildoutdoors.com.

To read more articles by Vikki Trout, click here.

Click here for the best deer skinning knife.

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Book Review by Steve Sorensen

Posted on January 24, 2013 by HavalonKnives
From time to time, the Havalon Sportsman’s Post reviews
books and products we’re sure you’ll benefit from.
 
 

Taking Pressured Trophy Whitetails

by William Vale; Self-published, 2010, 500 pages

One of the best bargains anywhere in the literature of deer hunting.

pressured-whitetails-book-by-william-vale-299x448It’s not an exaggeration to say you won’t find a more ambitious book by an everyday deer hunter – or one that’s more comprehensive.

Bill Vale is a consummate whitetail enthusiast. But before going further, you should know what “enthusiast” really means. The prefix “en” is in; “thus” comes from the Greek “theos” or God. So “enthusiasm” means “God in it”.

In other words this enthusiast is more than a mere whitetail cheerleader. I mention that only to say that Bill Vale is truly God-inspired. He happens to be a pastor who sees the world and the whitetails in it as gifts from God, and unraveling the mysteries of this majestic creature is a passion-filled joy for him.

He has studied whitetails like few non-professionals have. He has done it where the human population is high and the deer are heavily pressured in urban and farmland settings. And despite that, he regularly produces big whitetails for his wall. You can, too, because when you compare your own observations with his conclusions, you’ll start seeing whitetails the way he sees them.

Vale’s book is a big read for anyone – 500 pages and 29 chapters. That’s too much to approach it as a cover-to-cover effort. Get a feel for Vale’s approach in the first two chapters, then jump in anywhere for solid information on deer scents, hunting by the moon, the science of beds, letting the woods speak to you, reading terrain and more.

Here and there you’ll notice minor editorial mistakes that are typical of self-published books, but don’t judge the content of the book by that. His chapter on playing the wind is his second longest chapter, so you know he’s saying much more than “keep the wind in your favor.” In fact, that chapter could be expanded into a book by itself. And his chapter on “The Faint Scent Illusion” covers a topic often overlooked.

You might think $35.00 plus $5.00 shipping is a high price tag. Just the opposite is true. Most books cover only a fraction of what Vale covers, and if he had divided the content up into three or four $20.00 books, you’d be paying 50% more. On top of that, the book is loaded with photos and diagrams (85 of them, including hair and anatomy charts) that visually explain everything he says. Look at it that way, and it’s one of the best bargains anywhere in the literature of deer hunting.

Go to Bill Vale’s website, www.PressuredDeer.com, for more information (including a 3-month hunting calendar field-tested for over 25 years). I’m betting while you’re there you’ll order his book, and make it your #1 go-to reference for deer hunting.

***

steve-sorensen-head-shot-198x297About Steve Sorensen

Outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen writes an award-winning newspaper column called “The Everyday Hunter®,” and he is the editor of the Havalon Sportsman’s Post. He has also published articles in Deer & Deer Hunting, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, and follow him at www.EverydayHunter.com.

 

 

For more articles by Steve Sorense, click here.

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