Hog Hunting: Easy to Plan and Lots of Fun

Posted on April 29, 2012 by HavalonKnives

By Tracy Breen

Hog hunting is a great hunt you can go
on when other hunting seasons aren’t open.

Hog Hunting: Easy to Plan and Lots of Fun By Tracy Breen Image 1

Tracy Breen brings home the bacon.

Wild hogs are a blue-collar hunt if there ever was one, and a species that should be on the bucket-list of every hunter who’s a working-man. If you need a reason, what better than they’re a fun challenge? But they’re not much of a challenge to your budget – you can kill a pickup truck bed full of hogs in a few days and still keep some of your money in the bank.

If you’re interested in hunting hogs, the first question is do you want to travel, or hunt them near home? Typically you don’t have to travel far if you want to hunt hogs. Hunting operations across the country will allow you to enter a high fence and shoot a Russian Boar. The problem with many of these operations is they are on small parcels of land so it isn’t much of a hunt and you get to kill only one hog. A great alternative is hog heaven, better known as Texas.

Texas is overrun with hogs. You can hunt them inside high fences, low fences, on public land, or knock on doors until you find a rancher that will let you hunt. Whatever method you employ, one thing is guaranteed: you’ll have a lot of fun.

The nice thing about hog hunting is you can hunt them a variety of ways. A few years ago, I hunted at the Dos Plumas Hunting Ranch (Dos Plumas is Spanish for “Two Feathers”). It is a big high-fence operation and the piggies at this Texas ranch are extremely wild. I hunted them with a bow; I shot a few over a feeder and spent an entire day stalking. Sneaking up on a herd of pigs is like trying to open a cookie jar with a bell on the lid and not get caught. It’s tough, but fun.

If you decide to hunt hogs in Texas, plan to pay a few hundred dollars per day to hunt. For that price, many places will provide room and board and one pig per day. That isn’t a bad price for an out-of-state hunt. If you enjoy bowhunting, one of the nicest things about chasing hogs is that if you miss, it isn’t like blowing a once in a lifetime opportunity. Chances are you will get another shot that day and possibly several!

Hog Hunting: Easy to Plan and Lots of Fun By Tracy Breen Image 2

The Rage broadhead passed its test on Texas hogs.

Hog hunting is a great hunt you can go on when other hunting seasons aren’t open. Nothing beats practicing on live animals, and you can test a lot of new gear. Hogs are tough so if there is a new mechanical broadhead you have your eye on or a new release aid, bow or arrow you want to break in, a hog hunt is a great way to find out if it is built strong enough…

You may think hog hunting inside a high fence, or anywhere for that matter, is a piece of cake. Hogs are tough and smart and use the wind like a whitetail. So, just because you’re inside a fence doesn’t mean your hunt will be a gimme. Hogs have an extremely small vital area and are known for disappearing into the thick brush after the shot, never to be seen again. Get plenty of shooting practice before you go hunting.

If you’re looking for adventure, don’t have much money to spend, and would like a freezer full of pork loin, go on a pig hunt. You will be so glad you did that you’ll want to do it again.

Sidebar:

Hog Hunting: Easy to Plan and Lots of Fun By Tracy Breen Image 3

Dos Plumas produces happy hog hunters.

If you want to hunt with an outfitter, choosing one can be a daunting task. Plan your hunt a year in advance if you can. That will give you time to call several ranches and ask questions. If you don’t mind the heat, go to Texas in the summer. Many ranches offer deals in the summer because it is the slow time. Dos Plumas, where I hunted, offers summer discounts. Ready to use the sharpest knife for hunting hogs?

Tracy Breen outdoor writer and consultant.About Tracy Breen: Tracy is a full-time outdoor writer and consultant in the outdoor industry. He works with a variety of television shows and outdoor brands including the MeatEater and Havalon Knives. Learn more at www.tracybreen.com.


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Turkey Recipes – How to Cook Wild Turkey

Posted on April 28, 2012 by HavalonKnives

Dr. Pepper For Your Wild Turkey?

Use This Recipe From The Doctor For Great Tasting Turkey

By John Jameson

Wild turkeys can have a tougher texture than store bought, thicker muscles and less fat than traditional store-bought turkeys. Along with proper field dressing of your game and good meat handling after hunting, hunters can use different wild turkey breast recipes before and during cooking to create a great tasting meal from a fresh kill.

Roasting a few strips of bacon over your bird is a favorite technique of our CEO for cooking wild turkey.

Roasting a few strips of bacon over your bird is one of our CEO

Simple recipes that require few ingredients, short prep time and watchful cook time typically work best when handling a wild turkey. The easiest and simplest way to create a great-tasting meal and leftovers from your wild turkey breasts is to baste or marinate them in a mixture of fresh olive oil, rosemary and garlic and bake in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 165-degrees Fahrenheit. If you elect to baste, be sure to check your turkey breasts every 10 minutes and re-baste the breasts. Because wild turkey has far less fat than a traditional store bought turkey and has also not been treated with preservatives and liquid fillers, it will dry out quicker during cook time. You need to pay a little special attention to your bird throughout the entire process.

For those hunters who love to toss their latest kill on the grill, one of the best wild turkey breast recipes that will ensure great taste and keep the meat from drying out on the grill is this simple overnight marinade using Dr. Pepper:

Simply mix:
  • one – 12oz can of Dr. Pepper with coarsely grated black peppercorns
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of lemon juice

Unlike traditional marinades utilizing the popular soda, this recipe suggests fewer ingredients, making it easy to substitute lime juice for lemon juice or teriyaki sauce for soy sauce, without negatively affecting your bird or the flavor of your meal. The addition of shaved almonds can also substantially enhance the flavor of your turkey breasts and will help keep the meat moist on the grill. This recipe can also be used in the oven.

Don’t forget, your Havalon knife is not only the
sharpest hunting knife in the woods, it can also be
the sharpest cooking knife in your kitchen!

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Turkey Recipes – 7 Tips For Cooking Wild Turkey

Posted on April 26, 2012 by HavalonKnives

What To Do After Field Dressing Your Turkey

By John Jameson

Cooking Wild Turkey in BrineHarvesting a wild turkey is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have after heading out on the hunt. And once you’ve mastered the art of field dressing your bird and transporting it (or its most succulent parts), to the final destination in your kitchen, the only thing you have left to worry about is cooking your wild turkey.

1. One of the most common problems unseasoned turkey hunters run into when cooking wild turkey is that the bird comes out dry. There’s nothing wrong with the bird or the cooking method. A tender bird is ensured only through proper preparation, no matter what method of cooking—deep-frying, brining, grilling, roasting, etc.—is employed.

2. Pluck or skin the bird as soon as possible. If you’re plucking and can’t complete the task right away, make sure you have a way to boil water to 140°. Plucking and skinning ahead of time ensures that the feathers don’t cool into the skin and make it tough.

3. Properly field dressing your turkey is crucial. Unless you live less than an hour from where you are hunting, you should bring along the sharpest hunting knife in the woods and field dress your bird while out on the hunt. This will eliminate acids from building up inside your kill, which can make the final product less appetizing. If you are only taking the breast meat and thighs, you can use the gutless field dressing method. Pack a few gallon size freezer bags and some paper towels just in case you need to do your work in the field.

4. Your wild turkey is not the same as a store-bought turkey. A store-bought turkey has been soaked in juices and injected with plumping preservatives to keep it juicy. Wild turkeys are very lean. Therefore they need to be basted at least twice as often, if not three times as often, as a store-bought bird.

5. You can also utilize the beer-can method by putting a full opened can of beer inside your turkey for roasting. With this method you stand the open beer can upright and you position the bird over the top of the can. The beer steam then helps moisten the bird during roasting. Look up detailed directions on this method on the web. There are different variations so just choose one that appeals to you.

6. Deep-frying your wild turkey is probably the best method for a truly juicy bird. Use a deep-fryer when cooking wild turkey this way. The fat from your turkey will mix in with the oils from the fryer and the pairing will moisten the bird as it cooks. A 20-lb. turkey fries for approximately 60 to 75 minutes at 350°.

7. If you aren’t deep-frying your wild turkey, then brining overnight is highly recommended. You can brine the whole bird, or parts. Use a solution of 1 cup of salt and
1 cup of sugar to each gallon of water. That’s all you really need for a successful brine, but it’s a good idea to add flavoring items like a chopped onion, cut up lemons, rosemary, bay leaves, white wine and so forth. But don’t skip the salt because that is the “active” ingredient that helps seal in moisture. For a Wild Turkey Brine recipe from the National Wild Turkey Federation, click here: www.nwtf.org.

Ready to buy the sharpest hunting knife in the woods? Click Here.

What are your tips for great tasting wild turkey?
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How to Choose Your Turkey Calls (Part 2 of 2)
by Steve Sorensen

Posted on April 24, 2012 by HavalonKnives

Using Common Sense When Choosing Calls Will Pay Off When It’s Time To Switch Calls

After understanding what rules to use when choosing calls, and the reasons to switch calls, let’s get specific. What calls should you carry?

Box Calls:
Start with a box call. Box calls come in many styles and designs. Some might be easier to run. Some might be louder or softer. Some might be more durable. Box calls are great on windy days, and whenever you want to call aggressively. They reach out with lots of volume, but you can tone them down, too. Always carry at least one box call.

How to Choose Your Turkey Calls Part 2 by Steve Sorensen - Image 1

In thick morning fog, Matt Stephenson called in a hen with his
"Roll Call" and this tom followed, gobbling all the way.

If you carry a second box call, make sure it has a tone clearly distinct from the first – otherwise there’s little reason to carry two. Different types of wood, or thicker sideboards, or more length all contribute to a different sound.

Pot Calls:
What about pot calls, also called pan calls? Their popularity has risen dramatically in the last 15 years. Lots of people make them, and many are deadly effective. Originally the working surface on these calls were slate, but now they’re made from a variety of materials including ceramic, aluminum, copper, glass, plastic, and other new polymers.

Some have multiple surfaces – check out the Tripletone Flipsider from Woods Wise Calls (www.woodswise.com). On one side it has a crystal or glass surface. On the other it has two surfaces – copper and a ceramic-like material but lighter, and needs no care and maintenance. With one call, you have three distinct tones.

Another option for making different sounds on your pot calls is to test different strikers. Hunters Specialties (www.hunterspec.com) offers a three-pack of strikers made from different materials, so you can test different combinations of surfaces and strikers.

Diaphragm Calls:
Then, the mouth calls, or diaphragms. These offer several advantages – the big one is you can call without movement. Another plus is that they’re comparatively inexpensive. However, since you can’t try them out in a store, you can end up spending anywhere from $4 to $10 a pop to find the ones you like. Experimenting with diaphragm calls can run your tab up fast.

How to Choose Your Turkey Calls Part 2 by Steve Sorensen - Image 2

The new Haint gobble call from Down-N-Dirty Outdoors is amazingly realistic.

Diaphragm calls come in a variety of configurations. Makers use latex reeds in varying thicknesses and with multiple layers. They also put various cuts and notches in them to create different tones. Other variables come into play, too. The variable no one talks about is the shape of your own mouth. What your buddy likes might sound completely different coming from your mouth.

Whatever calls you carry, make sure they give clearly different tones not just between calls of the same basic design, but between box calls and diaphragms, diaphragms and pot calls, pot calls and box calls.

Those three basic styles don’t cover all the calls you might need in the turkey woods. You might want to supplement your basic calls with an unconventional style. Check out “The Roll Call” (www.outoftheboxgamecalls.com), by a callmaker named Matt Stephenson. It features a rolled surface made from brass. It operates similar to a pot call. It’s directional, and it works when wet. It’s always a good idea to carry at least one call that works wet.

Locator Calls:
Then there are locator calls. The old tried and true crow call can make a gobbler speak up when nothing else can. The barred owl call is an effective locator call at roost time or in the morning. Learn to make these calls with your voice, and you’ll travel lighter.

Other sounds can be effective locator calls, too. Peacock screams and coyote howls can scare up a gobble. So can the shrill notes of a pileated woodpecker. And of course, the slamming of a car door, or the squeaking of a fence gate. No one makes a call with those sounds yet. Maybe next year.

One more call is worth mentioning – the gobble call. Pull this out when you need to make a gobbler jealous, and when you’re certain no hunters will sneak in on you. Most are some kind of shaker tube with a diaphragm inside that vibrates from the irregular flow of air across it. This year, you can add a realistic new gobble call to your arsenal – the Haint Call from Down-N-Dirty Outdoors (www.downndirtyoutdoors.com). It sets a new standard for gobble calls, and you’re gonna wonder if a real gobbler is hiding inside.

***

About Steve Sorensen

Steve Sorensen, Outdoor WriterAward-winning outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen loves the Havalon knife, and has been a fan of knives since he begged his dad for a hunting knife when he was six years old. His articles have been published in Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, and follow his writing on his website, www.EverydayHunter.com.

Click HERE to read more articles by Steve.

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by Steve Sorensen

How To Field Dress Your Turkey

Posted on April 22, 2012 by HavalonKnives

7 Easy Steps To Field Dressing Your Turkey

By John Jameson

With the increasing number of wild turkeys in the woods, turkey hunting is becoming as popular a sport as deer and elk hunting. If you’re hunting with the intention of cooking the whole bird, you must learn how to field dress a turkey. On the other hand, if you are hunting for sport and want a trophy, you should avoid field dressing your turkey as it will make mounting an impossibility. For mounting, just take the turkey to a taxidermist without any field dressing at all.

How To Field Dress Your Turkey - by John JamesonOn the hunt, there are two main reasons you should field dress your turkey before arriving home. The first is if you are far from home and will be unable to do a full cleaning within a short period of time. The second reason is if the day is extremely hot. You don’t want the meat to spoil before you can field dress it.

Here’s how to make a clean, quick cut for traditional field dressing.

1. Lay the turkey down on its back.
2. Remove some of the breast feathers over the breastplate as this will make it easier to complete step number three.
3. Run your index finger down the breastplate until you locate the bottom of the breastplate.
4. Using a sharp knife, (uh, can you say “Havalon,” sharpest hunting knife in the woods) slice the bird from the bottom of the breastplate down to the anal vent, which is located in a narrow passage between the bird’s legs.
5. Extract the most easily removed entrails like the intestines, kidneys, liver, etc.
6. Again using a knife, remove the heart, lungs and windpipe.
7. Fill the body cavity with ice to keep your bird cool and fresh until you can transport it to your final destination.

How To Field Dress Your Turkey - by John JamesonThose hunters who prefer to take only pieces, such as the breasts and legs, should understand how to field dress a turkey with these modifications. For the breasts, cut through the skin on the breast and slice along the edges of the breasts for easy removal. To remove legs and thighs, use your Havalon knife to cut through the thigh muscle, while pulling up on the leg and thigh until the joint pops and the portion comes loose.

Depending on how you intend to cook the turkey, the way you remove the feathers will be affected as well.

• To create the best results for roasting, smoking and deep-frying, hunters should pluck the feathers and leave the skin intact.
• To create the best results for pan frying or grilling, hunters should opt to completely skin the bird.

Next post: Tips on Cooking Your Wild Turkey


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