Are you new to hunting? Why?

garybusey said:
ok now im interested. how does one go about trying some of the "good stuff" if they have never hunted and do not have close friends that hunt? I'd rather not waste money getting into hunting then finding out I diislike how the majority of game tastes.
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Go to a specialty meat store and buy some. They usually have elk, and maybe some fallow deer. It is farmed, of course, so it will not be "the genuine article". Go for the elk if they have it. As lean as possible.

Cook it rare. Medium rare at the most. That's one thing to keep in mind about any of this uber-lean meat. Over-cook it and it sucks. So if you are one of these people who doesn't like a bloody steak, don't bother.

If you end up liking that, then there's a fairly good chance you'll like most game, especially moose. Mule deer can have a slight muskiness to it (esp. if it is a fully rutty buck) but it is not any stronger than lamb, for example.

P.S. Tempranillo is the best wine to go with it, IMO. There will be a good selection in the in the "Spain" rack.
 
sheephunter said:
I'm not new but I do come from a non-hunting family who had no hunting friends but ever since I can remember all I wanted to do was hunt. For me, reading the greats like O'Connor was all the fodder I needed to keep the dream alive until I was old enough to go on my own. I like to say I was born a hunter and there was nothing anyone could do to prevent the inevitable. I hunt for the hunt....the meat, trophy, etc are all a bonus.
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"The hunt" is the second factor for me. Meat comes first. That's only because I love the meat so much, that's all I can think about during "the hunt". I hunt hungry for this reason. It makes "the hunt" even better. :)
 
ironsighter said:
Go to a specialty meat store and buy some. They usually have elk, and maybe some fallow deer. It is farmed, of course, so it will not be "the genuine article". Go for the elk if they have it. As lean as possible.

Cook it rare. Medium rare at the most. That's one thing to keep in mind about any of this uber-lean meat. Over-cook it and it sucks. So if you are one of these people who doesn't like a bloody steak, don't bother.

If you end up liking that, then there's a fairly good chance you'll like most game, especially moose. Mule deer can have a slight muskiness to it (esp. if it is a fully rutty buck) but it is not any stronger than lamb, for example.

P.S. Tempranillo is the best wine to go with it, IMO. There will be a good selection in the in the "Spain" rack.
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medium rare is my fav for beef. do you have some recipes as well? any seasonings?
 
ironsighter said:
"The hunt" is the second factor for me. Meat comes first. That's only because I love the meat so much, that's all I can think about during "the hunt". I hunt hungry for this reason. It makes "the hunt" even better. :)
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That's the great thing about hunting, everyone takes something unique away from it and each reason for hunting is as valid as the next, albeit different. Truthfully, I would hunt even if I had to give all the meat and horns and hides away......just to have hunted. With that said, I do love the meat and it makes up the bulk of our protein intake in this household. Ruark's Horn of the Hunter is a good read for new or want to be hunters as it delves into the horn we hear that calls us to hunt.
 
I started three years ago. I liked guns and military history but didnt really think about owning guns. My family had an old 22 for blinking and that's about it. Ny brother motivated me to get our licences and I've been hooked since. My motivation fo r hunting is learning survival / self-reliance skills. Butchering, tracking, etc
 
garybusey said:
medium rare is my fav for beef. do you have some recipes as well? any seasonings?
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For steak, keep it simple. I put freshly ground pepper, sea salt and some garlic powder and I rub it in. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes while the grille heats up. Sear it well on each side and then let it cook till "how you like it".

We often have it blue. Literally a minute to 90 seconds per side.

I should clarify something I said earlier about "eat it rare or forget it". That's not true. We put it in all kinds of soups, stews, currys, etc. and it is almost always cooked for many hours for those recipes. It never disappoints!

So, really, it needs to be cooked rare/medium-rare, or for a very long time. "Well-done" steaks and roasts will invariably be like eating boots.

My "Sunday Roast" goes like this:

Start the oven heating to 350.

Rub the roast with sea salt and pepper and sear it in a hot cast iron skillet with oil. Set it in the roaster on a rack.

Chop up a bunch of garlic, mushrooms and onion, plus a bunch of root veggies like carrots, potatos, parsnips...

Mix the root veggies in a bowl with some herbs (fresh oregano is my favourite), plenty of olive oil, and salt and pepper.

In the pan that you seared the roast in, throw in a nice chunk of butter and start frying the onions, garlic and mushrooms till everything starts to get tender. Right as the carmelization kicks in, dump 400-500ml of red wine and some crushed rosemary.

Reduce the red wine by about half (the smell in your kitchen at this point will make you feel high). Thicken it with flour till it is like very thick gravy.

Now, pour the root veggie mix into the roaster all around the roast, then spoon the mushroom/wine reduction on top of the roast (doesn't matter if some runs down onto the veggies) and stick it in the oven until the inside temp hits 145 (I use a probe that beeps when it is done).

Remove it from the oven and try to keep as much of the reduction/sauce on the roast. Put the veggies in a serving bowl while and back in the oven (off) while the roast rests for 10 minutes.

Slice the roast and serve it with the veggies. People will be begging for more sauce. Keep their glasses full of wine!

I've got lots more recipes, many for snowshoe hare, which we also love and eat a lot of around here!

This will blow anyone's mind. Works equally well with moose or deer.
 
Tonight we are having marinated Spruce Grouse breasts and julienne carrots with apple. I just make this stuff up as I go along... :)
 
Not a noob here what so ever. I grew up hunting. Watching my father shoot a partridge was one of my first memories. I think I was 3ish. Loved it. Anyway, I have an older brother and he grew up doing the same thing but now doesn't really have any interest in hunting. Where as I on the other hand want to be out there as much as possible. I think Sheephunter has it right when he said it's something you're born with. Some discover it while their young and others start later in life but the passion for the outdoors and hunting has to be something that's in you from the get go. At least that's my take on it.
 
No family traditions when it comes to hunting or shooting, but I'm really hoping that I'll get a chance to look for grouse or rabbit on some crown land before winter. I'm also really looking forward to turkey hunting, but I'll go for small game first to gain some experience :)
 
My family never hunted and I'm not exactly close with most of them. I'm still young - 20 - but I really want to start a traditional and close knit family with value (later down the road). Like others have mentioned, since I know no one that hunts I have had to learn everything on my own. My dad has the same idea as me and likes the traditional style family and he picked it up with me as well. Anyways, we are in the peel region and I would appreciate any advice or a possible teacher, so to speak
 
I came from a non-gun family.
Still haven't hunted, fairly new to guns. However, now that i have guns & enjoy them why not shoot something myself and try it for food?
I'll try hunting in a year or two after I've read up on what I need to know to do it safely.

Honestly, getting shot by another hunter concerns me. Years of non-gun ownership and laughing at reports of hunters shooting themselves or their buddies has me slightly concerned. :) Not looking for an invite from #### Chaney either!
 
You are far more likely to get killed in a vehicle accident driving to your hunting spot. Hunting related shootings are very rare but definitely sensationalized by the media.
 
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