Thursday 13 December 2018

Grouse "Butter Chicken"


Grouse "Butter Chicken" is one of my favourite camp meals.   It is easy, the ingredients travel well, and it is a great way to lift the spirits when people are getting discouraged. 

Every time I have gone after grouse, it has been as a side hunt while moose or elk hunting.  Hunting any quarry can become discouraging, especially when you have taken time off work, lucked out with an LEH draw, but can't seem to find sign or the promise of eventual success.  Taking a break with some grouse hunting is instantly rewarding and seems to reset ones enthusiasm.

Everyone goes after grouse in their own way, and to purists, my method may seem unorthodox.  I hunt with a .22LR, specifically, a Ruger 10/22.  I only go for head shots, whether they are on the ground or in the tree.  I've heard that some people believe it is unsporting to shoot grouse which are not flying, but these purists are using shotguns with bird shot.  I prefer to get the grouse where I see them on the ground, before they flush, or if they do take flight, I follow their trajectory into the trees and try to find them again when they are sitting on a branch.




With a little practice, I would say I am 75% successful in finding grouse again once they have flushed and flown into the forest.  They usually only fly a short way, land about half way up the tree, and if you look up and down the trunks, you can usually find them sitting still, trying to be invisible, near the trunk of the tree.  This method works for me and I have come close to limiting out on several occasions in a couple of hours. 

The other nice thing about grouse "butter chicken" or any other curry dish is that it has a way of masking any of the gamy flavours from older grouse, or grouse some people dislike such as Spruce Grouse.  No question, I prefer Ruffed Grouse, as milder and tastier, but it is equally enjoyable to pursue all types of grouse, and this is a good recipe that makes them all work well.

Ingredients:

4 to 10 grouse
1 can of curry, butter chicken, korma, whatever Indian sauce
1 can of coconut milk
Oil or margarine 
1 Onion
Garlic (optional)
Rice or Potatoes

 1) Cube the grouse breasts into 1" cubes.  Make sure they are clean and all approximately the same size cubes.  Notice the colour of the above photo.  The dark coloured meat is from Spruce Grouse and the lighter coloured meat is from Ruffed Grouse.

 2)  On high heat and with a few tablespoons of oil, saute the diced onion until translucent and starting to brown.  Add garlic to taste if available. 

 3) Add the cubed grouse and brown.

4) Add the curry/butter chicken/korma sauce and coconut milk.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

5) Serve over rice or potatoes.

One of the cool things about this dish is that you get to taste many different grouse.  Each bite is different.  A few friends have remarked that it has changed their opinion of Spruce Grouse and their flavour when served like this.  You'll notice the difference between species, but it will be interesting rather than overwhelming. 

Enjoy!!

Monday 10 December 2018

Commemorating a Hunt: Antler Mounts

Every hunt that I have been on has a story.  I come back with many great memories and valuable lessons about nature, animals, and myself. 

The real trophy is always the experience of the hunt itself.  Any meat that I come back with is fantastic bonus. 


I like to commemorate the animals which I have hunted with a mount so that every time I look at their unique antlers I can reminisce about the experience and meals.  These antlers hold a place of honour in my home and give me a great appreciation of the importance of these animals and conservation of their habitat.

Here is how I like to commemorate my antlers.
 Once I get home from the hunt I usually have either the whole head or the skull cap.

I use a bone saw to cut the cap off from behind the ears, down to the eye sockets, and from the bridge of the nose to the eye sockets.  It is best to cut it level so that it is easy to mount at this stage.

As a side note, I have used fiber glass to reassemble a skull which was broken when I had to use a second shot to make sure my moose stayed down.

 Next, I boil the skull cap until the flesh peels off easily,  usually about an hour or two.  I do this outside on the BBQ to make sure the smell is minimized.

 Then I pick off the flesh with a knife and screw driver and then let the skull dry out. I apply 2 coats of semigloss varnish to the antlers to preserve the colour. Once I am sure the skull is cut at the right angle and it is sitting nicely against the wall, I trace and cut out a 1/2 inch backing board out of plywood and screw the skull cap to it.  This allows the skull cap to be upholstered.

I buy a hobby board from Michael's or Amazon and then stain it to the colour I like.


 I use glossy varnish to protect the plaque.

 I use upholdery foam and cut an oversize block. 



I use a stapler to start upholstering the skull cap as shown in the photos.



Cut the foam around the antlers






 Pull tightly and upholster the whole skull cap.




 Cut off the excess.


 Pick fabric and decorative rope.  I usually go to Fabricland.


 Upholster the antlers with the fabric.

 I use zip ties to gather the fabric around the antlers and then cut off the excess.


 I hide the seam on the side using decorative rope.  I try to make the seam end up where you naturally won't see it very much on the sides.

I use a glue gun to attach the rope and hide the seam and zip ties.
 


The last step is to screw the antlers to the board and hang it in your house.




Sunday 4 November 2018

The Guardian: Five countries hold 70% of world's last wildernesses, map reveals

Saturday 3 November 2018

2018 Elk Preview

I started working towards this success over two years ago.  The first taste of my first elk was delicious! Elk is every bit as good as I had heard.


Chasing Food, Woodland Caribou By Jenny Ly

Check out this fantastic story about a fly in caribou hunt by Jenny Ly of Chasing Food Club! Captivating and well written. Well done Jenny!

https://journalofmountainhunting.com/chasing-food-woodland-caribou-by-jenny-ly/?fbclid=IwAR2nRbu310kHiqwGi0aknP-BmUDHm3Bbw07t1JR9FtTikSobkt7fhMOo8fg