Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners Review

By Andrea Haas

One of the most rewarding parts of harvesting an animal is feeding yourself and your family, so you want to make sure you enjoy eating your wild game and reap the full benefits of your harvest. Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners has dinner kits available for the game or fish that you harvested yourself or for the meat you buy from the grocery store, and it's simple and easy to make. All you have to do is provide the meat and a few ingredients, and Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners provides the rest!

I recently tried the dinner kit called "Seared Venison with Red Wine Chocolate Sauce and Wild Rice with Cranberries" and to say it was delicious is an understatement! This kit is available on the Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners website for only $13!

Below are my results:

What's Included: 

-There are pre-measured packets of seasonings, each labeled with a number
-Olive Oil
-Step-by-step instructions that break down what "number" of seasonings to add and when
-Parchment Paper Bag 
-Wild Rice w/Cranberries for the side dish
-A shopping list describing what you'll need to purchase (see below)
 


What You'll Need:

 
-12 oz. Venison, Filet Mignon or Rib Eye Steak. (I used Filet Mignon from a doe that I
harvested this rifle season.)
-2 oz. Pancetta or American bacon (I left this out since the Filet Mignon is wrapped in bacon) 
-1 stick or 4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
-14.5 oz of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
-1 bottle of fine Red Wine - Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir

How to Prepare: 

-Included in the dinner kit is step-by-step instructions on how to prepare both the side of Wild Rice with Cranberries and your venison.

Step 1 - Prep Meat

Step 2 - Prepare Wild Rice (Stove Top)

Step 3 - Sear Meat

 

Step 4 - Place Steak in Parchment To Cook

Step 5 -  Prepare Sauce

Step 6 - Add cup of broth to the (Additional Instructions included on kit)

Step 7 - Remove Steak From Oven and Serve

  

Additional Info

-Serves 2

-Each dish takes 30-40 minutes
-A unique side dish is included in all dinner kits
-The dinners are health conscious: high in fiber, low fat & low sodium.
-Preservative free
   

My Overall Impression

My husband and I both LOVED this dinner kit! I used chicken broth to cook the rice in instead of water, but I feel it would be great either way. The rice had a bit of a nutty flavor and the cranberries complimented the rice perfectly! This meal kit would be perfect for a wild game Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

If you're a picky eater, don't let the words "chocolate sauce" scare you. I don't feel it had a strong chocolate flavor, just a hint of the cocoa powder that was included, which complimented the red wine. Trust me, it has an amazing flavor that I'm sure even finicky eaters would love.

It didn't take me long to make this and it really was simple, thanks to the easy to follow instructions and the pre-measured ingredients. The cost of the other ingredients you'll have to purchase is minimal and they may actually be something you keep on hand in your pantry or fridge anyways. 

If you're looking for a new way to prepare your venison, I highly recommend you trying this dinner kit from Hunter Gatherer Game Dinners. Also, make sure you check out their other dinner kits, including "Cedar Plank Game Hen with Porcini Quinoa", "Cedar Plank Salmon with Moroccan Couscous and Sultanas and "Cedar Plank Pork with Farro Risotto" just to name a few! 

For more information please visit their website: http://huntergatherergamedinners.com

Frog Gigging: How To and Recipe

By Team member Courtney Schnitzler

I remember spending my summer evenings as a child walking around the pond with a dollar store flashlight, a gig, and my buddy Molly.

When I visited my hometown on college breaks, I found myself doing the exact same thing at night.

Now that I’m married and living in a new town, I ask locals where good gigging spots are. They either A) look at me like I’m a crazy person because they’ve never considered doing that, or B) they tell me how long it’s been since they’ve gigged and say they wouldn’t have a clue where to go. Why is frog gigging becoming a lost art?

What frogs?

Bull frogs. Big ones! 

Where to gig?

Frogs like mud, tall grass and still, murky water. If you want to find big bull frogs, look near ponds or lakes surrounded by grass. If you scare them, they’ll jump into the water and bury themselves in the mud a few feet from where they just sat. If there are rocks along the shallow edges of the pond or lake, they won’t have any mud to jump in, so you probably won’t find them in rocky water.

How to gig? 

All you need is a flashlight and a long pole with a pronged end; however, this is something you really want a friend with you for. Typically, one person holds the flashlight and collects frogs while one does the gigging. Make sure your light is really bright, and can be focused in on a small zone. Shine the flashlight along the edge of the water/surrounding dirt ahead of you about 10 yards until you see a little yellowish-green reflective glow. Frogs eyes reflect light like other animals do. Once you’ve caught the glow in your flashlight, try to keep it as you walk quietly towards the frog. Extend the gig towards the frog, without breaking the beam of light (with yourself or the gig) and quickly stab it in the main body or head (you don’t want to mess up the leg meat). 

Cleaning the frog

Frogs have tough skin but really loose bodies so it’s easiest to use scissors to cut right above the hips. Now, grab the skin at the hips with some pliers and the hip bone with your other hand and peel the skin down the legs, much like skinny jeans. Lastly, cut the feet off right above the webbed portion. 

My favorite recipe: 

I like to separate the legs, so they are easier to handle in the pan. I soak them in buttermilk or eggs while my oil is heating up, then I drop them into a powder mixture of: flour, corn meal, pepper, salt, garlic, and onion powder. If you want more of a Cajun style taste, add in some cayenne and paprika. I use just enough seasoning so I can smell it in my dry mix.

After I drop my frog legs into the dry mix, I set them on a plate for a few minutes to give the mix time to stick on good. I like to roll them in the dry mix one more time, in hopes of getting a little more mix to stick (because I love the crispy coating).

Fry until golden brown, drain on a paper towel, and enjoy!

Preparing For An Out Of State Hunt

By Sarah Honadel
Huntress View Team Member

After several years of applying for a rifle elk tag in Idaho, I finally drew one in 2016. I almost jumped out of my chair with excitement when I saw “Congratulations” on the screen but almost immediately started thinking about all of the prep work I needed to do to get ready. I live in Kentucky. And hunting in Kentucky is nothing like hunting in Idaho. The climate, the terrain, the potential shooting distance…lots of things to consider.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your big hunt:

Get fit!

• If you have limited time, a successful hunt often depends on the ability to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.  That makes it even more important to be in good physical condition.

• If your everyday life doesn’t include much physical activity, start walking, jogging, climbing stairs or join a gym.

• If you have a regular cardio and strength training routine in the gym, change it up by getting outdoors and trying trail running. This works different muscle groups and helps get you used to the changes in terrain that you’ll encounter on your hunt.

• Instead of taking the 4-wheeler to check trail cameras, take a hike!

• Wear your hunting pack while hiking, but add some extra weight that replicates what you might be carrying during the hunt. Hike to your feeders with a backpack full of corn.

• If you’ll be hunting with friends or family, try to get them involved in the exercise.

Practice, practice, practice to ensure a great shot

• Whether you’re hunting with a bow or a gun, the more you practice, the better you’ll shoot when it counts.

• Shoot wearing the clothes you’ll be hunting in.

• Practice while standing and sitting in different positions.

• Shoot at different distances. If you might be taking a 200-yard shot, practice at 200 yards.

• If you’ll be hunting from a ground blind or tree stand, make sure to practice from them so you’ll be aware of blind spots, what position you might need to be in, and any possible visual obstructions. And remember…ALWAYS wear your harness in the tree stand!

• If hunting with a gun, practice using shooting sticks or other stabilizers.

• Try to guess distances while walking, then pace it off or check with a range finder to see how well you guessed. You might not always have the chance to range find in the moment.

Make sure you have appropriate clothing and shoes

If you’re hunting in a different state, the weather is likely going to be different than what you’re used to that time of year. Identify what type of clothing and/or accessories you will need for your hunt.

• Check the average temperatures for when and where you’re hunting to identify what you might need.

• Waterproof rain gear is always good to have on hand.

• Be sure to have clothes you can layer. Cold mornings can turn into hot afternoons. You’ll need to adjust you’re clothing throughout the day so you’re warm enough in the morning, but not overheating in the afternoon.

• If snow is expected, a pair of leg gaiters will help keep feet and lower legs dry.

• Look for camo patterns that match the terrain you’ll be hunting.

• If you decide new boots are needed, make sure to purchase them early enough to break them in. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of nowhere with blisters and aching feet!

• Make sure you have the correct hunter orange clothing if required by the state you’re hunting.

Check your hunting equipment to make sure it’s in working order

Well before your hunt, make a list of all equipment you’ll need. Take inventory of what you have, and determine what you need to get. Check all equipment for damage or wear that might cause problems during a hunt.

• Make sure your gun scope is sighted in properly, and determine how much your bullet will drop at various distances.

• Check arrows for cracks by lightly bending. Toss any damaged arrows into the trash.  

• Make sure you have extra arrows and/or replacement broad heads or blades, nocks and fletchings.

• Make sure rangefinders, flashlights, GPS and other electronics have new batteries.

• Make sure your game calls are in working order, and still sound accurate. And if you’re new to calling, practice, practice, practice!

And a few miscellaneous items to take care of…

• Make sure you have the right license, tags and/or stamps for hunting.

• Know the hunting rules and regulations for where you’ll be hunting. Obtain printed rules and regulations books or research online.

• Many states require hunters born after January 1, 1972 to have their Hunter’s Education card. If you don’t already have this, check with your local wildlife department on class schedules. These often fill up quickly, especially closer to hunting season starting.