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Roasted Grouse With Mushrooms

Make your own cream of mushroom sauce (and add bacon and whiskey) for this classic grouse recipe

Ask any deer camp old-timer for a foolproof recipe, and you’re likely to encounter a lot of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. There is a reason for that: Mushrooms plus cream plus game meat adds up to a perfect trinity of flavors. This recipe chucks the can, and all its high-sodium gloppiness, while retaining the earthy comfort that made mushrooms and cream the go-to sauce for generations of hunters.

Ingredients

Grouse:
4 grouse
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
8 strips bacon

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. butter
20 oz. cremini or wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin (morels, chanterelles, or a mix of wild and cultivated would be good)
1 shallot, minced
1 cup rich chicken stock (or defatted drippings from the pan)
3 sprigs thyme
12 cup cream (or crème fraîche)
(or)

1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. ROAST THE GROUSE: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the birds, pat dry, then smear each with a tablespoon of softened butter. Generously salt and pepper, inside and out. Wrap 2 bacon slices around each grouse, then set them in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven until the grouse is browned, about 25 minutes. Remove to a plate and let rest, covered loosely in tinfoil, while you make the sauce.

2. MAKE THE SAUCE: Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and about 1/2 tsp. salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release a lot of moisture and begin to smell fragrant, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot. Sauté until soft, and until most of the moisture has gone out of the pan, about 4 minutes. Add the stock (or defatted drippings from the roasting pan) and thyme sprigs and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the cream and bourbon and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3–5 minutes.

3. TO SERVE, spoon the sauce onto four plates, and rest a grouse in the center of each. Sprinkle thyme over the grouse. SERVES 4

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 23, 2015 in grouse, hunting, mushrooms, recipe, Wawang Lake Resort, Wildlife

Tags: grouse, grouse hunting, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, Ruffed Grouse, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

Camouflage Won’t Help IF…….

21 Mar

You’re invisible. Or at least you think you are. After all, you’ve done all the right things: bought that pricey camo that matches your surroundings, painted your face with lots of greasy face paint, and you are even wearing camo boots. Now all you have to do is sit there, soak in a little sunshine, and wait for a big boar to show himself.

But when a bear does come in, he spots your position and blows out for the next county. The problem? You set up in the sunlight

A common mistake that has ruined plenty of big-game hunters’ chances is setting up where direct sunlight can reach them. Sunshine turns a camouflaged hunter from an indistinct shadowy figure into a glowing beacon. Dappled sunlight shining through a canopy of leaves isn’t usually a problem. But direct sunlight can reveal your whereabouts and end your hunt.

Camouflage clothing’s basic function is to break up our outline – tricking our prey’s eyes into passing over us in their constant search for danger. The human silhouette is incredibly distinct in the wilderness – there is no other form like it. To fool game, it is essential to reduce our human outline. The best camo patterns utilize starkly contrasting colors in their design, thus changing us from a human form into something indistinct and non-threatening. Interestingly, for those of you traditional hunters like me – a good plaid pattern like Fred Bear often wore can work almost as effectively as modern camouflage.

Remember that sunlight moves as the earth rotates. Set up your ambush in a location that allows you to remain shadowed as the light moves around you. If you are still-hunting or stalking, move efficiently through areas of sunshine and then pause to watch and listen when in the shadows. Set up in dark shade that offers good shooting lanes. Remember to keep your hands and face camo’d up as well – if left uncovered, they are a dead giveaway even in the shadows.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 21, 2015 in archery, Bear, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, hunting, preparation, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, Bow Hunting, Guides and Outfitters, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, hunting equipment, hunting guide, outfitter, Trophy hunting, wawang, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

HOW SCENT ACTUALLY WORKS

16 Mar

Scent is a mysterious and often grossly misunderstood aspect amongst those who not only pursue game with hounds or other hunting dog breeds, but all hunters in general.

Scent is simply comprised of micro particles of disturbed vegetable matter and/or released dead body cells drifting from the targeted subject. Vegetable matter can be crushed plant material or even minute surface dwelling bio-material living upon hard surfaces like concrete or rock. Dead body cells consist of drifting dead skin, fur or feather cells eventually falling to the ground. This may also include fluids, oils and vapors the body expels.

How long does a scent trail last? That depends on given environmental conditions. The trail won ‘t exist very long if it has been hot and windy over dry surfaces. In contrast, it will survive much longer in cool, moist conditions upon grassy areas with no wind exposure.

Here are some Myths about scenting:

1.
“Animals can’t smell me when I apply scent-free products like special soaps, sprays or even wear scent free clothing.’ If you are living and breathing, you are giving off scent. Although these products may lessen the scent intensity from your person, a Bloodhound can find you in the woods within minutes. It is impossible for any human to be scent free.

2.
“Hounds can’t run a scent trail in the rain.” Scent particles tend to be hydrophilic, meaning they readily soak up moisture and create an effluvium of scent for the canine olfactory system. Hounds have successfully found humans and animals in the pounding rain. Any good hunting breed should be able to trail game in light to moderate rain.

3.
“My dog sometimes ground scents and other times he air scents.” I suppose if your dog’s nose is on the ground, you can call that ground scenting and if it’s in the air, you can call that air scenting. Is it called water scenting if he sniffs a running creek or tree scenting if he barks up a tree? Scent is scent!

The canine’s nose is attracted to the strongest scent source available at that moment during trailing. The canine has thousands more scent receptors than humans. A roaming nose is a hunting nose; let it be.

If you want to see how your dog scents, ignite a brightly colored smoke bomb outdoors with plenty of room to observe and follow the pock etc. of floating smoke. Watch how clouds of smoke slowly break apart, climb high into tree tops, sink down into ravines or just lazily snake over the high grass. Wind, atmospheric pressure, humidity, temperature, etc. ….all affect the smoke as it does with scent. That is why your trailing dog runs, stops, circles around, runs again ….. Let him work it out without interference from you. Scenting is his world, not yours.

You can improve your game scent trailing by taking advantage of the best environmental conditions available, as well as staying away from proven scent killers, i.e…..hot and dry surfaces, vehicle exhaust fumes or petroleum products. Trying to scent a hound on a fresh track next to a chugging hunting rig is like us trying to smell a rose over a smoky camp fire.

As much as we now know about scent, there is still plenty of scientific work to be done. As a hunter, you must understand how scent works whether you use a canine partner or not. Whether hunting birds or bear, scent is always there.

Keep the wind on your face, the sun to your back and hunt like a predator!

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 16, 2015 in bear baiting, Black Bear Hunts, outfitter, preparation, scent eliminator, scent free, success, trip planning, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bear, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, bow, Bow Hunting, de-scenting, Guides and Outfitters, hunting, scent, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Hi Bear!

15 Mar

Nathan was unsure of what to expect when he arrived at Wawang Lake. He knew first hand that we produce nice bear as his father-in-law Randy had taken one the year before. Randy had planned his return visit as soon as he landed his bear and knew he just had to bring Nathan.

Nathan had a very eventful first night with plenty of action….from the wolves! As he returned to camp the first night, he was so excited to tell us that he was ‘almost eaten by a wolf!’. As he sat his stand, there was a full wolf symphony surrounding him and echoing in the trees. At the last minute, he caught a flash of white from the corner of his eye and caught the tail end of a wolf leaving his bait site.

On the second day of their hunt Nathan got his bear. A nice 175 lb black bear and very credible with beautiful black/blue cape and all.
While waiting for the others in his group to come by to pick him up Nathan amused himself by walking out to the road to see what he could see, when suddenly he saw a HUGE black bear walking right towards him. Quickly thinking, he made himself bigger by raising his arms above his head and yelled ‘Hi Bear!!”, however, his voice cracked from anxiety and came out in a high-pitched, girly, squeal instead . Just as the bear veered and went into the bush Nathan turned around and noticed a couple more bear walking out from the other side of the road towards his bait site but these ones paid him no mind.

It was beginning to get dark and Nathan started walking towards the junction where he was to meet up with his hunt party, he turned and shuddered – ANOTHER BEAR and this one was glaring right at him from out of the brush just behind where he stood. The hairs on the back of his neck stood right up as again Nathan said in a high pitched voice while waving his arms high above his head, ‘Hi bear!!’ hoping to scare it off. The bear disappeared back into the dark abyss of the shadowing timber.

After seeing numerous bear all around he abuptly went into a hunting stance, now alert as he pointed and aimed his bow, swinging in all directions – getting ready for the attack. It didn’t happen and at that very same moment the truck drove up as Nathan sighed in relief – it was a welcome sight.

It was a tense moment there for a while, one we’re sure Nathan will never forget and that he’ll repeat over and over for years to come of his encounter with multiple bear during his first black bear hunt at Wawang Lake.

The truth is the bear were only interested in the bait site and the alluring, delicious smells it was emitting. It goes to show just how active our baits really are, and, Nathan got to see first hand when we say our baits have multiple bear on the baits – we’re not stretching the truth – not one bit!

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 15, 2015 in archery, Bear, bear baiting, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bear, Bear-baiting, big game, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, bow, bow hunters, Bow Hunting, Compound bow, hunting, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Girl Shoots Mountain Lion That Stalked Her Brother

14 Mar

During the course of a single week, three cougars were killed at a family ranch in northern Washington. The latest big cat was killed by 11-year-old Shelby White, who shot an emaciated lion that had been stalking her older brother near their home.

Thomas White awoke at 2:30 a.m. to the barking of the family dog so White walked outside and discovered a cougar trying to enter an enclosure of cows and calves. Although he scared away the cougar without incident, the lion returned two hours later and White drove it off a second time.

Later that day White’s three children arrived home from school at 3:30 p.m. The cougar turned up a third time when his 14-year-old son Tanner White was doing his chores outside. Tanner had finished feeding the dogs and was walking back toward the house when the cougar emerged from its hiding spot by a vehicle in the driveway. Tanner didn’t notice the cat following him and walked safely through the basement door.

His dad was in there and said, ‘Close the door!’ because there was the cougar, right behind him.

Shelby White, 11, was the only member of the White family with an unfilled cougar tag. She retrieved her rifle and shot the cat where it stood outside, just 10 feet from the door. The 4-year-old female cougar appeared “very, very skinny” and weighed just 50 pounds. A healthy mature female cougar should weigh twice that, according to Treser. “It was starving to death,” Treser said.

Shelby’s cougar was the third big cat taken on or near the family ranch in a single week. Two days prior a family friend tracked a cougar within 200 yards of the ranch. The hunter shot the 2- to 3-year-old female cat near the White’s driveway a couple days earlier.

The youngest White child also tracked and tagged a cougar on the property. Nine-year-old Cody White and his father spotted paw prints near the White house and followed them to the family’s calving pasture. He discovered a 120-pound male cougar and shot it on the hillside.

Additional tracks and big cat sightings have occurred in the region since and a total of 10 cougars have been harvested during the season. Five were taken by hunters and the other five were killed by wildlife officials after the cats attacked domestic animals.

The number of cougar predations and encounters in the area is above average. Wildlife officials suspect cougar numbers have increased or the big cats cannot find enough deer to survive without resorting to domestic prey.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 14, 2015 in animal tracks, game, gun hunting, hunting equipment, news, survival, tracks, Wawang Lake Resort, Wildlife

Tags: gun hunting, hunt, hunting, mountain lion, nuisance mountain lion, nuisance wildlife, predator

Black Bear Hunting – SIT Until Dark

13 Mar

We hear tales of bear hunters not sitting until dark and instead stand in time to get back to camp before it gets too late. CRAZY!

Just like in most types of hunting, “just before dark” is usually the best time for the mature animals to arrive. Sometimes the big ones will be there well before dark, but usually the last 30 minutes of legal shooting light is the best. Carry a flashlight; the bear usually won’t eat you. They are just as afraid of you after dark as they are in the daylight.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 13, 2015 in Bear, bear video, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, bow, bow hunting, gun hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, big game, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, Bow Hunting, hunting, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Need a Stabilizer on Your Hunting Bow?

10 Mar

If you are a walkabout bow hunter who keeps shots inside 40 yards, you might not need a stabilizer, and certainly not a long or heavy one.

Study indicates that unless you shoot in a heavy crosswind, an ultra-light bow, or stretch your shots out beyond 40 yards, a stabilizer is an optional accessory.

Assessing Stability
Stabilizers add forward weight to a bow, balancing it in hand and, because of the additional mass, absorbing some of the vibration that is produced by the power stroke of the bow.

Some claim that a stabilizer will also reduce noise. However, after experimenting the measured noise output of bows both with and without a stabilizer, results indicates only a minimal reduction in noise.

The real value of stabilizers is the weight they add to a bow. In this way, they are like barrel weight in a rifle. The heavier the barrel, the more the gun stays on target. This is why bench rest shooters use bull-barreled rifles, and it’s why Olympic archers shoot bows with long, heavy stabilizers. But neither group has to hump their gear over steep or difficult terrain.

The Test
Shooting three bows of different weights and dimensions with three different stabilizers and with no stabilizer at all at 10-yard increments from 20 to 60 yards and measured the size of three 10-arrow groups at each distance, for a total of 120 groups.

Some noteworthy conclusions:
Many test sessions were in crosswinds blowing in excess of 30 mph. In stiff winds and always shot more accurately with a stabilizer, and accuracy in wind was directly proportional to distance.

Stabilizers had the most effect on accuracy and noise reduction on a 3.5-pound Mathews Heli-M and the least effect on a 4.5-pound Prime Impact. In between was the 4.3-pound Bowtech.

There was no statistically significant difference in accuracy between stabilized and unstabilized bows inside 40 yards. From 40 to 60 yards, stabilized bows shot 10 percent more accurately than unstabilized bows.

The final conclusion is important. Accuracy is improved by a stabilizer, and if you’re hunting from a tree stand or a ground blind, or in a situation where weight isn’t a consideration, you should use a stabilizer to maximize your accuracy. But in highly mobile hunting situations, where weight can mean the difference between getting on game or not, then a stabilizer can be considered elective.

Test Notes: Field tips on 29 ½-inch, 350-grain arrows. Bows pulled 58 pounds at 29 inches and were shot with and without attached quivers.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 10, 2015 in archery, bow, bow hunting, hunting equipment, preparation, tree stand, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: archery, bow, bow hunters, Bow Hunting, bow stabilizer, hunting, stabilizer

Stay On Track – Navigation Tricks

03 Mar

Getting lost is one of the primary reasons that people find themselves in a survival situation in the outdoors. It can happen to anyone, anywhere; but it’s much more likely to occur when someone fails to keep track of their location, or when navigation skills are lacking. Getting lost can be a preventable problem, if you take the right precautions.

To avoid getting lost on your next hunt or hike, put the following tricks into practice:

– Get a map of the area that you are traveling to and study it before going.
– Take the map along, and use it and a compass (or GPS) while you’re there. If you’re printing out maps from your computer, don’t use an inkjet printer. If the map gets wet, the ink will run and turn into a rainbow-smeared mess.
– Imagine what the terrain would look like from a “bird’s eye view” and where you are in that terrain.
– Look behind you frequently, especially if you are returning in that direction.
– Look for and use landmarks, if possible.
– Study and remember the landmarks that you use.
– When traveling off trails, use prominent, distant landmarks and/or a compass bearing to travel in straight lines.
– Account for declination when reading your map and compass. Any good map should tell you how much to add or subtract for True North.
– Watch out for gun barrels and other metal items, which can pull the compass needle off course and distort your bearing.

If you’re heading into the woods this weekend, good luck and stay safe.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 3, 2015 in hunting, hunting equipment, survival, trip planning, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: compass, hunting, hunting equipment, map, Wawang Lake, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

The THREE Bears – A Success Story!

01 Mar

There is nothing more impressive than having a one day harvest for one of the most revered predators….imagine having THREE!!

Cody, Rod and Brad descended upon Wawang in hopes of each bringing home a bruin. Father and son, Cody and Rod, were returning hunters while Cody’s best friend Brad made this his first visit.

Each hunter was prepared and after the day long drive from Iowa, were ready to ascend their trees to await their chance at a bear.

Outwardly, this was to be a week of patience as Cody was no stranger to the wiles of those elusive creatures. This being Cody’s third attempt (second with us at Wawang) he was determined to pin that tag on something ‘decent’

Cody had spent the entire year honing his skills on sizing and judging bear….a talent most discount until they are faced with the opportunity to shoot. Read: How to Size a Bear

The day was bustling at the lodge as it was Labor Day weekend and it was our annual end of the year celebration. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of turkey, mashed potatoes, roast and all the fixings. In the bustle of preparation, Cody emerged and made his way across the floor to the kitchen.

We were in high gear with getting the food just right when we looked out the door and saw him heading over. Lost in our own thoughts, we carried on about the kitchen….until…..wait a minute…wasn’t he supposed to be in a tree? He only left a couple of hours ago!

“Cody, what are you doing? Did your truck break down?” we were concerned for hunting time being missed. Cody reached into his pocket and produced his camera. “I got one, but I think you might be mad….it’s small.” His shoulders dropped and he passed the camera to us.

We looked over the picture and then back to Cody….there were no words. “Cody, I don’t know what you consider small but this isn’t anywhere close to what we call small!” His eyes lit up….when somebody that has seen numerous BIG bear tells you that you hit the jackpot, it is a good day!

Cody then left to wait for his hunting partners to finish their hunt for the evening to help him retrieve his bear. The lodge returned to its frantic state of meal prepare. As the festivities rolled on that night, Cody and his crew finally returned….

Everyone in camp was excited to lay eyes on Cody’s trophy BUT were completely unprepared to meet an entire truck full of bear! 3 bear to be exact! 2 boars and a sow…Goldilocks wouldn’t have been happier!

Each one took turns telling the exciting tale of retrieving their harvest…..each one amazed at the success of the other and each beaming with excitement….it was day 1 and the anxiety of the hunt was already over and done with….now it was time to fish!!

During that week, laughs were exchanged, trophy fish were caught and memories made…a father, son and best friend made a Wawang hunt the life long story to beat!

So glad that we could be a part of such great memories!!

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Posted by Wawang Lake on March 1, 2015 in Bear, black bear, Black Bear Hunts, hunting, Wawang Lake Resort

Tags: bear, black bear, black bear hunting, black bear hunts, Bow Hunting, hunting, hunting at wawang lake, wawang, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort, WMU 15A, WMU 15B

Brave Bulldogs Chase off Black Bear (VIDEO)

24 Feb

This black bear turned into nothing more than a big scaredy-cat when two bulldogs confronted it in a New Hampshire backyard. The homeowner said the two fearless Bull Dogs sprinted towards the beast the moment it was spotted eating from a bird feeder.

“Our Bulldogs actually broke through the railings on our farmer’s porch to confront the beast,”

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The two dogs circled around the bear, which was standing on its hind legs.

After a few seconds, the bear — which could have easily swatted the two dogs away — runs from the yard. One of the dogs even tries to pounce on the bear as it sprints away.

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Posted by Wawang Lake on February 24, 2015 in bear video, black bear, ontario, Wawang Lake Resort, Wildlife

Tags: black bear, black bear hunting, bow hunters, canada, hunting, ontario, Wawang Lake, Wawang Lake Resort

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