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FIELD JUDGING moose
Of all the living members of the deer family, moose have the greatest amount of antler material. They also show great variation in size, with the smallest racks coming from Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and the largest from Alaska, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. A records book sized Shiras moose would not be even a desirable trophy in Alaska.
Although the widest spread antlers are sought in all categories for the records, strong development of antler palmation in both length and width is even more desirable. Many Shiras moose show only a single spike brow point on each antler, rather than a well-developed brow palm. This is undesirable since the length-of-palm is measured to a notch between brow points. The single spike brow dictates that the length of palm measurement must be ended at the edge of the main palm, obviously losing some potential that would have been fulfilled if the brow were palmate or even forked. High-scoring Canada or Alaska-Yukon moose have three or more brow points, on broad, well-developed brow palms that increase the length-of-palm measurement. This feature, along with broad main palms, markedly improves the score potential.
Although an Alaska-Yukon moose may have 15 or more points on each antler, not all projections count as points, especially if they are blunt in shape. One cannot accurately count the antler points on most trophy moose when the animal is in the field, so evaluation must generally be made on the basis of the amount of palm material present and the greatest spread.
Big trophy moose of all three classes tend to have the main palms lying flat to produce a wide spread, whereas smaller antlers are more apt to show cup-shaped palms and a narrow spread. The ear tips of a mature bull when laid flat are roughly 30 inches wide, with ears themselves being 9 – 10 inches. A bull with an extra ear length on either side would, then be approximately a bull with a 50 inch spread.
Even though moose can often be studied carefully in the field, and an experienced guide may make reasonable estimate of the greatest spread, it is very difficult to estimate the scores accurately at a distance. This is because the length, width, and symmetry of the palms are all hard to judge when seen from the side. A frontal view, with the animal’s head down and antlers nearly vertical, gives a much better chance for accurate evaluation, but may not be available under field conditions.
Typically, younger bulls will feature long and disguisable points, but with narrower spreads and shorter palms. As bulls age they tend to add in number of points that will be shorter and less recognizable having given way to wider and taller palms. As a rule, palm width and length pile up B&C points.
BREAKDOWN OF SCORING COMPONENTS – CANADA MOOSE
MAXIMUM VS. MINIMUM – A COMPARISON OF TWO RECORDS-BOOK CANADA MOOSE
TOP – World’s Record Canada moose scoring 242 points
- 15 x 16 point frame
- Spread over 63 inches
- Witdth of Palms averaging 22 inches
- Length of Palms averaging nearly 45 inches
Bottom – Canada moose scoring 187-2/8 points
- 11 x 11 point frame
- Spread over 54 inches
- Witdth of Palms averaging 12 inches
- Length of Palms both over 36 inches
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Grouse Hunting Tips
Ruffed Grouse are the king of all game birds, and sometimes (most of the time) the most challenging. So here are a few tips and techniques that you can try that work well.
Ruffed Grouse
In order to hunt grouse, you need a place that holds birds. Ruffed Grouse like moist, dark places with little ground cover (like grass), but low overhead cover. Our hunting areas here in Northwest Ontario are mixed timber and brush along creek bottoms. Grouse need food, and mostly live on buds and berries, but also feed on bugs and clover. Food sources differ from area to area, but grouse typically eat the same things everywhere. You will notice that grouse change their diet as the seasons change.
The ideal areas to hunt will hold the presence of water as that makes a big difference, creek bottoms with mixed old growth and re-prod, and a road close by for grit.
Early in the season, you will find the birds in family groups or coveys. As season and winter progress, the groups break up and you will find birds mostly in singles and pairs. Early season birds hold pretty tightly here in our area, but it isn’t like that everywhere.
Ruffed grouse have a daily routine, so you can pattern them. They normally get up late and fly into a feeding area or along a road to pick gravel. Then it’s off to loafing and dusting the afternoon away. In the evening, they will go back to feeding, and usually roost around the same area.
Before season, and if you can, drive roads looking for new spots an checking old ones. Early in the morning or late in the evening, you can find grouse in the roads picking gravel. Mark these spots and come back during season to hunt the areas around them. Even if an area doesn’t provide birds, still go back a different time to check again if everything the grouse need is there so will they eventually.
When hunting grouse, use a dog that has a really good nose and hunts from close to medium range. It’s a good idea to sometimes stop in an area that will likely hold birds and let the dogs just circle. Grouse are hard to scent for dogs, so slow and steady is good. Hunt up or down creeks, then turn around and hunt back in the opposite direction. It’s hard to believe how many birds the dogs will miss the first pass, but after you leave, they will move around put out a good scent cone for the dogs.
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Moose Rack – How It Grows
Moose are the largest living member of the deer family (Cervidae) and fittingly bear the largest set of antlers. Moose antlers are usually paired and shaped like the palm of a hand with outstretched fingers, thus the expression palmate.
After a male moose reaches one year of age he starts to grow antlers that increase in size (becoming more elaborate with more points and heavier) for each new set of antlers he grows until he reaches his prime. After a male (Bull) moose reaches his prime the antlers start to recede each year until the moose dies.
North American Moose Antlers have larger antlers than their European relatives. World record antlers consistently come from Alaska, where antler spreads of six feet have been recorded.
Every year the cycle is the same. In the spring antlers begin to grow from the skull covered with a tissue called “velvet”.
By September the growth has completed and the velvet dries and falls off. Moose will often aid the removal of the velvet by rubbing their antlers on trees and shrubs (on occasion they’ll eat the velvet too!). The continuous rubbing on trees, combined with the dried blood and dirt will give the Moose Antlers the brown color hunters are accustomed to seeing in the fall.
What is the purpose for Moose Antlers?
Antlers do not serve a useful purpose until the fall and during the mating season (called the Rut). Even during this period of time, which in British Columbia is typically the first two weeks of October only serve as a tool for intimidation.
You see Moose for the most part only have to show off their antlers to scare off the rivals – younger and weaker males. On occasion a mature bull moose will chance upon a moose of equal stature; where intimidation and posturing will not work they may then face off head to head and engage each others antlers.
There have been situations where these wrestling matches have led the moose antlers to become so entangled that they cannot separate and both moose die.
Broken and/or damaged antlers can lead to a long road to recovery for a moose. It would take more than a morningside recovery to heal the damage. Recovery in the wild is a long process. At morningside recovery, we take it one step at a time.
When do Moose loose their antlers?
Between January and March is when moose typically lose their antlers; younger moose keep their antlers until later in the winter and it is usually only two year old moose that may still adorn their antlers come March.
Two distinct types of moose antlers are the “palmate” or shovel-horn type characterized by broad up-reaching parallel palms, and the “cervina” or “pole-horn” type, having long tines or spike-like architectures. The palmated antlers are either fully palmated in shape or of a split –palm,
(1) An antler of a yearling male usually has two or three points on each side. Some may have four or more points on each antler branch or a small palm.
Yearling moose are the most easily aged identified, they typically have two or three points on each side and are of the cervina type. These young moose have small circumference of main antler beam, few points and narrow spread.
(2) An antler from a two and a half year old bull moose. Note the increasing palm development into an upward and backward pointing component and the forward and downward pointing brow tines.
(3) Antlers from a three and a half year old bull moose. Note the two point or forked brow palm development and wide distance between the innermost points on the brow palm.
(4) Antlers from a three and a half year old bull moose. Note the offensive architecture, forked brow palm and wide gap between opposing points.
(5) The antlers of a bull moose in its prime of life. Antlers are a butterfly or split-palm type. Note the palmate on the brow palm and the protective architecture afforded by the short distance between the innermost points of the brow palms covering the facial and eye areas.
Antlers of older moose vary to such great extent that it is an impossible task to accurately identify an animal’s age.
(6) Antlers of a ten and a half year old bull moose. Note the changes in the brow palms. Palmate is beginning to regress and defensive structures are being changed to more offensive juvenile forked structures.
(7) Antlers of a senior bull moose. Note loss of points, regression of palmate and reversal of brow palm to the forked or two-point offensive structure typical of juvenile males.
(8) Antlers of a late senior bull moose. Note the reduction in number of antler points, further regression of the palmate and accentuation of the juvenile offensive characteristics on the brow palm.
Moose antlers will vary in size and rate of growth. Other than the yearling moose any attempt to judge a moose age is purely guesswork.
Until a bull moose reaches its prime at five-and-one-half years of age its eye guards will be of singular or two point (photos 1-4). As the moose age increases you can see a marked increase in the development of the palmate and the number of points. A moose in its prime (photo 5) shows distinctive butterfly-shaped antlers which signifies a moose is high ranking and breeding potential.
After the bull moose passes its prime the marked reversal of antler development shows. Photos 7 and 8 show the decline in the architecture of the moose antlers and therefore the social standing and breeding abilities also suffer.
Moose at very old ages of twelve and beyond will have moose antler development that may be described as grotesque or misshapen almost beyond recognition as typical moose antlers. No form of rehab or morningside recovery will aid in the reshaping or repair of the antlers.
Even though we are unable to determine a moose age by its antlers we are able to learn a considerable amount about the social structure and reproductive status of moose as they age.
If you are fortunate to shoot a moose (weapon or camera) with a trophy set of antlers, one thing is certain; the record head or picture mounted on your wall, is a bull with many years experience behind him.
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Bear Hunt Mistakes
Being Afraid of the Dark
Sounds silly, but don’t let it fool you. It is an ungrounded fear and one people need to overcome in order to have a successful black bear hunt; especially if you are hunting for a trophy. It can be very intimidating leaving a bear stand, by yourself, in the middle of the dark when you know with 110% certainty that there are active black bear in the area. You’d be off your rocker if you weren’t a little apprehensive. When you are hunting into the twilight hours, and getting ready to depart your stand, remember this, since 1883, in North American there have only been 30 reported black bear fatalities, most of which occurred during non-hunting activities. That means in 125 years, there has only been 30 fatal black bear attacks and subsequent deaths. With the 100’s of thousands of hunters that take to the woods every year, that puts the odds of being attacked by a black bear inconceivably in your favor. Hunting until you can’t see anymore gives you better odds when pursuing that trophy black bear of a life time. Most BIG black bears are taken within a half hour from dusk, when the smart animals feel most secure eating from an unnatural food source. Stay in your stand as late as you can, and the odds of shooting a monster increase tenfold.
And should there still be bears on your bait when your ready to leave your stand (although this rarely happens), shining a light or a sudden loud noise will send these skittish critters running for miles. Black bears, in their natural setting, are extremely fearful of humans, and would rather turn tail and run then face an unknown advisory.
Jon Hanson – Tiffin, IA 440 lb. black bear
Recovering Your Harvested Bear
Many people take to the bear stand, rightfully so, with excitement and anticipation of a successful hunt. Myself included, I get like a little child full of excitement when hunting these magnificent creatures. While most hunters will do a tremendous amount of prep work prior to the hunt, few prepare for what happens after the hunt.Bears rarely pile up on the bait or in an open area with easy access. Instead, these hearty creatures are famous for taking a double lung shot and running for miles, deep into thick woods and cedar swaps.Having a plan on how to recover your trophy will put you light years ahead of most black bear hunters when it comes to a successful hunt. Planning should include how to track and more importantly flag the path the animal takes. What to do if it starts to rain or gets dark. Who will help you track the animal and once found, how will you get it out? And how to protect the meat from spoiling on a warm fall night.
Weather
Avid hunters know that fall weather can change in a heart beat. It can go from warm, to cold, windy and raining in the blink of an eye. Having the right clothes in your back pack can make the best of a somewhat undesirable situation.
Bugs
can be a huge annoyance in the great outdoors. Especially when you are forced to sit still for extended periods of time. Avoid bug sprays when bear hunting… PERIOD! A new, unfamiliar scent, along with an intuitive feeling that something isn’t right, will keep trophy bears from over coming fear and committing to your bait. Bug jackets and bug nets are a must. (Oh, on side note, make sure you practice shooting with your bug net on, more about that later). Regarding the portable propane bug eliminators. I have seen hunters use them with success. In fact, in 2008 there was a beautiful 350lbs sow taken while a hunter used one, however my vote is not in on them.
Boredom
Nothing will end your hunt faster than impatience and constant movement in your stand. If you are like most guys who can’t sit still for more than 30minutes at a time, you must bring something with to occupy your mind. I personally use a book. I have also seen guys use those portable, pocket video games. Regardless of what you use, make sure you sit sill and be quiet!
Natural Calls – Ever been in the stand when all of the sudden you have to take a pee? Sucks, doesn’t it? I don’t know how many times I have had this happen to me, yet somehow I always forget to bring a container along. Put a portable urinal on your packing list. Doing so will make the difference between shooting that monster and taking it’s offspring.
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Tips for Winter Weather
Winter can be a cruel thing. Snow, while pretty, can wreak havoc on driving conditions. The aftermath of ice storms, while beautiful on a sunny day, can cut power to your home for days and make driving nearly impossible.
Take for example the Nevada family whose Jeep overturned in the Nevada mountains. James Glanton, 34, and Christina McIntee, 25, thought to stay with their vehicle, making it easier for rescuers to find them, reported CNN. They also thought to heat rocks in a fire, then place the heated rocks in the Jeep’s spare tire to smokelessly heat their vehicle. By making use of some ultimate survival tips, they were able to stay alive.
Winter’s not just tough on humans. In early December, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued a dog that fell through the ice of Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., according to a news release on the Coast Guard’s website.
“The ice is really new right now, so it is really important to understand ice conditions,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Disher, officer-of-the-day at Station Sturgeon Bay. “In this case, the owner of the dog did the right thing by not trying to rescue her dog by herself and calling us for help instead.” Click here to read five facts about ice
According to the release, the dog rested at a veterinary clinic and went home with its owner.
To keep safe, the Coast Guard encourages the acronym I.C.E., which stands for “Intelligence, Clothing, Equipment.” The Coast Guard hopes I.C.E. will help ice anglers and other outdoor sportsmen to know the weather and ice conditions before they venture out. Ice anglers should also dress for the water temperature rather than the air temperature and wear a life jacket. Screwdrivers tied on a string around your neck are also handy to claw your way out of the water if you should break through the ice.
Read more: http://www.gameandfishmag.com/survival/10-ultimate-survival-tips-winter-weather/#ixzz3KIhTHRiG
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Our Best Moose Hunting Tips Will Increase YOUR Success…
The Best Moose Hunting Tips
These secrets are what the best moose hunters use and we want YOU to know them. Believe me if you do not know these tips, you are not seeing the most moose.
If you use these hunting tips not only you will see more moose, you will get closer to them and quite possibly harvest the moose of a lifetime.
Do you want to increase your chances of getting a moose this fall? I suggest you read about and put to practice these best tips for getting moose.
We see a lot of other hunters out in areas where we hunt moose, the majority seem to just drive around, hoping that by some chance they might see a moose within a reasonable distance of the road. Unbelievably, they do not even get out of their vehicles!
To increase your success rates you have to get out and look where the moose live… preferably away from human traffic.
We have to admit though (sheepishly); we have done some road hunting and taken a few moose this way too. Actually road hunting is a good way to get familiar with a new area. The point is, if you get out of your truck and get away from the roads and people you are going to see more moose.
For your information in many provinces it is illegal to hunt over bait (enhanced food).
Read on to find out how to apply some of our best moose hunting tips.
Moose Hunting Tips Revealed
Simple Tips
Concentrate on one area. Use the wind to your advantage, and use a wind indicator to detect the direction from which the air is flowing.
- During the rut or breeding season, hunt near lakes and ponds.
- Hunt for moose near food sources and water.
- Hunt the fringe areas, away from where other hunters are, away from the roads and traffic.
- Do not setup your camp on the edge of a likely hunting spot. Your noise and smells will chase any nearby moose away.
- Study and learn about the difference between Core Areas and Home Range.
- Learn to recognize the difference between fresh and old moose sign.
- If you see or hear a moose just before or after dark, leave the area quietly and return early the next morning. The moose, if not spooked it will likely still be in the area.
- Preseason Scouting and Calling will definitely be to your advantage.
Seasons to Hunt
- Hunt during the moose rut… whenever possible.
- Hunt higher elevations during the early season.
- Late season moose hunting requires you to go deeper into the forest away from the openings. Be sure to carry a GPS or at the very least a compass for to ensure your safe return.
- Moose Hunting in November
- Identify and learn to hunt the prime moose habitat.
Tools to Use
The Moose Hunting Tips eBook – The Ultimate Guide to Moose Hunting can help you. Quite simply it’s the largest collection of moose hunting tips and techniques available in one place.
We’ve run into more than one hunter over the years who mentioned the fact that they had to go to town for WiFi service to read up on hunting tips. Well no more.
Download them, print them out or install them onto your electronic device. That way you can have them with you even in the field.
The following are some great tips to observe:
- Use a Moose Call and learn how to use a call. Then put moose calling to the test.
- Use an old shoulder blade bone to rake trees (to imitate a bull moose thrashing a tree with his antlers).
- Use a Montana Moose Decoy. The cow moose decoy can be used to get the attention of a bull moose. Especially useful when you need to stalk a bull out in the open or when you have an incoming bull. Get the bull moose concentrating on the decoy and not you the shooter.
- Make use of a trail camera for moose hunting.
- Maximize your advantage by using elimination scents.
- Carry 30 feet of rope in your pack. This can be used as an aid when field dressing.
Hunting Clothing will make a Difference
- Wear clothing that does not make any noise while you move. Fleece or wool is best. Also check out the entire line of Sitka Hunting Clothes. We have switched because the patterns make you invisible!
Cow and Calf Moose Hunting Tips
- Tip for hunting cow and calf moose, stay close to water sources. They use these areas for safety reasons. The biggest bulls will be attracted to these areas during the rut.
- Learn how to mimic a calf moose in distress. Often, cow moose within hearing distance will come to investigate even when it is not her own calf.
Moose Hunting Safety
- Drink clean water… be sure the water you drink is free of beaver fever.
- Of course moose hunters always need to keep bear safety in mind while traveling in the woods.
Tell someone where you are hunting. Leave a map and time of expected return
Before and After the Shot
When tracking moose learn to recognize the circling patterns.
- Decide on the best shot placement for moose.
- Field dress your moose right away. It is very important to cool the meat as soon as you can; this helps prevent spoilage and gamey flavors.
As a moose hunter, it doesn’t matter if you are a novice or an expert, we all strive for the same result. Get close enough to a moose (bull, cow or calf) and make the shot. If we know enough it’s easier to close the distance, what if we don’t? How can we get just a few more ideas on closing the gap?
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How to Pattern a Shotgun + Video
Shotgun patterns are measured at 40 yards for all gauges, except .410 bore. .410’s are patterned at 30 yards. Patterning is a simple process, but time consuming due to all the counting required. Here is the correct way to pattern a shotgun.
- Set a big piece of blank paper on a frame 40 yards from the muzzle. (Butcher’s paper cut into 48″ squares works well.)
- Shoot at the center of the paper.
- Draw a 30″ diameter circle around the center of the resulting pattern, so that it encloses the greatest number of holes.
- Count the pellet holes in the circle. (It helps to mark the holes with a magic marker as you count them, so you don’t lose your place.)
- Cut open an identical, unfired shell and count the pellets in the shell. (The actual number of pellets may vary from the theoretical number based on shot size and weight, so it is best to count them.)
- Calculate the percentage of pellets that hit in the 30″ circle. (Divide the number of holes by the number of shot in the unfired shell.)
That is it; you have now officially patterned your shotgun. Of course, every shot varies, so ideally you should repeat the process 10 times and average the results. (Analogous to shooting a group with a rifle, rather than just one shot.) Your shotgun’s pattern percentage will vary if you change the shot size, the amount of shot in the shell or the hardness of the shot, so you need to pattern all the loads you actually shoot in a given gun.
Pattern percentages will usually (but not always!) go up if you increase the hardness of the shot, decrease the weight of the shot charge, buffer the shot inside the shell, or decrease the muzzle velocity of the shot charge. Pattern percentages will typically do down if you use softer shot, increase the weight of the shot charge or increase the muzzle velocity of the load. These generalizations primarily apply to traditional lead shot, your gun may vary.
The percentage of pellet strikes that constitutes what choke varies, depending on the source. These percentages are typical:
- Full Choke: 70% or higher
- Improved Modified: 65%
- Modified: 55-60%
- Skeet No. 2: 55-60%
- Quarter Choke: 50%
- Improved Cylinder: 45%
- Skeet No. 1: 35-40%
- Cylinder: 35-40%
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TIPS for Hunting Grouse Without a Dog + video
Ruffed grouse (colloquially called partridge) are the premier upland game bird of northern New England and are both delicious and incredibly difficult to hunt. They often dwell in the kind of thick, previously logged, new-growth forest habitat that is nearly impossible to walk through and offers a wall of brushy cover that can make spotting and hitting birds a tall order.
A hunter with a well- trained canine companion can level the playing field somewhat due to the fact that a good dog can sniff out birds and give the hunter a slight edge. Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to give a hunting dog the proper home and training it needs and are thus stuck hunting solo. All is not lost, however, and the following tips will improve a hunter’s chances of bagging a few grouse without the aid of a dog.
1. Locate Food Sources
Omnivorous ruffed grouse have a varied diet that includes insects, snails, slugs, mushrooms, and the leaves and buds of trees (usually poplar), but they have a particular affinity for the various fruits that are common to their habitat.
Other fruits that may attract grouse include choke cherries, blackberries (if they are still present at the start of hunting season), and the fruit of hawthorn trees or “haws”.
2. Stick to the beaten path
Whenever it is possible, safe, and legal to do so, it makes sense for a grouse hunter to stick to established trails and decommissioned logging roads. The primary reason for holding to roads and trails is that these travel ways provide grouse with a convenient source of dust and pebbles. The birds dust themselves to control parasites, and eat small pebbles to aid in the breakdown of food stored in their gizzards. It follows that grouse often stay within easy striking distance of a path or road. Areas where a food source, such as a stand of apple trees or poplar saplings, is immediately adjacent to gravel path or road typically yield a lot of grouse.
Trails and roads also facilitate easy movement through the thick, brushy, and nearly unwalkable new-growth forests that comprise typical ruffed grouse habitat.
3. On rainy days, take to the pines
Grouse, much like any other terrestrial animal in existence, don’t like to be rained on and will seek shelter during inclement weather. This shelter often takes the form of such coniferous trees as balsams and spruces. Stands of pines that are in close proximity to food sources are particularly good places to look for grouse on wet weather days.
4. Keep one eye on the ground and the other on the trees
An easy error to make while hunting grouse is to keep eyes only on the ground. While ruffed grouse are primarily ground-dwelling birds, they do spend an appreciable amount of time perched in trees. A hunter concentrating on spotting birds on the ground will likely miss birds perched in tress and vice versa.
5. Catch them sitting still
Ruffed grouse are an incredibly difficult bird to wing shoot, especially without the help of a dog to provide advanced warning or a bird’s presence. Not only do grouse take flight in a manner that results in a sudden blur of motion and thunderous wing beats likely to startle an unaware hunter, but the birds are also adept at quickly taking cover by putting trees and thick brush between them and the muzzle of a shotgun. By the time a hunter, surprised by a bird, shoulders his or her gun, disengages the safety, and gets on target, the bird will likely be gone. That’s not to say those hunting sans dog will never hit a flying grouse, it’s just that spotting the birds before they take flight is a surer way to put meat on the grill.
Spotting grouse before they fly is a skill in and of itself as their natural camouflage is just shy of perfect. A good way to spot them is to look for movement rather than trying to recognize their outline on the forest floor. A grouse moves in a very awkward, jerking motion, similar to that of a chicken. This distinctive movement will often give away a bird’s position.
Occasionally, ruffed grouse will also give away their position with sound. The noise that ruffed grouse are perhaps best known for is their characteristic drumming that sounds similar to a distant lawnmower engine starting and stalling. This sound will make a hunter aware of a bird’s presence in a general area, but it is difficult to use it to pinpoint an exact location. Another sound emitted by grouse is a kind of high-pitched, raspy clucking. Grouse will occasionally make this clucking sound when distressed a few seconds prior to taking off, thereby giving a hunter advanced warning of its presence in the immediate area.
6. Walk slow, pause often
This last piece of advice is perhaps the single most important. Most of us have become conditioned to walk through our day to day lives as quickly as we possibly can. This mindset is perfect when navigating the local supermarket, but it will lead to certain failure on a hunt.
Rather than walking quickly and continuously, it is important to move at what at first will seem like a snail’s pace, and to pause every few steps to thoroughly scan the woods. Walking in this manner will not only result in the spotting of more game, but will also result in a hunter noticing other interesting details about the woods that would be missed when hiking at forced march speeds. Noticing such details as a vibrantly colored mushroom, a hawk or eagle circling high overhead, or even just a really cool looking tree are as important to the experience of hunting as bagging game.
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Grouse Fricot
Adapted from the cookbook Traditional Recipes of Atlantic Canada, this Acadian dish is a popular part of traditional New Brunswick cuisine. Fricot is basically a stew comprising potatoes, vegetables, savory and any available fish or meat, in this case ruffed grouse. Bon appétit!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 ruffed grouse
- 4 tbsp butter
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 white Spanish onion, diced
- 2 sachets chicken bouillon
- 4 1/2 cups water, divided
- 3 tsp summer savory
- 2 cups potatoes, diced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 tbsp flour
Preparation
- Wash dressed grouse under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Remove breasts and cut into medallions. Separate legs from carcass.
- Braise medallions and legs in butter in an oven roaster over medium-low heat until browned (approximately 15 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep lid on roaster to ensure grouse stays moist.
- Saute onions until soft and add to grouse.
- Stir chicken bouillon into 3 cups water in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and bring to a boil in a microwave. Add savory and pour on top of grouse. Simmer until meat is tender (15 to 20 minutes).
- Season remaining vegetables with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring roaster liquid to a boil, add vegetables and reduce to a simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Mix flour with 1 1/2 cups cold water to create a smooth paste. Slowly stir paste into roaster liquid until it thickens into a sauce. Serve with crusty rolls and a garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette.
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ON TARGET in CANADA 