Venison Recipes Available Online

The Conservation Department has help for hunters looking for creative ways to prepare venison

JEFFERSON CITY–It’s deer-hunting season in Missouri, and that means that millions of pounds of venison are headed for tables. The Missouri Department of Conservation has tips for making venison dishes tender and tasty.

Like most other wild game, venison is leaner than beef or other domestic meats. The lack of internal fat can result in dry, tough dishes unless venison is cooked with two things in mind – don’t overcook venison, and use moist heat when possible.

Venison steaks, roasts and burgers can turn dry and tough if grilled over charcoal or roasted uncovered in an oven. To avoid drying out steaks on the grill, cook them quickly over high heat to sear the surface and lock in moisture, and baste liberally.

To keep venison burgers moist, combine ground venison with ground pork or other fatty meat or add chopped onions, bell peppers, garlic, parsley and other moisture-boosting ingredients. You can use straight ground venison in stew or chili with great results.

Another way to incorporate moisture into cooking whole cuts of venison is to use a crock pot or Dutch oven. Swiss steak is a particularly good recipe for venison steak because it combines moist heat and the natural tenderizing action of the acid in tomatoes.

To tenderize tough venison and reduce gamey taste, try soaking it in white vinegar for an hour, drain and soak again before cooking.

The Conservation Department’s Web site has dozens of wild-game recipes, including many for venison, at mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/tv/nowwerecookin.asp. Following are three of those recipes.

VENISON TERIYAKI

INGREDIENTS: 1 to 2 pounds of venison steak, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, ½ tsp. ground black pepper, ½ tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. garlic powder.

PREPARATION: Combine all ingredients and marinate overnight (if possible). Cook on a hot grill or over an open fire, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Cook until meat is slightly charred outside, but still pink inside. Do NOT overcook. Serve with a rice dish.

PHILLY STEAK SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS: 2 lbs. frozen venison round steak, milk or salt water, flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, 1 medium onion, sliced thin and ringed, 1 loaf of French bread, butter or margarine, shredded cheddar or pepper jack or sliced Swiss cheese.

PREPARATION: Thaw meat until it begins to soften but still has ice crystals. This makes it easy to cut into wafer-thin slices. Soak overnight in milk or salt water if necessary to remove gamey taste.

Season meat with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and brown in a skillet over medium heat, using a small amount of oil. Add ½ cup of water, cover with onion rings and simmer until meat is tender. Slice bread lengthwise and spread butter or margarine on both sides. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Cover lower half of loaf with venison, then top with onions and cheese. Put top of loaf on to and wrap in foil.

Bake at 300 degrees until top of bread is crisp. Cut into individual servings and top with pickle, peppers, tomatoes, etc.

VENISON DOG BISCUITS

Hunters who bring home trophy antlers sometimes find the culinary fruits of their labor problematic. The meat from large, old bucks can be tough and strong-tasting, but ethical hunters are obliged to consume what they kill. One way to deal with this dilemma is to turn less-than-tasty venison into treats that will delight four-legged family members and save you money on dog treats throughout the year. Try this recipe for venison dog biscuits.

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup whole-wheat flour, 1 cup cornmeal, ½ cup wheat germ, ½ cup cooked ground venison, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, ½ cup beef broth, ½ tsp. salt.

PREPARATION: Mix the dry ingredients and add them to the wet ingredients. Roll the mixture out to about .5 inch thick. Cut into appropriate shapes with cookie cutters and bake at 350 to 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until crisp. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

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Hunters Prepare For Second Firearm Deer Season in Illinois December 4-7

Hunters in Illinois Harvest 71,894 Deer During First Weekend of Firearm Deer Season

SPRINGFIELD , IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 71,894 deer during the opening weekend of the 2008 Illinois Firearm Deer season, Nov. 21-23, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Acting Director Sam Flood announced today.  The second portion of the firearm season will be Dec. 4-7.  

The preliminary total for the first three days of the 2008 firearm season compares with the first weekend harvest of 85,490 deer during the 2007 deer season.  The top county harvest total was in Pike with 2,194 deer, followed by Adams (1,900), Fulton (1,878), Randolph (1,770), and Jefferson (1,650).  The preliminary first-season figures reported for each county include those deer taken on special hunt areas within that county as well as on private land.

“Deer hunters in Illinois once again provided a good deer harvest for the first weekend of the firearm season,” said Flood.  “We offer some of the best deer hunting opportunity in the world here in Illinois , and the firearm deer season continues to be our most popular hunting season.” 

Illinois has issued approximately 350,000 firearm deer hunting permits for the 2008 season.  Most hunters register their deer harvest online through the IDNR web site or by phoning 1-866-ILCHECK (1-866-452-4325) by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest.  Hunters in Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties take their deer to county check stations where IDNR conducts sampling for chronic wasting disease.

“The weather was unseasonably cold to start the season on Friday, but it appears many hunters were in the field enjoying some success on that day and throughout the first weekend of the firearm deer season,” said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton.  “Most corn had been harvested, although 10 to 12 percent remained in the fields in the northern part of the state.  

“The good news for managers and for deer hunters with permits remaining for the second season is that most of the decline in harvest was a drop in buck harvest,” Shelton added.  “This means that our doe harvest was fairly comparable to last year and that there are plenty of both bucks and does still out there for second season hunters.” 

Approximately 59 percent of the deer taken this past weekend were bucks, compared with 62 percent bucks taken during the first weekend of the firearm season in 2007.   

The Illinois firearm deer season concludes Dec. 4-7.  The muzzleloader-only deer season is Dec. 12-14.  The Late-Winter Antlerless-only firearm deer season and the Special CWD deer season are Jan. 16-18, 2009.  The state’s 2008-09 archery deer season continues through Jan. 15 (except closed in firearm counties during the second firearm season Dec. 4-7).   

The table below provides preliminary county harvest totals for the first segment of the firearm season and comparable figures for the first season in 2007.

County	2007	2008
Adams	2140	1900
Alexander	339	335
Bond	877	632
Boone	133	90
Brown	1135	996
Bureau	1205	1030
Calhoun	1036	889
Carroll	921	740
Cass	665	510
Champaign	272	195
Christian	574	466
Clark	1122	896
Clay	1177	998
Clinton	808	635
Coles	621	550
Crawford	950	831
Cumberland	693	654
DeKalb	213	136
DeWitt	320	303
Douglas	212	156
Edgar	608	555
Edwards	434	354
Effingham	923	795
Fayette	1684	1480
Ford	123	115
Franklin	979	827
Fulton	2003	1878
Gallatin	451	402
Greene	1209	989
Grundy	354	269
Hamilton	1036	901
Hancock	1698	1553
Hardin	907	780
Henderson	586	432
Henry	742	561
Iroquois	548	548
Jackson	1824	1612
Jasper	1049	915
Jefferson	1997	1650
Jersey	790	670
JoDaviess	2055	1518
Johnson	1435	1385
Kane	48	43
Kankakee	191	157
Kendall	67	53
Knox	1244	1048
Lake	25	19
LaSalle	1127	957
Lawrence	497	420
Lee	577	446
Livingston	498	392
Logan	401	298
Macon	252	217
Macoupin	1677	1228
Madison	995	648
Marion	1677	1404
Marshall	696	607
Mason	489	484
Massac	471	369
McDonough	902	759
McHenry	360	216
McLean	541	490
Menard	392	288
Mercer	828	632
Monroe	910	863
Montgomery	1149	861
Morgan	899	674
Moultrie	251	224
Ogle	1035	730
Peoria	1317	1133
Perry	1161	964
Piatt	184	134
Pike	2610	2194
Pope	1473	1301
Pulaski	547	533
Putnam	454	361
Randolph	1890	1770
Richland	745	635
Rock Island	806	610
Saline	734	726
Sangamon	743	598
Schuyler	1346	1166
Scott	508	374
Shelby	1193	1025
St. Clair	868	724
Stark	258	216
Stephenson	837	643
Tazewell	625	527
Union	1551	1323
Vermilion	719	648
Wabash	252	218
Warren	554	481
Washington	1083	864
Wayne	1446	1316
White	808	699
Whiteside	806	542
Will	287	267
Williamson	1391	1176
Winnebago	410	315
Woodford	837	753
Total	85490	71894

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Pheasant Season Opens December 1 in Oklahoma

With deer, quail, and several small game seasons in full swing across Oklahoma, sportsmen may wonder if it could get any better — it can. Dec. 1 brings with it yet another hunting opportunity — pheasant season.

“From our surveys and reports from the field it looks like this pheasant season will be similar to last year’s season, and that is good news for hunters because many of them experienced a very memorable season,” said Doug Schoeling, upland game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

According to Schoeling, there are two main factors that determine how many pheasants will be available for hunters to pursue this season — how many adult birds survive the winter and how many young birds survive in the spring and early summer.

The Wildlife Department keeps tabs on these two critical factors through two different surveys.

First, biologists conduct the annual Crow Count Survey, which provides an idea of how many adult birds survived through the winter. In late April and early May, biologists drive county roads and listen for crowing pheasants. These 20-mile surveys are conducted in Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Harper, Kay, Major, Noble, Texas, Woods, and Woodward counties.

In the Panhandle the crow counts were up 19 percent and in the other ten counties the crow counts were up 25 percent.

“The Crow Count Surveys reflect the fact that a strong proportion of cock pheasants survived through the ice and snow of the winter months and were looking for mates this spring,” Schoeling said. “But this is just the first piece of the puzzle. To have a great pheasant season we also need to see strong reproductive success and that is why we conduct the Annual Brood Survey.”

The Brood Survey conducted in late August helps biologist determine how many pheasants were produced during the nesting season. Observers count the number of pheasants observed and classify the size of young birds to provide an index of pheasant abundance (number seen per 20 mile route) and reproductive success.

The brood survey is conducted in the same counties as the Crow Count Survey. The survey showed a 64 percent decrease from last year in the number of young pheasants in the Panhandle and 49 percent decrease in the other 10 northwest and northcentral counties. According to Schoeling, the decline can likely be attributed to the weather conditions during the spring and early summer, particularly in the panhandle, because of the low amounts of rainfall early in the nesting season.

According to Wade Free, northwest region wildlife supervisor, Panhandle pheasant hunters can still look forward to another good season.

“The pheasant population has been very strong in the Panhandle the past couple of years and with good carryover from last year, hunters can expect another good year,” Free said. “While it may not be as good as the last two years it could still be one of the better seasons we have had over the last ten years.”

Pheasant hunters in the rest of the state also have plenty to look forward to according to Free.

“Hunters in the northwest and northcentral counties can expect pockets of good pheasant populations, but they may notice a decline in overall numbers due to the low nesting success,” Free said.

According to Schoeling, there is only one way for pheasant hunters to really learn about pheasant populations in their area.

“While we work hard at these surveys each year, the best way for hunters to find out if there are pheasants is to get out there after them,” said Schoeling. “The great thing about pheasant hunting is that it is a sport you can enjoy with friends and family – in fact the more the merrier.”

To see figures from the 2008 Crow Count and Brood surveys, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

Pheasant season in Oklahoma runs Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 (only in open areas) and offers hunters a chance at a popular gamebird that, though not native to Oklahoma, thrives in northern portions of the state. The ringneck pheasant was first introduced into Oklahoma in 1911, and the colorful birds prefer cultivated farmland habitat mixed with weedy fencerows and overgrown pastures common across northcentral Oklahoma and the Panhandle.

Hunters should consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” for open counties and wildlife management areas. The daily bag limit for pheasants is two cocks, with a possession limit of four after the first day and six after the second day. Evidence of sex (head or one foot) must remain on the bird until it reaches its final destination. When the deer gun and the holiday antlerless deer seasons (in open zones) overlap with pheasant season, all pheasant hunters must wear either a hunter orange cap or vest.

Before going afield, be sure to pick up a copy of the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide,” available at all hunting and fishing license dealers or log onto wildlifedepartment.com. Resident and non-resident hunters must possess a valid hunting license and a fishing and hunting legacy permit or proof of exemption. Beginning this season, the non-resident five-day hunting license is valid for hunting pheasant.

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2009 Pisgah Fly Masters Fly-Fishing Tournament Announced

BREVARD, N.C. (Nov. 24, 2008) – The Pisgah Fly Masters fly-fishing tournament on the Davidson River is back for a second year, on March 21-22, 2009, and will add a youth category this year for anglers younger than 16.

Hosted by the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Davidson River Outfitters, the competition tests anglers’ casting skills off-stream and catch and release abilities on-stream. Registration is open to the first 125 entrants through March 3, 2009 for $50, with a late registration available for $75 until March 21, space remaining.

All proceeds will go toward building a new classroom at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission learning facility located south of Asheville. The classroom will be used for educational programs including fly-fishing and fly-tying.

“Including a youth category will add another needed dimension to the competition,” said Emilie Johnson with the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and a tournament organizer. “I think we will see a bigger response because of it, and I expect more family participation, with moms, dads, sons and daughters entering the event.”

The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education is located near Brevard, adjacent to the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery. Aquatic ecosystems and cold water conservation are a large part of the exhibits and displays.

For the competition format, rules, prize list and entry forms, contact the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education at (828) 877-4423 or e-mail emilie [dot] johnson [at] ncwildlife [dot] org

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Holiday Travelers Will Give Thanks for the Peace of Ohio State Park Resorts

COLUMBUS, OH - Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) invites holiday travelers and others to reserve stays and dine at one of Ohio’s relaxing state park resort lodges.
 
Are We There Yet?

With nine luxurious Ohio State Park resort lodges statewide, travelers are never far from an affordable, scenic night’s stay.  Some lodges are offering special holiday discount rates. Do yourself a favor and trade the cramped foldout couch at the relatives’ residence for a private bed and bath with a gorgeous state park outside the door.
 
“Start a new tradition this Thanksgiving by reserving a room at an Ohio state park resort lodge,” said Dan West, chief of the ODNR Ohio State Parks. “The time you and your family spend together in our modern facilities will help increase your enjoyment of the holiday and provide lasting memories.”
 
Special Thanksgiving room rates are available at the following Ohio State Park resorts:
 
Burr Oak State Park Resort       (Glouster, Ohio)
Stay November 26-28 for $259 (plus tax)
Stay November 27-29 for $269 (plus tax)
Stay includes two nights, two breakfasts for two, one dinner for two and a $25 gift shop gift certificate. To reserve a room, call (800) 282-7275.
 
Deer Creek State Park Resort     (Mount Sterling, Ohio)
Stay one night (Nov. 26 or Nov 27) starting at $183
Stay includes buffet for two adults and continental breakfast for two. To reserve a room, call (877) 678-3337.
 
Maumee Bay State Park Resort     (Oregon, Ohio)
Stay November 26 for $79 per night per room (plus tax)
Stay November 27 for $79 per night per room (plus tax)
Stay November 28 or 29 for $99 per night per room (plus tax)
Stay includes room with 2 double beds. To reserve a room, call (800) 282-7275.
 
Salt Fork State Park Resort      (Cambridge, Ohio)
Stay November 26-28 for $309 (plus tax)
Stay includes a dinner for two and a $40 voucher for gift shop. Request king or two double beds. $349 for a room with two bunk beds and two double beds. To reserve a room, call (800) 282-7275.
 
Check rates for other Ohio State Park resort lodges, including the Lodge at Geneva on the Lake; Hueston Woods; Mohican; Punderson and Shawnee at www.ohiodnr.com/parks. Web site visitors can also view facility amenities and reserve rooms via the site.
 
To avoid high traffic volumes, depart for holiday destinations a day early and spend the extra night at a state park lodge.
 
Dinner is Served
Aside from providing a comfortable and relaxing night’s stay, Ohio State Park resort lodges will also cook (an