Breaded & Baked Walleye

by almost_rosey // 16Sep2017 // No Comments

My guy likes to joke that all we eat is walleye and venison. This is far from the truth but for a good portion of the year we eat them roughly once a week but for sure every other week. I don’t mind. I love them both. They are nice to rotate with your standard chicken, pork, beef, etc. It’s also a nice feeling to be able to say that you caught your own dinner or harvested it during hunting season. To make it even better it’s a great feeling to add in fresh veggies from the garden. Roasted green beans & tomatoes are one of my favorite side dishes and they go perfectly with baked walleye. We might not be living off the grid but I’d say we are fairly self-sufficient and that makes cooking dinner extra enjoyable and satisfying.

Breaded & Baked Walleye (serves 2)

2-4 fillets walleye
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1-2 tsp Blackened Seasoning
salt to taste
cooking spray, olive oil, or melted butter

Mix mayonnaise & mustard on a plate. Mix breadcrumbs & seasonings on a plate. Coat the walleye on both sides with the mayo/mustard mixture. Dip in the seasoned breadcrumbs to coat & shake to get rid of excess crumbs.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet & spray with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil or melted butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes. Serve with sides of choice (I chose creamy rice and roasted green beans & tomatoes fresh from the garden).

Crispy Walleye Sandwich

by almost_rosey // 11Sep2017 // No Comments

Yesterday was the official start to Baking Sunday. I do tend to bake year round on Sundays but since football season started yesterday my true Baking Sunday began as well. I don’t just bake on these “Baking Sundays.” I use them for various activities. I try to blog, make new recipes in general, meal plan, do canning, etc.

I did actually bake something yesterday. I made an apple quick bread. I was going to make pepper jelly as well but didn’t get around to it. I also made lunch for my guy who happened to have the day off which was a nice surprise.

He rarely has weekend days off as he is a fishing guide. Sounds awesome in theory but as a consequence we don’t get many weekends together in the summer. We do get to eat walleye on a fairly regular basis though. Normally I make cajun walleye which is baked in the oven so it’s very light. He eats a lot of fried fish while working so we tend to stay away from beer battered walleye as delicious as it is.

I decided to make a crispy walleye sandwich. I thought it would be the perfect Football Sunday lunch. I have to say I was very pleased with how it turned out. The walleye was perfectly crispy & the garden fresh lettuce & tomatoes gave it just the right touch. Of course the tartar sauce is absolutely necessary as well. I make mine to be a smidge spicy but of course the sweetness of the relish shines through and pairs amazingly well with the pan fried fish.

Crispy Walleye Sandwich (serves 2)

2 walleye fillets
Blackened Seasoning
all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil (for frying)
brat buns (or hoagie buns)
lettuce & tomato
tartar sauce
- You can use store bought but homemade is so much better. Mix 2 tbsp mayo, a few splashes lemon juice, 1 tbsp relish, onion powder, garlic powder & dill to taste, 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used asian chili sauce). Adjust seasonings as needed.

Season the fillets liberally with blackened seasoning (if using salt free seasoning add salt as well). Dredge the fillets in flour, followed by the egg, and finally the panko breadcrumbs.

Place enough oil in a large frypan to be about 1/2 inch deep. Heat oil over medium heat. Place fillets in hot oil and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low & cook for an additional 3 minutes. Flip fillets over and cook for about 5 minutes (you may need to turn the heat back up for a minute or so to get a nice crisp & golden color).

Bake or broil buns until warmed through & slightly crispy. Slather with tartar sauce. Top with lettuce, tomato & crispy walleye.

Venison Fajitas

by almost_rosey // 7Sep2017 // No Comments

Last year we counted 13 deer in our front yard. We both had a feeling that our garden was going to be in trouble. Surprisingly it wasn’t really in trouble from the deer too badly. It wasn’t doing as well as we hoped but the deer seemed to leave it alone.

Until they found it. I’m not sure where they were all season but they destroyed our garden once it was getting close to harvest. They dug up the beets. We got 2 beets! 2! That’s it.

They dug up the carrots. We had about 10 total. They ate all my grape tomatoes, early girls, and romas. It’s super frustrating. I love fresh produce and we had a minuscule harvest. Next year we will have to beef up our garden protection. Until then I will keep practicing with my bow and hopefully harvest one of them this year.

I’ve been fortunate enough to harvest a deer the last 2 years of hunting. This year with a bow opportunity and rifle season being hunter’s choice I am hoping the streak will continue. If it does I will enjoy all the benefits that come from hunting which includes putting meat on the table.

One of my new favorite ways to cook venison is venison fajitas. It is so easy & of course you don’t get that gamey flavor. The venison steak is also way more tender than breakfast steak which is what I normally use for fajitas. Give this a try & it might convert you to actually loving venison.

Venison Fajitas

8oz venison steak
1 oz lime juice
worcestshire sauce
olive oil
salt & pepper
taco seasoning, salt free (note I just add roughly these amounts in a dish & keep on hand. Amounts are estimates. Sometimes more or less of each depending on my mood)
- 2-3 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or cayenne
- 1/4 tsp oregano

Brine 8 oz venison steak in 3 cups of water & 1 tbsp table salt for about 6 hrs
Rinse off the brine & cut into thin strips
Marinade the venison for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hrs in oil, lime juice, worcestershire, taco seasoning, salt, & pepper (note I am not sure how much of everything I added. I drizzled the steak with oil, gave a few splashes of worcestshire sauce, smidge salt & pepper, and 2-3 tsp salt free taco seasoning
Cook over medium high heat for about 30 seconds per side

Serve with tortillas, sautéed peppers & onions, lettuce, cheese, salsa, & sour cream

50 States, 50 Cookies: New York

by almost_rosey // 4Sep2017 // No Comments

While doing this cookie challenge of baking a cookie from every state, I have realized a few things thus far. One thing I’ve realized is that a lot of these cookies are hard to actually write about besides giving a general review. This cookie is different. It’s different because of the ingredients I used to make them and it’s different because I have a memory of New York which is the state that these cookies are from.

I visited New York briefly. Very briefly. I think I was there for a whopping 3 nights or a whole 2 days. I went to visit a friend who was home for Christmas (she has been residing in France for 10 years now if you can believe it).

I remember a lot about that trip now that I’m actively thinking about it. I had never been to New York before. I had to fly into New Jersey and take a train the rest of the way. Emily said she’d meet me at the train station in New York. I was wearing a red hoody and had dyed my hair red for the first time a few months prior. I told her this. Seeing as how I’d be completely red I thought she could find me easily.

This was not the case. For whatever reason I could not find her. I heard my name over the intercom, I think. The person did not enunciate well. All the words got mushed together. They repeated it, “Angela….go to…” that’s all I could here. Where was I supposed to go? I had no clue. I tried to find the place where people could page one another. I heard another one. Again, I had no clue what they were saying. Finally we found each other. We must have looked like a bunch of silly school girls running towards each other all smiles and laughing and hugging. I’m pretty sure that scene has been created in movies numerous times and it was probably based on us.

We went to her parents’ apartment in Manhattan and then proceeded to hang out. We didn’t really do a whole lot. There wasn’t really time for it. Plus, we have a certain rhythm together. We are fine not doing “activities” per say but just enjoying one another’s company and whatever fills the time with that is fine. We went to the Met Museum which was fun. I’ve been to many a museum with Miss Monaco who is a great museum partner. We can go and not be rushed and take our own time together or separately. It all works out.

We also went to Carnegie Deli which was one of the only things I had requested we do while I visited. I wanted to eat there and I had a request from a friend to bring back a dried sausage. It was amazing. Emily said we should split a sandwich cause they were huge. She wasn’t joking.

It was served with a side of coleslaw and pickles (which were sooo good). They just look pretty.

After we ate I tried to go buy a salami and the guy handed me a bag with a sandwich. I explained I wanted a dried sausage/hard salami & pointed to the ones hanging up. He laughed and said not many people buy those (i.e. only tourists do).

Those are the only things I can remember except for a few miscellaneous memories. I remember the smell of burnt toast in the morning and Emily explaining that her sister would only eat it when it was basically completely charred. I remember being there for garbage day. I had always heard about garbage day in New York. About the gabage bags being stacked higher than head level all down the streets because there was no where else to put it for collection. People live stacked on one another in apartment buildings so it makes sense that the garbage would be the same. I also remember going out with her and her friends.

We went to a bar and proceeded to drink, talk, laugh, and basically just have a fun night out.

If you look closely at this photo I am in the background staring at Big Buck Hunter. Being from Minnesota everyone assumed I’d kick ass at the game but I had to explain I had never been hunting let alone played that game. Little did I know that I would become a hunter within a few years.

Which brings me to today (7 years later). I have been living in Almost Canada for almost 4 years now. I still haven’t played Big Buck Hunter since that time in New York but I now hunt for real. We also have a garden which is the one of the few things I like about summer. The chance to get to eat fresh veggies all the time. This year we discovered we had an apple tree. A small one but how cool is that!

We also have too many deer eating our garden and tree this year. Not cool. I went out and picked all the apples I could once I realized we had a deer problem. I ended up getting just a handful (I had 4 more but I used them to make these cookies)

These apples are definitely a bit tart but still delicious. Finding that apple tree to make these cookies in my 50 States, 50 Cookies challenge couldn’t have timed out any better.

Apple Pie Stuffed Snickerdoodles (from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies)

Ingredients

Apple Pie Filling

2 medium Apples peeled, cored, diced (1-3/4 cups)
3 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar packed
1/2 Tbsp Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Butter

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup Butter room temperature
1/2 cup Shortening
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar packed
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2+ 3/4 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
1+ 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt

Coating

1/2 Tbsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

Instructions

Apple Pie Filling

In a medium saucepan, add in the apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Stir to combine.
Place saucepan over medium heat and let it come up to a simmer and simmer for about 3 – 4 minutes until the syrup is thick. Be sure to stir continuously. The apples will be soft.
Remove from the heat and let cool while you make your cookie dough.

Cookie Dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In the mixing bowl, add in the butter and shortening. Using a paddle attachment on medium speed, mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl down.
Add granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Mix on medium until light and fluffy.
Add in the vanilla and one egg at a time and continue mixing. Once the egg is incorporated add in the second egg and continue mixing. Once both eggs are incorporated, scrape down the sides.
Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until the flour starts to combine with the wet mixture. Scrape down the sides and turn the mixer up to medium until everything is combined.
Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop the dough up. Make a well in the center of the cookie using your thumb.
Add a small spoon full of apple pie filling into the cookie.
Cover the well up with more cookie dough. Press to together and even it out with the top of the cookie scoop.
In a shallow bowl, add in the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the coating. Stir together.
Place into the cookie into the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough into it’s completely covered.
Place on baking sheet to bake. Leave 1 to 2 inches between each cookie.
Once the cookie sheet is full, bake for 12-16 minutes depending on the size of your cookies.

Bear Kielbasa, White Bean, & Spinach Skillet

by almost_rosey // 12Jun2017 // No Comments

Summer is here even if the season hasn’t technically started on the calendar. While it might not get as hot as some places most of the time here in Almost Canada, we do not have air conditioning. Once the weather heats up I try to make mainly skillet dishes or those which can strictly be made on the stove so I can avoid running the oven for long periods of time.

Seeing as how my guy provided us with a bear this year from his last hunting season, we have lots of kielbasa to work with. This dish is super yummy. It’s so quick & easy but unbelievably flavorful. This could serve 2 if you both a very hungry but otherwise I’d say it serves 2 for dinner and one lucky person gets left-overs for lunch the next day!

Bear Kielbasa, White Bean, & Spinach Skillet (serves 2-3)

2 bear kielbasa (or regular if you aren’t a hunter) about 6in long fully cooked & cut into 1/4 inch slices
small amount olive oil
5 oz spinach
1 can white beans (cannellini, navy, etc) drained & rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp each basil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder
pepper & crushed red pepper to taste
grated parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until nicely browned. Add beef broth, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and pepper/crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let it simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes to allow broth to reduce a little.
Stir in spinach until wilted. Garnish with Parmesan. Ladle into bowls and serve with garlic bread.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Drop Scones

by almost_rosey // 3Jun2017 // No Comments

The summer of rhubarb has begun! Rhubarb screams summer and Minnesota cooking to me. I have grown up with rhubarb & have always loved it (no berry mixing required). These drop scones are not like your traditional scone in texture but are perfect for breakfast or with a coffee or tea.

Rhubarb Drop Scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk

1 cup sour milk ( 1 tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup milk & let stand for 5 min)
raw sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter pieces and, using a pastry blender & your hands, mash it all up until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter is worked throughout. Add the rhubarb.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sour milk. Add this to the flour-fruit mixture. Stir until combined.

Drop large spoonfuls of the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat them down slightly until they are a uniform thickness (about 1/2 – 3/4 inch). Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes (a little less if you opt for smaller scones) or until the scones are golden and the edges beginning to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Korean Venison & Broccoli

by almost_rosey // 23May2017 // No Comments

I’m embarrassed to say that my guy has done the majority of cooking with our venison. He has made chicken fried venison, various steaks, and every roast we have had in the past two years. It’s not that I can’t try cooking the roasts, that’s just how it has worked out. He perfected the roast recipe so I have just let him cook all of them. I have made a few dishes with the venison. Most of which I have yet to post.

One of the very first meals I made with my first deer was Asian Venison & Broccoli (which I did actually blog about). That deer is long gone but I was fortunate enough to harvest another deer last season. When I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner I figured I would try something similar. One of the only vegetables I can easily get in my grocery store is broccoli.

I also always have the other ingredients for the marinade in my pantry so figured it would be quick and easy.

The marinade I found was from bon appetite. It’s called bulgogi which is Korean. I’ve used in on chicken and am absolutely in love with the flavors (I do cut out a few of the ingredients for convenience but I like the way it turns out my way). Normally when you cook it you grill it or pan fry it without adding additional sauce to it so that it has a nice char on the outside. I wanted a sauce for the rice & broccoli though.

Korean Venison & Broccoli (serves 2)

small amount of sesame & olive oil
8 oz venison steak*sliced into thin strips
1/2 to 3/4 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched or lightly steamed.
1/2 cup white rice, cook according to package directions

*I did also brine my steaks (before slicing them) in 4 cups water and 2 tsp salt which is a very mild brine but so much salt is being added in the marinade & sauce I didn’t want the salt to be over powering. Rinse the brine off and pat dry before slicing.

Marinade

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
few dashes ground ginger
1 tsp corn starch
few dashes salt

Sauce

1 tbsp each hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, and water
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
dash or two ground ginger & garlic powder

Add marinade to venison (except for corn starch & salt) and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.

Heat a small amount of sesame oil or sesame & olive oil in a skillet (I find too much sesame oil is overwhelming so usually do a blend for stir-fries). Add the corn starch & salt to the venison and stir. Add the marinaded venison and cook briefly over medium to medium high heat (about 30 seconds per side). Add the broccoli and the sauce and allow to come to a boil. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Add a smidge more corn starch if needed to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

Dinner Party Tiramisu

by almost_rosey // 10May2017 // No Comments

I really enjoy having friends over for dinner. I like being a hostess. I would prefer to have nicer plates & actually make a pretty table like they do on TV but have never invested in it. Regardless, I enjoy having company, planning a menu, making sure everyone has what they need, and that they are enjoying themselves.

A long time ago, in another life I like to say, I used to have friends over for dinner often. Roughly every other weekend I would have people over. One of those people was my guy. At that point in time though we were friends. We were on the verge of transitioning into where we are today.

One night I had an Italian themed dinner. I had planned a menu of parmesan encrusted chicken breasts with roasted red pepper sauce, some sort of side that I can no longer recall, and tiramisu for dessert.

I have always loved tiramisu but had never made it before that dinner party. My trusty cookbook had a recipe so I thought I would give it a go. It did not turn out pretty but tasted fantastic. As I was making it & reading the recipe, it said to cut it into thirds. I cut it into 3 pieces in the pan. Whoops. It meant cut the whole cake into thirds so that you’d have cake, filling, cake, filling, etc. I didn’t care too much. I found it more funny than anything else so decided to just keep it and have it be super tall. It would be an excellent conversation piece if anything else.

I was finishing as much prep as I could do before people arrived. They were running late which didn’t bother me cause I was running a bit behind too. I went into a cupboard to grab a mixing bowl and managed to knock out the bowl of my food processor onto the floor. I stepped back to get it & stepped on what I though was a rock. I looked and saw it was the blade of my food processor. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I had stepped on the plastic part that attaches it to the bowl or so I thought. I took a few steps to put it away and turned around & realized I was not as lucky as I thought. There was blood everywhere. The blade was so sharp (honestly it had never been used) that it had sliced my foot super clean so that I hadn’t known I had gotten cut.

I saw a roll of paper towels on the counter, grabbed it, & hit the floor putting pressure & the towels on my wound. In my head I was thinking that this couldn’t be happening. I was having friends over for dinner in a matter of minutes. This is all their fault. If they had been there they would have seen what had happened & yelled at me to not step back.

Of course I knew that it wouldn’t have really been that way. If anything I would have still stepped back & rolled on it from them trying to warn me & probably cut myself a lot worse. By the time they arrived it had been a few minutes. I was wanting to hold it tight for a bit to see if I could stop the bleeding. I didn’t know how deep it was & didn’t really want to look. I finally did & they joked that they wanted to see. I went in the bathroom & unwrapped my foot & knew that the dinner would have to go on without me as I needed to go to the ER.

I was such a good hostess though. As I was getting ready to leave I told everyone where I was in the dinner process. Where they could find all the ingredients, the recipes, & any miscellaneous items. I left. My guy (well not my guy at the time but you know what I mean) came out to watch me leave & I waived goodbye.

I ended up with 10 stitches. I had never had a stitch in my life. My first one (or ten) happened when I was almost 27 years old. I did not pay attention to my doctors advice to not drink. I actually took a shot of whiskey in the parking lot after being picked up. I lived in wright county at the time so I’m sure there was at least one other person doing the exact same thing. My friends had been having fun in the 3 hours that I spent in the ER. They managed to make dinner and saved me a plate. They waited to have the tiramisu until I got back. We hung out & I didn’t have to get up once.

That part of my life seems so long ago but it’s really only been 6 years. It’s amazing what can change in 6 years. In that time my guy and I figured out where we wanted to be in terms of our relationship. We moved to Almost Canada. We got married & just celebrated our one year anniversary. We have a whole new life.

We actually hosted an Italian night with friends we have made up here. Of course I offered to make the tiramisu. It made me remember my first tiramisu & how horribly ugly it looked. I wish I had a photo. When I told my guy I was making tiramisu for dessert all he said was… ‘make sure you cut it correctly this time.’ I guess he never forgot that evening either or at least the tiramisu.

I did make this one appropriately with the exception of doing 2 layers instead of 3 as I don’t think my knife skills are up to par to make thirds. That’s OK though. It was fun hosting. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tiramisu & I didn’t end up in the ER. I’d call that a success.

Walleye Cakes for Lunch

by almost_rosey // 17Jan2017 // No Comments

Since moving to Almost Canada my guy and I have not travelled down to the cities for Christmas. With the winter weather neither of us are too keen on driving the 325 miles back to our families. I’ve offered to host Christmas up here but no one has taken me up on it – go figure.

The past two years we have gone fishing on Christmas weekend. This year we decided to make it more of an event, an adventure if you will, and go up north. Well, further north. We took out the snowmobiles and drove across the lake up to the islands. We figured it was early enough with the fishing still being good on the south shore that no one would be up there. We were right. We had the entire place to ourselves.

The ride up was spectacular. It was a beautiful day outside & the trail was so smooth. It was very peaceful fishing with no one around & the fishing was great. We came home with 2 fish shy of our limit of good eaters.

At the end of the day when my guy was getting stuff ready to head back home I thought I had a monster of a walleye. It turned out to be an eel pout but it sure was fun pulling that guy up through the ice.

One of the things I love about fishing is being able to put dinner on the table with ridiculously fresh fish. I think we actually did a fish fry that evening with some of the fish but obviously we had more fish than we could eat in a single sitting. A few days later I made walleye cakes for lunch & served them with coleslaw.

Walleye Cakes (serves 2)

4 fillets (2 fish that were 12-15inches) previously cooked* with cajun/blackened seasoning
1 egg
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
2 green onions, chopped
splash or two lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2-1 tsp additional cajun seasoning or old bay seasoning
1/4-1/3 cup fine bread crumbs (guesstimate…I don’t actually know how much I added. Enough so that the mixture holds well)
oil (for cooking walleye cakes)

*To cook the walleye, place the walleye on a baking sheet lined with foil & spray with cooking spray or lightly coat it in olive oil. Lightly season the fillets on both sides with blackened seasoning or cajun seasoning. Spray fillets with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400F depending on the size of the fillets until cooked through. Once cooked, place them in a medium mixing bowl in the fridge covered with plastic wrap to be used the next day or shred into chunks to be used immediately.

Cooking the Walleye Cakes: Shred the fillets if needed. Add all the ingredients except for the oil.

Mix the ingredients & form into patties (makes roughly 4-6 patties, 2-3 patties for each person).

Place a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat & cook the walleye cakes for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown & heated through. Place on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.

Serve with coleslaw or side of your choice. (I also like to drizzle my walleye cakes with asian chili sauce).

Another Good Year for Hunting

by almost_rosey // 3Dec2016 // No Comments

I was excited once again to go deer hunting this year. Last year (my 2nd year of deer hunting) I harvested my first deer which was an 8 point buck. Not big enough to go on the wall but a great trophy for me. A good deer any year. An amazing deer for my first deer.

I was excited to go back out since last year had been such a good year for me with getting a turkey & a deer. I was also excited to go out cause my guy had gotten pulled for a bear tag. He sat 2 times and that second sit he harvested a bear. His first ever. And with a bow no less. He told me bears were in bow hunting distance so he thought he would give it a try & he succeeded.

Seeing as how he was successful with his bear he ended up going bow hunting for a deer once October hit. His first sit he harvested a doe. He sat 3 times and harvested 2 big game animals. I thought to myself this year is another great year for hunting. Maybe I’ll be lucky two years in a row. Plus, I got a doe tag this year. That is when I remembered the idiots who hunted the same area we hunted. I was hoping that they would be discouraged & not show up this year but I wasn’t so lucky. Walking to my stand opening morning a vehicle drives up on the trail behind me & it’s them. Great. Opening weekend reached a high of 70 degrees which is terrible but now I’m not going to see anything cause of these guys who drive down the trail & smoke in their stands.

They stop & ask if I’m the one in the ladder stand. I say yes. They tell me they are the ones who are hunting in the other stands just like last year. When asked how they do they say the got a couple deer last year & in my head I say bullshit. They were only there opening weekend. There is no way they got a deer. They ask me. I respond that I got a deer & the guy’s eyes widen. I could tell he was surprised. I think, Why would you be surprised if you had gotten deer?

I did see some does opening day but that was it. I ended up leaving at 10AM both days cause it was too warm. At least those guys will be gone. They only hunt opening weekend which means I’ll have the place all to myself. I’m lucky enough that I can alter my work schedule and go hunting before or after work. I went three times that first week and saw some deer but didn’t have shots at any of them. How is that possible you ask? Well I’ll tell you.

I hunt public land. Don’t laugh. I’m proud of it. I’m not just sitting in a box stand overlooking a field & being able to take pretty much any shot. I have to work for it. You have to scout & find land & find signs of deer. It’s also bow hunting distances so you have to take scent control seriously, pay attention to the wind, & be extra quiet. It’s fairly thick woods so I only have about 4 shots I can take. The deer have to walk down these certain trails to be able to take a shot. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. It’s actually pretty great. It feels more like hunting. As I said before, I also get to hunt before or after work so I’m not relying just on weekends. So when you think oh poor her for hunting public land let me ask how many animals you’ve taken in the past two years. Between me & my guy (guide) we’ve harvested 5 big game animals in two years. Which brings me to my announcement that I did harvest a deer this year. A doe. Which is what I wanted since I was lucky enough to get a doe tag (you only get them every 3-4 years where I hunt).

It was the second weekend. We went out Saturday afternoon and it was so close. There were two does but I didn’t have good shots at them. My guy trained me to wait for a perfect shot. We went out Sunday morning and it was so windy. It’s hard to hear the deer when it’s windy. I have to rely on sound to hear them coming since my visibility is not over an open field. The wind was in the wrong direction to make it even worse. In the morning they tend to come from one direction & in the afternoon the other. The wind was going right into the direction they come form in the morning so I was thinking it was pointless.

That’s when my guy said to me, there is a doe. Get ready. I could not see a deer for the life of me. There were too many trees in my view compared to my guys. All of a sudden there she was. I couldn’t believe it. She had completely snuck up on us cause it was so windy but she came from the wrong direction. She came from the direction that they normally come in the afternoon so the wind actually worked in my favor.

I started to position my rifle into my shoulder & rested it on the shooting rest. She started to turn away but then went down the perfect trail. My guy yelled & she stopped & looked. I shot & she ran away. I’ve never had an animal run away. My first deer last year hit the ground like a sack of bricks cause it was more in his spine & I had to go up to him & do one more shot. My doe ran but it sounded weird. Very noisy like she was running into everything & her tail was down. I heard a crash & then nothing. We waited a bit and then went to try & find her. I’ve never had to track an animal but it was easy. It was day time & there was a trail of blood. It looked like the trail ended & I was confused but then I looked to my right & saw the trail had taken a turn & there she was lying against a tree. I went up to her & she was dead. One shot. Thank goodness. I can’t stand having animals suffer & it should be a one shot kill at all times if possible.

My guy then proceeded to teach me how to field dress a deer. I put on gloves and started the process. I did a decent chunk but then he came in to show me how to pull everything out. It all comes out in a nice little bag if you do it properly & had a god shot. We were able to see that I had just nicked her heart & double lunged her & it passed out the other side. It was about as perfect of a shot as you can get. He dragged her back to our stand & then I dragged her out of the woods by myself. You want a tough workout try dragging a deer out of the woods. I don’t know what I’d do if it was a monster buck.

We hung her in the garage for a week cause it was cool enough and the following weekend my guy taught me how to remove the hide, quarter her, & deal with the meat. He helped with the hide & quartering cause it’s pretty tough, but I cut up all the meat, cleaned it, and vacuum sealed it. It took a few hours both days that weekend. I’m sure the next time will go a bit more quickly.

I have been extremely lucky with my hunting experiences thus far. I’ve had the opportunity to see deer, take the shots, & have made the shots. I’ve learned how to track & how to harvest the meat which is very important to me. I feel it is very important to be self-sufficient & the skills I have learned are priceless. I can’t thank my guide enough for helping me. I know I still have a lot to learn. I also know I won’t always be successful but I will always have these memories.

Feeling Almost Rosey

Put Those Glasses On

Being Minnesotan