By David Draper

Though I snapped both the photos featured in this week’s Food Fight, I did not cook either. Both were prepared by professional chefs in two very nice restaurants. I’m presenting them here to make a point about game meat, and duck in particular. I’m tired of people, including hunters, bad-mouthing the way wild game tastes. It’s bad enough when the uneducated public does it, but every time I hear a waterfowler say, “Duck tastes like crap,” all I can do is shake my head (to keep from shaking them).

If you’re cooking duck and it tastes bad, the only thing I can tell you is you’re doing it wrong. There’s a reason duck can be found on the menus of high-end restaurants around the world and it’s not because it tastes bad. (Spare me the lecture about the difference between domestic and wild ducks. Fact is: The taste isn’t that different.) So, to otherwise convince the non-believers, here are two dishes that reaffirmed my belief that, done well (but not well done), duck is delicious.

By T. Edward Nickens

Mac English, the 77-year-old hunter behind the squirrel-dog revival in South Carolina's Piedmont Woods, shares his recipe for his New England-Style cream-based chowder, which draws crowds at English's regular squirrel feasts.

"Great day, squirrel chowder is the way to eat a squirrel," says English. "You can't help yourself, just eat till you are sick."

By David Draper

Sorry if this post comes a day late for those of you looking for the perfect wine to accompany your Valentine’s Day dinner of venison heart or other wild game, but I wanted to talk a little bit about wine and wild game pairings. Or more specifically, ask for a little help from Wild Chef readers. You see, when it comes to wine, I’m at a bit of a loss. I know I like it, but haven’t taken the time to really learn everything I can about it.

Frankly, when I shop for wine, I tend to select bottles on one of three criteria: price, recommendations (from friends or bottle-shop employees), and the label. I have purchased plenty of duds just because the label or name caught my eye. I’ve found some true gems this way, too.

Taking a look at my current crop of wine, I seem to be trending towards blends, or as my girlfriend describes them: whatever’s left at the bottom of the barrel. While her description probably has a bit of truth to it, I still enjoy a good blend of California red wines, mostly because they usually aren’t to complex and make for easy drinkability.

By David Draper

This Valentine’s Day, I suggest you skip the fancy and expensive restaurant and instead cook a nice meal from your heart. Venison heart that is.

Though I don’t see it happening as much today, there used to be a time when deer hunters would carry a couple of gallon-size Ziploc bags with them into the woods. The deer’s liver would go in one, and into the other the hunter would slip the heart. Most interestingly, of all the times I’ve seen someone save a deer’s heart, the act has been so carefully conducted it felt almost reverential. So it’s only natural that serving such a sacred piece of the animal should be an act of love, hence my belief heart makes the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner.