Quick Tips

Make a Tic Tac Box Bait Dispenser + 44 More Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Tips from the Readers of Field & Stream

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:19:38 -0500

Some of the best hunting and fishing tips that appear in Field & Stream every month don't come from the editors or writers at the magazine. They come from you, the readers. We get so many good tip submissions, in fact, that it's sometimes tough to select the winners for our "Reader Tips" section. But there was never any doubt about the tips in this gallery.

If you have a good Reader Tip for the magazine, e-mail it to fsletters@bonniercorp.com, or post it on The Tip Board. If it appears in the magazine, we'll send you some great outdoor gear—free!

Geese Tip: Add Wings To Silo Decoys

Online Editors — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:02:45 -0500

Silhouette goose decoys possess one major disadvantage: They're two-dimensional. At certain angles—especially from overhead—these flat goose shapes can literally disappear from view. And full-body decoys, while more realistic, are big, expensive, and a pain to store and transfer—everything silhouettes are not.
Fortunately, waterfowl hunters can have the best of both worlds simply by adding a bit of body—literally—to their silhouette decoys. Dried goose wings tacked onto a flat decoy provide a third dimension and improve the decoy's natural appearance. The process is easy and effective and can be used for Canadas, snows, or specklebellies.

STEP 1 Disjoint each wing at the body, and cut away with a sharp knife. Remove as much flesh and skin as possible from the ball and entire first joint.

STEP 2 Using finishing nails, pin the loosely folded wing, underside out, to a large, overturned cardboard box. Generously pour salt or borax onto the exposed flesh and let dry for at least two weeks.

STEP 3 When dry, mist the bone ends lightly with flat black spray paint. Place one wing in position atop the “wing” on the silhouette, and drill two 1/8-inch holes through the decoy—one above and one below the bone. Position both wings and secure them to the decoy by cinching a 6-inch zip tie around the bone ends. Trim the tag end.

Recipe: How To Cook Roast Grouse With Mushrooms

Online Editors — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:19:17 -0500

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 creme (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

Tip: Call In More Coyotes

Online Editors — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:09:51 -0500

Coyotes are certainly smart and can learn from experience, as predator hunters can attest. But does that capacity ever land them in trouble? A recent study suggests it might.

Aware that coyotes in general show an attraction to minimal stimuli (both calls and decoys), researchers compared the animal's reactions to small and large orange cones (which the researchers prepped with an attractant) and then followed that by removing the cones and looking at the coyotes' reactions to the respective “removal sites.” Coyotes were more attracted to the smaller cones than the larger ones, which they tended to approach with caution; as expected, they were averse to the more substantial stimuli. Interestingly, however, the coyotes thoroughly investigated the removal sites of the larger cones, more so in fact than they did the removal sites of smaller stimuli. It was as if the bigger disappearance provoked their curiosity.

For hunters, the study suggests that the failure of a decoy or call or both to draw in a coyote may not be the endgame. Returning the next day and moving or drastically reducing the “stimuli” may be just what is needed to seal the deal—particularly if the coyotes' tracks suggest they came within some distance but held off at the last moment. The one attractant a coyote can't resist may be nothing at all.

Teach Your Dog To Find Sheds

Online Editors — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 00:11:30 -0500

As the owner of Ventosa Kennel (ventosakennel.com) in Scotland Neck, N.C., Tracy Bowling specializes in prepping dogs for police work. And that happens to make him pretty well suited for training shed dogs, too. “Training for narcotics or bomb detection is different—but not different at all than for shed detection,” says Bowling. While there are plenty of decent shed dogs that have been trained casually in backyards, Bowling feels most amateurs take the wrong approach. Here's how Bowling trains:

1. Pick the right pup.
You want a pup with high prey and hunt drives, such as a retriever (Labrador, golden) or a working breed (German shepherd, Malinois). But not every dog will do. Test a pup out by tossing some short retrieves (do not use a shed at this stage). Look for unbridled enthusiasm. You'll also need to ensure the dog has enough drive. Throw the ball into thick cover and observe how long he'll search and whether he's using his nose.

2. Imprint the scent.
To get your dog excited about shed hunting, you need to get him excited about the scent of sheds. Take a tennis ball and rub it on a shed—the fresher the antler, the better. Or store the ball and the shed together. Then work with the dog on short retrieves. Eventually work your way up to tossing the ball into thick cover. Give a reward after good sessions.

3. Hide the shed.
Once the dog is accustomed to the scent of sheds, it's time to break out the antlers for what Bowling calls odor recognition. The biggest mistake people make, says Bowling, is that they don't think about the wind while training. At first, try some easy finds, and reward good effort. Then move to tougher tests. But always work the dog into the wind. Let him learn to use his nose.

How To Make A Handmade Slingshot

Online Editors — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:57:41 -0400

MADISON PARKER IS a former U.S. Navy SEAL who now trains SEALs in wilderness skills—including how to make and wield the most wicked slingshots on the planet (primitivesupply.com). How wicked? Parker's handmade slingshots fire big chunks of lead at 225 fps. Where legal, he's used them to take game from squirrels to wild turkeys and more. While we're certainly not suggesting you hunt with a slingshot, there's nothing wrong with drilling empty cans on a summer afternoon. Here's how to make one:

The Frame “Dogwood, hickory, and oak are the best,” Parker says. “Don't look for the perfect Y-shaped fork. If you'll hold the slingshot in your left hand, you want a fork where the main branch crooks to the left at 30 degrees, and a fork that goes off to the right at a 45-degree angle. Cut the frame and let it dry for three weeks.”

The Power Parker's slingshots utilize high-powered bands with heavy leather shot pouches, but a number of companies sell ready-made replacement bands with pouches attached for slingshots (slingshotworld.com). The trick is in Parker's connection: 1 1/2 inches from the top of each upright, drill a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the band. Bevel the end of the band with scissors and thread it through the hole. Snip off the bevel. Next, take a dried stick slightly larger in diameter than the inside diameter of the band, and carve two pointed, 1/2-inch-long stoppers. Plug each end of the tubing with a stopper.

Recipe: How To Cook Green Chile Venison Stew

Online Editors — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 19:38:21 -0400

Here's a flavorful and simple stew inspired by the Native American cooking of the Southwest. The marriage of mild chiles and venison is a classic one, and this is especially good with Apache bread—cornmeal and bacon fat, roasted in a corn husk—crumbled on top. If you're in the Southwest, use the best green chiles you can find. For the rest of us, the canned variety sold in most grocery stores (Old El Paso, etc.) will suffice just fine; figure on four 7-ounce cans, and drain the chiles before adding to the stew.

Directions

MAKE THE APACHE BREAD: Soak the dried corn husks (available at many grocery stores and Latin American markets) in water until soft and pliable, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cornmeals in a medium bowl with salt and pepper, then add the boiling water and bacon drippings and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Using your hands, form the dough into eight fat cylinders, then wrap these with the corn husks, tying the ends with kitchen twine. Place the filled husks on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

START THE STEW: Dry the meat, and salt and pepper generously. Heat the oil over high heat in a Dutch oven, and brown the meat in batches so as not to crowd the pot. Use additional oil, if necessary. Remove the meat and set aside.

YOU SHOULD HAVE about 3 Tbsp. oil left in the pan; add more if needed. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until limp and golden; then stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Return the meat, and any juices, to the pot, then add the bay leaves and chicken stock and bring to a boil.

REDUCE THE HEAT to low and skim any impurities from the surface. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, then remove the cover and simmer for 30 minutes more. Add the chiles and bell pepper, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with the warm bread, removed from the husks, on the side.

SERVES 4–6

INGREDIENTS
8 dried corn husks
3/4 cup white cornmeal
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings
2 lb. venison, cut in 1-inch cubes
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
3 cups roasted, peeled, chopped green chiles
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

Recipe: How To Cook Trucker's Rice With Deer Jerky

Online Editors — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:53:47 -0400

Several years ago, on a fishing trip in Brazil, the camp cook served me a mysterious bowl of meat and rice. “We call this arroz de carreteiro,” the cook said, translating that as “trucker's rice” and explaining it this way: The meat was dried beef, or jerky, which, cooked with rice, made for a simple meal for long-haul truckers to prepare when traversing Brazil's wide open spaces, where fresh ingredients can be hard to come by. Easy and addictive, it has since become my camping staple.

Directions

REMOVE THE JERKY from the water, then dice into fine cubes. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium-size pot or Dutch oven, then add the onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and limp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the jerky and tomato, raise the heat to high, and continue to cook, stirring, for about another minute. Add some freshly ground black pepper. Add the rice and bay leaf and stir to coat the rice with the oil, then add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until nearly all the water is absorbed, about 16 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes.

SOAK THE JERKY for several hours—1 hour, at the very least—to rehydrate. Cover entirely with water. Changing the water once or twice will help reduce the saltiness.

WHEN THE RICE IS READY, gently stir in the parsley. Taste for salt; the jerky should provide enough saltiness, but add more if desired. In Brazil, this is often spiked with generous dashes of molho à campanha, or hot sauce; try it with a dose of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce.

SERVES 6

Shooting Clays Tip: Springing Teal

Online Editors — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:17:06 -0400

MOST PEOPLE MISS teal for the same reason, says Mike Mohr, director of sporting clays at Seven Springs Mountain Resort (7springs.com). The problem arises when shooters “pull through” the target. Instead of pulling the trigger the moment the barrel passes over the clay bird, “they stop the gun for a split second” when they no longer see it. Here's how Mohr suggests avoiding the mistake:

On the Rise Start in a ready stance with your gun pointed to the right of the box. Once you see the bird, mount your gun and raise the barrel so it's moving alongside the flight path [A]. This way, you'll never lose sight of the teal. Focusing on the top edge of the target, “insert” (position) the muzzle just over the top. Pull the trigger with the gun still in upward motion. The key is to move the gun slow and steady.

On the Drop Falling is the one instance in which a clay target will actually increase speed. To shoot the second bird (or, ahem, if you missed), first let the bird roll over the top of your barrel near the top of its arc [B]. Then, train your muzzle to the bottom edge of the clay, ride it for a second as it drops, and pull away, accelerating the gun below the target. Pull the trigger once you see daylight.

Recipe: How To Cook Root Beer Glazed Duck Breast

Online Editors — Sat, 15 May 2010 20:33:04 -0400

The rich flavors of duck meat have always attracted sweet, fruit-based sauces. Witness duck à l'orange, for instance. In this recipe, we forgo the fruit for something darker, woodsier, but no less sweet: root beer. Once it is reduced down to a saucy glaze, the root beer offers a tangy new twist on the classic combination. It's incredibly easy, but more than elegant enough to serve guests. And when they take their first bites, ask to see if they can guess the secret ingredient.

DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE GLAZE: Combine the root beer, brown sugar, ketchup, lemon zest, and mustard in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is saucy and coats the back of a spoon.
HEAT A LARGE SAUTÉ PAN (or grill pan) over high heat until very hot. Pat the duck breasts dry with a paper towel and lay them skin-side down in the pan. Reduce the heat slightly, to medium-high, and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.
TOAST THE SESAME SEEDS: Place the seeds in a small pan over medium heat. Shaking the pan occasionally, cook until the seeds turn golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes, being careful not to scorch them. Remove from heat and let cool.
FLIP THE MEAT OVER and generously brush with the root-beer glaze. Cook for 2 minutes, or until just medium-rare. Flip again, brush the meat side with the glaze, and remove to a cutting board. Cover with foil and allow to rest about 5 to 8 minutes.
REMOVE THE DUCK BREASTS from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking, and salt. (If using domestic, farm-raised ducks, score the skin with a sharp knife, in a crosshatch pattern.)
TO SERVE, SPOON ANY REMAINING GLAZE onto the breasts and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, then slice. Mashed sweet potatoes make a fine accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS

2 large whole duck breasts (mallard, pintail, canvas-back), or 3 medium breasts (wood duck, wigeon)
4 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup Barq's, Boylan, or other strong root beer
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tsp. Dijon mustard