(A lament by a kitten found half frozen and saved by the DNR head security officer at Salamonie Reservoir, Huntington County, Indiana. When interviewed, the Officer said that at most any time there are around 75 abandoned animals in the Salamonie . . .
Anyone wanting to read my first book may do so free of charge by going to the Allen County Public Library (Waynedale Branch) and asking for it by title or by author’s name. It is also for sale electronically from Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble on line.
Have a good and happy summer and keep your own Kampfires safe and fun.
30 lbs. ground venison3 lbs. chopped onions2 lb. 4 oz. (2 ¼ qt.) general all-purpose flour19 lb. 2 oz. (2 ¼ gallon) canned crushed tomatoes1 oz. (1/4 cup) Ground Mace OR Ground Nutmeg (optional)2 oz. (3tbsp.) salt2 tbsp. black pepper1/2 gal. water
Cook beef with onion until beef loses its pink color, stirring to break apart. Drain off excess fat. Sprinkle flour over beef and continue cooking until flour is absorbed. Add tomatoes, mace (or nutmeg), salt, pepper, and water. Stir to mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve open-face on hamburger buns with pickles, cheese slices, mustard, and/or hot sauce. Good over toast points.
Did I mention that this recipe will serve 100 Boy Scouts each with a one-cup serving? This recipe (modified for Boy Scout use) comes to us courtesy of the U.S. Army.
First of all deer meat is leaner than regular beef so you may have to cook some dishes differently than say a beef dish that relies on fat to make the meat juicy and flavorful like a nice thick beef T-bone steak.
Ray’s Way To Cook a Filay(I know it’s misspelled so don’t write in.)One whole back strap (some people call it filet)
Olive oil and butter combination1 large well seasoned cast-iron skillet (This gives a better flavor to the meat.)
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
Slice back strap into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Heat the skillet along with the butter/oil combination. Fill the skillet with the back strap slices and fry until they are half-way cooked and then turn the pieces in the skillet and cook the other half until just pink inside. Sprinkle on the garlic powder just before turning the pieces and again right after turning them. Take the meat off the heat and place in a 9″ X 13″ cake pan with a lid. Let the meat ‘rest’ for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Let everyone season their meat with salt and pepper to their own taste.
Filet Mignon is a slice of back strap with a strip of bacon wrapped around it and secured with tooth picks. All you have to do is fry the filets until the bacon is done (both sides). It is easier this way but I prefer a buttery taste to the greasy smoky bacon flavor. Be your own judge.
In the Boy Scout Handbook they show several kinds or types of fires you can build. Each has a purpose: easy to build, ceremonial purposes, signaling, lazy man’s way, cooking, and etc. Determine what your campfire is supposed to do before you start gathering fire building material. It also helps to keep the weather in mind before you light that first match. Some examples are:
Tee Pee Fire: Lay down your fire starting material (leaves, paper, etc) and build a tee pee over it. Lean each small stick of wood against the others in a tee pee fashion. Use bigger, thicker pieces of wood as the tee pee gets bigger. Leave an opening into the middle to put your match or piece of lit candle to get the fires started. This fire gives off a bright light to see what you’re doing around camp, to signal help, or when cooking with a reflector oven.
Log Cabin Fire: Lay down two large sticks of wood (logs) in parallel about a foot apart. Lay two more in parallel with each other but on top of the two you’ve already laid down. Continue building your log cabin in this fashion using smaller and smaller sticks (logs) as you build up. In the middle of the ‘cabin’ put your fire starting material. Light the fire starting material with the stub of a candle (lasts longer than a match) and start your ceremony. As the fire burns down it will collapse on itself and self-feed so that you don’t have to keep adding wood. Eventually you may have to add wood depending on the length of your ceremony.
Reflector Fire: Drive two stakes in the ground at an angle and about a foot or two apart. Lay logs on top of each other against the stakes forming a reflector wall. Now build a fire in front of the reflector. A tee pee fire will do to get it started. This fire when built in front of a lean-to or open tent will reflect heat into the sleeping area. Eventually the bottom log of the reflector will burn through so you may have to add another log on top. It is best to use green logs for your reflector.
There are many kinds of fires so pick the one that best suits your needs: Here are a few more types – 3-point fire, rock fireplace, Hunter’s fire, trench fire, bean hole, star fire, and the vigil fire. Get a Boy Scout Handbook and learn how to build them.
Here are a few ideas for campfire snacks. The Scouts call the time spent together eating and planning the next day’s activities: ‘Having a Cracker Barrel’.
SUGGESTED CRACKAER BARREL FOOD
(Buy according to number of persons camping plus 2 DNR officer guests)Crackers – (there are dozens of kinds on the market – get several)Cheese – (look for it on sale and try to get a few different kinds)Sausage – (pepperoni, salami, baloney, spiced luncheon meat, summer sausage, beef summer sausage – cut in thin serving size pieces)Sardines, smoked herring, smoked oysters, smoked clamsPotato chips – plain, green onion, BBQ, rippled, (plus dip)Tortilla chips – Don’t forget the salsaJerky – (store bought or homemade)Hot dogs (don’t forget buns)Cheese hot dogs (buns, remember the buns)Pudgy pie makin’s – pie irons, bread, soft butter, cherry, apple, blueberry pie filling – peanut butter/jelly – pizza sauceS’more makin’s – marshmallows, Hershey bars, graham crackersBisquick for making twist bread or thumb print bread – serve with jellyCookies (buy the ones where you get the most for your money)Pudding cups and applesauce cups are nice additionsJell-O squares (these you should make at home beforehand)
I normally leave the beverages up to the other campers – some may be diabetic, some may be allergic to caffeine, some are addicted to sugar free drinks, and of course some want adult legal beverages but this I won’t allow to be served around Scouting campfires.
Remember to bring plenty of snack materials but don’t serve it all at the first night’s campfire; save most of it for the next night(s) campfire(s).
1 quart of water6 green bell peppers (chopped)3 red bell peppers (chopped)1-1/2 cups chopped celery1-1/2 cups cooked white rice2 quarts V-8 juice30 ounces stewed tomatoes2 tsp. sweet basil2 tsp. oregano2 tsp. black pepper3 cups chopped onion4 tbsp. beef bouillon1 tsp. chopped garlic1 tsp. onion salt1 tsp. celery salt2 pounds raw moose burger or what have you1 cup uncooked white rice
Mix cooked rice and moose burger together. Make into tiny balls and place into a glass baking dish and bake until done. Drain if needed.
Boil 1 quart of water and add chopped green and red bell pepper and onion. Add all the rest of ingredients except the uncooked rice. Simmer until pepper and onions are tender and then add uncooked rice and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve with crackers.
(Starring Wood Chuck)
It’s groundhog season and it’s in full bloom. You can tell when it is time to go groundhog hunting because the cars on the highway are already getting their limits. Actually there is no hunting season on Mr. Whistle Pig and there is no limit on the number you may take, plus a hunting license is not required so I’ve been told by the DNR. Please check with them before heading into the field with a firearm. Groundhogs are good eating and the only cost involved in harvesting this quality meat producing animal is the price of one .22 bullet per animal. Make sure you get written permission from the land owner before trespassing on their property.
I like groundhogs parboiled in several changes of water with onion and garlic to kill the wild taste, (after they’ve been skinned, gutted, and quartered that is.) Cook until the meat is tender and ready to fall off the bone. Here, I like the pieces rolled in seasoned flour and fried or put into stew/soup, or take the cooked meat off the bones and grind it up with boiled eggs, pickle relish, onion, and mayonnaise to make a sandwich spread. Here is a recipe I found that sounds like it would be good also. Let me know if you try it and like it.
PASTURE CASSEROLE
(Inspired by Patricia A. Sigman – Pennsylvania)1 skinned, gutted, groundhog (boiled until the meat comes off the bones)1/2 cups water1 can of beef broth2 1/2 cups noodles1 tbsp. cornstarch (mixed with a little cold water to prevent lumping)1 tbsp. butter1/2 cup chopped onion1 cup frozen peas1 tsp. salt1 tsp. pepperGarlic powder to taste
Combine water and beef broth in a two-quart saucepan. Add noodles and cook until tender. Add salt, pepper and butter. Add cornstarch mixture to thicken. In a two-quart casserole dish combine the noodle mixture, peas, onion, and the cooked groundhog meat. Top with buttered bread crumbs or canned French fried onion rings. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes.
No groundhog? Substitute equal amount of cooked squirrel or rabbit meat.
What goes on around your campfires? What goes on around other campers’ campfires? What would you like to do around your campfires? Think about it; JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO AROUND YOUR CAMPFIRE? It’s a perfect time to spend with family and friends. You might discover hidden talents in those you thought you knew.
You’ve all seen old Gene Autry and Roy Rogers movies where at the end of the day, after catching bank robbers, cattle rustlers, and shooting the guns out of umpteen gun slingers’ hands, Gene and/or Roy along with the Riders of the Purple Sage, or the Sons Of The Pioneers gather around the campfire and sing songs like Tumbling Tumble Weed, Back In The Saddle Again, Happy Trails To You, or Cool Clear Water.
I often wondered where they got all that wood for their campfires out there in the desert and from out of nowhere someone always produced a coffee pot. Oh well, they did have a campfire and they did sing songs and ole Roy or Gene did rope tricks and pulled jokes on each other, usually on the comic relief -AKA- Fuzzy Knight, Cannonball Taylor, Fuzzy St. John, Smiley Burnett, or Pat Buttrum (sp).
The Boy Scouts like to do skits, act out ‘plays’ of sorts, and sing camp songs around their campfires especially around the campfire at summer camp. In fact there are several books on how to do skits and songs that are easily learned just for doing around campfires. Don’t forget; there may be someone of the group that likes to play a guitar, whistle, fiddle, or play a harmonica. Encourage them to play even if it’s a set of bagpipes.
Check with your local library branch or you might even find some books on skits and songs on the Internet. Start now and look up some songs that everyone likes and maybe knows and write the words down on paper and make copies to hand out at the campfire. HINT: Country Roads is a good campfire song and you don’t have to be from West Virginia to enjoy it.
Call Janice at the AWAC office (432-9593) and ask her if she has any Boy Scout song books in stock. She may have some other books of interest that you could use dealing with campfire skits.
Humorous skits can be easily adapted from the jokes that are found in the Readers’ Digest. Appoint a couple of other ‘song leaders’ to help you and I’ll bet your campfires will be the talk of the group for months to come. I know that when my own two scouts came home from summer camp you could hear them whistling and singing camp songs for weeks after. Oh and why not have a contest on who has the best (and loudest) patrol yell but do it long before lights out.
Appoint another group of two to three people to come up with snacks to be served during your song breaks. Besides packaged snacks there are always things like S’mores, marshmallows, popcorn, pudgy pies, hot dogs, thumb print bread, fudge making, and Dutch oven pizza to add to the list. Have everyone chip in to pay for the food and have a good time.
(Doctor Seuss might call it “Roast Beast”; Boy Scouts might call it “Road Kill”)Skin, gut, and soak squirrels, rabbits, or groundhogs in salt water for about an hour. Cut each varmint into 8 pieces (four legs, upper body in two pieces and lower body in two pieces. If they are old, parboil them for 15 minutes and then drain before the next step. If your animal is young then skip the parboil. Dredge meat pieces in your favorite seasoned flour or in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika (amount of each depends on your taste). Fry like you would chicken (I use olive oil).
Set fried pieces aside and mix up your favorite gravy from the pan drippings, OR use a canned, store-bought gravy (chicken, turkey, or beef flavor), OR get a package of Southern Mills Pepper Gravy Mix and prepare it according to package directions. A can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom, Celery, or Chicken Soup can be used for the gravy if it’s mixed with only a half-can of water. Drain off all the grease and use the pan scrapings to flavor the gravy. Bring the gravy to a simmer, add the meat, and serve with biscuits.
NOTE: If you are cooking a groundhog then I would suggest parboiling it in water that is highly seasoned with garlic powder or onions. Drain and parboil two or three times. Groundhog meat has a strong wild taste and depending on the age of the animal, it could be tough. Parboiling tenderizes the meat and the garlic and/or onion kills the wild taste.
That is a good question. WHAT DO YOU DO AROUND YOUR KAMPFIRE?
Is it something productive?
Do the younger ones LEARN anything from the experience of listening to their elders talk?
Is the conversation about money, sex, religion, politics, or something of even less value like someone’s personal problems!
Listen to what is going on at the next kampfire you attend. Change your tactics and make the kampfire a productive and fun experience for the young ones AND make it interesting for the others that are there. Tell everyone to either make it a productive experience or leave the area and mean it. Now let’s get started.
Today or tonight the subject is ‘bread’. That’s right, BREAD! It’s something that you or probably no one there has even been thinking about. Go into the kampfire circle prepared so this means you are the all-knowing leader so prepare early for it. First of all, practice at home so you aren’t making a baking fool of your self in front of all who are watching you with wide-eyed enthusiasm to learn what you seem to know.
Just follow the numbers.
1 – Use Bisquick baking mix-it’s simple to use.
2 – Get some clean dowel rods of different thicknesses – season them by coating with oil and then wiping them dry.
3 – Have a large bowl handy to mix the dough in and a dough board or a clean wooden canoe paddle.
4 – Have a milk jug or a rinsed out Clorox jug full of water handy to clean your hands or to add to the dough if it’s too thick.
5 – Have plenty of paper towels handy for cleanup.
6 – Mix dough according to directions on box.
7 – Take a ball of dough and roll it out on the breadboard (paddle) into a ‘snake’ and wrap it around one end of a dowel rod. Hold it close to the fire and bake the bread. You will know when it’s done. Serve with butter and jelly.
8 – Take another ball of dough and jam it down on the top of the fattest dowel rod and bake by holding it close to the fire. Take the bread (called thumb print bread) and fill it with syrup, jelly, or salsa. Eat and enjoy.
9 – Let everyone take a turn so have plenty of ingredients handy.
10 – Next kampfire make pudgy pies, S’mores, or Tarzan Steak.Never let a good campfire go to waste. It’s called eat and learn.
I have a trick to keep boys occupied when they are sitting around, “. . . doin’ nuthin’ ’cause we’re bored.” I say, “How many of you would like to write a story?” They all think of it as a schoolroom assignment like doing a book report, and all you will hear are moans and groans.
Usually every one of them will complain that they don’t know how to write or the classic answer, “. . . I can’t write.” I prove them wrong and even teach them that they can never be bored if they will only use their minds.
I have one of those classic boom boxes that you can take anywhere (it runs on batteries), and you can talk into a microphone and record your words on a cassette tape. I start out by putting the boys (or adults) in a big circle. I start the tape and say into the mic, “It was a dark and stormy night,” and then I put it on pause.
I then tell them to take the mic and talk as long as they want and about anything they desire but keep it clean in thought and no curse words. I tell them that they can be anyone and do anything they desire with words. When each one is through I tell them to hit the pause button and pass the mic on to the next person. The next person does the same until the boom box has been passed all around the circle one time.
Some boys will be too shy to say anything and just pass it on to the next boy. After the first round rewind the tape and play it back to them. I guarantee there will be screams of laughter and you will be barely able to hear the tape. Tell them that it was only a practice to get them used to talking. Start the tape over, punch record and the boys will be eager to do it again.
This lets the boys know that being bored is of their own mind set and they don’t have to be that way ever again and writing can be just a matter of telling a story, made up or otherwise. A writer can go anywhere or do anything in his own mind or on paper. He can fly like Superman or travel to the moon if he wants. Try this trick the next time your group is “bored” around your campfire.
Oh, and if anyone (usually a bully-type) ‘kills’ the hero and thinks they have stopped or ruined the story in the middle of the circle, just tell the next person to ‘wake them up’ like it was all a dream and then proceed. This happened one time and the next boy was almost in tears because he thought he was going to lose his turn. The bully-type knew he had been beaten and finally settled in on the fun.
This is not a ‘wild thangs’ kind of recipe; it’s just that I’m ‘wild’ about egg salad and I thought I’d share my recipe with you. If you have too many boiled eggs left over like we did then you’ll want to do something with those eggs quickly. Here’s what you do, make egg salad and I guarantee it won’t go to waste.
WILD EGG SALAD4 hard boiled eggs2 tbsp. mayonnaise1& 1/2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice1 & 1/2 tsp. sugar1/4 tsp. salt or to taste1 rib celery (minced)2 tsp. pickle relishA sprinkling of paprika
Place hard boiled eggs in a bowl and mash until completely chopped up. Add all ingredients except paprika. Blend ingredients together. This is better if chilled for a while before serving.
Serve on bread as a sandwich spread or on lettuce as a salad.Sprinkle with paprika for color.
Have more than 4 eggs left over?
Make a double or triple batch and share with the neighbors. Invite them over and have them bring their favorite crackers. Enjoy the get together with a snack party; music optional.
•Take mom on a hike. Our state parks and reservoirs offer more than 600 miles of trails.
•Give mom a DNR Camping Gift Card. Purchase it at state parks and reservoirs offices or call 1-866-622-6746.
•Take mom to lunch at one of our seven State Park Inns.
•Buy mom a gate pass which is good for all year (January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. If she is a senior citizen then the cost is only $18 for a *Golden Hoosier Passport which will allow your mother AND your father both free access to the park and campgrounds.
•Take mom on a campout and you do all the work (set up the tent, cook the meals, do the clean up, etc.) (This is also the time to cut down on the dishwashing work involved by using paper plates, paper bowls, paper cups and keeping the meals simple but delicious.)
•Buy a gift at the park Tradin’ Post (T-shirts are always good as are carved walking sticks) and take a picture of her with it as a memento in her scrapbook, and don’t forget to take plenty of pictures.
(The other fish meat.)
People ask me what is my favorite fish, where I go to fish, and why. All I have to do is mention C-A-R-P and I set my listeners into a fury. You might as well join them in their jocularity and then I’ll set you straight on my choices.
First of all there is no limit on the size or number you can catch. You can spear them if you don’t have the patience to set on a 5-gallon bucket and watch your poles or hunt for them with bow and arrow. And finally, if you don’t want to eat them you can use them to fertilize your garden, flowers, or rhubarb patch. If C-A-R-P are caught in ‘fresh’ water (NOT AROUND SEWERS) they are good to eat. They are the cheapest fish to catch with bluegill and trout bringing up the final choices on the fish species that I like to go after. All you need is a can of whole kernel corn and you’re all set to go fishin’ or as we say down home, go carpin’.
Once you have a single carp or several carp you’re ready to ‘fix’ ’em for supper. I like to use a 6-inch wide board with a clamp on one end when I’m going to scale and/or filet them. If I’m going to filet them for frying I don’t bother to scale them. I just filet them as usual and just before I bring the knife all the way out I flip the filet and slide the knife between the filet and the skin and then slice the skin away along with the scales. If you are going to bake the fish whole then you need to scale the fish. It’s the same way you filet a bass if you’re not one of those ‘catch and release’ fin-atics.
FRIED FILETS OF CARPCARP filets (mud streak removed – this lies just under the skin)CornmealFlourSalt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder (to taste)Egg (beaten with a little water)Canola oil or olive oil for frying
Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder together in amount of each to suit your own personal taste. Dip the filets in the beaten egg mixture and roll in the cornmeal/flour mixture. Fry in about an inch of oil until golden brown on one side and then turn the filet and do the same with the other side.
BAKED CARPCARP filets from about a 6-lb fishPaprikaSaltCooking oil1/2 cup sour cream
Coat a baking dish with oil or spray with Pam. Lay the salted filets in the baking dish and spread the sour cream over the filets. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 20-minutes at 300 degrees.ORMelt some margarine in the bottom of a glass baking dish, lay the filets in the melted margarine, turn the filets over to coat the filets, and sprinkle them liberally with Lemon Pepper and bake as above.
Just the mention of the name will set my wife into a frenzy and she will instinctively reach for the anti-dandelion granules and head for the yard. Now this is all well and good when you’re living in the city and it’s like shoveling water up hill if you live in the country since the seeds are in the air 24/7 and replanting what you’ve tried to kill.
When I was growing up we lived on the outskirts of a small town and we never had dandelion one in our yard and most of the neighbors didn’t either. Now how could that happen? The answer is simple; we ate them along with other ‘spring’ greens that grew in our yard and in the surrounding fields, meadows, and along the railroad tracks near our home.
Give my mom and my aunts each a butcher knife and a grocery sack and they were off and picking come early spring to catch the dandelions, lamb’s quarters, plantain, miners’ lettuce, mustard, poke and whatever other edible wild plant dared to peek its head above ground right after the snow melted off.
Why the interest in eating ‘greens’? I think it’s because we ate mostly greasy fried starchy foods all winter. There were no green leafy salads or ‘greens’ like spinach or kale at that time of year which have a natural keep regular laxative effect on your system. Without going regularly a lot of people got sick and the un-sick medicine at that time was castor oil or croton oil along with some other home remedies which were anything but pleasant to take or to live through the results.
Even with the laxative effect of eating spring dandelions (Taraxacum) I find that I crave the ‘taste’ of a good mess of dandelions once in a while and the easiest way to ‘fix’ them is to just cut them off at the root, wash them to get rid of the sand and dirt, and then pick the best leaves for the pot. Add water, bring to a boil until they are wilted, and then drain and serve with butter or a little vinegar. Decorate the dish of dandelions with some boiled egg slices.
After the dandelions started to bloom mom would pick the blossom parts, slip off the stems, wash them under the faucet, shake dry, dip in batter, and fry until brown. She would serve the fried blossoms with syrup or ketchup depending on your personal taste. She even ‘stretched’ our scrambled eggs by adding the blossoms to the beaten eggs before frying.
If she had plenty of blossoms dad would take some and make dandelion wine but I never got his recipe. I’m sure it was good but so far I prefer the boiled dandelion greens come spring even though I don’t need the laxative effect they present. Try a few of the plants prepared like I suggest and then make up your own mind as to whether or not you want more. As with any wild edible plant, eat a little to start with and beware of any allergic reactions.
My dad started my brothers and me out by letting us catch sunfish (bluegill, rock bass, goggle eyes, chubs, and bullhead catfish) and the only fishing tackle we had were cane poles, braided fishing line, small fish hooks in a match box, a pocket full of washers (for sinkers), and a Barlow pocket knife. Pieces of small dead limbs were all the bobbers we needed and we could pick those up anywhere along the river bank. Oh, and we used a Prince Albert tobacco can to keep the red worms in that we dug out of the neighbor’s manure pile. From there we graduated to fishing for carp and catfish which gave us the experience of hauling in bigger fish. After that we started our training on fishing for the elusive bass and after that, trout.
The DNR sent me this fact sheet on bluegill population and I’ll pass it on to you.
BLUEGILL FISHING AS GOOD AS EVER
Bluegills are the most abundant and sought-after fish in northern Indiana natural lakes, according to DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife statistics. But perhaps most important to anglers, they are catching as many, if not more, big bluegills now as they did years ago, despite claims that bluegill fishing quality has declined. “Bluegill fishing in our lakes is as good as we’ve ever seen it,” said Jed Pearson, who at age 60 is the oldest fisheries biologist still on the water for the DNR.
Pearson, who grew up on Skinner Lake near Albion in the 1950s and 1960s, has monitored fish populations at hundreds of lakes since the 1970s. His data, along with those from other biologists, show angler catches of 7-inch and larger bluegills have remained steady since the 1980s. “Years ago anglers caught 7-inch and larger bluegills at an average rate of one per 98 minutes of bluegill fishing. Now they catch them at a slightly faster rate of one per 77 minutes,” Pearson said. “Although that represents a 27-percent increase, the trend is technically not different.” That is because angler catch rates vary widely by lake.
Pearson also has data that show average catch rates of 8-inch and larger bluegills doubled from the early 1980s through 2010. That trend, while positive, is also not technically significant. “Statistically, we can’t say angler catch rates of big bluegills have gone up, but we can say they haven’t gone down,” Pearson said. Although big bluegills are still abundant in Indiana natural lakes, numbers of small bluegills have declined.
Biologists estimate the number of bluegills in a lake based on how many they capture with electro-shocking boats. The typical catch rate is 86 bluegills per minutes of sampling. Of these, 67 percent are 3 to 6 inches long, 17 percent are 6 to 7 inches, 12 percent are 7 to 8 inches, and 4 percent are 8 inches or larger. “We’ve seen a significant drop in catches of 3- to 6-inch bluegills over the years, down from 97 to only 27 per 15 minutes of sampling,” Pearson said.
This decrease may be related to a build-up of largemouth bass, a major predator on small bluegills. Since the 1980s bass numbers have doubled in Indiana natural lakes due to the 14-inch minimum limit on the size of bass that can be taken home by anglers. “Our bluegill populations may be in better balance now than they were years ago,” Pearson said. Other trends in bluegill fishing at Indiana natural lakes include a slight drop in the percentage of anglers who prefer to fish for bluegills, down from 50 percent to 40 percent. Bluegill fishing effort since the 1980s has remained steady, about 25 hours per 100 acres of water.
With this information go forth and teach a youngster the joys of angling for ‘gills; you won’t regret it.
The Bluegill has been called the fish for old men and kids. Now that I’m getting to be less of a kid and more of an older person then I guess that applies to me. I don’t remember at what age the change came from being a kid to being an old person but I’m sure it was subtle. In my opinion the bluegill is the best all around fish when it comes to eatin’ and havin’ fun catchin’.
A cut willow pole, a piece of string, a hook, a sinker, a bobber, and a little container of bee moths and you have all that is necessary to put some good eatin’ on the table. Oh, and it helps to have a couple of grandkids along to help you have even more fun puttin’ meat on the table.
I have the grandkids keep all the bluegill, sunfish, chubs, bullheads, and other pan fish that they catch since they are all good to eat. I filet them all and put the filets on ice as soon as possible. Now you have several choices when it comes to the table fare they will provide. First of all leave the skin on all filets.
Bluegill Three Ways
1 – Fried bluegill (panfish)Roll the filets in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Fry them in olive oil until they are golden brown. Drain and serve with your favorite condiments.
2 – Deep fried bluegillMix up your favorite pancake batter and dip each filet in the batter and deep fry until golden brown.
3 – Mock ShrimpDip filets in boiling water for a minute or two and then plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. The filets will curl up and look like small shrimp. Serve these cold with shrimp sauce.
4 – Save For LaterIf you don’t have enough filets to make a meal then just freeze them until you get enough collected for a good fish fry. To do this without having the fish freezer burn, pack them all in a square plastic container or an empty half-gallon milk container and then fill the container with water before freezing. The filets will be covered with ice and air can’t get to them to spoil them.
Good luck and good eating.
There are a lot of older generation campers out there looking for camping adventures so here’s an opportunity to camp and serve at the same time. They are asking for volunteers for: National Volunteer Week, April 10-16. It’s a great time to catch the giving-back fever. Chances are there is a fun way to donate your interests, time and talents to benefit our natural resources. The DNR Division of State Parks & Reservoirs provides numerous types of opportunities. These include greeting interpretive center visitors, serving as a campground host, demonstrating a craft or skill, assisting with special events, maintaining trails, and monitoring bluebird boxes. Helping control invasive plants such as garlic mustard is another possibility.
If you don’t like working outdoors but still want to help natural resources, many DNR properties need assistance entering computer data, which helps free up those whose specialties call them outdoors. If you have some free time and a willingness to work, chances are the DNR can use your skills and services.“Volunteering can help you get to know other property visitors and staff,” said Jody Heaston, volunteer coordinator for State Parks & Reservoirs. “Volunteering also gives you a great sense of accomplishment.
You know you are helping manage and conserve our natural and cultural resources.”
A brochure describing volunteer opportunities is at stateparks.IN.gov/2443.htm. To download a volunteer application form, go to stateparks.IN.gov and click on “How You Can Help” under “Stewardship Links.”
This is a stew/soup that lets you the cook be creative BUT don’t over do it with the being creative part. Here’s why and it’s a rule to cook by: Don’t mix things together that (according to my Mom) “. . . shouldn’t oughta go together.” Salty goes with salty; sweet goes with sweet, and etc.
I once prepared a recipe that came from a women’s magazine and it called for chicken and of all things, cherry pie filling. Sorry, we threw it out; the ingredient flavors just didn’t go together. OK, now that the rule is established, let’s proceed with making what we at Deer Camp call WHATCHA CALL IT STEW. Now here I’ll have to say we got the idea from a cowboy cookbook only they referred to it as “SON OF A – – – – – (GUN) STEW. After all this is a family newspaper and my recipes are used by a lot of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. It’s OK to call it ROADKILL STEW or SCOUT STEW WITH MYSTERY MEAT or some such name if you like.
Start with the biggest pot you can find. I once started with a small pot and found that the more ingredients I put in the less room I had and I had to go to a bigger pot, and then a bigger pot, and etc. until I wound up using the biggest pot we had in the chuck box. Save yourself some trouble and use the bigg’un; trust me on this; get the biggest one you have and don’t try to make two smaller pots of stew because you just can’t balance the flavors – one will be good and the other not so good.
Put in deer steak, deer roast, deer tongue (that has been cooked and peeled), deer heart, deer kidneys (if you’re brave – I suggest cooking them first), deer testicles (don’t peel them), and a squirrel or two, maybe a rabbit, chicken, turkey, pork chops, or any other meat that you have in the refrigerator that’s left over from a previous meal. Cover meat with water and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer until the meat is fork tender. Cool the pot, remove any bones, claws, or fangs and cut the meat into small spoon size pieces and return it to the pot and bring it to a simmer again. Now add a few ribs of celery (chopped), diced raw onions to taste, cubed turnips, cubed potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower. Cook until raw vegetables are tender.
Next step is to add the other vegetables and since I like to use canned I’ll just say, “Add one can of each vegetable on the shelf (corn, peas, sliced potatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans, butt beans, carrots, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce or tomato paste to the stew pot but drain and reserve the liquid from each can and yes it’s OK to mix them together. Use this liquid as needed to add back to the stew due to loss by evaporation. Taste the stew often and add seasoning(s) (pepper, salt, and garlic powder) accordingly. I don’t know how to use what I call exotic spices or seasonings and never developed a taste for them (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, etc.) so I’ll leave that up to you the Duty Chef.
What stew isn’t consumed can be left simmering on the back of the stove to mellow – keep covered. Add water from time to time along with leftovers from other meals. We have been known to throw in leftover spaghetti, scrambled eggs, ham, fried chicken, baloney, and some mysterious ingredients. There’s nothing like a big bowl of WHATCHA CALL IT STEW when you come in from the cold especially if you’ve been in a deer stand all day.
Ingredients may be added, left out, or substituted depending on availability and the cook’s personal choice. Also remember! “Don’t mess with the cook.”
In the Boy Scout manual they show a few different fires that you can build depending on the need at hand. There’s the log cabin fire, V-fire, the trench fire, the tee pee fire, the reflector fire, and even an elevated fire (built on a platform covered with about a 6 – 8 inch layer of dirt). The platform keeps the fire off the wet ground and the dirt keeps the platform from catching on fire.
Doctor Hoylman, my old Scoutmaster, made us all build our cooking fires ‘in’ the ground. We saved the dirt to fill the hole back in and replanted the sod so the ground could heal itself. We/he called it a keyhole fire but later on I found that is really a modified combination of a trench fire and a keyhole fire – a keyhole fire according to the book is on top of the ground and it is designed using rocks laid out in the shape of a keyhole in a cleared spot on top of the ground. This is to contain the fire and not let it spread.
First we dug a round hole about two feet across and about a foot deep. Next we dug a rectangle hole connected to the round hole. This gives it the shape of a keyhole thus it’s name. The purpose of the round hole is to contain the fire and to prepare the hot coals for cooking. You rake hot coals from the big fire over into the rectangle shaped hole for cooking since you should never cook over open flames. Throw an old refrigerator shelf, stove grate, or a store bought grate on the rectangle hole and you are ready to make hot coffee or fry up a mess of potatoes.
I’ve noticed that at most Mountain man rendezvous and Civil War reenactments they cook over the modified keyhole fire. The next time you camp where fire pits or grates aren’t provided try using the modified keyhole fire and I think you’ll not go back to using a fire on top of the ground again. I know Mother Nature will be happy.
OK, OK, what I’m talking about is a native plant akin to the Lilly and Onion family or wild leek as it were. The native West Virginians call them, ‘Ramps’ or short for Rampions and Richwood, West Virginia is the Ramp Capitol of the World. Every year they hold a Ramp Festival and they offer up Ramps in all forms of a “delicious manner” as my mother used to say. They sell them canned, raw, fried, pickled, or as greens with vinegar and hard boiled eggs. They even offer up a Ramp wine.
They are delicious and to tell you the truth they make your breath stink like you’ve eaten a combination of extra strong onions and some very powerful garlic all at the same time. You will also notice a garlic like stench in your perspiration for several days after eating them so change your underwear often.I’m not sure if there are any wild Ramps in Indiana but if I were to take a guess I would say there probably are some in the southern hills or maybe around Brown County. They like mountains for some reason or other. So in case you run into someone along the side of the road selling ramps by the bushel you might want to stop and check them out. A lot of people in West Virginia gather (dig) ramps in the spring and sell them to help support their families. Several IGA and Foodland stores back there stock them in their produce section during the short season.
In case you can’t find any ramps you might want to substitute some small green onions in this next ‘wild’ recipe.
RAMP BURGERS ALA RAY2 lbs. plain ground venison or deerburger (no pork or sausage added)1 envelope of onion soup mixPepper to taste (no salt as there is plenty in the onion soup mix)1 cup to a cup and a half of chopped ramps or green onionOlive oil enough to just coat the bottom of a non-stick skilletHamburger bunsMix all ingredients together and divide into 1/4 lb. balls. Flatten each ball between two saucers covered with plastic wrap (for easy removal) to about the size of the saucers. Fry the 1/4-pounders in a small amount of olive oil until they are just pink in the center. Fry up all of the patties and put them in a 9 X 13 inch bread pan with a cover and put the pan in a warm oven to ‘season’ as I call it.Now prepare the rest of the meal of say chips, baked beans, and maybe corn on the cob and while you’re at it, toast the buns.
When the rest of the meal is ready, take the patties out and serve them on the toasted buns with your favorite condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, horsey sauce, sliced onion, pickle chips, lettuce, sliced tomato, and cheese slices. This recipe should make eight servings or feed two hungry Boy Scouts.If you would like more information on Ramps contact Glen Facemire, Jr. in Richwood, WV 26261. I don’t think you need a street address as I think Glen is or was the Postmaster and Richwood isn’t all that big. Ask him about his book “RAMPS” From The Seed To The Weed and I think he also has a recipe booklet for sale called, Ramps and Ramp Cookin’. You might want to look up this website I found kingofstink.com.
What do you do around your campfire? Do you tell stories or sing songs? Do you toast marshmallows and make s’mores? Do you roast hotdogs? Do you fly kites? Do you just set and stare at the fire and at each other? Do you work on merit badges or advancements? Do you whittle, whistle, and make funny animal sounds? What do you do anyway?
I’ve seen so many Scout leaders and Scouts waste a lot of valuable time just contemplating the burning logs and not really communicating with each other or gaining anything of a structural nature.
I generally carry a 6-foot piece of nylon rope with me wherever I go and I’m always practicing tying knots. Why? My answer is, “Why knot!” Sorry, little play on words there.
I have gone to senior citizen meetings and given demonstrations on knot tying and I usually give each resident a short 3-4 foot piece or rope and an instruction sheet that tells them how to tie 40 different knots. To keep them interested I tell them that I am there to teach them how to be ‘knotty’ and that’s what it says on the paper I hand out. Hey, it gets a laugh anyway. What really gets their attention is that I tell them tying knots keeps their fingers nimble and it’s good to keep your hands and fingers moving. It’s not an answer to arthritis or rheumatism but it helps me to keep my fingers limber.
The Boy Scout shop sells a knot tying kit that has a board that you can use to tie knots on and it has the 40 knots pictured on it. It also comes with two different pieces of rope; one is white and the other is red which helps immensely in following the flow of the rope through the knot pictures.
When I teach knot tying I don’t go into the more complicated knots (complicated only if you don’t know how to tie them). I start teaching the most simplest of all the knots, the overhand knot and then I advance to the figure 8 knot and show/tell them what all you can do with just these two simple knots.
After they have mastered those two knots I then show them the more advanced knots but I don’t let them tie them there. I tell them to practice what I’ve demonstrated and then hopefully they will get the urge to try more. When I was growing up in Scouting we were required to learn 9 different knots and then that number was later changed to 6 required knots. I’m not sure what number is required now for advancement but it worries me that not one in 10 boys can tie even the basic 9 knots that I grew up with having to learn–the slip knot, the sheepshank, the sheet bend, two half hitches, the square knot, the bowline knot, the clove hitch, the timber hitch, and the tautline hitch plus the overhand knot, the figure 8 knot and the granny knot which is at most times tied by mistake.
Grab a Boy Scout handbook and a piece of rope and teach some knot tying at your next campfire. What you teach a boy about knots may just save his life some day, maybe even yours.
So Scoutmasters I challenge you to go forth and teach your scouts how to tie their shoes which by the way should be done with a double slippery square knot if you tie it right and I challenge you to tie the square knot more than one or two ways; I have counted over 10 ways to tie it so far.