Author: Ray McCune

I will be leaving The Waynedale News right after this issue. I’m taking a sabbatical from newspaper writing to finish my second book of humor. Of course I won’t be moving; I’ll still

MINCED VENISON
(Use ground beef if deer meat is not available)

30 lbs. ground venison
3 lbs. chopped onions
2 lb. 4 oz. (2 ¼ qt.) general all-purpose flour
19 lb. 2 oz. (2 ¼ gallon) canned

What can you do with deer meat that you can’t/won’t do with regular beef?

First of all deer meat is leaner than regular beef so you may have to cook some dishes differently than say a beef

WHAT KIND OF CAMPFIRE DO YOU NEED/WANT?

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

MOOSE SOUP
(OK, you may be low on moose meat so use deer, antelope, caribou, elephant or plain ol’ beef hamburger if you have to)

1 quart of water
6 green bell peppers (chopped)
3 red

What is a campfire and why have one? There’s a certain ambiance when dealing with or being around a campfire especially after dark. It’s like being in a different world. It’s also

SONGS, SKITS, AND TALENT

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

PASTURE CASSEROLE

(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

RAY’S PAN FRIED ANIMAL
AND GRAVY

(Doctor Seuss might call it “Roast Beast”; Boy Scouts might call it “Road Kill”)
Skin, gut, and soak squirrels, rabbits, or groundhogs

WHAT DO YOU DO AROUND YOUR KAMPFIRE?

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

THE EGG AND I

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

I CAN’T WRITE;
I AIN’T NO WRITER!

I have a trick to keep boys occupied when they are sitting around, “. . . doin’ nuthin’ ’cause we’re bored.” I say, “How

C – A – R – P

(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

Take Mom Outdoors on May 8th
That’s right. Mom’s big day is upon us. Plan now if you haven’t already. Here’s help.

•Take mom on a hike. Our state parks and reservoirs offer more

This should be called ‘around the ol’ fishin’ hole since its coming to that time of year again. Summer is upon us and summer means ‘gone fishin’. In previous columns I’ve

DANDELIONS 

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

THE WARY BLUEGILL

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

I like to camp in state parks around the state because #1-I feel safer, #2-All the campsite work has been done for me, #3-They have great programs and this helps to keep the kids entertained and they

WHATCHA CALL IT STEW

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

KOOKIN’ FIRES

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,

How To Have A Knotty Time

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

It’s spring and time for some wild greens. I’ll admit that I’m cheating a little on the wild greens a bit because I have just watched the last bit of snow melt in my back yard and

BRUNSWICK STEW
2 to 4 squirrels (cleaned and cut into quarters)
4 quarts of water
1 medium onion chopped
1 tbsp. salt
2 cups lima beans (or canned butter beans will do)
6

FOIL A CAMPING TRIP
Way back when I was a Scoutmaster, the boys in my troop came up with a unique idea of going camping with no pots, pans, skillets, or cooking utensils other than a knife and

HOW MANY KNIVES ARE ENOUGH?

I’ll have to admit I’m not sure just how many knives are enough to own or possess at one time. I guess if I were to count I’d probably admit to having in