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 be in the Waynedale area, attending meetings and outings with Boy Scout Troop 344 and helping with

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 crushed tomatoes
1 oz. (1/4 cup) Ground Mace OR Ground Nutmeg (optional)
2 oz. (3tbsp.)

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 dish that relies on fat to make the meat juicy and flavorful like a nice thick beef T-bone steak.

Ray’s

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 way, cooking, and etc. Determine what your campfire is supposed to do before you start gathering

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 bell peppers (chopped)
1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1-1/2 cups cooked white rice
2 quarts

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 the center for doing skits and the reason for making snacks and we all long for snacks prepared around

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 TO DO AROUND YOUR CAMPFIRE? It’s a perfect time to spend with family and friends. You might discover

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 their limits. Actually there is no hunting season on Mr. Whistle Pig and there is no limit on the

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 in salt water for about an hour. Cut each varmint into 8 pieces (four legs, upper body in two pieces

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 elders talk?

Is the conversation about money, sex, religion, politics, or something of even less value

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 many boiled eggs left over like we did then you’ll want to do something with those eggs quickly.

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 many of you would like to write a story?” They all think of it as a schoolroom assignment

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 well join them in their jocularity and then I’ll set you straight on my choices.

First of all

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 than 600 miles of trails.

•Give mom a DNR Camping Gift Card. Purchase it at state parks and reservoirs

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 given you recipes for my favorite fish eatin’ – bluegills. A lot of my friends are

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 you’re living in the city and it’s like shoveling water up hill if you live in the country

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 remember at what age the change came from being a kid to being an old person but I’m sure it

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 learn things. As we get older and our kids have grown up and go out on their own camping with their

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 things together that (according to my Mom) “. . . shouldn’t oughta go together.”

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, the reflector fire, and even an elevated fire (built on a platform covered with about a 6 – 8

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 set and stare at the fire and at each other? Do you work on merit badges or advancements? Do you whittle,

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 the greens aren’t up yet in my favorite patch of woods so I reverted to my freezer where I have

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 ears of corn (use equivalent amount of canned corn if necessary)
1/2 lb. ham hocks or ham pieces

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 a roll or two of heavy duty aluminum foil. I had to admit that I was stunned with their suggestion after

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 my possession at least 25, probably more. Why have so many when one or two will do in most situations?