Tag Archives: hunting

Birds

American Widgeon – Anas americana

American Widgeon

General: The American Widgeon is sometimes called a “Baldpate” American Widgeonbecause the white stripe resembles a bald man’s head. The population declined in the 1980’s as a result of drought. Since then they have steadily increased in numbers.
The American Widgeon builds its nest near water. The eggs are creamy white. The chicks hatch in 23-25 days and fledge in 37-48 days.
This bird is known to wait at the surface and steal vegetation from diving ducks as they surface.
Hunters enjoy hunting this dabbling duck, its meat is considered excellent.

Identification: The Widgeon is a decent sized bird roughly 18″ – 23″ with a wingspan of 34″.

Male: The American Widgeon drake has a deep green streak running from its eye to the back of its head. The top of its head is white. its lower face and neck are streaked gray. The back, side and chest are pinkish-brown. In flight the male displays white shoulder patches.

Female and Juveniles: Head appears grayish overall, with finely-blended white and dusky streaks. Breast and flanks are pale reddish-brown; mantle is grayish-brown with some buff barring. Bill is small and grayish, with a black tip.

The American Widgeon is larger than a teal but smaller than a pintail, it’s a medium-size bird, In silhouette, the widgeon can be distinguished from other dabblers by its round head, short neck, and small bill

Habitat: American Widgeons can be found near and on marshes, ponds and shallow lakes. The Pictures here were taken in Spring during their migration north on the Mohawk River in Central New York. They had been feeding in a mowed corn field along with Mallards and Canada Geese.

Territory: Summers throughout most of Canada, Alaska, and the northern third of the United States. Winters along the North American coasts, the southern third of the United States, and Central America.

Diet: American Widgeons eat mostly aquatic plants, upland grasses and legumes. They also eat some insects and mollusks. The American Widgeon’s eats more vegetation than other dabbling ducks.

Birds

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

General:

The Wood Duck is a species of duck found in North America and a popular game bird. The Wood Wood Duck (Carolina Duck) – Aix sponsa is one of the most beautiful American ducks. It is second only to the Mallard in numbers shot each year in the United States.wood duck

The population of the Wood Duck was in serious decline in the late 19th century as a result of severe habitat loss and market hunting both for meat and plumage for the ladies’ hat market in Europe. By ending unregulated hunting and taking measures to protect remaining habitat, wood duck populations began to rebound in the 1920s. Wood Duck populations are stable today.

Wood Ducks nest in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times up to 1 mile away. After hatching the ducklings jump down from the nest tree, from heights of up to 50 ft without injury and make their way to water. The mother does not help them in any way.

Wood Duck eggs are creamy white. Chicks hatch in 28-37 days and in one day are able to leave the nest in one day. They fledge in 56-70 days

Identification:

The Wood Duck is about 19″ in length with an average wingspan of 29″, about 3/4 that of a Mallard.

female wood duckMale wood ducks have a crested head that is iridescent green and purple with a white stripe leading from the eye to the end of the crest, and another narrower white stripe from the base of the bill to the tip of the crest. The throat is white and the chest is burgundy with white flecks, gradually grading into a white belly. The bill is brightly patterned black, white and red.
Female wood ducks have a gray-brown head and neck with a brownish, green, glossed crest. A white teardrop shaped patch surrounds the brownish-black eye. The throat is white and the breast is gray-brown stippled with white, fading into the white belly. The back is olive brown with a shimmer of iridescent green. The bill is blue-gray and the legs and feet are dull grayish-yellow.

Male wood duck

Habitat:

Found in forested wetlands, including along rivers, swamps, marshes, ponds, and lakes.

Territory:

Two main territories – British Columbia south to Washington. Winters south into California,. East – Minnesota to Nova Scotia South south to Florida and Texas. Winters as far north as New Jersey.

Food:

Seeds, acorns, fruits, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. The Wood Duck dabbles on water surface, it may tip-up or dive for submerged food items.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Hunting

Squirrel Hunting Information – How to and Where to Hunt Squirrels

Squirrel hunting

It is an enjoyable fall and winter sport. Where I live, squirrel hunting starts weeks before big game and ends in February – 2 ½ months after deer season ends. It can be as much fun as you want and it puts food on your table. If you want it will also put some money (very little) in your pocket. All you need is a good woodlot that is populated with trees that produce the food squirrels eat, a .22 caliber gun or shotgun and time. You can hunt alone, with the family dog or with a friend. A word of warning – never shoot into a squirrel nest. First – it is not sporting; second – you will probably never retrieve the squirrel and third – it is probably illegal. Always remember to be a responsible hunter.Gray squirrel
This squirrel present a classic pose for the hunter when squirrel hunting
Squirrels are found where their food is. I live just outside the Adirondack Park in New York. Much of the forest is “forever wild”. What that means in a lot of areas it is mature forest without much food producing trees. Just hemlock and old pines and a ground covered in needle litter. What you find here is pine squirrels and frankly they are too small for me to bother with. I look for mixed forests with oaks, wild fruit trees, maples and pine. Here you will find gray squirrels, a fairly large squirrel that lives in much of the eastern United States. Forest that border farm land can be very productive.

As with most hunting, if you are alone, being a bit stealthy is important. If you go tramping through the woods crunching leaves or just being loud the squirrels (as well as everything else) will typically hunker down and quietly wait for you to pass. Try walking slow and steady. Every once and awhile, stop and stay in place. If you wait for 10 to 15 minutes the squirrels in the area will start moving again and at that point the “hunt is on”. I know people that will walk into a good woodlot sit for about 15 minutes and use a squirrel call with excellent results.

Shotgunning for squirrels is a blast. Many times they will be running along branches or bouncing through leaf litter looking for fallen nuts. At these times I consider shooting as exciting as gunning birds. When hunting with a shotgun, it does not need to be a specific gauge. Anything from a 12 to a 410 will work – you will need to use more powerful loads, magnums if your gun is capable, with the smaller gauges. My preference is an old 20 gauge I have owned for over 30 years. I typically use 3” shells loaded with 1 ¼ ounces of # 6 shot. Since I support eating what you shoot, try for head shots to keep the pellets out of the meat. The nice part of hunting with a shotgun is that you can be opportunistic. Rabbit and grouse seasons mirror squirrel season where I live and when you carry a shotgun you have the chance at a mixed bag.

For a challenge you can hunt with a 22 caliber rifle. I have an old single shot 22 with a variable scope mounted on it; it has taken many squirrels over the years. If the squirrel does not present itself safely, try calling to it or make a small movement. The squirrel should react, usually by moving and often into a tree crotch so it can take a better look. If it runs around to the other side of the tree take a rock or branch and throw it past the tree. That may cause the squirrel to scurry back to your side presenting a good shot.

squirrel target click for download

The only issue with a 22 is being very careful when taking your shot. Wait for the squirrel to present itself either on the ground or if in a tree where the tree will act as a backstop if you miss. A 22 can travel almost 1 mile and for several hundred yards it will keep enough power to hurt, even kill, unintended targets. When I was younger I took a cousin hunting. He had a 22 caliber marlin auto-loader. Within one day he had went through almost 500 rounds with one squirrel in his bag. Many of his shots were in the air at squirrels in trees without backstops. No matter how much I explained the danger he continued. He has never hunted with me after that day.

Hunting with a dog for squirrels can be productive. This is one time you do not need to be quiet. The dog will work the ground find and tree squirrels. Frankly, you really do not need a “trained” dog as you would for birds or rabbits. I think the main requirements are:

  1. A dog not afraid of a gunshot sound,
  2. A dog that will listen and not run,
  3. A dog that loves to chase squirrels
  4. A dog that will not grab a downed squirrel and ruin the meat.

I had a Cairn terrier that hated squirrels and would tree them and stand there barking, that is all I needed. Once treed the squirrels were more concerned with the dog then with me moving into place.

If you are squirrel hunting with a friend stay spread out to about 40 yards and avoid screaming back in forth. Slowly walk along and often a squirrel will be pushed out of hiding toward one of the hunters. This is much like hunting deer.

I like to use squirrel when tying certain flies for fishing or adding hair to the treble hooks of spoons and spinners. If you harvest enough squirrels and have no use for the fur or tails, you can try to sell them. You will need to know how to prepare the skins to keep any value. A good place to find buyers is your local trappers club. You can find a local club by going to the National Trappers Association website: http://www.nationaltrappers.com. They can direct you to buyers as well as provide information about skinning and caring for the hides.

Another place you can sell to is to Mepps Fishing Lure company. They will buy the tails but are strict about the condition the tail must be in. Check out their website: http://www.mepps.com/programs/squirrel-tail/. I have never sent them tails but might start. I am a big user of their product and it would be nice to someday think that a small piece of the lure I am using came from my hunting efforts.

Wild Game Recipes

Marinated Squirrel

Marinated Squirrel

Marinated Squirrel the marinade is soy sauce based. Marinade the squirrel, 8 hours is enough. Before you start cooking make sure to pat the squirrel dry.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup of white wine – what you would drink
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 lb. of butter
4 squirrels

Equipment:

Extra large food plastic storage bag with zipper lock
Grill
Barbeque grill basket
Sauce pan to heat marinade
Brush to use when basting with butter during grilling

Directions:

Making the marinade – Combine the soy sauce, white wine, crushed garlic cloves, brown sugar and lemon juice in a sauce pan and heat to a boil then turn off heat let ingredients cool. Once cool pour into plastic storage bag and add the 4 squirrels. Add enough cold water to cover the squirrels. Zip up and put in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

Take the squirrels out of the marinade and wash them off in cold water then dry. Liberally salt and pepper the squirrels. Crack their backs and lay them out butterflied in a grilling basket. Cook using a barbecue on medium high heat – baste the squirrels with the butter. Turn frequently. Cook until medium brown.

This goes well with grilled mixed vegetables.

Uncategorized

Creole Venison Stew

Creole Venison Stew

Use the stew meat cuts from butchering your deer to make a tasty creole venison stew. The spices and vegetables really add to the dish. Use a cast iron covered skillet or dutch oven for that little bit of “frontier” authenticity.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds venison stew meat
1/4 cup flour
Creole seasoning
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
4 cups brown stock
Salt and black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, over high heat, add the olive oil. In a mixing bowl, toss the venison with flour and creole seasoning. When the oil is hot, sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and bay leaves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the brown stock. Bring the liquid up to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stew for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. If the liquid evaporates too much add a little more stock.

Remove the venison stew from the oven and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and a nice cold lager.