Cabin Fever

Ryley and Zac

It's been pretty quite at home for the past few months. Deer season has come and gone. The cold, windy and rainy weather has kept us from fishing. I haven't had much to write about. But thanks to cabin fever Ryley and I just needed to break out of our doldrums and get outside. We found the perfect activity; snow tubing. 

Ryley and I had hit the slopes last year so we decided to make a repeat visit to  Liberty Mountain Resort one evening last week. I really wasn't feeling up to tubing so luckily Ryley convinced his friend Zac to join him for two hours of tubing on a cold winters night.

They spent the next two hours racing each other down the slope and just hanging out while dear old Dad sat inside and worked on a few blog posts for Fin & Field. In retrospect I guess I should have seen this coming. Ryley is growing up and is starting to become more independent. He naturally wants to spend less time with his Mom and Dad and more time with his friends. I just hope that doesn't mean I am losing my hunting and fishing buddy. I guess only time will tell. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors…

Eat Your Heart Out

The heart from Ryley's buck.

You wouldn’t think it but Valentine’s Day and hunting have a quite a few things in common; bows, arrows, a fat guy obsessed with archery. But there is one more thing they have in common which is usually overlooked by the average hunter. Most hunters, when field dressing their deer, moose or elk leave behind one of the tastiest, least off-putting pieces of offal; the heart. That’s a complete waste because the heart is all muscle after all. It’s very dense and flavorful and when prepared the right way it simply can’t be beat. So the next time you find yourself gutting a deer, or walk past a fresh gut pile, go ahead and bring back that heart and put it to good use. You won't regret it.

In honor of Valentine’s Day (and coincidentally Taco Tuesday) here is a recipe that will get you hooked on heart.

Venison Heart Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground venison
• 1 pound diced venison heart (¼ inch cubes)
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• ¼ cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 soft flour taco shells (or soft corn taco shells)

Toppings:

• Shredded romaine lettuce
• Shredded shard cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• 1 pack grape tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Brown the ground venison, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Add the diced venison to the skillet and continue to cook
2. When the meat is thoroughly cooked add all the remaining dry spices, onion, bell pepper and garlic, stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Add a ½ cup water and tomato sauce. Add bay leaf. 
3.  Cover and cook on low 3 to 4. Remove lid and continue to keep warm over low heat to evaporate any remaining liquid. Discard the bay leaf. Heat the taco shells in cast iron skillet and assemble your tacos. Enjoy!