The Hunting is (mostly) Done! The Eating Begins!

Caveman Roasted Leg of Venison

Here's one for your inner caveman: a whole roasted venison leg, just like Fred Flintstone would've cooked it. This is game cookery at its most primal and dramatic, and the results are a showpiece—which is good, as you'll need a crowd to help you eat it. Because the meat is only mildly doctored—with a classic wet rub of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and juniper berries—and cooked in an unforgiving manner, the key to success here is a prime hunk of meat ideally from a younger deer, field dressed impeccably, and aged if possible. Thumping your chest while gnawing the bones is optional.

MAKE THE RUB: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, thyme, garlic, rosemary, juniper berries, salt, and pepper until it resembles a coarse paste. (Add a little more olive oil, if needed, to make it goopy enough to spread.) Rub this mixture onto the venison, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Remove the leg from the refrigerator several hours before cooking. It should be at room temperature when it goes into the oven.

PREHEAT THE OVEN to 350 degrees. Drizzle the meat with the vegetable oil, patting it lightly with your fingers to coat evenly, and place the leg on the rack of a large roasting pan. Roast, undisturbed, for 1 hour.

HEAT THE STOCK to a low simmer on the stovetop. Turn the meat. Using a baster or ladle, baste the meat with about half of the hot stock, and roast for another hour.

TURN THE ROAST a second time, and repeat the basting. After about 15 minutes, check the meat in its thickest part with an instant-read meat thermometer. The cooking time will depend on the size of the roast. Remove the roast when the thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare, or 126 for medium rare. (The meat will keep cooking after it's removed.)

REMOVE THE ROAST to a large cutting board and allow it to rest, tented with a few sheets of aluminum foil, for about 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup rosemary, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp. juniper berries, crushed
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns
1 whole venison hind leg, bone-in (12-15 lb.)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups game or beef stock

***Photo, Recipe and Story Taken From Field & Stream - March 2010 - All Credits to the Author***

One thing I have found over several years of hunting is that no matter what you try, no matter what you buy - carrying a rifle just isn't that comfortable.  True a lightweight rig can save your back a bit, and a padded sling may ease the shoulder strain some - but you still need to move that rifle around and try it in different carries to be able to stand it for any length of time.  The following article from Outdoor Life magazine details the pros and cons of the three main sling carries.

I have adapted my own style - it's kind of a mix between the European Carry and the African Carry.  I keep the rifle pointed barrel ahead, but perpendicular to my shoulder.  With a hand on the fore-end of the stock, I can balance the weight of the rig, manoeuvre around trees, bushes and rocks - and with a quick lift and half turn be in a shooting position that wraps the sling around my wrist, which I find helps to lock the rifle in the shooting position and help to steady the shot. 

Looking for another creative outlet to discuss, debate, post, reply, laugh, cry and otherwise completely enjoy the wide world of firearms and the outdoors?  Look no further than: 

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The Dozen Sexiest Cartridges

Article from Outdoor Life - Dec/Jan 2012 - By John B. Snow

Ah, the .30/06. So useful, versatile, practical and—dare we say it?—boring. And what of the .308, the .243 and the .30/30? They don’t offer much to quicken the blood either, capable though they all are. If you desire a gun that not only gets the job done but does so with a bit of flair and panache, then these 12 cartridges are for you.






.17 HMR: Rimfire Rocket
The .22LR might be the most popular varmint round in existence, but the .17 HMR kicks its backside by every ballistic measure. It is speedy—2,500 fps with a 17-grain bullet—flat-shooting and almost universally accurate in the guns it is chambered for. For varmints within 150 yards, it is seriously bad news. For the shooter on the trigger, it is habit-forming fun.

.204 Ruger: Varmint Vaporizer
The .204 Ruger breaks the 4,000 fps barrier and has so little recoil that it is easy to spot your hits—two qualities that can lead to uncontrolled and inappropriate laughter when shooting over a prairie dog town. The light bullets it uses also buck the wind surprisingly well. It is a sexy little number and you can count on explosive performance out to 500 yards.


.220 Swift: King of the Hill
The Swift is as old as your grandfather and burns barrels like they were made of dried pine, but don’t let that stop you from acquiring the ultimate varmint round. The stubby .223 WSSM made a brief claim for the title of fastest commercially loaded cartridge, but not enough folks took a shine to it with 40-grain bullets—so 76 years after its introduction, the .220 Swift still reigns supreme.


.257 Roberts: Stylish Starter
If you want Junior to blend into the crowd, then by all means get him a .243 for his first deer rifle. But if you want him to become a ballistic aficionado, go with this little quarter-bore instead. Its larger bullet diameter gives it an edge over the 6mms, it can be downloaded for first-time and recoil-sensitive shooters and it has a name that befits a Scottish laird.


.257 Weatherby: High Plains Hunter
The .257 was Roy Weatherby’s favorite of his eponymous magnums, and if it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for you, too. It is a quintessential open-country deer and antelope round. It scoffs at long shots and high winds and burns a cupful of powder every time you pull the trigger.


6.5 Creedmoor: Accuracy Nerd’s Delight
The world’s foremost ballistics geeks teamed up to design the 6.5 Creedmoor as an accurate long-range target round with mild recoil that’s also easy to reload. Offered now with Hornady’s 120-grain GMX bullet and propelled by Superformance powder, the 6.5 Creedmoor is making a name for itself as a deadly hunting round as well.


.280 Remington: The Gentleman’s 7mm
If the .270 Win. or .30/06 strike you as too ordinary, fear not. The .280 is an excellent all-around hunting round, although it took a while for its popularity to grow. But its star-crossed beginnings are part of its charm. It’s also a handloader’s dream.


7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird: Exclusive .30 
The Warbird has the profile of an ICBM and delivers nearly the same killing power. At 400 yards, this .30-caliber magnum hits with the velocity and energy that a .30/06 has at the muzzle. Its exclusivity gives it undeniable snob appeal, but it also means you’ll never find a spare box of ammo on the shelves of your gun store.


.38 Super: A Better 9mm
It was the most powerful handgun cartridge on the planet when it was introduced in the late ’20s and, over the years, it has developed a cult-like following among pistoleros. It’s been carried by assassins, secret agents, Mexican drug lords and action-pistol shooters, all of whom rely on its speed and knockdown power to gain an edge.


.35 Remington: Northwoods Master
Show off your sophistication by opting for the .35 Remington over the .30/30 for your “brush” gun. It has better terminal ballistics, making it more capable on large-bodied whitetails and black bears. Plus, it was the cartridge—chambered in the Remington Model 8—that lawmen used to bring down outlaw Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame.


.416 Rigby: The Smasher Professional hunting guides in Africa love it when clients show up with a rifle caliber that starts with the number four. And when that cartridge bears the name “Rigby,” they shriek and stamp their feet like tweens at a Justin Bieber concert. The four-one-six generates a thunderous 5,000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle and is a consummate dangerous-game cartridge.


.500 S&W Mag: Heavyweight Champ
Why did Smith & Wesson build this behemoth of a pistol cartridge? Because anything larger would have been against the law. This maxed-out round can handle any creature that walks, flies or crawls through the dirt. Able to deliver five quick shots from a revolver, it’s a good option on dangerous game. Heavy, long-barreled handguns with muzzle brakes make the recoil manageable.

Is That Ice Safe?

Below is an article from a past issue of Field & Stream.  I really wanted to feature it at this time, especially considering the unusually warm weather we have been seeing.  Stay safe out on that ice people!

Survival: Stay Safe On The Ice

Our expert gives tips on how to tell whether ice is safe for ice fishing—and what to do if someone falls through.

Article by Keith McCafferty. Uploaded on May 01, 2011

When I was a teenager, I cracked through the surface of an Ohio strip-mine pond during a December pheasant hunt and couldn't hoist myself back onto the ice. My friend Bill Morris extended his Stevens side-by-side to pull me out, to date the only time I've felt good about looking down the barrels of a shotgun.

Ice safety has been no small concern to me ever since, especially considering that I now live in Montana, where you don't have to go ice fishing to find your progress regularly interrupted by ice. Here's what you need to know about the hard water.

Strong Impression
Ice is generally said to be thick enough for walking and fishing at 4 inches. But not all ice is created equal. Clear ice that forms in December will be stronger and more elastic than the same depth of ice in March, when the bonds fusing the crystals have become stressed from spring sunlight, giving it a honeycombed appearance. Color also counts. Beware of black, gray, or milky ice, which lacks the strength of clear green or blue ice. Expect snowpack or standing water to weaken ice, and steer clear of exposed rocks and logs, which can conduct heat to the surrounding ice. Decaying vegetation also leads to unstable conditions.

Seldom is ice uniformly distributed across a lake surface. Ice near shore, which is subject to both conductive heat from the land and reflected sunlight from the bottom, will be weaker than ice that forms over open water. Springs and inlets can prevent the formation of safe ice. Even waterfowl and schooling fish, such as carp, can slow ice formation by circulating the water.

Touch and Go
The golden rule of walking on ice is “Probe as you go.” Use an ice chisel or spud bar with a sharpened point to act as your “ear to the ground”: Safe ice sounds solid and dull when you thump it. Rotting ice creaks or feels spongy. A single hard jab will usually break through ice less than 3 inches thick. Thickness can be approximated by studying the dry cracks that radiate through the ice (not to be confused with elevated pressure ridges, which you should strictly avoid).

If in doubt, test ice thickness with an auger or, more efficiently, a cordless, 1/4-inch drill with a 5/8-inch wood auger bit. Carry a retractable tape measure for a precise measurement.

Crawl, Don't Walk
The most important self-rescue tool for your ice-fishing jacket is a pair of ice picks. They are easily made by pounding nails into the ends of two 6-inch sections of wooden dowel (cut off the nail heads, sharpen the ends, and cover with corks when carrying). If you do fall through, turn around, face the ice you just crossed, and use the picks to claw yourself on top. Distribute your weight as widely as possible by rolling and crawling to thicker ice. If your companion falls through, toss him an empty Clorox bottle or a piece of wood tied to a 50-foot rope. Rope should be a standard part of your ice-fishing kit, but if you don't have any, try dragging a dead tree or very long branch from the shore, lying down to distribute your weight, and pushing it toward the victim. But if you approach too closely, you're running a grave risk of turning one man's potential tragedy into the certain death of two. It's safer to call 9-1-1 and hope help arrives in time.