Tips & Recipes | Author and Public Speaker

Venison & Gravy

Cut pieces of venison loin or steak into pieces about the size of three fingers. Lightly batter and brown it. Place the browned meat in a crock pot and add a package of dry onion soup mix. Following the instructions on the package, prepare a brown gravy mix and pour over the meat. Cover the pot and cook, adding water if more gravy is desired. If time allows, cook this on low for most of a day. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Duck Breast Poppers

Remove each side of a duck breast from the bone. Wood ducks are particularly desirable. Cut each side into two thin slices end-to-end so that the filets are wide and thin. This requires cutting the half breast (one side) on the same plane as the cutting board rather than 90 degrees to the board. Spread the filet with cream cheese and add a scattering of jalapeno pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll the unit into a tight bundle, wrap it in smoked bacon, and secure the roll with toothpicks. Grill.

Flintlock Insurance

One possible problem faced by all who are interested in toying with those marvelous old firearms that are set off by flint striking a frizzen is the failure of those rigs actually going off. Try picking the vent hole before each shot. This assures that the path is clear to the main charge and also disturbs tiny flakes of main-charge powder, thus allowing the spark to catch more easily.

Bees & Yellow Jackets

One solution I have heard of to prevent bees and yellow jackets from attacking and stinging while you are outside is to poke a Bounce® Fabric Softener in a belt loop and wear it while outside. It is rumored to keep the pesky biters away. The same goes for keeping mice out of your camper trailer or storage room. Just scatter a few sheets about and the mice stay out.

Deer Troubles

Are deer eating your garden or flowers around your house? If so, try this simple and possibly successful solution. Place some of those small stick-in-the-ground solar lights around the vegetation. There is no prescribed number; just put one every 10 feet or so to form a border. While I can’t say for sure that these work, evidence is strong that they do. My aunt and uncle in the Memphis suburbs lost most of their ornamental plants to whitetail depredation. This past year they followed the solar light regimen and stopped the deer activity. One...