Everything Outdoors with Chalen

I sit here fingers freezing,

Nose running, often sneezing,

Listening around me for a sound I’d like to hear,

Sitting in the woods, waiting for a deer.

I hear a squirrel rustling,

Birds chirping, flying, bustling,

The woodland life around me continues drawing near,

And I am sitting, watching, waiting for a deer.

Now the light is getting dimmer,

Shadows growing getting slimmer,

And now my time to sit is running out I fear,

I wonder will I always be waiting for a deer?

I’m out of light to borrow,

better luck may come tomorrow,

or maybe in a week, or not until next year,

but I’ll be sitting patient, waiting for a deer.

CAUTION: Many wild foods have look-alikes, and some may be poisonous. Never eat any wild plant unless you are certain of its identity.

December may seem an odd time to scavenge the wilds for something to eat, but there are many things that are just coming into their prime as the serious cold and snows start to loom large on the horizon. The seemingly empty woods and waters still have a bountiful harvest if you know where to look. Many of the things on this list will serve multiple purposes and can be a great way to add seasonal touches to your home.

Spruce Tips

The young developing needles of various spruce species have a long history of being used for a handy winter tea. Easy brewed on the trail or collected to take home and brew later, harvest only the young tips to get the best flavor. This fresh feeling tea is like the heart of the forest in a glass, and is said to be a good tonic for general health. Spruce boughs can also make a great impromptu place to sit, wreath, or décor, adding a fresh scent and homey feel to any room.

Rabbits

A far cry from the rascally Bugs Bunny, our local Eastern Cottontails are in their prime now through later January and can be still hunted after a fresh snow or run with dogs. Rabbit is a classic game meat that is amazing prepared fried, broiled, even ground into burger. It is very lean and wants some fat when cooking, but tastes amazing. Many parts of the rabbit can be used as well, feet for good luck charms, the mask, or skinned head, for fly tying, the hide for leathercraft. Rabbit is a versatile critter with a place on any plate.

Juniper Berries

Juniper Berries should be easily seen and collected late int eh year and can add some zest to the kitchen. Classically used to infuse the trademark flavor profile of Gin, a bit of home infusing is easily done with gathered berries. The berries are fantastic when added to other natural scents like lavender and rosemary for sachets or potpourri. Ground, the berries can be added to meat dishes, used in curing Gravlax, ad added to jams or jellies. As versatile as the berries are, the boughs of the juniper and related species are very aromatic and can add a woodsy touch to the home.

December is a month to get outdoors, not stay inside! As cozy as the fire may be and as rich as the cocoa may taste, it will be made all the better by spending some time tromping in the snow. As the year draws to an end, try to incorporate resources from the wild into your holiday meals. From snacks to sides, main dishes to desserts, the woods and waters can be a wonderful adventure for you and your guests.

As we come to a close of the main firearms portion of Missouri’s deer season, I’m feeling reminiscent. I’m not sure if it’s because I recently realized that I shot my first deer over 20 years ago, or if it was the fact that 2022 was the most perfect opening weekend since I was a kid. But either way, I think deer season’s return has a tendency to stir old memories in all of us. But better than memories are the ones we are in the process of making. I’ve amassed a few new ones this year, and I’m excited to share them in this and my next few posts.

This year, I was excited. More excited than most years for the start of deer season. It all started the weekend leading up to Halloween, when I assisted my nephew Austin in taking his first buck during youth season. He had taken his first deer, a lovely (and delicious) doe, last year. He was determined to hold out for a buck this year, and luck was with us. Well, eventually it was. We rose well before dawn and trekked down the long hill to our blind. A conglomeration of old barn tin and cedar posts stood at the edge of a long unworked field, looking down the gentle slope. This field had been fallow for several years, its diminutive size making it not worth the effort to till and plant. It now provided welcome browse and the occasional small food plot, and it was a fantastic spot for deer. Nestled between two working crop fields and shrouded by thick fingers of timber, the gentle slope stretched about 125 yards from the built-in shooting bench in the blind.

In the pre-dawn darkness we opened the recycled farmhouse door as carefully as we could to avoid the near inevitable creaking it’s old hinges would bring. Inside we took our places in the old plastic lawn chairs and waited the hour until legal light. Things were slow to start, and the rising sun brought a drop in temperature putting just enough chill in the air to lend some optimism to an otherwise uneventful morning. Out of the corner of my eye, in that purely instinctive part of the periphery, I saw movement. I motioned to my nephew to get ready on his gun, my .243 Rossi single shot that he had shot last year. But it was too late. Impossibly close to the blind, a healthy fork horn buck trotted out of the woods, and rather than turning downhill like I expected, he strutted right in front of the blind, no more than 25 feet away. This young buck was on a mission, cruising across the field to the grown over logging trail on the other side. As he walked, paused, sniffed, and looked right at us and all around, we were near helpless. Any movement was sure to be noticed and Austin had not yet shouldered his rifle. As the buck neared the edge of the field, mostly quartering away now, he tried to bring the gun on target, but even a young buck notices a flash of movement like that, and off he bounded.

That disappointment was enough to nearly break a young hunter’s heart. We sat until about 10 A.M., when the cold and what ifs became too much to bear. The hike up the hill, always longer on the way up it seems, was mostly silent. But after lunch and a good nap, we were ready to head back out. Back down the hill, creaking door, plastic lawn chairs. Then we waited. My motto has always been the time worn axiom, “you can’t shoot one from the couch!”, but as we finally approached that last golden hour of the day without so much as a whiff of a deer, I had to wonder. But as they always seem to do, another young buck, this one a 7 pointer, walked out a few feet into the field for a gander. He was crossing at a well worn trail that sits a comfortable 75-80 yards from the blind. But, even though it was very early, barely what you might call the rut, he was on a mission. But after making sure Austin had his rifle at the ready, we made a couple quick whistles that stopped him. For just a moment too long the buck looked around, and before he had any clue what had made that odd noise, my nephew’s bullet found it’s mark.

After much whooping and hollering, we walked up to my nephew’s first buck, dropped where he stood. The rack, which would later green score 86 5/8, was nothing to sneeze at for a first deer, and would be good eating as well. After ensuring the deer was properly dispatched, we climbed the hill once again, still tiring, but a bit less so now, to get the truck. After we stopped off at the house to grab a helping hand, my incredibly understanding and game-for-anything wife Julia, we drove around the backside of the farm where we could access this field and retrieve the deer. We loaded him without field dressing, knowing that we would be hanging the buck and would have just as easy a time in the machine shed under good lighting. Besides, we had a couple pit stops to make.

Back at the house while grandparents gathered to admire the buck, we hopped on my cellphone to telecheck the deer, and fixed the tag to his leg for transport. Then it was up the road to the Hermann Rod & Gun Club to we where we stood and what all was being given away this year. The Hermann Area Youth Hunt has been a long-held tradition in the town and surrounding counties. What started out as a way for the locals to reminisce about the days when you could hang out at the check in station and watch the deer roll in has become a major community event. Over $30,000 in prizes and gifts are awarded to young hunters each year, including gift cards, hunting packs, deer rifles, tree stands, and so much more. With prizes for heaviest doe, largest buck, “closest score to 100” and other creative benchmarks, there are plenty of opportunities for youth hunters to meet an enthusiastic audience of supporters.

After the fanfare of scoring and check in, we headed inside to be greeted by several organizers and get signed up for prizes. Austin was able to draw a number from the bin that corresponded to a prize along the crowded back wall. He ended up drawing a gorgeous modular hunting pack that should serve him well for years to come.

Back at the house, the deer was hung up in the machine shed and gutted, then left to hang overnight. As I woke the next morning, I was incredibly thankful our luck turned the way it did. Morning broke dreary, and by the time I moseyed out to the shed at a comfortable 8:30 A.M., it was starting to rain. Austin rolled out a bit later, bringing a couple tubs to help with the harvest. We skinned out the buck, saving the tail for next year’s crappie jigs. After cutting out the loins and backstraps, we trimmed a good amount off the neck, detached the legs, and left a near bare ribcage and spine hanging. This time around, everything aside from the loins and backstraps was being ground for burger, so as my father-in-law Mike brought out the grinder, we stared deboning the legs and cutting it up.

After a little elbow grease and only a little cursing at equipment, we had nearly 50 pounds of processed venison in the freezer ready to go home later that day. It would be split between our family and Austin’s, later becoming chili, lasagna, summer sausage, and more. A successful second deer season for my nephew was in the books, and he is already planning for next spring chasing gobblers on the family farm. I’ve got a lot of memories of deer hunting, but among the best will always be guiding an impassioned young hunter as they develop a sense of care for our environment and the bounty our local woods and waters have to offer.

CAUTION: Many wild foods have look-alikes, and some may be poisonous. Never eat any wild plant unless you are certain of its identity.

November is a time of harvest in the woods! Our many varied hunting seasons really ramp up, kick off, and take over the month for many people. But while you are out an about, there are still a couple of things to keep an eye out for.

Deer/Venison

No one can talk November without thinking about that fabled and hard fought protein that is venison. Incredibly lean and bursting with flavor, venison is some of the best protein on the block. Well beyond backstraps and tenderloins, try some unique preparations such as smoked heart, deer ham, or consider not eating any of it yourself, and donate a doe to share the harvest, which can take a single deer and feed numerous families around Missouri.

Rose Hips

Packed with vitamin C and filled with the last reminders of summer, the little red fruits called rose hips are nearing their end in November. If you haven’t had a hard frost in your area just yet, you can still collect rose hips that remain after the flowers have faded. They can be made into a tea, tinctured, and cooked down for syrups. Just keep an eye out for the irritating little hairs often found covering the fruits.

Suckers

Cold weather brings another staple of the Ozarks, gigging for suckers, back to the forefront. These bony fish are tough to hook on convention tackle, and are best gigged at night when it’s cold enough to freeze your hands to the gig. Cooking wise, these fish are skinned and scored, then fried in hot oil to dissolve the tiny, but annoying bones traversing the meat. Piping hot with some hush puppies, often right beside the river they are caught from, suckers are a particular delicacy that i must recommend.

The cold weather may be slowing down some things, but for avid outdoors enthusiasts, the fun is just beginning. Plenty to do and see, and plenty of opportunity to fill the table as well as the soul with time spent in nature.