With plenty of venison in the house what to make for Christmas? I knew it would have to have venison in it so that’s when I decided to try to make a Mincemeat Pie for Christmas.
Never heard of mincemeat? Well it is an old pie that is older than our country, and probably was made by some of the first settlers to travel over from England.

Mincemeat developed as a way of preserving meat without salting or smoking some 500 years ago in England, where mince pies are still considered an essential accompaniment to holiday dinners just like the traditional plum pudding. This pie is a remnant of a medieval tradition of spiced meat dishes, usually minced mutton, that have survived because of its association with Christmas. This pies have also been known as Christmas Pies. Mince pie as part of the Christmas table had long been an English custom.

Today, we are accustomed to eating mince pie as a dessert, but actually “minced” pie and its follow-up “mincemeat pie” began as a main course dish with with more meat than fruit (a mixture of meat, dried fruits, and spices). As fruits and spices became more plentiful in the 17th century, the spiciness of the pies increased accordingly.

Whats Cooking In America

Mincemeat pie is one of those old fashion pies that I remember from my childhood growing up in New England. Many people are unfamiliar with this pie that does like it’s name suggest contain meat. The mincemeat pies I’m most familiar are made with moose or deer meat, typically neck meat. They also contain apples, raisins, and other dry fruit. Commercially made pies and pie mix no longer contain meat just the fruit and not traditionally enough for me and Christmas.

Having never made a mincemeat pie I first set out to get a recipe which proved a little bit more difficult. My inquires with family and friends finally paid off when my sister in law sent me one she had but hadn’t yet tried. After looking the recipe over and then trying to acquire the necessary ingredients I began to make some changes to replace ingredients I couldn’t locate and to add some things I’d seen in some of the other recipes I found on line. The following is my recipe for Mincemeat Pie.

Moose’s Mincemeat Pie
Ingredients: (makes 2 pies)

Two 9” Pie Crusts
2 lbs. venison
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 lb. beef suet
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs Macintosh apples
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups apple cider
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup raisins or currants
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of dried papaya, pineapple, mango
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
- soak papaya, pineapple, mango in brandy (at least 2hrs but longer be better)
- Simmer meat covered in water for 2 hours, adding suet for last 1/2 hour; drain, chop meat and suet fine and set aside.
-Peel, core and chop apples.
-In apple cider apples, raisins and dried fruit soaked in brandy; set aside.
-Combine dry ingredients with nuts.
-Prepare 2 nine-inch pie crusts.
-Combine meat and suet in apple juice mixture and then add dry ingredients; mix and let sit 5 minutes.
-Fill pie crusts with mixture and cover with top crusts, cut vents for steam.
-Place pies on cookie sheet (catch any filling that may boil over) in pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes; then reduce to 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove and cool on rack.

The recipe my sister in law sent me called for citron( I could not locate any) which I replaced with dried fruit mix soaked in brandy. As far as the beef suet goes your local butcher shop should be able to help you out with that but be sure you tell them you need it for a recipe cause most people get it for bird feeders. I used some of my deer meat left over from last season so the quality was a bit better than neck meat but with this seasons success I’ve got plenty of deer meat.

Well how did this experiment in pie making go for me? You’ll have to wait to see.

Food Networks Recipe

Between work, hunting, and the holiday I’m behind in my updates. First off I tagged my second deer of the year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I had 3 does come into the field together and I picked out the biggest one and shot her. She ran off into the brush so I had to do a bit of blood trailing to get her. She only went about 75 yards as the crow flies but as any of us that hunt know a wounded deer rarely goes straight. She did not disappoint zig zagging her way through blackberry bushes and brush ending up piling up in some cedars. I got some videos I shot that day that shows a little bit of the blood trailing.

If you’ve never blood trailed before or have just a little experience I would recommend a few things;

1. Mark the spot…. where the deer was standing when you shot and where you last saw it
2. Wait…… Don’t rush to get on the track a wounded deer can run a long way if pushed
3. Find the Impact site…. look for hair, blood, and bone and other clues
4. Follow the trail…. mark the blood and look for the next sign remember it may not necessarily be on the ground if it gets caught on trees or bushes.
5. Trailing by yourself can be difficult but trailing with to many people can be frustrating. I like to trail with one or two other people leaving one person on the last sign and the others looking for additional sign. I find to many people can damage the trail and mess up the track.
6. Be careful on the trail not to damage any of the sign cause you never know when and if you’ll have to go back and look at it.

I’m sure there are countless other tidbits that can be offered to help and if anyone has advice feel free to add them in the comment section.

With the days getting shorter and the temperatures dropping it starting to feel like fall out there. I’ve got the T/C Omega sighted in and I’m trying to get the rest of my equipment together. Checking on camo, inspecting safety straps, replacing flashlight batteries, and a number of other countless projects to complete before the first deer hunt. The eastern muzzleloader season is here now and hopefully I’ll get sometime in a tree in the next week or so.

Safety should be on your mind as you check your equipment for the upcoming season. Any questionable straps should be discarded and replaced, ladders & stands should be checked to make sure there is no breaks in the welds and the metals are in good repair. Any rust spots should be sanded out and painted over, bolts should be tight. Don’t skimp on your stands because a tumble out of one could be your last hunt.

Fall certainly seems to be in the air and prime deer hunting time is just around the bend so lets get ready.

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on us government officials and weather folks have been urging us to get ready for this storm. In the middle of all of this a 5.8 Earthquake hit causing a brief scare but relatively little damage. I was at the Chiropractor on the wave bed when it hit so I didn’t feel it but many people around the area did. The east coast is a relatively active earth quake zone even though its unusual for us to feel them like we did today.

The earthquake was a brief interruption in our preparation time for Irene this weekend. I don’t know but it seems to me hunters and outdoorsman seem better equipped to deal with these types of situations. We keep most of the stuff they tell us to put in a emergency kit on hand because its stuff we carry when we head out on a hunt or a camping trip. If you don’t have what you need on hand trust me now is the time to gather it. After the storm hits water, gas, charcoal, batteries, ice, tools, tarps, trash bags, non perishable food, etc… becomes extremely expensive or unavailable.

I gathered most of my stuff together this evening hitting the store to get water and batteries. Having to rethink a few things giving I’m living in a new house on my own well should we lose electricity we’ll have no water unlike our last house that was on a community well that had emergency power backup. We’ve got a plan on how to deal with that but hopefully we won’t need it anytime soon.

As I write this it appears even less likely will take a direct hit possible a glancing blow or a total miss. Anyone along the east coast especially those north of me now is the time to get ready, Hopefully Irene gets shoved out to sea but if not you better batten down the hatches.

As far as the time I spent getting things together tonight, its not wasted time but just a jump start on my next hunting trip.

A free hunting clinic sponsored by the Cape Fear River Branch of Quality Deer Management Association and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s Centennial Campus will be held on the 30th Aug 6-8 pm.

“This free clinic is primarily designed to help newcomers get started in deer hunting, but experienced hunters may pick up some new tips,” said Kelsey Obernuefemann, a wildlife education specialist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “This course provides thorough and fun instruction on what to do before, during and after a hunting trip, at various times during the season.”

Topics covered in the clinic will include:

Tree stand safety
Whitetail habits and habitats
Scouting and hunting techniques
Equipment, archery and firearm choices
More safety recommendations and state hunting requirements

Space is limited and pre-registration for the clinic is requested. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Info:
Kelsey Obernuefemann,
Wildlife Education Specialist
919-707-0202
kelsey.obernuefemann@ncwildlife.org

Deer season will be here soon and here is a great opportunity for anyone that wants to learn some new skills or to brush up on some before the season rolls in. Maybe you don’t think you need this but I’m sure there is someone you want to introduce to hunting and this is a perfect opportunity to get someone started on the right foot.

Hunting is a great pastime so introduce someone to the world of hunting.

Last evening in a venue more often used for Rock Concerts then talks about navigating rocky streams I met T Edwards Nickens. He is currently Editor at Large for Field and Stream magazine and just released his first book The Total Outdoorsman Manual. A book filled with outdoor skills that if you can master will give you a PHD in the great outdoors. Every page is loaded with diagrams, photos, skills and tips to make your next outing a success be it fishing at Lake Raleigh or driving the Dalton road to Prudhoe Bay.

I didn’t realize that T Edward Nickens lived in Raleigh so I was a bit surprised when I saw the article in the N&O announcing his Monday Evening presentation at the club Kings in downtown Raleigh. The crowd of about 200 people squeezed in to hear the stories and photos of a life full of hunting and fishing all over the world. Photos of giant brook trout caught in Canada where few have ever ventured as well as stories about hunting with his children in Johnston County.
The evening went by way to fast and like the campfire at the hunt camp you hate to end it because there is always one more story to tell and one skill tidbit to pass on but you know you must end. After the presentation I got to pick up my own copy of his book and he graciously signed it for me. I haven’t completely read it yet but I can tell you it will become an important reference tool for me. I’m sure no matter your outdoor abilities you’ll find things in this book that will help you in your outdoor pursuits.

NCWRC has announced the postponement of next weeks Big Game Committee meeting moving it to July.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Big Game Committee meeting, originally scheduled for May 11, has been postponed, as this date proved to be a difficult time for many landowners and farmers to be away from their primary livelihood activities.

The meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, July 6, to discuss black bear management, including issues related to hunting and historical white-tailed deer harvests.

The committee will meet at the Wildlife Resources Commission Headquarters at 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh.

NCWRC

People who want to have a say on this issue should really plan to be at this meeting and let the Wildlife Commissioners know what your views are.

We are about at the half way point of the turkey season time to a self assessment of where you’re at. If you’re like me you probably know a few maybe more hunters who are tagged out. (Maybe your one of those lucky stiffs.) If not if you got one of your tags filled you’re in pretty good shape but if you still have both tags maybe it’s time to panic. Hang on no need to panic there is still plenty of time to bag your birds.
There are a few things that play to your advantage the deeper into the season you get; everyday more and more hens go to nest leaving those Tom’s lonely, less hunters afield either they tagged out or they give up.
There are a few things that some look at as negative but if you think about it you can turn these into advantages. Increased foliage on the trees will make it harder for you to see that gobbler it will also muffle him some so he’ll be a lot closer then you think when he sounds off. This will also give you a bit more cover so you can get away with a little bit of movement but be careful that gobbler maybe closer then you think.
The vocal two year old birds, especially if your hunting an area that gets some pressure, have either already been given a ride home in someone’s truck or they have gotten an education and gotten a bit smarter. The flipside is a number of hunters have tagged out on those two year olds while the long beards have been henned up and now they ain’t. I believe you have a bit better chance on getting on mature birds now so take advantage of it.
Mid way point of the season and there is still plenty of time don’t put extra pressure on yourself. Get out there and fill your tag (s) that’s where I plan to be.

Probably some of the most asked questions by new hunters is around the vocabulary of the wild turkey. Turkeys make a lot of sounds and a hunter that can mimic some will increase the likelihood of filling their tag. The National Wild Turkey Federation has a wealth of information including a page that has many of the calls of the wild turkey. Check it out and maybe this spring you’ll be eating an early Thanksgiving.

Seminars and guests speakers have always been a big part of the Dixie Deer Classic well at least all the ones I’ve gone to. This year they had return visits by Michael Waddell and Lee & Tiffany some great hunting personalities.
I decided this year to really make an effort to see some of the local presenters given that I know a number of them or at least converse with them on line from time to time. So I missed the main stage and focused on the smaller presentations but the information was great. They offered topics on GPS usage, videoing your hunt, treestand safety & tactics, processing your deer, use of blood trailing dogs, food plots, coyote trapping, to name a few.
On Saturday one of the seminars I attended was Blood Trailing Dogs presented by Sian Kwa a breeder of teckles here in North Carolina. I had met her at a blood tracking workshop she and her husband had sponsored about a year ago. She presented some great information on how to use dogs to blood track wounded game. Currently in NC there is a mix bagged of rules that makes tracking with a dog legal some places and illegal others. Currently a bill is making its way through the state that if becomes law will make the use of blood tracking dogs legal throughout the state.

Friday I went to the Food Plot Seminar presented by H.R. Carver of Bioplots. H.R. I met at last year’s show and we both frequent NCH&F. H.R is always helpful when someone has a question about food plots and his presentation didn’t disappoint. Whether you want to plant a number of acres or a small honey hole he covered it. The crowd was small so he was able to answer many questions from the audience which was a real bonus.
Overall the seminars were great and it is obvious we have some local folks that have a lot of knowledge. While Lee & Tiffany and Michael Waddell draw a lot of crowds the local presenters did a bang up job. So the next show you go to don’t overlook the smaller seminars who knows maybe the next big national headliner maybe paying his or her dues at the local level.