To a hunter, nothing beats the savory taste of properly dressed, butchered, and prepared game. With step-by-step instructions and illustrations, Monte Burch passes down the wisdom of his practical experience and explains how to field dress and butcher small game in order to prepare and preserve it for cooking and storage. (6 x 9, 148 pages, b&w photos, illustrations)
Butchering Small Game and Birds is essential reading for those who have embraced self-sufficiency, and who regard small game and birds, both domesticated and wild, as an essential part of their diet. The book covers rabbits, hare, quail, chicken and turkey as well as game birds and provides comprehensive guidance relating to all aspects of the craft of butchery. It begins with an in-depth examination of equipment and presents instructions on how to use and maintain knives correctly. This is followed by a careful consideration of how to humanely dispatch the animal or bird for butchering with speed and precision. The volume then studies in detail the butchery techniques and procedures including basic small game and bird anatomy, the importance of meat inspection and hygiene and dealing with aged birds and animals. Further sections cover techniques such as paunching, the removal of offal, extraction of shot, skinning, plucking, drawing and dressing birds, washing carcases, jointing rabbits and hares and trussing. The preservation of meat, preparing meat for the freezer and hanging and curing of skins is also covered following the philosophy that every part of an animal or bird that is usable should be used. This invaluable book presents a complete manual for anyone who wishes to become a humane and skilled home butcher, and is superbly illustrated with 164 colour step-by-step photographs.
A comprehensive small-game hunting guide, perfect for hunters ranging from first-time novices to seasoned experts, with photography by renowned outdoor photographer John Hafner Steven Rinella was raised in a hunting family and has been pursuing wild game his entire life. In this first-ever complete guide to hunting—from hunting wild game to butchering and cooking it—the host of the popular hunting show MeatEater shares his own expertise with us, and imparts strategies and tactics from many of the most experienced hunters in the United States as well. This invaluable book includes • recommendations on what equipment you will need—and what you can do without—from footwear to cutlery to camping gear to weapons • basic and advanced hunting strategies for all North American small game, including drive techniques, solo and group hunting, ambush hunting, the use of hunting dogs, and techniques for decoying and calling • how to find hunting locations, on both public and private land; how to locate areas that other hunters aren’t using; and how to make competition work in your favor • detailed sections on furred small game, upland birds, and waterfowl, covering the biology and best hunting methods for a total of thirty small game species • comprehensive information about hunting wild turkeys in both the spring and fall seasons • how to master the arts of wingshooting and rifle marksmanship, and detailed information about shot placement, ammunition selection, and field maintenance of firearms and archery equipment • instructions on how to field dress and butcher your own small game animals for a variety of preparations • techniques and recipes for both indoor and outdoor wild game cooking
From field to table, The Hunter's Guide to Butchering, Smoking, and Curing Wild Game and Fish gives you all you need to know to harvest your big game, small game, fowl, and fish.
Strategies for Today's Small Game Generation Whether it's waiting out a fox squirrel in a northeastern Ohio hickory grove, calling from a midnight stand for red fox, or anticipating the whirlwind flush of a ruffled grouse, nothing challenges the hunter nor hones the skills quite like the pursuit of North America's small game species. In his latest book, Successful Small Game Hunting, M.D. Johnson helps rekindle the flame that sparked the desire to hunt. With new twists on age-old outdoor ideas and just enough nostalgia to remind you that small game hunting is "where it all began," Johnson revisits the species and the techniques that have helped make small game hunting the grand pastime that it is. Wonderfully illustrated with outstanding images by award-winning photographer, Julia Johnson, Successful Small Game Hunting follows in the footsteps of Johnson's other titles - Successful Duck Hunting and Successful Turkey Hunting - by putting you right into the middle of the action with some of the finest small game hunters and trappers in the nation. Recapture the thrill of your first hunt as M.D. Johnson and friends guide you through the woodlots and uplands, the marshes and the fields in search of small game.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook comes a comprehensive big-game hunting guide, perfect for first-time novices and seasoned experts—featuring more than 400 full-color photographs, including work by renowned outdoor photographer John Hafner Steven Rinella was raised in a hunting family and has been pursuing wild game his entire life. In this first-ever complete guide to hunting—from hunting an animal to butchering and cooking it—the host of the popular hunting show MeatEater shares his own expertise with us, and imparts strategies and tactics from many of the most experienced hunters in the United States as well. This invaluable book includes: • recommendations on what equipment you will need—and what you can do without—from clothing to cutlery to camping gear to weapons • basic and advanced hunting strategies, including spot-and-stalk hunting, ambush hunting, still hunting, drive hunting, and backpack hunting • how to effectively use decoys and calling for big game • how to find hunting locations, on both public and private land, and how to locate areas that other hunters aren’t using • how and when to scout hunting locations for maximum effectiveness • basic information on procuring hunting tags, including limited-entry “draw” tags • a species-by-species description of fourteen big-game animals, from their mating rituals and preferred habitats to the best hunting techniques—both firearm and archery—for each species • how to plan and pack for backcountry hunts • instructions on how to break down any big-game animal and transport it from your hunting site • how to butcher your own big-game animals and select the proper cuts for sausages, roasts, and steaks, and how to utilize underappreciated cuts such as ribs and shanks • cooking techniques and recipes, for both outdoor and indoor preparation of wild game Becoming a master hunter has never been so easy!
From the host of the television series and podcast MeatEater, the long-awaited definitive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, featuring more than 100 new recipes “As a MeatEater fan who loves to cook, I can tell you that this book is a must-have.”—Andrew Zimmern When Steven Rinella hears from fans of his MeatEater show and podcast, it’s often requests for more recipes. One of the most respected and beloved hunters in America, Rinella is also an accomplished wild game cook, and he offers recipes here that range from his takes on favorite staples to more surprising and exotic meals. Big Game: Techniques and strategies for butchering and cooking all big game, from whitetail deer to moose, wild hogs, and black bear, and recipes for everything from shanks to tongue. Small Game: How to prepare appetizers and main courses using common small game species such as squirrels and rabbits as well as lesser-known culinary treats like muskrat and beaver. Waterfowl: How to make the most of available waterfowl, ranging from favorites like mallards and wood ducks to more challenging birds, such as wild geese and diving ducks. Upland Birds: A wide variety of butchering methods for all upland birds, plus recipes, including Thanksgiving wild turkey, grilled grouse, and a fresh take on jalapeño poppers made with mourning dove. Freshwater Fish: Best practices for cleaning and cooking virtually all varieties of freshwater fish, including trout, bass, catfish, walleye, suckers, northern pike, eels, carp, and salmon. Saltwater Fish: Handling methods and recipes for common and not-so-common species of saltwater fish encountered by anglers everywhere, from Maine to the Bahamas, and from Southern California to northern British Columbia. Everything else: How to prepare great meals from wild clams, crabs, crayfish, mussels, snapping turtles, bullfrogs, and even sea cucumbers and alligators. Whether you’re cooking outdoors or in the kitchen, at the campfire or on the grill, this cookbook will be an indispensable guide for both novices and expert chefs. “Rinella goes to the next level and offers some real deal culinary know-how to make sure that your friends and family will dig what you put on the table.”—Guy Fieri “[A] must-read cookbook for those seeking a taste of the wild.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Slaughter and butcher your own animals safely and humanely with this award-winning guide. Providing detailed photography of every step of the process, Adam Danforth shows you everything you need to know to butcher poultry, rabbit, lamb, goat, and pork. Learn how to create the proper slaughtering conditions, break the meat down, and produce flavorful cuts of meat. Stressing proper food safety at all times, Danforth provides expert advice on necessary tools and helpful tips on freezing and packaging. Enjoy the delicious satisfaction that comes with butchering your own meat.
The space, setup, and equipment required to raise and process poultry are minimal when compared to other types of livestock, which is part of what makes chickens such an appealing choice for small-scale meat producers. Expert butcher and teacher Adam Danforth covers the entire slaughtering and butchering process in this photographic guide specifically geared toward backyard chicken keepers and small-farm operations invested in raising meat responsibly. With step-by-step photos, detailed instructions, and chapters dedicated to necessary tools and equipment, essential food safety measures, how to prepare for slaughter and process the birds quickly and humanely, how to break down the carcasses into cuts, and how to package and freeze the cuts to ensure freshness, this comprehensive handbook gives poultry raisers the information they need to make the most of their meat.
