Armadillo is something that is wild in south Alabama but more and more they are populating up our way. Haven't seen one here thought yet tho others have.

I will pass on those time critters for good eats.

I be a domesticated kind of gal! thank ya very much, no possum stew for me. Not even Deer for me, tasted it but poor Bambi, I was raised on a farm and we raised a stray doe and she was Sugar Baby so when you talk of Venison no thanks that's like trying Sugar Baby to me!!! I like shooting deer with a camera.

My MIL used to cook rabbit I don't care for rabbit ither!!! My hubby and son do they used to love her fried rabbit! GROSS!!!

Roadkill stew, huh? Reminds me of a funny story! We were butchering a road-killed deer (we get on the Sheriff's list every year for them. If they're badly mangled of course they don't call people, but many times they've just got a broken neck and why let all that meat go to waste.) Anyway, here we were knee deep in venision, when the phone rang. I answered, "Hello! Rains' Roadkill Cafe. How may we serve you?" The voice on the other end began stuttering, "Uh, uh, uh - never mind." I asked, "Who is this?" Uh, "This is the Bellmont Band Boosters. We asking for donations for the annual Band Boosters banquet."

AND I WONDER WHY THEY NEVER CALLED ME AGAIN!!!!

My hubby never has time to hunt, but we get plenty of "road kill" - deer tenderloin is quite good, and the rest usually gets made into summer sausage or jerky. I don't personally care much for it, but the guys like it so I'll cook it occasionally.

But just the idea of eating possum makes me want to gag! They eat dead stuff - gag! barf!!! I could probably eat coon or even ground hog if I had to, but possum - NO THANKS!!!

Nola

What about fishing anyone go smelting first run of the season, Meg you know what to do?

Roadkill umm I think I'll pass. Had a girl on our equestrian team, her dad would stop and get anything fresh off the road. NO THANKS!

Venison jerky is good, can't say much about other parts, haven't really had any.

Jody

Man! I cannot believe that for a city girl, I know more about eating game than y'all downhome gals! We just gotta get y'all up here to have smelt and salmon, rabbit, venison, elk and buffalo!

Nola, the county where my mother lives typically has the worst unemployment in Michigan. When the sheriff's dept. has a deer or sometimes on elk who committed suicide with a passing car, the meat usually goes to feed prisoners, if there are any, in the jail or it is donated to a family in need. It is so bad that each of three school districts in the county is closed on opening day of firearm season. In many families, if those kids aren't out alongside Mom and Dad hunting, the family may not have meat for the winter.

The best venison summer sausage I have ever had was made by a man of French Canadian descent. He used to herbs that aare predominate in French cooking. Ohmygosh! Talk about good eats.

My mother has about 80 acres of timber- until my son and DIL started hunting there, she would rent it out (haven't had any hunters in the family for a long time). She would usually get a couple of vension roasts as a thank you. Now I am am not a fan mincemeat pie. I would always pass it over, until my mother started canning her own venison mincemeat. That stuff is so good.

Nola, if you have mincemeat eaters in your family, I'll see if I can get her recipe for you. Does Indiana DNR issue permits for nuisance deer? Deer that are eating crops are fair game any time in Michigan if you can offer proof to the wildlife officer. Couldn't your DH get a deer that way?

Meg, I would love your mother's venison mincemeat recipe. I like mincemeat, but don't think the rest of my family does. But about once a month hubby has me bake pies for the guys he works with - apparently none of their wives bake because those guys act like they're starved to death when homemade pies show up! And a couple of the guys are really fond of mincemeat pies. And it would be a great way to use up some of the venison.

We have a 41 acre farm north of where we live that hubby can hunt on - it's just that with his work schedule, plus taking care of the farm chores, etc. he seldom has time to go hunting. He can also hunt on the big dairy farm just across the road from us. I used to go along several years ago, but I hunted with a 35mm camera! Mostly I went just to get out in the woods early in the morning! I think the DNR does issue nuisance permits too. We could probably get one because we generally have considerable corn damage from deer.

Last year we got 2 or 3 deer from the "roadkill list" - one our neighbor found about 1/4 mile down the road. Apparently it had gotten hit crossing the road and was in my brother's field - had both front legs broken and was trying to get away into the woods. Tim came and got Rodney & John, they called the Sheriff's Dept. for permission to shoot it. No sense in letting it suffer and end up starving to death or being killed by coyotes.

They used to give the roadkills to charity here too - County Home, Jail, etc. - but I guess there's some stupid law about the meat being inspected or something. So now they just call people on the "list", and if no one takes it, they call a guy who has some cougars. Or it just lays there until the highway dept. comes along and picks it up.

You can post the mincemeat recipe here if you want to, or email it to me at blueheron46733@yahoo.com I'm sure Bo and Norm, hubby's co-workers, will appreciate a pie again soon! And I have some venison frozen that I can use to make mincemeat!

Hugs,
Nola

Meg, your mention of salmon made me hungry. My FIL used to go salmon fishing up in Michigan - can't remember where now. Will have to ask hubby as he sometimes went along. We always had canned salmon - I really like salmon patties & my MIL made really good ones!

Nola

nola, i've got a great deer stroganoff recipe (made in the crockpot) if you are interested!

meg, i have to let you know that i am a "city (actually a small-town) girl". my daddy NEVER went hunting - didn't even own a gun much less a shotgun or rifle! i knew nothing of hunting until i got married. just about the time i got used to him going to deer camp over thanksgiving (he did come home for the day & went back that afternoon!), he seemed to give up the sport. i'm not sure why, just says it's too cold for his bones now. anyway, billy hasn't gone hunting in several years. i do like deer tenderloin tho. i either make my stroganoff or else cook the meat in the crock pot til it falls apart and then add the corky's and have deer BBQ!! of course when billy brought the meat home, he had already cleaned it and it pretty much came to me looking like it would from the kroger meat counter . . . all i had to do was wrap it and put it in the freezer . . .

Cindy-

That's how I like my venison, too, wrapped and ready for the freezer.

Although once for a brief period we did raise rabbits for meat. I wasn't strong enough to wring their necks, but I did skin them. That was the year we had hassenpfeffer for Easter.
I have also raised honey bees. For a city girl, I really am the farmer's daughter at heart.

Cindy, I'd love your deer stroganoff recipe. Always looking for ways to use up the venison. Could always substitute beef for the deer too.

I use my crock pot a lot, especially on days when I've got a lot to get done. I generally feel like a short-order cook - hubby comes home for lunch at 11:15 and I usually eat with him. Sometimes (like today) DD asks if I'll bring her something at work for her lunch - same time as hubby's. Then DS comes home for lunch between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - depending on his schedule. So from about 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. I'm stuck in the kitchen. Man, does that ol' crockpot ever help out!

Nola

Wow, that is sooo cool you can get fresh road-kill deer! We can't do that here in CA. Which is really stupid. Venison is good. But I don't have any hunters in my family. If I lived close to Mom, she would share though.

Dorian