Say there’s a deer hanging in your garage. It might be in quarters or just missing its guts, but you know you’ve got a solid afternoon—minimum—to get all that venison in shape for the freezer and a year’s worth of meals to come. Triple that time and effort with an elk. Quadruple it with a moose...

You should gut furred small game as soon as possible. Especially rabbits and hares, because there’s something about their innards that allows them to sour very quickly. In warm weather, it only takes an hour or so for the thin abdominal muscles to start turning greenish blue. It’s easier to skin...

Sportsman that are lucky enough to harvest a black bear should try rendering the fat from the animal.  Once rendered, this lard will become a staple in the house hold for cooking many different meals. When butchering black bears or wild pigs, if you get a fatty one, it’s very important that you trim...

Beyond the wonderful steaks, roasts, ribs and ground meat your get from a kill, there is a lot of extra meat that is sometimes looked over by a hunter.  Using all the extras shows immense respect for your prey, as well as broadening your culinary pallet.  Use these tips to ensure you show maximum...

Meat is aged for two reasons, to tenderize it and to enhance flavor.  When possible, this should be done with the hide on and the bone in.  The hide protects the meat and prevents excessive drying. The bone keeps the muscles elongated, which helps prevent contraction and subsequent toughness. Aging...

After the main cuts of meat are off of an animal it is time to decide what to do with the rest of the meat.  Most of time grinding is the best option.  This makes up a great majority of the meat you get from the animal you harvest, so it is important to know how to grind big game meat correctly...

After plucking a bird, particularly ducks, you might find hard-to-remove pin feathers and also small hair-like feathers that are difficult to grab with your fingers. These become especially apparent on ducks once you begin the cooking process, as the skin tightens and they stand up on end. A great...

Preparation for a turkey is key, if the bird is prepped correctly the options are endless, when it comes to recipes. Once a turkey has been plucked, the turkey can be used for any whole preparations such as stuffed and roasted Thanksgiving-style turkey. What I generally like to do,  is split the...

You might not expect it, but gutting small game is a controversial subject. Many guys like to hang, or age, their small game with the guts inside. I’ve never heard a good argument for this, beyond the fact that it saves time in the field. This is the usual perspective of hunters who simply “breast...

Once the meat is cleaned and butchered, it is time to store it.  Freezing game meat protects it from spoiling and allows the hunter to use throughout the coming months.  Use this as a guide to ensure your game meat lasts while in the freezer. There are two acceptable methods to use when wrapping...