218 part 1

What is 218?  Glad you asked.  218 is actually the dates 2 and 18.  I plan to start  new segment of my blog that will be published on the 2nd, and 18th of each month and will run for the rest of the 2011 calendar year.  The theme of the segment is cooking what you hook, pick, or shoot.  I  will be preparing food based on their availability, so seasonal items will be a major part of the project.

On The Ice

All week i have been planning on ice fishing Sunday.  In CT we can not hunt on Sunday, so it makes for a great day to go ice fishing.  After talking with my brother, Mike we decided to  drive up to a very special North Western CT lake.  The lake in our minds is the site of our first ice fishing outing some ten plus years ago led by fellow Savage Rudy A.  On that day my brother and I both caught brown trout through the ice.  Mike and I try and make a trip up to this lake every year just for old times sake; however, the fishing is pretty good also.

A Slow Start.

Its about this time of year that i start to get serious about small game hunting.  After a tough outing for ducks yesterday i decided to try  getting the small game ball rolling today.

Pour It On!

  During the past few outings my fellow savages and I have enjoyed some fantastic weather and fun.  As of Sunday, we had a few Golden Eyes and Old Squaw.   Both are ducks of big water that are capable of diving deep in search of prey.  These ducks are active predators, and their diet of small bugs, shrimp, snails, small clams, worms, and what ever else they can catch gives them a stronger flavor.  Most people are turned off by the stronger taste of a diver, and prefer the plain taste of a puddle duck that has been eating day old bagels at the park.  I will admit, these ducks do have a strong taste, and i have been researching ways to make them table friendly to the masses.

First Duck

I was able to take my new hunting buddy, Ed out this morning for a sea duck/diver hunt.  Both diver ducks and sea ducks are in Long Island Sound right now and good magnum black and white decoys do the job.  Today, the weather was even better that yesterday and it was a real treat to enjoy some gunning with a friend.