Labor Day Weekend Dove Hunting

There are a couple of events that are synonymous with the coming of Fall. The first is the duck blind drawing for blinds on Wildlife Management Areas and the second is dove season. Over the past few years, dove season has been even more special for me as my two sons, John and Jack, continue to grow into better hunters and marksmen. I had been particularly looking forward to this season for some reason probably because Jack woke up every morning in August with the same statement "I can't wait till dove season". A trip a couple days prior to opening day to Bass Pro had me loaded up with enough shotgun shells to make our shoulders sore for a week if the birds would fly.

The week prior to opening day the doves that had been feeding around my home suddenly blew out of the area with hardly a bird in sight which left me with a less than optimistic outlook on the opening weekend of dove season and to compound the problem a cold front and rain was on the way which further pointed toward a high probability of a dismal hunt however I knew, the guys that I hunt with would make any event worthwhile with the swapping of funny stories.

Opening day collided with a middle school football game which knocked us out of the tradional opening day festivities but we had another ace in the hole with a invitation to a hunt the following Sunday in a sweet corn field that had been recently bushogged. Optimistic of a good hunt but suspecting that it would  be a poor day was our line of thinking with the weather forcast calling for  rain and lower temperatures; a combination of problems that ususally spells disaster for a dove hunt. As we loaded up and headed toward the field located in the northwest end of the county, the rain began and it looked like our chances for success were diminishing by the minute. I had the thought of turning around and heading back home thinking that the day was just an opportunity to stand in the rain but  as we headed toward our hunting spot my mood began to change as I could hear the sound of shotguns firing in the distance with the familiar pop,........pop, pop. As we pulled up to the field we saw hunters spread out across the landscape firing at doves buzzing them like fighter pilots and when I looked at my boys smiling from ear to ear I knew this would be one of those days that I would recall while sitting in my rocking chair as a old man thinking back on the times spent with John and Jack.

After parking the truck the boys quickly got their guns and shells and loaded their guns preparing to hunt doing so in a careful and responsible manner, (something that I'm especially proud of).  John eased up above me in the vicinity of one of my good friends and I kept Jack and our Boykin Spaniel, Avery, with me. I had little time to shoot and spent the majority of my day working Avery and picking up birds.

Saying that doves were everywhere does little to describe the number of birds that were flying. I have no idea how many shells were fired but I do know that some of the shooting was nothing short of spectaular. I met some guys from Warren County  who were shooting high powered shells that could reach a bird in the stratosphere and they did it regularly. John and Jack held their own as well, especially John. At age 13 he continues to impress me with his wingshooting ability.

With over 20 people present at the hunt, we had the limits available to legally kill over 300 doves. We cleaned 299. A pretty good day by all accounts. I can almost smell those bacon wrapped dove breasts cooking on the grill right now.

River Trip

One of the things that we enjoy most during the summer is getting out in the Gheenoe and exploring new waters and catching some fish away from the ski boats and jet skis. For those not familiar with the Gheenoe you ought to check the boats out if your interested in a boat that runs shallow and will take you places that the Triton bass boats won't run. http://www.customgheenoe.net/

A few days ago a good friend called who has a similar boat and asked if we would like to take a trip up the Calf Killer River. The small river runs primarily through White Co. TN and originates in Putnam Co. TN up around Monterey with a couple of dams and accumulations of drift around bridges making it impossible to travel the entire river.

The wife, two boys, and myself launched in the upper portion of the Caney Fork and after just a short distance took our swing into the Calf Killer and we were well on our way to exploring new territory with my friend in the lead with his wife and nephew. As we travelled along we passed under the remnants of a old bridge that had long since fallen down with the steel pillars still remaining but the decking only a memory. As I went by the old bridge I thought about all the mules and wagons and old automobiles that had crossed there in the years past. As we travelled a little farther, we came upon an old walking bridge that had been stretched across the river and wondered why it had been constructed, maybe because the river split a farm into or maybe it was for children to get back and forth to school back before there were school buses or even gravel roads in that part of the world.

The river narrowed down a bit and shallowed for a while but our Gheenoe never missed a beat. A few times our motor kicked up and a few times we had to wind through some tree tops that had fallen into the river. After we had gone as far as we could go, we stopped and waded a while on a gravel bar. The water was so cold it would nearly take your breath.

When everyone cooled off after the short wade we started our drift back with ultralight rods in hand and caught Redeye, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Shell Crackers. A good day indeed in a small river winding through the hills of Tennessee without a sign of a jet ski or a Mastercraft.

Flat Iron Steak - Hard to Beat for a Summer Meal

When my family sits down for a meal, it's a lot like Sherman's march through Atlanta, there's not much left when we get done. In all seriousness, I love to cook and my favorite method is a charcoal grill and to be more specific I like to cook on a Weber kettle type grill. About a year ago, I tried a flat iron steak at the recommendation of several friends. To be honest I was skeptical when I saw the flat iron cut. I have always been a big fan of the ribeye and the lack of marbling me suspect that it would be as tough as a work boot. To my surprise the flat iron was right on the money and we eat them regularly.

Here's how we cook em.

I lay the steaks out on a cutting board and season them well on both sides with black pepper, seasoned salt, & garlic salt.

While the steaks are sitting at room temperature I build the fire in the grill. Pull the cooking grate off and open the bottom vent and pile the charcoal briquettes  inside a metal chimney and wet down with a few squirts of lighter fluid and light.

Let the briquettes heat up until they are hot. They will turn from red to gray.

Pour the briquettes out into the grill and spread out evenly and place the cooking grate back on the grill and allow it to get hot and clean with a grill brush.

Lay the steaks on the grill and cover with the grill lid with the vents open. This will allow the heat to build up inside the grill and to allow the smoke from the charcoal to flavor the steaks.

Allow each side of the steak to sear over and turn the steaks a few times cooking to the desired doneness. In my opinion, the best steak is cooked to medium rare.

 When the steaks are done. Pull them off the grill and let them sit for a few moments. Slice across the grain and enjoy.

Memorial Weekend Crawfish Boil

There's not many things that I enjoy more than good friends, a good laugh, and good food. A crawfish boil is about as good of a way to put all three together as can be found. The acquisition of the mud bugs last year required a long and arduous journey by myself and a great philosopher into the heart of Mississippi. This year, the crawfish arrived by truck thanks to a hookup by a good friend. Some have asked about how that someone who lives in middle TN without a bit of coonass blood running through his veins became a crawfish cook. Well it's pretty simple, we like cajun food; we like to cook outside; and we like to have a big time. It's simple and it's a great way to feed a group of folks.

If you want to do a crawfish boil yourself here's how we did it for approximately 40 people

Equipment Needed

• Propane tank
• Propane burner
• Big pot with a straining basket
• Water (garden hose preferably)
• Large cooler (for multiple boils to keep the food hot)
• Paddle to stir the crawfish
• Board to lay across the pot to allow draining

Ingredients

• Live crawfish  (approx 35 - 40 pounds)
• Smoked sausage (20 pounds)
• Corn on the cob (96 small ears)
• Red potatoes (50 pounds)
• Full stalk of celery
• Bag of lemons
• 4 - 6 garlic cloves or equivalent amount of garlic powder
• Crab boil in bag (4 packs)
• Liquid crab boil seasoning (2 bottles)
• Powdered crab/crawfish seasoning (7 pounds)
• Butter (4 sticks)
• Ice (40 pounds)

If you get the crawfish a day or two early, lay the bag(s) of crawfish in a cooler on ice. Do not remove the ice from the bag. Prop the lid open slightly to allow air in the cooler and tilt the cooler so that the water can drain out of the drain hole as the ice melts. 

When your are ready to start the cooking the first move is to purge the to get the mud out of them. Gently pour the crawfish out into a large cooler, childs pool or other similar container. Next pour a 26 oz box of salt over the crawfish and immediately cover with water for approximately 3 minutes. Stir gently with the paddle. and then pull the plug on the cooler letting the water out. Keeping the crawfish covered with water too long will kill them. Set aside in a cool area until you're ready to cook.

Now it's time to get it on! At this stage, you should have a group of friends and family around the pot telling lies and jokes.

• Pull the strainer basket out and fill the pot about 1/2 full of water and place it on the propane burner and crank up the heat, bringing it to a rolling boil. 
• While it's beginning to boil
• Put some red potatoes in your strainer basket
• Cut the smoked sausage up into pieces about as long as your index finger and set aside.
• Cut the lemons into quarters and squeeze the juice into the pot and throw the lemon quarters into the pot.
• Throw a stick or two of butter into the pot as well along with the whole stalk of celery

The butter, lemons, and celery don't help with the flavor but it does help loosen the meat from the shell

When the water is at a full boil add the following and stir well

• 5 lbs. crab/crawfish powdered seasoning
• 1/2 bottle of shrimp / crab boil seasoning
• Garlic
• 2 bags of crab boil in bag (do not open the bag)

Next

• Take the strainer basket with the potatoes and drop into the boiling water; cover and bring back to a boil. Boil potatoes until tender.
• Once the potatoes are tender add sausage & crawfish; cover pot & bring pot back to a boil. Stir gently. Boil for 3 minutes and then cut off the heat.
• Add 10 lbs. of ice to the pot; cover; and take the hose and spray water around the pot for approx 5 minutes. Let sit covered for 20 minutes. The ice and the cooling of the pot will help get the flavor into the crawfish, potatoes, & sausage.
• Pull pot out and place board on top of pot and drain.
• Pour into a cooler to keep hot.
• Repeat cooking as needed depending on the quantity you plan to cook. For each batch you need to add more seasoning to keep the flavor up.Usually 1/3 to 1/2 of the original batch.

To cook the corn

• Bring water back to a full boil and cook corn for 3 minutes. Some people include the corn in with the whole mixture but I find that during the wait time the corn absorbs so much seasoning that it's too soggy.

When the corn is cooked, pour into cooler with everything else and take to the table and pour contents out on newspapers.

I use a table that I made out of a sheet of plywood with holes cut. I cover with plastic that I staple down and then newspapers. Cover the holes as well with plastic and cut the plastic after you pour the food on the table. That way no food goes in the holes. I place garbage cans under the holes. It makes clean up a snap.