In the Field
To take proper care of fish and game in the field, you must package and freeze the meats correctly to ensure top-quality flavor and freshness. You must also use the correct cooking techniques so that a big-game rump roast is slow-cooked or braised for tenderness and a delicate fish fillet or steak is cooked quickly so that it stays juicy and flavorful. The following information is an overview to the recipe chapters that will entice you with flavorful dishes and different cooking techniques. Recipes like Poached Halibut with Red Pepper Aioli (page 68), Rotisserie Goose with Buttered Brandy Sauce (page 216), Braised Venison Roast with Mushrooms and Root Vegetables (page 99), Golden-Fried Squirrel or Rabbit (page 133), Grilled Duck Breast with Blackberry Sauce (page 199), Dutch Oven Fall-off-the-Bone Pheasant Legs (page 151), and more than 100 varieties of wild game and fish compose this comprehensive recipe collection.
Does game taste better when it is fresh?
Absolutely! A quail, duck, squirrel, turkey, salmon, or other wild game is optimum when freshly caught and cooked immediately. The transportation and shelf life of organ meat is short, so elk and deer hunters out in the wild often celebrate campfire-side with a pan-sautéed dinner of fresh liver or heart. Streamside or shore lunches or dinners are popular for anglers in the wild, too.
Hunting Knives and Scissors
Good knives and scissors are essential to field dressing big and small game. A knife needs to have a sturdy handle, and the blade needs to be stainless steel and hard enough to hold an edge, but soft enough to be sharpened. Different knives for different jobs include an all-purpose blade that ranges from 3½ to 4½ inches long for most jobs. For filleting fish, a fillet knife with a long, tapered blade is preferable. Electric carving knives save lots of time when filleting a mess of bluegill or crappie, but they require electricity. Good-quality heavy-duty scissors are great for field dressing birds. Just don't use the scissors for anything else that will dull the blade.
Field Dressing
All game and fish should be field dressed immediately. Invest in a book with either drawings or photographs to show how to correctly do this. Or see if the state conservation department or licensing bureau has this information. Another option is to hunt or fish with guides who will do this for you. Leaving the hide on big game can protect the meat from dirt and insects. Peppering the meat and enclosing it in net or nylon bags is also a good choice for protection. The next step is to butcher the game.
Most birds, because they are much smaller than game mammals, can be gutted and either plucked or skinned. Put the field-dressed birds in plastic bags, and place the bags in coolers, covered with ice.
Fish can be gutted and scaled or filleted. Put portions in plastic bags and place bags in coolers covered with ice. The plastic bags will keep the cooler and ice cleaner than just placing the meat or fish directly into the cooler.
For big-game, wear rubber gloves for protection from parasites and blood-borne diseases. The rubber gloves will also make cleanup easier.
Processing and Butchering
For many hunters, finding a good meat processor is essential. The meat processor is an expert butcher with the equipment for cutting, grinding, and refrigerating or freezing the game under the best possible sanitary conditions. If processing and butchering your own game, make sure that your butchering area is clean, cool, and sanitary.
