Author: Jacob.Edson

I have a confession. While I value the protein provided by wild game beyond all other forms of meat and take utmost care of my deer and other game in the field and on my butcher’s table, I am a complete slacker when my venison gets to the freezer.

I’ve always been a freezer paper guy. And, sometimes I don’t even go that far. If I’m out of freezer paper, I’ll seal my game as best I can in plastic baggies. I feel guilty about it (especially when Turkey & Turkey Hunting editor Brian Lovett and I trip up to the local meat processor and he breaks out his perfectly, triple-wrapped game and I dig out a tub of frozen scraps on our annual summer sausage run). But the truth is I’m cheap and I could never afford a vacuum sealer and the expensive bags. Really, it was the bags that scared me away. I could handle the one-time investment of the sealer, but I didn’t want to shill out the dough every year for the special bags.

Well, I’ve decided to take the plunge. On a recent trip to review some of the newest hunting gear available to bow-hunters, I was introduced to the Oliso vacuum sealer, which uses specialized bags like the other vacuum sealers on the market. However, the Oliso does things a little differently; it punctures a small hole, sucks out the air and then seals a small area around the hole. This makes the bags reusable for 10 to 20 uses. And they’re not crazy expensive. Less than $15 bucks a pack.

The Oliso is not cheap, but it handles wet loads like a champ (a major downfall of many vacuum sealers).

I’ve decided it’s an investment I need to make to honor the game I take.

I was all set to write a post on Friday, but then a kind friend surprised me with a bag of morels he found in his yard. I’d never found morels before, so I was excited to try them.

Funny thing is, when I got home, I mowed the lawn. Guess what I found growing in my own yard around the stump of the elm we cut down last year after it died?

So I had a bunch of morels and one package of venison left in the freezer. Perfect combo right?

Even better, when I opened the freezer package I found I had mislabeled it. Instead of round steaks, it was a loin piece. Side note, I never cut my loins into steaks. I cut them into 8- to 10-inch sections and freeze them whole. They last longer and I can cut them into steaks later if I choose to. However, my favorite preperation is to wrap a whole loin piece in bacon and grill it to medium rare.

That’s just what I did. I wrapped the loin with bacon and threw it on the grill. Then I sauted about half the morels in butter and steamed some local fresh-cut green beans and started some brown rice.

When the morels were soft, I added some heavy cream a shot of salt and pepper and drizzled it over the loin medalions (AFTER I LET IT REST!).

I have to say, this might have been one of my favorite venison preperations to date.

Last week’s inaugural edition of my venison Friday Food Fun on this blog was, as they say folks, a softball.

I floated it knowing all along that most hunters would — like me — choose both (Kate Beckinsale and Megan Fox, of course, but also both venison and pork).

The answers were a foregone conclusion because simply one of the greatest foods on earth is a well-made sausage that includes the complex flavors of venison and the richness of pork fat. As Anthony Bourdain so often points out on his excellent foodie/travel show "No Reservations" one common theme throughout the world is meat in tube form. It is the quintessential street food for good reason.

And I would argue the very best sausages contain not just pork, but the amazing combination of pork fat and wild game. Others would agree. Biker turned street-food Sensei, Jim Pettinger has turned sausages made from venison, reindeer, pheasant and bison into national acclaim and one of Denver’s most applauded restaurants, Biker Jim’s Dogs. Combine the two, add a little smoke and seasoning and you have the world’s greatest food. However, therein lies the most magical part. No two concoctions of venison and pork are alike. From venison Polish sausage to landjaeger and bratwurst, the variety of encased sausages is incredible. Add the fact that no two batches are exactly alike and its clear you could spend your life devoted to an obsession of venison sausage: an excellent pursuit. (Perhaps a future episode of "No Reservations").

Oh, and if you don’t make your own, you are truly missing out on one of life’s greatest joys.
Here’s to the perfect marriage. 

Well folks, I’m back.
I know I started this blog with a splash then disappeared for a week, but hey, I’m a magazine editor first and I had two publications deadlining. So for those who have been checking back every few hours – see I’m also a comedian – here’s some controversy for you. (No not that controversy)

For my own blog I’m going to steal a page from foodie bloggers (such as fellow wild game fan David Draper over at The Wild Chef) and start a Friday Food Fun feature. And since I promised controversy, here you go:

What’s the ultimate protein – wild whitetail or pork?

For those of you who are devout whitetail hunters, this might seem like a no-brainer. After all, how great is a nicely marinated venison tenderloin grilled to rare over hickory chunks? But then again, pork is worshiped by foodies from Seattle to Tokyo for good reason. I can’t imagine deer camp or Saturday mornings without bacon. Heck, would charcuterie even exist without pork fat? I don’t think so.

For me, this is the ultimate battle of good and evil: Kate Beckinsale vs. Megan Fox.

(Or in Mrs. Ethical Hunter’s case, Dave Annable vs. Colin Farrell.)

In other words, heart healthy, wholesome and sexy venison vs. the Sith Lord of arteries, sumptuous flavor and extreme protein decadence. Not such an easy choice anymore is it? I’ll come back around and weigh in on this myself, but first, your thoughts.

I hope that my meditations on natural resources will offer an escape for hunters pushing back against some modern trends in deer hunting.

– Jacob Edson, D&DH managing editor

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The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state (the status quo ante) in a society.

I guess that’s what this blog aims to be: a reaction to the current state of deer hunting in America. Yet, that’s not to say this will be a bash session aimed at big buck hunters and hunting celebrities.

Instead, my goal is to share my personal exploration of hunting ethics with hope that my meditations on the North American model of wildlife management, hunting history, sustainable venison consumption, land stewardship and recreational enjoyment of our natural resources will offer an escape for the increasing ranks of hunters who have begun to push back against some modern trends in deer hunting.

My dream is that a grassroots effort with like-minded hunters will not only turn some of the tides of discontent within hunting, but offer a bridge between our current crop of die-hard whitetail enthusiasts and the growing number of new hunter/gatherer types. Lofty expectations, I know.

What I do promise is a resource for and about responsible hunting. I’ll discuss deer hunting tips and gear, and of course, land stewardship. I might even get on a soap-box from time to time. More than anything, I’d like this blog to be an open discussion. Comment away and share your hunting stories … big buck or buck fawn, I don’t care.

My one request: Let’s not talk about antler scores. Because, while I do marvel at whitetail racks … in the end, they’re not all that palatable.