IT IS JANUARY 6TH and you still hav
e a late season either sex tag to fill…time is not on your side! Do though because hunting the late n’t worry season actually can give you an upp er hand, more so than any other During the late season two things tim e of the year. should be on your mind, which wil l help you fill your tag. The firs finding food. Bucks have spent t is food, or that last 90 days running around for love, then have been relentle They have lost a ton of weight, som ssly cha sed by sho tgu n hunters. e nearly 30% of their body weigh t. Bucks are tired and hungry, pla eat. This fact is your best ammo in and sim ple the right now. If you can find where y want to the bucks are feeding then you wil a tag on a set of antlers. l have a good chance at placing Secondly, and I eluded to it in the above paragraph, you need to “fin d” some bucks to go after. Scoutin is your first goal. You have to fin g, even with five days left d a buck to go after during the late season instead of hoping one ran Below is a five day plan that I use domly makes an appearance. during the late season that puts foc us on scouting and food sources. and to set some drama I used tha For the sake of this article t last five days of the season as a setting. Truth be told you can use season as it still relates. this plan any five days of late
Even with only five days left today is all about scouting! Sounds crazy, but even with a few days left you are better off finding a buck to go after rather than blindly setting up to hunt. So leave the bow or muzzy behind and get out and find a buck/s to go after. The goal with scouting is to find that one golden food source where the deer are feeding heavily and mature bucks are visiting. Once you find this spot and only then will hunting begin. The best areas to scout are food sources, preferably ones that are in close proximity to bedding areas. Bucks are lazy right now as they are trying to conserve energy and pack on the pounds. They don’t want to travel long distances to get food. So if you have a food source with thick cover nearby on your property focus your scouting efforts there first. Set up during the morning hours and see what happens. If you spot a buck that deserves your attention take note of what time he came out, where did you come from, where did he go, and how long did he stay. Gaining this intel will help you go after him tomorrow or in the coming days. During the mid-day hours is a good time to actually check out the food sources on foot. Quickly walk the area and look for buck sign, such as fresh rubs and scrapes (yes bucks will still be making them), deer droppings, and buck tracks. These are all tell-tale signs of bucks visiting this food source. I will do this on any food source I have on my property, not just the ones that look the best. Before you leave, set up a trail camera, if you have one, so you can cover the plot during the rest of the season or days you may not be able to go hunt or scout. This is also a good time to set up additional cameras at other known food sources in the area so you can quickly keep tabs on them if your first choice doesn’t pan out. It might also be a really good idea to set up a blind or tree stand on the food source/s if you don’t already have one positioned. A word on tree stands and ground blinds. If I already have tree stands placed in the areas I am scouting then I will opt for them, unless the weather conditions are not ideal. If I don’t have a tree stand in an area and/or the weather is bad then I usually will go with a ground blind. It is just safer in the cold weather to pop up a blind or construct one than it is to try and hang a stand. In the evening return and scout the same source again. Deer usually tend to feed in the evening hours during the late season so activity should be expected to pick up. Again if you see a buck, gather info and make a plan for shooting him tomorrow.
Today should be more about scouting than hunting unless you saw a shooter buck yesterday. If you did indeed scout a buck worthy of your tag then by all means go after him and use the intel you gained yesterday to hunt him. If you didn’t lay eyes on a buck then treat today the same as yesterday. Do not give up on scouting yet, I promise by finding a buck first you have better odds than by hoping any random buck comes out. If you feel good about the source you are scouting stay there and see what the morning and evening hours offer today. If your recon tells you that deer are not using the area then pick another plot and scout it today. Make sure you check all your cameras you have out as well, the information they can provide could be the deciding factor of where you chose to hunt.
Hopefully with two hard days of scouting you have a buck to go after. If you do then today and the rest of the season is all about the hunt. Once I find a buck that I want to harvest that is where my focus will be until the season ends. Sounds like I am putting all my eggs into one basket, well I am. Once I find a shooter buck he is the only one I am going after. Sure a few bucks that I didn’t see may come into the picture and make me go after them, but that is a cherry on top when that happens. Even then I have the buck I am going after, I have scouted him and know basically his daily routine. It is him or nothing at this point in my mind. How to hunt this deer is largely up to you, as well as what the weatherman is saying. Use all the knowledge you have to this date on the deer. If you have seen him out in the morning, then hunt him in the morning and vice versa. Pay attention to the forecast as well; cold fronts that bring dropping temps, pressure, and precipitation will get deer on their feet early. Didn’t see the buck? Check trail cams after dark and see if he is just coming out late.
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You are in serious hunt mode now. Depending on what the buck you are after did yesterday or possibly the last three days should determine what you do today. If you haven’t shot him yet it is probably because he has been out of range or hasn’t even entered the food source until after shooting light? If he is skirting your comfort zone distance wise it might be a good idea to move your stand or blind a bit so you can ensure a shot today or tomorrow. If the buck is hanging up within the timber and waiting for the cover of darkness, not all is lost. Instead of sitting on the field edge try and move to the vicinity the buck is entering the food source and set up 20 yards back off the field edge. The buck may be staging until dark, if you are in the staging area you may be able to get a shot off. Make sure you still have a clean view of the field too, just in case the buck or any other buck for that matter enters the field from a different direction.
NOTES:
Last day of the season…it is now or never. In the sport of deer hunting nothing is ever a sure bet. So far, for whatever reason the buck you are after is still on his feet. He is winning the battle, but don’t give up on the final day. You know he is using the area so now may be the time to hunt all day. During the rut or shotgun season this is no big deal as the temps are manageable, but we are talking the late season here. When temps of below zero are not all that uncommon. If you plan to hunt all day make sure you are prepared. Make sure and pack extra clothing and make sure your feet and hands stay warm. With all the work you put in the last five days and little luck hopefully today is the day! When the shot presents itself it is up to you now to complete the plan….aim small, miss small and go and put your tag on your trophy!
*Day Three – Still no buck scouted! Now what? It happens, probably more than anyone would like. Just because you put a lot of work into scouting doesn’t mean you will locate a buck you want to shoot. You need to start getting into hunting mode. Take the morning and mid-day hours to scout one last time. If you still haven’t found a buck to hunt then all you can do is hunt the food source that has the best buck sign and cover. You should still check cameras at other locations after dark in case a shooter shows up on one of them. *On the final evening if the toes are tingling and your mind is saying “I am crazy for sitting in this kind of weather” then it may be time to lower your expectations. Shooting a mature buck was the goal, but in my experience a doe’s back straps are far tastier than tag soup. Don’t be afraid to let the buck win the final battle of the year, we can’t win them all. That is what makes hunting so much fun. You are never guaranteed anything. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose in the game of hunting and there is no shame in that! So if you chose to shoot a doe or even a smaller buck then go for it! *On the other hand tag soup is just a saying so don’t be afraid to hold out until the final seconds of another late season tick away and draw a curtain on another year of whitetail hunting. This plan is all about using your time, what little you have left in the season, to focus on scouting and locating a specific deer to go after. Remember late season is all about the food, it can be cornfields, soybean fields, brassica food plots, or mast producing trees. Regardless your goal is to find food sources mature bucks are using. Then you need to find the buck you want to harvest. While this article was geared around the final five days of the season it can be put into action during any portion of the late season and you don’t have to hunt consecutive days for it to work. Lastly pay attention to the forecast. Certain meteorological events are known to get deer on their feet earlier in the day. Look for approaching cold fronts that produce falling temps, snow, and dropping barometric pressure. Deer will want to eat before or after the elements hit, so keep this in mind and make it part of your plan. Good luck!!!
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January 2018 Newsletter
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January 2018 Newsletter
I AM a huge proponent of tournament ice angling. Much like any other competitive sport, tournament ice anglers are constantly looking for an advantage over their competition. This relentless drive often leads to innovative new products, outside-thebox-patterns and torture-testing of longstanding equipment and patterns. Tournament ice angling is also one of the best ways to become a better ice angler. Learning to unlock a lake’s secrets in only a few days of pre-fishing will improve anyone’s ice angling success. Being able to share, or observe, tricks and tactics with other competitors will also broaden your ice fishing horizons. I think this exchange of information is one of my favorite parts of tournament ice angling. I get to interact with anglers from nearby regions such as The Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin and the Sandhill region of Nebraska and from further flung locations in New England, Michigan and Indiana. The really great part about being able to exchange information with and observe anglers from these other regions is that many have techniques, unique to their region, they use to catch fish through the ice. Being able to add bits and pieces of these other techniques have definitely allowed me to have a larger bag of tricks and employ tactics that may better fit any given situation in which I may find myself.
SIGHT FISHING
Many Iowans are familiar with the technique called sight fishing. This is largely in part because we have the privilege of having only one of three “blue water” lakes in the world right within our borders. Because they are fed by subterranean springs rather than surface runoff blue water lakes are known for their crystal clear waters…often referred to as “gin clear”. West Lake Okokboji in To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
Northwest Iowa, along with Lake Louise in Banff, Canada and Lake Geneva in Switzerland are the only three blue water lakes in the world, and it is on Okoboji’s gin clear waters that many Iowa ice anglers cut their sight fishing teeth. Sight fishing, as the name suggests, relies on sight to detect the bite. Basically, sight fishing involves looking straight down the hole while in a darkened fish house. This allows the angler to watch the entire presentation—jig, fish, bite
and hookset—much as if fishing in an aquarium. A few pieces of equipment essential to this technique are the darkened fish house because without a dark background, the show below the ice is almost impossible to see, and short ice fishing rods – typically around 12 to 14 inches. The short rods allow the angler to sit directly over the hole, and look down while jigging. Sight fishing is not without its challenges. Because of the ultra clear environment the fish live in, they are often highly educated about what they should and shouldn’t eat, so anything less than a perfect presentation will be refused. The angler must also be very careful not to alert the fish of their presence above. Bright colors, reflected light or sudden movements can all tip off a bluegill that has spent its life swimming in gin clear waters that a quick retreat is in order. While Iowa is known for having some of the best sight anglers in the sport, Michigan also sports enough sightfishable lakes to gain a reputation as a hot bed of sight fishing experts.
TIGHTLINING
This technique is reputed to have been born in Michigan and most of the best tightliners in the industry still hail from there. Tightlining involves watching the line just below where it enters the water for any type of irregular movement or slack being created in the line. Irregular movement typically indicates some type of an aggressive or downward bite, while slack indicates an “up” bite, which is TheIowaSportsman.com
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Different Strokes For All Folks typically a fish taking the bait and moving towards the angler rather than away. More often than not an up bite is a crappie. The most essential piece of equipment for the tightlining technique is a high visibility line. Hi-viz line is what makes it possible to monitor any changes in the first few inches of the line where it enters the water. Historically the line of choice has been gold Stren because that was really the only colored line available during the infancy of tightlining. The “Michigan Rig” is a very popular way among tightliners to setup their presentation. Many bass anglers might consider a Michigan Rig as a type of drop-shotting setup, and with good reason. The Michigan Rig consists of an ice jig tied to the end of the main line and a small fly tied to a tag of line a foot or 2 above the jig. The jig serves as an anchor for the presentation and creates the tautness in the line that enables bite detection by the angler above. The fly above creates a weightless presentation that panfish usually can’t resist. Any bites on the fly are immediately detected up above as well as any bites on the heavier jig below. Tightlining does take some practice, but it can be a deadly technique for bringing panfish topside, and it is truly an experience to watch a master tightliner in action!
LONG RODDING
Illinois and Indiana as well as parts of Wisconsin are fairly well known for their long rodding ice anglers. Long rodding, as the name suggests, uses a long fishing rod. Compared to an open water rod, these rods look to be about the same length, but compared to your typical 20” to 32” ice fishing rod, they are much longer. Long rods for ice fishing often have a line through the blank design and a simple spool with a handle to hold line. This “reel” is kept simple for a reason, when long rodding you never actually reel line in, or pay line out, for that matter; the reel is only a place to store line. Long rods also typically have a spring bobber at the end for bit detection. Long rodding is best suited to shallow water applications. The angler will pay out enough line to fish at the desired depth. They will then move from hole to hole, lowering the jig into the hole by lowering the rod. If the spring bobber indicates a bite, the long rodder raises the rod to set the hook and then lifts the rod to raise the fish from the hole and continues to raise the rod until the fish swings into their waiting hand. Long rodders often use barbless hooks so that unhooking the fish is one quick fluid motion. Once the 8
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fish is unhooked, they lower their arm to swing the jig back into the hole and try to entice another fish to bite. All of this takes place several feet from the hole. Obviously, long rodding is a quick way to fish lots of holes and cover lots of water because all of the reeling and un-reeling is eliminated, but that’s not even the true advantage of long rodding. The long rod enables you to fish shallow without being right on top of them. This means you aren’t casting any shadows or making any overhead noise that might scare fish off or dissuade them from biting.
PALM RODS
At the opposite end of the spectrum from long rods are palm rods. They come to us from our ice fishing brethren in Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavian countries and are specifically designed for the way they fish and the fish they pursue. The species that are used for tournament fishing in these countries are usually quite small by American standards, typically being the size of American bait fish, so they are not ideally suited to predator species such as pike or walleye. In skilled hands, however, decent sized pike and zander (walleye’s European cousins) are landed on a regular basis with palm rods by our overseas counterparts. Palm rods are typically fairly short glass or plastic rods mated to a small spool that fits in the palm of your hand. They almost always are tipped by a highly sensitive spring bobber. Where the palm rod really shines in North America is for highly negative or very lethargic fish. With a palm rod, an angler can superdownsize their presentation but still have ultimate control and sensitivity. Simply tracing small ovals in the air with the tip of the palm rod imparts the perfect slowly
undulating swimming motion to even the tiniest of jigs. Likewise, the ultrasensitive spring bobber at the end will indicate even the lightest of bites.
TRY THEM ALL!
As you can see, each of these techniques has their strengths and weaknesses. They also have situations that they are ideally suited for. During tournaments, we may often use variations of one technique or the other or even combine techniques; palm rods lend themselves very well to sight fishing for example. Having all of these techniques in your bag of tricks will make you a more wellrounded ice angler by giving you specific strategies to match any angling situation you may come across. Ice anglers are a creative lot, and tournament ice anglers are possibly even more so. Every tournament, I witness teams experimenting with new techniques for using underwater cameras, or introducing new technology like side-imaging. This type of innovation, whether it be with equipment or techniques is one of the reasons that I feel tournament fishing is a moving force behind the growth of the ice fishing industry. It’s also one of the main reasons I say that tournament angling is one of the best ways to become a better ice angler. Even if tournament angling isn’t your thing, you owe it to yourself to add some of these alternative techniques to your ice fishing bag-of-tricks. You don’t have to be from Iowa to be a good sight fisherman or from Michigan to be a good tightliner, but you can use the techniques that have come from these regions to improve your success on the ice! January 2018 Newsletter
WHEN I FIRST started ice fishing it was literally a foreign language to me. Moving to the mid-west and experiencing days of temperatures below zero was quite the eye-opener. Long before my first adventure out on the ice, I had visions of a guy wrapped up in a flannel shirt and coveralls, sitting on a bucket. Rod in hand and a thermos full of hot coffee, or at least it started off hot, sitting next to him. In my mind’s eye, I could see this poor sap out there all alone shivering as he hoped a fish would take his bait. Well…fortunately for me and you, that was far from reality. My second winter here in Iowa I was introduced to ice fishing, thankfully, and I found a way to get out of the house as well as finding a way to feed my fishing addiction. The challenge then was to learn what rod and reel combos to use as well as the type of line.
CHOOSING YOUR EQUIPMENT
Do a quick search for ice fishing rod and reel combos on Google and you’ll get about 800,000 results and that can overwhelm any angler, experienced or not. So let’s break this down and make it a tad easier. First close Google! While using modern technology to help in your search for the perfect match is a great idea maybe we can help simplify a bit. There are quite a few great rod and reel combinations offered by some of the major manufacturers that are a great place to start. My first combo was a medium light 24-inch rod and reel by Berkley. Other notable manufacturers that I would consider are Frabill, Clam, Eagle Claw, St. Croix and Shakespeare. All of these offer what I would call entry level combo’s; rod and reels that are paired together making the decision process easy. These all come in a variety of lengths and action. Choosing the right combo really is based on the species of fish you’re going to target. Most common lengths are 24-inch to 28-inch and start with ultra-light action to medium action. “It’s all about balance”, said Cold Water To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594
Guide Service owner and Ice Team Pro Rod Woten. “Pick a length that suits your style. Shorter if you fish inside a fish house or longer if you fish more outside.” Woten added that he likes to fish with the longest rod he can get away with. Many of these will come with line preloaded. My recommendation is to remove that line and load it up with new. Typically for panfish applications, you’re looking at 2 to 4-pound line. For bass or walleye, you can go to 6 and 8-pound lines. Though honestly, I don’t have a reel with anything more than 6-pound test and I’ve landed plenty of nice size bass and walleye. Obviously, there are going to be rod/ reel and line combinations you’ll use for some of the larger predator and toothy fish we chase after, match your rod length and action to the species you are targeting. Let’s talk about the line here for a minute, probably the most important factor when it comes to choosing the rod and reel combination you’re looking at. “Match the line to your jig”, advises Woten. “The line should be light enough that the jig pulls it taught, but not so heavy that you can’t feel
the lure bounce when jigged.” Matching your line to your jig and then rod to line will help in sorting out the right combo for your target species. “You’ll probably want slightly bigger and heavier jigs and spoons for bass and crappies than you would shallow bluegills,” continued Woten. “Walleyes will require something bigger and heavier yet. Matching the line to the bait and then the rod to the line ensures you have a correctly balanced setup for each of those situations....or any others.” Now that we’ve broken the ice on line selection, (pun intended) let’s get a little deeper into the types of lines that are out there and when and where you might want to use them. I’d say that most of you if not all are familiar with monofilament. It’s the line that we all started using long before specialty lines came on the market. Okay, well maybe not all of us but a lot of us. Fluorocarbon fishing lines were originally invented in Japan in the mid-1970’s, however, it wasn’t until the 1990’s when it was introduced as leader material for saltwater applications due to its invisible properties, strength and abrasion resistance. TheIowaSportsman.com
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Ice Fishing Gear - Getting Your Combo On Now fluorocarbon lines are common in both open and hardwater applications. “Each of these lines has their place”, noted Woten. “Use thin monofilament for shallow fish where line stretch during the hookset isn’t critical. Mono also has less memory than fluorocarbon which means less jig spin, which is important when fishing bluegills or shallow crappies.” Fluorocarbon line is good for line-shy fish or for slightly deeper applications due to its low visibility and lower stretch properties. It also sinks better than monofilament because it absorbs water but that also means that it can cause more issues with freezing. “Fluorocarbon is also good for larger fish due to its strength or for slowing the fall rate of a lure due to its tendency to float rather than sink,” he added. Don’t overlook co-polymer lines either. They are a great combination of all the best properties of monofilament and fluorocarbon. A recent trend in ice fishing and one that will improve your chances for shy fish is the use of level wind reels. Clam Outdoors improved on the level wind reel a bit with the Genz 200 Ice Spooler Reel. These are great reels, especially for sight fisherman. This reel was really designed with West Okoboji Lake’s finicky bluegills in mind. This reel has a longer reel foot allowing an angler to get a more efficient grip and detecting bites more effectively. When you’re sight fishing, a big West Okoboji gill will approach your bait, and as he does you’ll slow the jigging down and stop just before he takes it. As Woten noted, any spinning induced by line twist spells disaster for that type of fishing.
THE DONT’S
We’ve punched a hole in the whole ice rod, reel and line combination scenario and provided you with some great recommendations on what to look for when you purchase your combo’s. How about a few tips on using the right gear at the right time for the right application. Let’s be honest, if you’re like me you have at least two rods…okay maybe just a few more for your open water applications, same holds true for ice fishing. Well for starters and an easy one is using the wrong rod and reel for the type of fishing you’re getting ready to do. It goes without saying that if you’re chasing bluegill you don’t want to use a rod combo filled with a line that was designed for bass or walleye. Why? Your rod action will be too stiff to detect bites if you get any at all. Warry bluegill will see the line and the movement and reject any offering you may have. 12
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“One of the things I see anglers’ doing is fishing too deep”, said Clear Lake Bait & Tackle Inc. owner and Ice Team Pro Kevan Paul. “Crappie feed up and I see anglers fishing near the bottom or below the school of fish and they wonder why others are catching fish and they aren’t.” One thing that Paul recommends when fishing for crappie is to use a rod with a fast tip. You’ll want to see the up bite; in other words, you’ll see your jig load the line and tip of the rod as your jigging. If you see the rod tip go back to neutral versus a downward pull, then a fish has taken your bait and is rising with it. “Definitely a big issue is fishing with a rod that is too stiff where you can’t detect the bite”, adds Paul. “You may not even feel the strike if it’s a tough bite”. Pay attention! If you’re not looking at your line and rod tip you may miss bites that normally would go undetected. “I see it all the time where guys are out just shooting the breeze and jigging at the same time”, noted Paul. “They’re so focused on the conversation or what’s going on around them that they miss a bite or it goes undetected.” There are also some advances to monofilament line, one, in particular, that is being offered by Clam Pro Tackle is the new Frost Ice Monofilament Line (Metered), designed for ice anglers by Sun Line Co. This metered line has a section of high visibility orange followed by clear monofilament section. “It’s a great way to watch your line since you can clearly see the orange section of the line as your making your presentation. The clear section is obviously where you’d tie your jig, but it offers anglers another way of keeping an eye on the line as they jig”, stated Paul.
DON’T BE AFRAID
To ask questions…quite honestly this all but scratches the surface of possibilities when it comes to paring ice fishing rod combos. One of the great things about the sport that we all enjoy is that there are plenty of folks out there that are more than willing to share their knowledge, and in some cases whether you asked for it or not. Ice fishing is a great way to spend a day outdoors during the cold winter months. Remember that first and foremost be safe on the ice. Share the passion with a friend or family member. Remember to pay it forward to our youth…they are the future of our sport. For more information about Cold Water Guide Service and Clear Lake Bait & Tackle Inc., visit their Facebook pages and give them a shout. Expert advise you can count on. Tight lines all!
January 2018 Newsletter
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Want to share a photo of your recent harvest or catch? Submit your hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor photos to The Iowa Sportsman Trophy Room and you could be in an upcoming issue! To Submit: E-mail a high-resolution photo along with your name and where you are from to: patrick@twinriversmedia.com or directly mail them to: The Iowa Sportsman, Attn:Trophy Room, 1597 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.
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The Iowa Sportsman
January 2018 Newsletter
IOWA SPORTSMAN COOKBOOK
FAMOUS WW:II PHEASANT SANDWICHES SERVED TO WW:II SOLDIERS AS THEY TRAVELED THROUGH ABERDEEN, SD.. INGREDIENTS • 3 cups cooked pheasant, finely chopped • 2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped • 2 carrots, grated • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery • 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish • Salt and pepper • Mayonnaise or salad dressing
DIRECTIONS Mix all ingredients together. Add mayonnaise or dressing to make right consistency. Chill. Spread on sandwich bread and serve.
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The Iowa Sportsman
January 2018 Newsletter
GROUND VENISON BURRITO BOWL INGREDIENTS • 1 c. white rice • Kosher salt • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil • 1 lb. ground venison • 1 tbsp. chili seasoning • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
• 1/4 c. freshly chopped cilantro • 1 c. Pico de Gallo • 1 c. guacamole • 8 oz. shredded Cheddar • Tortilla chips, broken • 1 c. sour cream
DIRECTIONS • In a small pot, cook rice according to package instructions with 1/2 a teaspoon salt. Fluff with a fork and keep warm. • Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet, add oil and cook ground venison until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Remove excess oil with a spoon and discard. • Add chili seasoning, salt, pepper, and Mon-
terey Jack. Just before serving, fold cilantro into the rice. • Assemble, in a bowl, add a large spoonful of cilantro rice, cheesy venison, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheddar, and a handful of broken tortilla chips. • Top with sour cream and serve immediately.
PHEASANT JERKY INGREDIENTS • 1 pound pheasant breast • 2/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce • 2/3 cup Soy Sauce • 2 ounces Mesquite Liquid Smoke • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder • 1 teaspoon McCormick “Kickin Chicken” seasoning • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt • 2 teaspoons ground peppercorns
DIRECTIONS • Cut pheasant into thin slices. • Blend all ingredients into medium bowl. • Add pheasant pieces into bowl. • Put lid on bowl and set in refrigerator for 3-6 hours. • Turn dehydrator to 150F and let warm up. • Place pieces onto paper towel-covered tray to absorb excess marinade. • Place pheasant pieces onto trays, leaving room between pieces for air. • Place lid on dehydrator. • Let dehydrate for 5 or 6 hours, rotating trays from top-bottom every hour. • Bag it, mark it with date, and eat within 2 weeks.
WE WANT YOUR RECIPES!
We want to see what our readers are cooking up, more importantly we want to taste what you are cooking. Please send us some of your most tastiest wild game recipes and we will publish them in the Iowa Cookbook Section. You can send recipes to patrick@twinriversmedia.com or mail them to The Iowa Sportsman, 1517 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.
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