We used to hunt them with beagles. Best thing was after the hunt we would clean them and fry them up out in the field, along with a big pot of tomato gravy that one of the old guys would make in the cast iron pot that the rabbits were fried in. Good times
Wabbit Hunting is so much fun
- Thread starter Speckle55
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M1A1ABRAMS
Well-Known Member
Sounds yummy.
Feral cats will kill more rabbits then all the natural predators combined. Watched it happen time and time again. Too bad feral cat does not taste like cotton tail. As far as I'm concerned feral cats should have a federal bounty on them. Only domesticated animal owners seem to think is perfectly fine letting run at large.
Cats are also hard on game birds. Stray cats…..shoot 'em!
CAT.... the other white meat.
We have a few jacks on the Laramie ranch - but I don't bother them. They're just too much fun to watch - and they aren't really bothering anything. The Prairie Dogs and 13 stripes are another story. I pound them in Laramie and on our Cheyenne property. They definitely learn some manners that way. The whole town at our Cheyenne place is moving away from our side of the draw and closer to the neighbors that don't shoot them. Fascinating to watch it happen over 5 or 6 years of shooting.
cabelasken
Well-Known Member
About 50 years ago my buddy and I went quail hunting near Lake Isabella in calif. We only were able to bag 6 or 7 quail, but along the way we got 4 or 5 squirrels and 3 or 4 cottontails. I also had a couple of pheasants in the fridge from a prior hunt. After we cleaned and parted out our catch, I browned everything, made a roux and threw everything in a large stockpot for a few hours. For the last hour of cooking, carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery went in and for the last 1/2 hour dumpling were added. We invited 5 or 6 friends that had never eaten wild birds or small game and never told them the ingredients. At the end of the meal, all agreed that it was one of the best dishes they had ever tried. My favorites in the mix were the squirrels and cottontails - they were delicious
I like to age/rest squirrel and older cotton tail in the fridge for 2 days. Allows the meat to relax. Same as I do when we harvest meat chickens. Prevents it from being tough. Usually I will put the squirrel in some buttermilk and vacuum seal them. Then it's similar to your recipe. We tend to go more stew thick with small dumplings added or served over a biscuit. The younger more tender ones we tenderize and pan fry.
Still get a chuckle when we have city friends over and they think they are eating chicken strips until when their finished I tell them it wasThumper & Rocky they just ate.
Domestic rabbit is certainly good eats but it's not wild cottontail. I have tried feeding meat rabbits every combination, let run in open space, communal areas etc butchered at every age and still do not taste as good as cottontail.
We hardly eat store bought meat outside a few limit cuts for get together/parties (brisket, pork ribs)
One thing I have not had and really want to try is beaver. Had most other types of game and vermin over the years.
I've had beaver - like most things they taste like what they eat. It was a Juniper-heavy dark red meat. Not bad.
Of course as expected. Just have heard it's taste / texture is somewhat unique. I would think the northern locations would have the best faste from their diet. Here is VA the poou,action is not very dense and not so sure about their diet in terms of sap sugars.
Right - I was in Alberta on a Bear hunt. Beaver carcasses were the top bait of choice (as made by the bears). There was no shortage of beaver meat in camp!
Kill more coyotes ,skunks , racoons and such predators
Amen to that brother
You're correct
