Wild Game???

Updated on January 27, 2007
D.M. asks from Phoenix, AZ
10 answers

Hi!

My husband has recently taken up hunting. I don't like the idea of it, but I think it's good for him. He has a career that has a lot of down time in the winter so this get's him out of the house (he hasnt shot anything yet) He cant deal with our three kids 24/7 like I do. He is helping me out more than ever and plays with the kids a lot but he needs to have a break doing something manly I guess. He has a lot of friends that hunt and one of my best friends husband and father hunt and prepate Quail all the time. They are going to show my husband how to prepare it to be cooked. This grosses me out. I don't want to see something he killed, but he wants to serve it to his family. I don't like the idea of him killing anything but it's life. I am a meat eater, the meat all comes from somewhere. My friends that have eaten it said that it's good and it won't bother me after a while. He wants me to cook a quail!?! Does anyone out there know how to cook a quail? I mean is it safe to eat wild game? Is there something special your supposed to do to it? Now, he is talking about rabbits and elk and deer... I don't want to eat a rabbit...And I don't want to see and touch bloody meat that was alive just hours ago. I don't want a deer head in the garage (thats the only place it would be...the garage!!) Anyone out there have a hunter for a husband??? Let me know what you think?

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much for all the responses. I love to hear the different insight. I believe this a really good sport my husband has taken up. Like one woman said he comes home really happy! Being out in nature all day is good for him. It has really helped to hear other peoples experiences! I am still a little grossed out (the rancher lady didnt have to be so harsh, thats what she's used to, not me!!) but I will taste anything once, so I am going to give it all a try and my husband said he will bring it home ready to cook....so we'll see. Thank you all again it has been very helpful and keep them coming if there are more hunting wifes out there with some insight!! :)

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N.C.

answers from Phoenix on

You mean he couldn't pick up golf as a hobby? LOL. Easy solution: The rule is if he hunts (and actually gets something) he cooks it. Make this rule from the get-go and do not give in even once or he'll expect you to cook all the time (experience talking here). I'd rather buy chicken at the supermarket already cut up than pretend to be a pioneer out in the Wild West. Good luck!

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J.R.

answers from Las Cruces on

My husband and I are on opisit ends of the universe I don't eat it unless I bought it he loves to fish and hunt. I simply let him know I have nothing against hunting if he enjoys it but respect my request not to make me deal with it. Have fun eat it with your buddies but not in my kitchen. As far as the head goes give him his space he is proud let him be proud the Garage a Den office or computer room is a great place for him to be him just ask that he keep it out of family space because you are proud that he did well but you are uncomfortable having it stare at you. lol

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B.

answers from Phoenix on

I am a big fan of allrecipes.com. Maybe you can find a recipe there. Otherwise, just get on your search engine of choice and do a quick search. A friend of mine once bought me a live crab when I invited her over for dinner and I had no idea what to do with it. So, I just looked it up on the internet and found a description of how to cook it (you have to cook it live and believe me it took a long time for me to work up the nerve to get it in the pot!)

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K.C.

answers from Phoenix on

HI my husband went hunting a few times durring quail season and he brought it home in our cooler, it grossed me out so bad! I said I am not touching that and he did it all, he plucked the feathers and then cut out the meat and cooked it on the stove. I tried some and it was the grossest meat I had ever tasted! My opinion.

Good Luck!

K.

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E.A.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hello!

I think it's wonderful that your husband has taken up such a great activity that makes him happy. As far as cooking the meat, well I can sympathize with you a bit. My husband went hunting just last week and got a deer. We skinned it, and cut up the meat ourselves....in the garage! I'm not real excited about cooking it because it doesn't have the taste I'm used to but think of is this way..the meat is VERY HEALTHY because it is very lean. The animals you catch should be healthy if you are going to eat them. So, it might benefit you to see them before you eat them....you know what I mean. There are also ways to prepare the meat to make it taste very good. I have found several sights online with recipes for preparing wild game and there are also reviews by other people who have tried it. One website I really liked was www.allrecipes.com.

It is difficult I guess if you have a weak stomach. I would love to help you in this area but my husband giggled at me because most women would not help skin and cut up a deer. I guess I just look at it like...this is really interesting and educational. It's also time I can spend with my husband supporting him in an activity he enjoys. I mean it sure beats him going to the bar and getting drunk with the guys. I'd rather him do this! Good luck! I hope preparing this stuff will be fun for you!

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T.A.

answers from Phoenix on

D.,

I am from Texas and we eat wild game all the time.( used to back home anyway) The best thing to do is soak the meat in coke a cola or milk before cooking and this will get rid of the wild game taste. With quail you can cook this almost anyway ( just like chicken) Grilling is great take the breast and roll a hot pepper (cleaned out) inside and grill on a skewer. Go to cooks.com and you should be able to get more recipes. Or I can look some up in my grandmothers books if you'd like. Hope this helps. T.

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L.H.

answers from Phoenix on

there isn't anything wrong with eating wild game!!!! It is natural food...Just imagine if you lived 100 years ago, you wouldn't do to well...haha...I grew up in the back woods of Maine. My father raised me on all wild game because that is all there was to eat. We were not rich so living off the land was basically what we did. It is really funny you mentioned that he wants to serve quail or what we call "partridge." I happened to move to the big city of Phoenix all by myself when I became of age to attend college out here. I need to get out of hickville. Anyway, I met a geeky computer nerd/city boy whom I fell in love with and he married me and kept me in the city. Partridge is my favorite meat and I have not had any in so long. You will love the taste of this bird. It has so much more flavor than chicken. It is so delicate and beautiful; I swear you will not get grossed out cooking this if you are used to preparing chicken. My mum used to make it is this way: Make an egg bath with some milk in a bowl. Then take another bowl and fill it with 1/4 cup flour and a cup of finely crushed up cornflakes or you can use shake n bake instead...Then spice the flour and corn flake mixture up with whatever spices your family enjoys. Dunk the pieces of bird in the bath and then transfer to the flour mixture and coat very well. Fry it in a hot pan with a little oil of your choice. It is absolutely delicious! I really hope you will continue to have your husband bring you home wild game, it is such a great thing for a man to be able to do. My husband had never done anything like hunting and he had a blast with my father. I will tell you as well that my family raised rabbits when I was young and they are also soooo yummy...A lot of people don't like cooking them though cause it grosses them out; if you can get over that you would be rewarded with a very sweet delicate meat as well.

I hope you enjoy your first wild game experience, I envy you for being able to have partridge for dinner!!! What is really funny is that quail is a huge delicacy for upscale dining.

Enjoy!

Regards, L. H.

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J.L.

answers from Flagstaff on

It is up to you. I grew up on wild game and I am very healthy. As a child I was able to learn about the cycle of life what guns can really do. After seeing what they really did lets just say I had by far more respect for them and the power they had. Yes deer and elk have a different taste if they prepared right one really can not tell the diffence. Plus most people that cut up game meat hang it for a period of time meaning you will not be eating something that he just shot. I have several recipes if you would like to try some.

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B.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I don't have a hunter for a husband, but I grew up in a hunting family.

I have never tried it, but I do have a book ("On Cooking" by Labensky and Hause - a textbook for the Culinary Institute of America) with a little bit of information about quail:

The quail (Fr. caille) is a migratory game bird related to the pheasant. The more popular European and Californian species are farm-raised and available all year. Quail are rather small, with only 1-2 ounces (30-60 grams) of breast meat each. Quail may be grilled (especially on skewers), roasted, broiled or sauteed and are often boned and served whole with a stuffing of forcemeat or rice. Because they are so lean, roasted quail benefit from barding.

The same book has a recipe for Grilled Quail with Potato Galette, Artichoke Wedges and Balsamic Raspberries served at the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco, CA. It is a rather long recipe in its entirety, but I would be glad to scan the pages and e-mail it to you if you send me your address. The picture looks absolutely scrumptious.

Wild game like elk and deer is much leaner than the meats at the grocery store and whether or not it tastes "gamey" depends on how quickly the animal dies after it is shot, which depends a lot on the accuracy of the shooter. If the animal runs after it is shot, there will be a buiildup of lactic acid in the muscles and that will affect the flavor. Most likely, you won't be eating any of it within hours because the meat needs to age. This is done by hanging it up in a cool place for a couple of days. You can take it to a game processing shop for this step and the actua butchering, but in my family, we usually got some other hunting friends to come over and help us do it ourselves - but then again, I grew up in Alaska and it was a lot colder in our garage during hunting season than it is here.

The pastor of the church I grew up in in Alaska teaches hunters safety/education classes and, besides hunting there, he also hunts Javalina in Arizona. His wife is a vegetarian, but supports him in his hunting.

The best ribs I ever ate were off of a moose.

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C.G.

answers from Flagstaff on

My husband (along with our two teenage sons) love to hunt. My deal is: they shoot it, they clean it, they cook it, they eat it. Works for me. (=

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