Hello Gang. I’ve been meaning to do more equipment reviews this summer but life got in the way and I forgot to document much of the use my gear. I promise to do better- but in the mean time here is a small sample of what I did this weekend. Homemade game bag. Used an old military surplus duffle bag and some new nylon webbing to make a small carry bag. Holds 3 pheasants or 3 jackrabbits. Nothing huge, wish it was a little bigger as 3 pheasants pushes the limit… Has a pocket on the back of the bag to hold bottled water and granola bars if needed. From that same duffle bag, I also made a shotgun buttstock pouch… or whatever you would call it. This came in handy when you needed an extra hand while putting birds in the bag and had nowhere to put the shotgun. It didn’t replace carrying the shotgun while hiking around but when you are standing still for long periods it takes the weight off your arms.. For this hunt I used my CZ Redhead Premier Target O/U 12 ga. I have been verry impressed with this shotgun. I have had it about 3 years and shot many clays and birds with it. never failed once. The fit to me personally is perfect. I always wanted an adjustable stock on a nice shotgun but this thing feels purpose built for me. The way this thing swings… pure beauty! Came with 5 chokes and a nice hard case and sleeves, but honestly who doesn’t use a better hard side and 1 piece sock… the fit and finish on this gun was well worth the money. I also had a chance to try a new knife I got this year. It was a little overkill for the task but I hadn’t had a chance to get out and use it yet. The Nedfoss survival knife with fire starter from Amazon. To be honest I had not heard of these guys before but for $36.99 I thought I would give it a try. I ended up getting another one in Orange shortly after receiving the first one. I was surprised at the quality, or perceived quality as I haven’t had the chance to bang on it with a rock yet, haha.. Ill try and get some bush crafting reviews with it shortly… The boot I wore during the hunt were the Danner Mountain 600 4.5” hiker. I had only worn these for a few days at work around the office and doing some yard work. Turns out that’s all the break-in they needed, if they needed any at all. these held up fabulously as I hiked through some pretty rugged terrain and kept me warm and dry during the fall rain storms and cold winds. I know this is a rushed review that isn’t verry specific but it has been a while since posting and I have really wanted to get some gear reviews going and just haven’t had the time to really focus on the gear with a review mindset. You may see more in depth reviews on these items as time goes on and I get a chance to use the items and really test them out.
Looking at those ring necks, I saw feathers ideal for tying streamers for Winter Steelhead.... Very nice array of gear and great photos..
A vehicle to run them over with. I never used high brass shells on them either no thrills 1-1/8 ounce usually number 6 shot, very high subsonic or sone sort of vehicle.
yeah I stopped hunting waterfoul a few years back and i have a lot of high brass steel shot that I'm rotating out of my stores.
Very beautiful birds, I guess you will follow up with cooking? Glad Dick Chaney wasn't along for the trip
Yes I sure do! somewhere... I'll have to consult with my book shelf. those were last years and I'm wating for this thanksgiving to make more. Of course I always wing it and add more stuff to taste (usually just more seasoning). I'll see if I can find them tonight when I'm home from work and post them. the crust is what I use for all my meat pies, basic hot water crust... but I should have a recipe for that as well.
Thanks. Always looking for a good homemade meat pie recipe as an alternative to buying Marie Callendars.
okay so I use a combo of a creamy classic pot pie filling and the hot water crust from a game meat pie... the two recipes I use are below. I bake all at once with the hot water crust rather than pre baking a pie crust, but I think you get the point... I got a good digital food scale as the measurments in grams was better than cups when it came to the crust... I also dont make the little extra decorations with the remaining crust but one day when Im better at it I may... as with any recipe I would suggest you make your own changes to taste and preference regaurding ingrediants but this is just a base line to get started (I tend to use more seasoning)... the filling will be pretty much cooked so your baking to cook the crust for the most part. I also use heavy cream instead of milk when I want real creamy thick pie... For the hot water crust pastry: 450g plain flour 100g strong white bread flour 75g chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes 200ml water ½ tsp salt 100g lard To glaze: 1 egg yolk, beaten For Filling Ingredient Checklist 2 cups chicken broth 1 pound pheasant, cut into bite-size pieces 1 cup chopped carrots ½ cup chopped celery 1 (15 ounce) can peas, drained ⅓ cup salted butter ½ yellow onion, chopped ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ⅔ cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried rosemary ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon dried sage ½ teaspoon ground celery seed 2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts 1 egg white, beaten Step 1 Start by making the filling so the flavors have time to develop. cooked through, then taste and add more seasoning to the filling mixture, if necessary. Cover and set aside while you make the pastry. Bring broth to a boil in a pot; add pheasant, carrots, and celery and boil until pheasant is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add peas to broth and boil for 1 minute. Drain and reserve broth from pot. Melt butter in a separate pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir flour into butter until smooth. Pour reserved broth and milk into flour mixture, stirring constantly. Add salt, rosemary, pepper, sage, and celery seed to broth mixture and simmer over medium-low heat until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Step 2 Crust Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Combine both flours and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in lightly using your fingertips. Pour the water into a small pan and add the salt and lard. Heat gently until the lard has melted, then bring to the boil. Pour the hot mixture onto the flour and quickly mix everything together with a wooden spoon to make a dough. As soon as the dough is cool enough to handle, tip it out onto a floured worktop and knead it just until smooth and even. Step 3 This pastry becomes crumbly as it cools, so you need to work quickly now. Cut off a third of the pastry and wrap it tightly in clingfilm. Roll out the remaining pastry to an oval or disc large enough to line your tin. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and press it onto the base and side, smoothing out any wrinkles. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the rim. Check there are no cracks or holes in the pastry case – if there are, press the pastry together or patch with small scraps of pastry. Step 4 Roll out the remaining pastry to an oval or disc, slightly larger than the top of your tin, to form the lid. Cover with clingfilm and leave on the worktop for now. Step 5 Spoon about 1/4 of the pheasant-vegetable mixture into the pie crust. Mix remaining pheasant-vegetable mixture into the sauce; pour into crust. making sure the surface is level. Brush the edge of the pastry case with beaten egg yolk, then lay the pastry lid on top. Press the edges of the case and lid together firmly to seal. Trim off the excess pastry and crimp or flute the edge neatly. Make a hole in the center of the lid to allow steam to escape during baking. Step 6 Gather up the pastry trimmings and roll them out again. Stamp out 20 leaves with the shaped cutter. Attach these to the pastry lid, using a dab of beaten egg yolk as the 'glue'. Brush the lid all over with beaten egg yolk to glaze. Step 7 Set the tin on the baking sheet and bake until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Step 8 Leave the pie in its tin until completely cold before unmolding. Serve at room temperature, on a rimmed plate to catch any juices. Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped, in the fridge.
