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Venison Backstrap Jalapeño Poppers – Updated

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I like to chef with my venison but it wasn’t till I hunted whitetails in Texas before I tried bacon wrapped Jalapeno poppers. My taste buds went absolutely crazy, when I ate one fresh off the grill or out of the oven. You use 1/2 seeded jalapeno with cream cheese, add a thin slice of  marinated backstrap and wrap it in bacon and roast.  It is not uncommon to stuff your popper with a taste of meat, and tender strips of venison backstrap is perfect. Below, I cooked these with jalepeno peppers, and for my wife I cooked with green bell peppers (no heat). Honestly, the heat in the jalapeno’s with seed removed is very mild and blends well with the saltiness of the bacon, cheese and venison. My wife’s comments were; “I could have these for dinner, they are so good! 

I found this recipe below that ideally does justice to these poppers. I can taste them from here! If the jalapeno seeds are removed there is just a bit of heat but the crispy bacon, venison and  smooth melted cream cheese comes through but be careful as they are addicting as all-get-out!

https://thekatherinechronicles.com/venison-backstrap-jalapeno-poppers/ 

Key to the crispy bacon is to precook some that can still be wrapped around the poppers as the recipe suggests.

Of course you can add meat or not but it is the bacon, a bit of spice from the jalapeno and the melted creaminess of the cream cheese. I recently had some poppers with cream cheese and three cheese Mexican added to the cream cheese. It’s all good! I like a cold beer to chase it!

Bon Appétit my Hunting Friends

 

 

 

 

 

Rifle Comb Cheek Weld Remedy with 50mm Scopes

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Many of today’s hunting rifles have standard height combs on the rifle stock. So you want to buy a new scope for it with a large 50mm objective lens to get more light at dawn and dusk? That’s fine, however your all important cheek weld is now too low for optimum eye alignment. Some think that raising your head a bit is ok. Not True. What you have introduced, without a good cheek weld is a variable that can move your bullet impact depending on how your hold and or rest your rifle and how your eye aligns inconsistently with the crosshairs. What to do?

There are several options. Some folks tape foam onto the comb. For me it is an ugly option. I prefer a slip on like Beartooth comb raising kits or Hornady. Many kits include height adjuster foam and have zipper pockets and bullet loops too.

Beartooth Products StockGuard 2.0 Rifle Model Buttstock Cover Neoprene

Products like this are a great and inexpensive add-on. I like them a lot. If you aren’t getting one now, then put one under the Christmas tree!

Good Hunting!

 

All Weather Rifle Barrels and Dry Lubes Are Best

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During deer season here in New England the weather is ever changing, sunny in the morning and drizzling rain or snow in the afternoon. It is wise to choose a rifle that is somewhat impervious to moisture and that includes the barrel and things attached to it. My Ruger African .375 Ruger is blued but not highly weather/rust resistant by the factory so I use bowling lane wax everywhere on the wood and barrel before going afield. Let it dry and it has little odor.

I hear that a hunting guide in Alaska paints his barrels. It works but must be a bit ugly! Of course there is stainless steel but as a new rifle, manufacturers offer spray on rust resistant coatings such as Cerakote, https://www.cerakote.com/project-gallery?tab=color

Or for example my Weatherby Rifle barrel with Weathershield coating. This website, Haus of Arms has this video on the difference between stainless and weathershield on Thompson Center rifles. I Own two rifles with weathershield coatings. I love them both for weather resistance. Easy to care for and no rust.

Just remember that the intricate parts in your guns action are likely not coated so you must take care for these parts as well. I use a dry lube (not stinky) that has a solvent to get the oil where you need it and then coats to protect the surface.

I hear that Otis has a nice dry lube created for the military. Remington offers a dry lube too!  Check them out! I use the Remington Dry Lube with Teflon! Very cost effective!

On waxes there are car waxes that work to repel rust and moisture from wood and steel and my bowling ball wax as well as commercial gun waxes by Birchwood Casey.

Hope this helps!

Good Hunting!

 

New Hampshire – Hiking Mount Major with My Retriever Bella

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Yesterday was a slice of heaven up on Mount Major State Park near Alton Bay, New Hampshire. We hiked the main blue trail which is 1.5 miles to the summit at 1785 ft. Or 1100 feet high from the trail head.

Mount Major Hiking Trails

map image courtesy Gunstock Mountain Resort

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-hampshire/mt-major

My new Labrador puppy Bella is just about 4 months old and growing like a weed. Note for road trips in the car, be sure to carry some chew stuff as that  helped Bella pass the time. Stop for potty calls and carry bags for her waste.

She was leashed and my companion for the hike to the top of Mount Major and she handled it like a champ! I took a backpack with a first aid kit and lots of bottled water, enough for both of us. I am teaching her how to drink from a water bottle with a pop lid. She gets it! Glug glug! I purchased a harness for her so she did not have any neck strain.

What a great day! Calm wind, cool autumn air with oak, spruce scents filling the air along the trail. Acorns were falling as we hiked and could hear them patter to the ground around us. You just wanted to bottle the air to take home! Mount Major is perhaps one of the closest and unique trails to hike and can be climbed by most anyone, kids and seniors alike  with good footwear and those exercised.

 

View of Lake Winnipesaukee from top of Mount Major

 

Her blue harness took strain off her neck while on Mt Major trail

The harness was a terrific purchase and was aided by Petco folks to find one that fit her now, and added growth for her later. She loved the trip and hikers wanted to pet her (puppies do that) . Great socialization on the trail with other pets too. You need good footwear for the trail as there are loose rocks and granite as well as tree roots on the trail. We took our time and made the summit under 2 hours. It is very steep near the blue trail summit with exposed granite to walk up so be careful.

 

Love the kisses!

We stopped in Alton Bay at a Drive In style outdoor restaurant for lunch of fried Ipswich Clams and some dog biscuit and small vanilla ice cream for Bella.  She loved the Ice Cream! She slept all the way home an hour and a half drive. We stopped a Calef’s country store for their famous thick sliced Virginia ham for wife and dinner of ham and beans and lots of cold beer. Wow! Bella chowed down on her puppy food!

Happy Hiking!

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Muzzleloading Deer in New Hampshire is a Real Leg Up on Rifle Season

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I have always believed that if you hunt muzzleloader season in New Hampshire, then you have a leg up on the rifle season, and a best chance to get a shot at a big buck, or any deer for that  matter.

Deer that are shot at, don’t hang around, or at least in daylight hours.

That said; muzzleloading is your best chance at hunting game which has not been spooked. 

But there is more.

In Line Muzzleloading rifles are easy to purchase, very cost effective, and super accurate.

But don’t wait till the last minute to get your muzzleloader gear.

In the week prior to the season which begins in my Zone M  on October 31, everybody is out shopping and finding few bullets they liked, powder that was out of stock. And they are sometimes mad that there was none left! Who is to blame for that!

WORD TO THE WISE

Be  super ready now, shoot your muzzleloader and get all your gear now while it is in stock! 

Stay clean, scout ahead, keep your hunt clothes away from odors that cling, and watch that wind.

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity!

Good Hunting!