By Mike Roche

This past weekend provided an opportunity to cook some wild game. For a number of years, my daughter Jen has organized what was at first called a “Second Thanksgiving.” She invites her friends to our house to enjoy a second Thanksgiving dinner with all the ‘fixins.’ My wife and I would host the event because we are fortunate to have a large socializing and cooking capacity at our home in Orange. A crowd of young adults and their kids attend, and it was a great gathering which featured roast turkey.

This year, for a number of reasons, the event was moved to the Saturday after Christmas and this writer decided to take advantage of a supply of game in the freezer and a creative cook who is a good friend of Jen’s. The inspiration came after it was obvious in conversations with Tiffany Gauvin that she was an adventurous cook. With woodcock, pheasant, sea duck and wild turkey in the freezer, we did a little thinking and decided that appetizers cooked in a deep fryer and wild turkey breasts cooked in the 18-quart electric cooker might add something different to the meal and introduce some people to wild game.

Since Tiff is recovering from some surgery the plan was for me to do the heavy lifting and thaw out and prepare the meat while she would put together batter and dipping sauce. Once the meat was thawed, it was time to prep it. I reached out to my friend Steve Hickoff, who has worked on a couple books on cooking wild game, including turkey and waterfowl, for some suggestions. A couple of marinades were settled upon, and the sea ducks were brined over a couple of days to draw them and tenderize the meat.

The pheasant and wild turkey were marinated in a concoction that was mostly cheap white wine with some added spices. When Saturday came, the wild turkey breasts were wrapped in bacon and roasted in one cooker while a second supermarket frozen turkey was done in a second cooker so attendees could do a comparison. During the social time before dinner, the woodcock, sea duck and pheasant which had been cut up into bite size were battered and put into the Presto GranPappy deep fryer, which has served me well over the years.

There was clearly some hesitancy at first among the attendees, but those familiar with game dived in and the results were outstanding! Woodcock is different but battered and dipped in Tiff’s creation, they were a hit. Sea ducks are a meat that not everyone enjoys but it was good and the pheasant was the best this hunter has ever tasted! The work paid off and then the wild turkey got great reviews as well. The obvious lack of venison reflects my lack of success this year chasing whitetails, but deer season was enjoyable, and time well-spent, particularly with the hunting group that is so enjoyable to spend time with, both in the woods and after the hunt. We managed to fill two doe permits, but on four other occasions, nice does were right in front of hunters who did not have antlerless permits. That’s how it goes sometimes and there should be plenty of deer next year to chase around.

Staying safe on the ice

This is the time of year when I talk about ice safety. The deep freeze we experienced a couple weeks ago formed some ice, but the warm spell took it away. Here is a short version of the guidelines: These are found on the MassWildlife site.

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The guidelines below are for clear, blue ice on lakes and ponds. White ice or snow ice is only about half as strong as new, clear ice and can be very treacherous. Use an ice chisel, auger, or cordless drill to make a hole in the ice and determine its thickness and condition. Bring a tape measure to check ice thickness at regular intervals.

Ice Thickness (inches)

Permissible Load (on new clear/blue ice on lakes or ponds)

2” or less

Stay off

4”

Ice fishing or other activities on foot

5”

Snowmobile or ATV

8“–12”

Car or small pickup truck

12“–15”

Medium truck

Falling through the ice

If you fall in:

Don’t panic: Call for help if there are people nearby.

Don’t remove winter clothing: Air trapped in your clothes can provide warmth and help you float.

Turn in the direction you came from: Ice you previously walked on should be the safest.

Place your hands and arms on an unbroken surface and kick your legs: If you have ice picks, use them to pull yourself up onto the ice while kicking.

Lie flat and roll away: Once your torso is on firm ice, roll toward thicker ice to distribute your weight.

Find shelter and get warm: Change out of wet clothing and find warm, dry coverings. If you are in a remote area, get to or start a campfire. Otherwise, get to a car or house. Seek medical advice from your physician or the emergency room.

If someone else falls in, remember the phrase “Preach-Reach-Throw-Go.”

Preach: Call 911 if you can. Shout to the victim to reassure them help is on the way.

Reach: If you can safely reach them from shore, extend an object like a rope, jumper cables, tree branch or ladder to them.

Throw: Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim.

Go: If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform a rescue, call 911 or go to find help. Untrained rescuers can become victims themselves.

If a pet falls in, do not attempt to rescue the pet – go find help. Well-meaning pet owners can easily become victims themselves when trying to assist their pets. Remember to always keep pets leashed while walking on or near ice.

My sister Pat Wolf in Kansas – AKA Tish – could use some prayers and kind thoughts as she begins recuperation from serious shoulder surgery. She fell and broke her arm above and below her artificial shoulder that was put in years ago as a result of another fall. Complications and a failure of the device resulted in a second surgery to replace the device this week. She loves her horses and riding and is determined to make it back in the saddle once again.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.