Fall is in the Air

 For many September marks the end of summer, kids go back to school and vacations come to an end and it is back to the daily grind of normal life for most people.  For me September marks the beginning of fall and my favorite part of the year.  As the air gets crisp and the leaves start to rustle a smile comes to my face and my year long wait is over.  The hunting season is back and from now until the end of December I will try to spend as much time as I can out in the woods, fields and swamps.  To me it is the most beautiful time of the year. 

In September I can get out into the field right away for the dove season and the early goose season, then in the middle of September the small game season opens up, as does the archery deer season.  Last year I really got into squirrel hunting and had a lot of fun hunting them and cooking them.  I also was able to get my first deer with a bow last year and all year long I have been preparing for this year.  I have been out scouting an area where I will be going squirrel hunting and my deer stand is already hung and the trail camera I have out there has been showing good deer activity in the area.  With any luck by the end of September I will have put a couple of deer in the freezer and had a couple of great meals of squirrel stew or fried squirrel and waffles with bourbon maple syrup. 

Once October gets here I will switch focus over to ducks and pheasants and will be making my way down to Wabasha, MN to hit up the swamps with one of my favorite hunting partners.  For me I could probably give up all other hunting but I don’t know if I could give up duck hunting.  There is just something very special about duck hunting.  My Grandfather, Vern Carlson started me out when I was 6 or 7 by taking me out in the swamps around Leech Lake and teaching me what he knew.  By the time I was 10 I was out with him shooting ducks with a single shot .410 and now that he is gone I still get to go out hunting with him every year because he left me his Beretta 12 gauge.  I haven’t had much success on pheasants lately because I don’t have a dog anymore but I do have a good buddy who has an energetic lab/wirehaired mix named Kona that is showing a lot of promise.  With some luck we might be smoking some pheasants before too long.

When November gets here I will take a break from the birds and go back to deer.  Every year I head up to Warren, MN to hunt deer with the Oberg’s.  They are old family friends and are always very welcoming and we always seem to have some success up there.  I will finish my hunting season with more archery hunting and small game hunting and hopefully by the end of the year I will have filled my freezer with enough wild game to get me through until the next hunting season.  Fall is always a busy time for me but I wouldn’t give it up for anything. 

Here is a recipe that makes me think of fall, it is a hearty wild boar and squash curry and will warm you up after a long day out in the field.

Wild Boar and Squash Curry

2 lbs wild boar cubed

2 tablespoons sesame oil

3 clove garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

salt

pepper

1 can coconut milk

3 talspoons red curry paste

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons palm sugar

1/4 cup major greys chutney

4 cups butternut squash cubed

heat oil and brown the meat,  salt and pepper to taste.  once the meat is browned add garlic and ginger.  cook for a few minutes then add coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, and palm sugar.  stir together and simmer for 30 minutes.  stir in the squash and chutney and simmer for 30 more minutes.  serve over rice