Hunting

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, August 2016; written by Lisa Pearson.

The hunting and fishing seasons are in full swing now, and Alaskans are busy filling up their freezers and stocking up on fish and venison for the rest of the year. As always, the public library has a large selection of books, videos and magazines with lots of helpful information about fishing and hunting. We have also added some new books to the collection specifically for preserving your kill.

“The ultimate guide to home butchering: how to prepare any animal or bird for the table or freezer” is by well-known outdoorsman and author Monte Burch. He starts off with an overview of necessary tools and food safety guidelines for processing meat and poultry before he delves into individual types of animals. For those of you raising chickens - a popular activity in Ketchikan - the chapter on poultry includes valuable information about plucking and eviscerating. A full third of the book is dedicated to field dressing wild game, including deer and bear, as well as grouse and fish. If you are a visual learner, we also have videos about field dressing and deboning deer and big game.

Once you have the meat butchered, then you’re faced with the question of how best to preserve it. “The joy of smoking and salt curing: the complete guide to smoking and curing meat, fish, game and more” will help you decide the best – and safest – way to preserve your harvest. This is another book by Monte Burch, and it comes with lots of great photographs and helpful information about tools, equipment and technique to get you started. He has a nice chapter at the beginning where he compares different types of smokers available on the market and their handy features, as well as his experiences with homemade smokers. Burch includes quite a few recipes for rubs, sauces, and marinades, as well as an interesting overview of the various types of fuels that can be used for hot smoking. “Wisdom for home preservers” by Robin Ripley is another good guide for home smokers.

If you are looking to try something a little different with your venison besides smoking it, or if a really nice neighbor gave you a portion from their last hunt, then maybe you would like to try making jerky. Kate Fiduccia presents a comprehensive collection of recipes, marinades, and techniques for making killer jerky in “The jerky bible: how to dry, cure, and preserve beef, venison, fish and fowl”. Venison, moose and pheasant are all included in this book, as well as some unique recipes for fish jerky. The chipotle-lime flounder jerky could easily be made with halibut, and if you are a vegetarian (and have stuck with me so far), she even includes a couple of recipes for tofu jerky. This is a good complement to our other books on dehydrating, including “Dehydrating at home”, by Michelle Keogh.

Sausage is another great way to process and preserve deer, elk, and moose. We have some well-rounded cookbooks on making sausage, including “The venison sausage cookbook: a complete guide from field to table” by Harold Webster. For a more gourmet touch, check out “Sausage making: the definitive guide with recipes”, by Ryan Farr. His flavor combinations include a smoked trout and pork (smoked salmon would be a nice Alaskan substitute), guinea hen and kimchee, and venison with juniper. These would be wonderful gifts for friends and family.

Whether you’re preparing for the hunt, dressing the kill, or preserving the game, be sure to stop by the library to see what helpful resources we have to offer. And don’t forget to pick up a KVRS SPOT locator beacon from the library before you head out into the woods.