My Year Afield

Mike Dwyer

Mike Dwyer is a former writer and contributor at Ordinary Times.

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4 Responses

  1. North says:

    I’ve always wanted to try wild turkey. I presume it’s tougher, leaner but much more flavorful than artificial birds?

    I haven’t had ducks since I was a kid. My Grandfather’s generation on the island had a “Tub” they used to hunt sea ducks. The boat floated pretty much flush to the water, like a hole in the sea. The water had to be very calm to use it or it’d be liable to sink but my Father told me it was the perfect hunting blind. My Grandmother could make duck gravy that would make Tories and Liberals sit down at her table in perfect comity (no small feat).

    The island is also infested with pheasants but I suppose I shouldn’t begrudge the imbecilic birds the potatoes they steal since I’m told they were introduced to the island for political reasons. The islanders of my Grandfathers generation populated the pheasants and then brought politicians from the Nova Scotia legislature out on hunting trips. As a result East Ironbound Island got an electrical cable laid to bring power to the island long before many other islands in St. Margaret’s Bay did. Filthy graft I suppose but it somehow seems charming when country folks do it in the distant past and when politicians could be bought so cheaply.Report

    • Glyph in reply to North says:

      I’ve always wanted to try wild turkey. I presume it’s tougher, leaner but much more flavorful than artificial birds?

      One thing’s for sure, it gives you a bigger headache the next day.Report

    • Mike Dwyer in reply to North says:

      North,

      Wild turkey is very similar to domestic turkey in flavor. It is definitely a bit leaner and cooking times have to be adjusted accordingly. The turkeys I hunt are usually eating clover in the spring so the flavor is a bit stronger. In the fall they find plenty of corn in silage fields and supplement with acorns so the meat is more mild. I have some interesting plans for the legs from my fall bird, probably making my first attempt at confit.Report