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Al Brown | Tracking the Seasons
A taste of hunting
The thermometer on our back porch read 4-degrees below zero last Saturday morning when my wife Anne answered the phone. I could tell by the way the conversation was headed the party on the other end didn't call to take me to breakfast or go ice fishing, so Anne passed me the phone.
"Hello Al!" the voice from the other end said, "This is Dan Busch calling. The sky is clear, there's no wind and with a fresh blanket of snow, I was wondering if I could come out and do a little squirrel hunting today."
"You're welcome to come out, but I haven't plowed the driveway yet," I told Dan, "so you'll have to park off to the side. We've got about four inches of new snow so it shouldn't be too bad walking except that it's 4-below zero right now."
"Don't worry, I'll dress for the occasion and won't be out more than a couple of hours. I'll stop at the house to show you what I got before I leave."
Besides teaching school and guiding musky anglers, Dan is a die-hard hunter of everything from deer to rabbits. With the squirrel season coming to a close Jan. 31, the pressure was on Dan to provide the main fixings of a "Squirrel Creole Bake" for a few friends.
The cold temperature and fresh snow kept the bushy tails holed-up all morning, but as the day warmed up the squirrels started to become active. With the daily bag limit at five and the Creole Bake recipe calling for four squirrels, Dan had his work cut out for him.
By the time he rang my doorbell, it was after 3 p.m. His 2-hour hunt lasted 6 hours. But thanks to his trusty scope mounted .22 cal. rifle he had his limit of five squirrels - one gray and four big fox squirrels. The only thing left after taking some pictures and cleaning the squirrels was for Dan to stop at a store to pick up the rest of the Creole Bake "fixins."
Dan said the recipe was provided courtesy of Squirrels Unlimited, of which he is a member. Here is the recipe:
Squirrel Creole Bake
Ingredients
4 squirrels cut into serving pieces
2 envelopes dry onion soup mix
2¼ cups boiling water
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 7-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1½ cups white rice, uncooked
1 green pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
In a baking dish place the squirrel pieces in a single layer. In a medium bowl blend the onion soup mix, water, tomatoes, corn, rice and chopped pepper. Pour over squirrel in baking dish and cover. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1½ to 2 hours or until tender.
Anyone interested in joining Squirrels Unlimited can go to www.squirrels unlimited.com or call (870) 367-2700.
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