Six Uniquely Texas Big Adventures & Wild Recipes
Compiled by CHESTER MOORE AND TF&G STAFF
LISTEN: (5 min, 36 sec)
THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS offers some truly unique outdoors experiences during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
Here are six easily accessible (for the most part) opportunities awaiting you and also some great wild game recipes that can bring joy to the table this holiday season.
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RIDICULOUSLY LARGE REDFISH: The comeback of the redfish has been truly tremendous. Catching breeding-sized bull reds used to be a rarity but now it is commonplace, and the giant fish can be caught in the surf and around our jetty systems year-round. Lower a live croaker or cut mullet around a deep jetty hole or chunk it out past the second sandbar in the surf and be prepared to do battle with brutes.
CALLING BOBCATS: I love wildlife photography and while predator hunting can be fun, I prefer hunting them with a camera as it is incredibly challenging to get them into photo range. Bobcats can be called into within a few feet, but it requires patience. Get you a solid electronic game calling unit, set up a ground blind on your deer lease or wood lot near your home and start calling. Bird calls and dying rabbits tend to work the best. Cats come in slow but will come in closer than you might like. And if you’re on a lease that needs to trim the bobcat population this is a great way to contribute to their management plan.
Capturing a bobcat photo is both challenging and rewarding.
(Photo: Adobe)
LUNKER HUNT: Throwing big jigs and swimbaits around deep cover and structure can yield monster bass on virtually any lake in the state in the fall.
Texas has so many great lakes to choose from that it’s almost mind-boggling and in recent years most have churned up beastly bass. You can’t go wrong with Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, Lake Fork, Texoma, Alan Henry, Fayette County and Lake Austin to name a few.
WOODIES: If you can find something more fun than shooting at wood ducks piling into a hole in the timber let me know. I want to experience it. Texas wood duck numbers are larger and now with three in the bag limit we have an extra incentive to hunt the nation’s most beautiful fowl.
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HELI-HOGS: This is not for everyone because the price is high but if you have the means treat yourself to an incredible hunting experience. The ride in the helicopter alone is worth it.
Fish & Game Firearms Editor Dustin Ellermann takes aim on a chopper hog hunt in Matagorda County.
(Photo: Chester Moore)
And at Texas Fish & Game we get lots of questions about it from out of state hunters who tend to think we all have our private helicopter to take us hog hunting daily. It’s one of those things you just can’t do in every state.
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GEESE FOR DINNER: Want a great Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Then head out to the coastal prairie and take you a couple of specklebellies. These dark geese are delicious and super fun to hunt. We rarely eat goose for the holidays in Texas, but new traditions can be made.
Speaking of dinner, here are a couple of our favorite wild game recipes for the two best-tasting critters you will find in Texas—nilgai and axis deer.
Axis Deer
With its high protein content and essential nutrients, Axis venison is a superb choice for health-conscious individuals. Its delicate, slightly sweet flavor lends itself to a variety of culinary creations. Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional value of axis venison per 3-ounce cooked serving:
Calories: 120
Protein: 26 grams
Fat: 1.9 grams
Cholesterol: 71 mg
This simple yet delicious Axis deer recipe comes from the Department of Natural Resources in Ohio. The recipe was originally for whitetail but tastes far better with axis:
Axis Deer Roast
• 2½-3 pound venison roast
• Creole butter marinade, injected
• Seasoning salt
• Pepper
• Potatoes
• Onion
Instructions: Inject creole butter marinade into the roast. Add the seasoning salt and pepper and place the roast into a medium sized cooking bag with potatoes. Cook the roast for 1½ hours. Remove the roast from the bag, cut and serve.
Nilgai Antelope
Nilgai are arguably the finest tasting animal of all wild game.
(Photo: Chester Moore)
Another exotic alternative for the table is nilgai, with nutritional values similar to those of axis:
Calories: 121
Protein: 25 grams
Fat: 2.1 grams
Cholesterol: 58 mg
Here’s a great nilgai recipe, courtesy of Texas Agrilife:
Vegetable Stuffed Nilgai
• 3 lbs. nilgai ham or loin
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1 cup fresh herbs
• 1 Tbsp. cooking oil (coconut, vegetable, or olive)
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 3 cups red onion diced
• 1 pint button mushrooms sliced
• 6 garlic gloves minced or pressed
• 20 oz. fresh spinach
• 3 sliced sprouted- grain bread chopped into crumbs
Servings: 12
Instructions: Wash your hands and clean your cooking area. Clean nilgai ham or loin of any connective tissue and butterfly meat. Season meat with black pepper and fresh herbs; set aside.
In a medium pan, quickly warm the oil on high heat. Add red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and spinach to the pan and sauté until the vegetables are cooked and soft. Place in a strainer to drain excess liquid. Spread bread crumbs and cooked, drained vegetables on top of the butterflied meat. Roll loin with mixture inside and tie with butcher twine.
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Sear rolled meat on all sides in a pan over medium-heat. Remove stuffed meat from pan and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
—story by CHESTER MOORE and TF&G STAFF
