Cold Turkey

Earlier this week I was sitting there watching as the snowflakes steadily fell. Then a tiny question question popped up in my head: "Could this be the year I hunt turkey's in SNOW?"

We have been stuck in a very cold rut for some time now - 2 months to be exact. The culprit is a persistent western ridge that has been surrounding the driest states with above normal temps all winter. This ridge teams up with an eastern trof of cold low pressure and a ginormous teeter-totter gets tipped -dumping cold air on Iowa!

It's certainly not impossible that we could see snow into mid April, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. The western ridge will be on the move, bringing warmer temps to the region this week. Once the ground thaws, our strong spring sunshine will make it harder to freeze over. We will also lose the snow pack which has been a white welcome mat for our cold surges of air. Snow free ground will temper winter's chill and we will be launched into spring.

It is truly amazing what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, soil temps were in the 50s and I was on the hunt for Morel mushrooms! Spring was in full bloom and by the time first season rolled around, the turkeys were most of the way through their breeding season. This year may be the complete opposite as soil temps are near freezing. Vegetation will likely be sparse and turkey hunting could be fantastic -especially on the days we get sunshine.

But we are still in an active weather pattern so sunshine may be hard to buy. The spring outlook even features a moderate risk of flooding in some parts of the state. I think it's likely that we could settle into a cool and wet early spring pattern in April and transition to a warm and wet spring pattern in May.

Hopefully that doesn't mean you'll be stuck in the cold showers hunting turkey this season, but if we do get slammed with cool April showers, I'll be in the neighbors field getting soaked right beside ya!

T - 19 days...

What to Do When Winter Wont Quit

Once again I find myself adrift like the river ice - in between ice fishing season and open water angling. This time of year I'm typically wondering what to do while I shoot turkeys and catch bass from the comfort of the couch. Thank you satellite TV!

To break the funk, Heather and I went to the Iowa Deer Classic and got fired up on some of the turkey hunting tips and tactics from Outdoors Dan. I also picked up a great turkey hunting DVD from Jen and Matt with TrailCam Trophies. It was great to catch up with old friends and sample all the jerky, sausage and hot sticks.

All that food in my belly got me thinking - why don't I process the rest of my venison to pass the time while the ice melts? I get so much satisfaction from bringing my own food to the table. It's a lot of work, but I feel a sense of gratification and accomplishment that makes every bite taste better. There's also an element of culinary creativity that I enjoy during the process.

This year I made a variety of venison products including my usual 80/20 ground deer and deer jerky.

New this year, I attempted summer sausage and hot stix. I ground 45 lbs of deer with 10 lbs of beef, 20 jalapenos, and 4 lbs of cheese and mixed it with a store bought sausage mix. If you're going to go, go all out right?

Well, the summer sausage turned out fantastically! I baked it in the oven until the internal temp was 165F and the garden grown jalapenos gave it a wonderfully smooth heat.

I gambled on the hot stix - and lost. I tried smoking them, but my smoker couldn't get above 150 (an unfortunate combo of impatient operator error and cold temps). I had to finish the batch off in the oven to get that 165F internal temp, and they dried out a bit. Between that and the "harsh" smoke that comes with a colder fire, they're edible but below average. I guess I'll choke 'em down, or just give them away ;-)

So if you're left wondering what to do when Winter just wont quit... relive the harvest! From shot to finish, processing your own food can bring even more satisfaction from the hunt.