BilletHead

My thoughts for what it's worth to you experts is, The only thing other than thinking they are going got to spawn you should rely on is food they like mainly shad and I repeat again SHAD. Of you go and food is not there it will be tough to the point you may not catch at all. Follow the shad and your chances and success rate will increase. I go and go early ask @grizwilson and @curtisce. If you don't see shad being blown up some you fish for a spell or go home or even go catch some crappie. This is in shallow skinny water which I prefer and with the fly rod. Same thing on the lake going deep for them use your electronics and find them but when you do there will be food involved. They will be shallow at times there also but so will the food source.

Friends as neighbors is a good thing, So our friends and neighbors South of us have a nice farm. Same place I shared the young lady with her youth deer a week or so ago. They have a "deer camp" no camping but a daily deal with food a campfire and chairs. Good folks. We have for years had the invite to come down and partake with the family gathering. We do stop by for a visit midday and hear hunting stories and solve world problems. On our visit yesterday talk came to eating deer and we were asked by one of the forth generations about if we had eaten deer heart. Oh boy food talk and we got to share what we know and still learning. I think we may of helped spark some interest . So last evening as I was in the field I did hear some shots from down there and wondered what success they had. After dark driveway alarm went off. Garrett met me at the door and handed me a sack. Here we got two this evening and this one is yours and we are trying the other. I looked in and there it was a nice clean deer heart! SCORE!. Thanked him and his bride who had taken one of the deer. Gifted them right back some honey from our first harvest from our bees. This was not a barter but an unconditional sharing deal one of which we all need to do more of as good stewards of the land. So Pat and I made a plan for breakfast as I again went to the field. Deer were seen but nothing close or anything I was ready to pull the trigger on. Actually don't care to shoot one this season too bad. Have a half of beef in a pasture getting fat for us. About 9ish I sent a text and asked if she was ready for breakfast. Anytime so I headed for the house. We tagged team the event and had a great meal. Pictures tell the tale, Deer heart rocks!

You know we like pictures and @ness requires some sort of process or recipe. I like that too

Yesterday, Pretty darned cool and windy with a bite in the air. After a morning in the field I was chilled deep. Coming in I suggested soup. Well Pat said that sounded good and we agreed on pasta fagioli and breadsticks. had one recipe on file we had before but this time googled up another to try. Some of the prep, And finished pot full. Mighty fine and warmed me back up quickly. Used orzo for the pasta ingredient,

Sounds good Randy! You will never know who will show up for that meal. Remember we know have your address . We really do not know yet what we will be having. Our son and his family think are on a busy Schedule. So Thanksgiving day is out. Will figure out what day and then Plan. In the mean time weather permitting Pat and I will do the duck opener in our zone and have a mini thanksgiving of fresh duck and trimmings.

Good pictures Bret, Jeff Quillback looks like a teenager there

Great job DJ proud of ya.

Please don't forget to stir the corn!

Pan seared widgeon, Ok this is from marsh to TV tray . This is for all but especially @ness because he misses the complete process of creating the dish! So I also included the whole deal here. So @curtisce gives me a call and wants to know If I would like to go this Friday (today) on a hunt. Sure if I can get some sucker to take me go with I will. Launch time 4:30 AM. So everything I needed was loaded yesterday afternoon. Forecast was windy and cool. 42 with gusts up to 31 MPH. They did not lie. So Curt had a hopefully secret spot. Boat loaded to the brim with stuff we boated in the dark to said spot and sat up. We seen some birds but not much working. Made two more changes to decoy spread and got some to commit. I shot three and Curt four. If you were not protected by the lay out blinds the wind would knife you. five mallards a gadwall and a widgeon. I got the widgeon and it had been along time ago. Long enough ago it was before I learned how to prepare duck. When I retrieved it I noticed it wasn't shot up. Broken wing and one to the head. So I decided I would cook it for a late lunch. Cleaned it and as I hoped it had a thick fat skin, Bonus! Plucked the breast and took the propane torch and singed off the pin feathers and the down I could not rub off. Carefully fillet off the breast halves keeping all the skin I could on each end. Grabbed a 6 Wagner skillet and put in a teaspoon of goose fat. Really didn't need it as when the searing was over I had rendered more fat off the skin. As the skillet heated I started to prepare a side. Pay attention here @ness. I was out of peas so grabbed a can of corn. Opened it up and dumped it into a small pan. I did not add any salt or butter but did add a good amount of black pepper. Put it on a burner to heat up as I placed the lightly salted widgeon in the hot skillet, Seared skin side down it began to sizzle nicely I let it do just that and stirred the corn. After some guess work from experience I turned them over and did the same to the backside, stirred the corn again . So on the edges of each breast as you can see there is a fat edge and a thin edge. The fat edge is there the wing attached to the breast. I turned that edge down and put to the sides of the skillet to sear some, stirred the corn once again. After a bit turned to the thin edge for a kiss of brown on that edge, guess what stirred the corn one more time! Turned one more time to the skin side for a few seconds a pinch of salt on skin side on the plate. Drained the corn and dumped the whole cans worth on the plate. Got one of the two spotted cow beers left from trip to Wisconsin to savior alongside the duck. Made a couple slices off the rested breast. Perfection. I found this every bit as good as mallard. Peas would of been good too 🤣

BINGO!

Thanks for your service. The BilletHeads appreciate it.

I try

But wait if you order now we will include a second one just pay shipping and handling!

Great son, great dad, great day what's not to like about this? You are a super father Bret, Marty

Just proves you cannot make everyone happy.

I might not like the plastic burning smell either. Leaf smell not a problem.

So day two, Try again. Usually at this place day two is a scratch. Birds sit tight from getting hit hard on the opener. Such a nice forecast just had to try. Set up the same and watched the sun rise. Woodies in and out before LST. Very little flying but wood ducks but when life gives you wood ducks you take wood ducks. Three were taken and another first a gadwall in the timber pond. While this was a surprise it was not the bonus we got. And the set up, The deal was while cleaning one of my wood ducks. SUPRISE! My first. I used to look at each duck as I picked them up but really gave up thinking I was chasing a dream. Suppose I will start looking again . Fun times with my bride this weekend.

Day one Saturday, Not going to fight the crowds in the duck parks. Hot the little pond in the timber south of four rivers CA. Have an old friend who has a few acres there. We have hunted it for five years now on the opener. Sometimes it can be decent for wood ducks and Green wing teal. There is some duck clubs and individual owners also near there to keep the birds moving. We have had years of no rain and not killed a duck there. Yesterday was a good day. First time we have killed mallards there. Our shooting was good and five were bagged. Four dropped in and spilt. I got two and Pat got two each taking care of our sides. Later a double in and I had one shot and it was down. Then birds quit flying and we packed it up really happy at 8:30. Yes early but ready to call it a successful hunt. Home to clean. I like clean birds, not shot up. These were fantastic bunch, Plucked and singed then breast halves filleted out. As I was cleaning biscuits and gravy were made. What a deal! Day two coming up and another first for the little pond will pay off with a surprise

Well yes but some of you are stepbrothers.

Saweeeeet buddy. Thanks Rick

@rps Here today, Thanks man! Just what I asked for nothing more nothing less

Only dirt is older than Doug!

Very leave it to beaver Rick!

Have a friend who hunts the family farm half mile south of us. I remember when his grandpa took him and his brother hunting down there. Grandpa is long gone now but our friends continues to carry on taking their children. All of them and all have taken many, many good deer throughout the years. One of the boys son is married and I am sure will take his child when old enough. Hope I am still around to see this. If this happens I will have witnessed 5 generations taking their first deer. Here is friends youngest daughter with her deer from Saturday. Congrats to Mac!

Nice he will never forget the first one!