Preparing "unorthodox" game animals--Ie, racoon, 'possum, woodchucks...

[John in WI]

I just realized (after 12 years as a CB member ) that their was a section for wild game. Which is great, because I was seeking a source of info, or maybe some of your personal recipes.
I am curious about preparing animals that we don't commonly eat (anymore--from what i understand, in the old days, and even up through the Depression, it was more common). Can anyone direct me to info on processing and cooking some less common animals? Raccon, 'possum, beaver, woodchucks...?

Some of them, I realize, have glands that need to be removed. I've eaten racoon one time and found it to be really greasy--maybe it could be cooked similar to duck, letting the fat drain.

I've just never done it. My game eating has been the common things. Bunnies, squirrel, deer, turkey... I'm sort of gearing up and collecting info more from a standpoint of survival/prepper hunting than anything else.

Thanks for any guidance.
John

[elmacgyver0]

I am more of a beef, pork, and chicken eater.
I don't have a problem with deer but have not grown up eating unorthodox critters.
If it gets to the point where I have no choice, then fine.
But until then, the more orthodox critters are fine.
I just caught a mouse the other day but had no inclination to eat it.

[John in WI]

Oh, I agree with that! A "trash panda" would not be my go-to meal. I just wonder how much of that is because I was brought up on a WI dairy farm. Cow, pig, and chicken were daily food for me.
I did some reading though, and apparently it's not as uncommon as I thought. But I keep reading about "removing the glands"--where are those exactly? And using buttermilk to help cut the gaminess.
I'm really just looking for information on the subject. Maybe an old depression-era cookbook would have info on it?
I know American eating habits changed dramatically post-WWII. My grandfather would tell me about growing up in the 1930's, as a poor German immigrant kid, would hunt rabbits out in fields in the winter. They would look for tracks, and then sneak up and bash the clump of grass, occassionally getting lucky and popping a rabbit. He also said they would make a trap kind of like a spring-pole snare, but with a big treble hook on it. They would set them for turkeys. Or using those large rat traps to pop squirrels.
I just figured, the more diverse you're willing to eat, the easier time you would have finding something to eat! If you needed to eat it, there is probably one way that is much easier to stomach.
But yeah, I'm speaking to the time when the grocery store is empty. This winter, here in WI, has been spooky. We had 3 days of snow, and 6 days of actual cold weather. It was in the 50s in February. It got up to 70 at the end of Jan. It got me thinking about what happens if the system decides to go sideways.

[country gent]

Like most animals preparation is important. cleaning and avoiding scent glands , keeping the carcass and meat cool,Keeping it clean thru the process. Coon, muskrat, wood chuck, and most others need a slow cook to tenderize. Cooking on a rack or rotesiary helps. Seasoning like peppers, onions, nuts, will help with the wildness. Another is smoking with a wood fire can really help. or a low slow barbecue. The other that helps is a overnight soak in salt water or a marinate. I have heard a milk base soak helps but never tried it.

[country gent]

As kids we would raid barns with our bb guns and "harvest" pigeons. shuck out the breasts. Mom would soak them and cook them till falling apart. then shred them up in a milk gravy served over biscuits. Even today a lot of regular animals that were eaten are over looked. chicken gizzards and livers, cow more is ground into hamburger of the rough cuts. Same with pigs. Hooves horns and grunt were all that werent used pre depression.

If things go sideways not only knowing what and how to eat but how to prepare and preserve it to last is important. Salting smoking drying will all become important skills.

[Winger Ed.]

Cook raccoon in a crock pot like you would a roast.
It's actually pretty good.

[John in WI]

I was wondering about that. I ate some racoon at a fund raiser for the local shooting/outdoors club. The flavor was ok, but it was really greasy. Duck is like that--so they roast it in a raised basket to render the fat away. I bet something along those lines would work. I'm trying to find where exactly the glands are--apparently they are located on the insides of the legs. Little white pea sized things. I've never had woodchuck either, but at one time it was pretty popular around here from what I understand. Every farmer I knew growing up had a rusty old .22 kicking around for just that sort of job.

[John in WI]

Do you know anything about finding and removing the glands? Several sources say you need to do it, but I haven't found a clear source as to where exactly they are. Maybe once the animal is cleaned and skinned they are easy to see?

[Winger Ed.]

They are sort of up in the critter's arm pit.
They'll usually be brown and shaped like pinto bean.

[elmacgyver0]

I had a lot of Pidgeon soup when I was young, it was my dad's favorite, but that was the only wild game food we ate.
I have a young friend that likes about any kind of wild game food.
I jokingly mentioned cooking coyotes and he said he would see if he could find some recipes on the internet.

[GhostHawk]

One of my more fond memories is 3 of us young fellers getting the idea to raid a deserted silo for pigeons one night after dark.

We had planned for this in advance so we each had some 100 rounds of .22lr birdshot and the early 70's era 6 volt lanterns.

We quickly found out that 1 guy was needed to pick up the birds as most were still alive.
We were at the bottom of the silo, old concrete one. Birds were at the top standing on the top layer of concrete.
If you took your time and aimed well you could blind a bird in both eyes with 1 shot, after which it would end up walking off the edge and fluttering down.

So 2 guys shooting, 1 picking. We quit shooting about midnight, and yeah there was beer involved.

Then there was the marathon cleaning session in a friends barn where we could set up a table, had lights, access to water for cleaning.

We cleaned 150 pigeon's that night.

I got home about o dark 30 or 2:30 ish in the AM. Dad was raving ticked off till he found out what I'd been doing. Showed him bags and bags of pigeon breasts and legs and he got real mellow real quick.

We ate GOOD that winter. Mom would braise them, put them down in a tomato gravy to cook till the meat fell off the bones.
She would then shred it, thicken the gravy and serve over either rice or mashed taters with a vegetable and bread.

My mouth still gets wet when I think about those meals. Man that stuff was PRIME.

They may be flying rats, but they sure eat good!

[Finster101]

Step 1. Dig a hole

Step 2. Drop dead critter in hole

Step 3. Fill in hole.

[elmacgyver0]

Step 1. Dig a hole

Step 2. Drop dead critter in hole

Step 3. Fill in hole.

Works for me.

[Shanghai Jack]

Well in my younger years our family would have starved without critters. Like ghosthawk said, pigeon was a readily available source. We actually went down to the river bridges in Des Moines with 22 cb caps and could stock the larder rather quickly. Funny thing was that two of the bridges were right next to the police station. They never said anything. Times were different in the 50's

[Finster101]

Well in my younger years our family would have starved without critters. Like ghosthawk said, pigeon was a readily available source. We actually went down to the river bridges in Des Moines with 22 cb caps and could stock the larder rather quickly. Funny thing was that two of the bridges were right next to the police station. They never said anything. Times were different in the 50's

My Dad grew up that way in KY which I think is why once he got a decent job and was able, he wouldn't touch the stuff. Even got to where he did not eat rabbit or squirrel anymore. As has been mentioned if I had to eat it that's one thing, given a choice as I have now...see my recipe in post 12.

[dverna]

One of my more fond memories is 3 of us young fellers getting the idea to raid a deserted silo for pigeons one night after dark.

We had planned for this in advance so we each had some 100 rounds of .22lr birdshot and the early 70's era 6 volt lanterns.

We quickly found out that 1 guy was needed to pick up the birds as most were still alive.
We were at the bottom of the silo, old concrete one. Birds were at the top standing on the top layer of concrete.
If you took your time and aimed well you could blind a bird in both eyes with 1 shot, after which it would end up walking off the edge and fluttering down.

So 2 guys shooting, 1 picking. We quit shooting about midnight, and yeah there was beer involved.

Then there was the marathon cleaning session in a friends barn where we could set up a table, had lights, access to water for cleaning.

We cleaned 150 pigeon's that night.

I got home about o dark 30 or 2:30 ish in the AM. Dad was raving ticked off till he found out what I'd been doing. Showed him bags and bags of pigeon breasts and legs and he got real mellow real quick.

We ate GOOD that winter. Mom would braise them, put them down in a tomato gravy to cook till the meat fell off the bones.
She would then shred it, thicken the gravy and serve over either rice or mashed taters with a vegetable and bread.

My mouth still gets wet when I think about those meals. Man that stuff was PRIME.

They may be flying rats, but they sure eat good!

Neat story.

We raised pigeons until I was about 6 or 7. My mom could make them taste good...or maybe I did not know any better. Lots of pigeons made it to the dinner table.

[CastingFool]

Slow cooker works well for cut up woodchucks.