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Blind Food

What is it about eating food in the great outdoors that just makes it taste so good and makes it so memorable, especially in a hunting blind?

Is there something about merely being outside in an outdoor setting and eating that’s wired in our DNA?

Is it purely psychological because of the semi-enclosed atmosphere and close confines of the blind with good friends?

PitBlind
Waterfowl Hunting Pit Blind.
PitBlindInterior
Good Friends in the Waterfowl Hunting Pit Blind.

I don’t know what it is exactly. But, generally, things really do taste better when we eat them outside during an outdoor activity, don’t you think?

Such is definitely the case when I have been Canada goose hunting with friends and acquaintances . Well into watching the skies for ‘cans’ as we affectionately call the Canada geese, stoves and griddles are lit and delicious snacks are revealed. Diets are set aside. Carbs and calories are not counted. High protein amount is a must. Fat content? Forget about it!

JasonBraymenMonsterBurgerCook.
Jason Braymen tending to what I call the “Monster Burgers” for us, his fellow hunters, in the goose blind.

My wife Polly is always curious about what is consumed in the blind. Why? I am generally not very hungry for dinner following a day of goose hunting in permanent blinds. So, here you go, Polly. Below are some examples of goose blind fare with blame squarely being placed on my various hunting partners (sorry, guys).

Kyle Simpson's Colossal, Homemade Breakfast Burrito.
Kyle Simpson’s Colossal Homemade Breakfast Burrito.
The Never-Fail Josh Kern Special Well, you probably know what else we all call this.
The Never-Fail Blind Special. Thick meat gravy over a slice or two of bread. Well, you probably know what else we all call this.
The Monster Bacon Cheese Burger. Made by Jason Braymen and Tom O'Neill with ground beef provided by Brett DeHart.
The Monster Bacon Cheese Burger. Made by Jason Braymen and Tom O’Neil with ground beef provided by Brett DeHart.
Ultimate (and it is that) Canada Goose Jerky.
Ultimate (and it is that) Canada Goose Jerky.
stoysichkrautbrat
Succulent Stoysich House of Sausage Kraut Brat, via yours truly.
The Super Snack - (Fish) Crackers in a Cap, provided by yours truly.
The Super Snack – (Fish) Crackers in a Cap. Can’t go wrong with these, especially if there are kids in the blind. These are also from yours truly, even though I’ll eat most of them!

Wanna be the hit of your waterfowl hunting blind with a tasty treat? Here’s a great wild game recipe to try with harvested dark or light geese. This is from my buddy Kyle Simpson of Elkhorn, NE.

LOST ISLAND CORNED GOOSE

5 Tbl Spn Mortons tender quick
3 Tbl Spn Brown sugar
1 Tbl Spn Cracked pepper
1 Tbl Spn Montreal steak seasoning
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Bay leaves – crushed
1 Tsp All spice
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Mustard seed
1/8 Tsp Cloves – crushed
1/4 Tsp Cayenne (or more to taste)
1/2 Tsp Coriander – ground

Mix Ingredients. Apply liberally to 4-6 pounds skinless goose. (3 breast fillets and 3 leg/ thighs are usually about 5 lbs.). Place in Ziploc bag(s). Refrigerate 10 days, turning every couple of days. Cooking: Roast in oven like corned beef. 325 for 3-4 hours until tender. Or place in Dutch oven, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 hours until tender. Add onions, potatoes, and carrots a couple of hours before serving if you wish.

Excellent served with creamed cabbage, or make goose Reuben sandwiches. Works equally well with other wild game as well. We enjoy whole, bone-in Venison shoulders. Enjoy!

Kyle Simpson of Elkhorn, NE.

So, what’s your favorite food to nosh on in a hunting blind?

About greg wagner

A native of Gretna, NE, a graduate of Gretna High School and Bellevue University, Greg Wagner currently serves as the Communications and Marketing Specialist and Manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Service Center in Omaha. On a weekly basis, Wagner can be heard on a number of radio stations, seen on local television in Omaha, and on social media channels, creatively conveying natural resource conservation messages as well as promoting outdoor activities and destinations in Nebraska. Wagner, whose career at Game and Parks began in 1979, walks, talks, lives, breathes and blogs about Nebraska’s outdoors. He grew up in rural Gretna, building forts in the woods, hunting, fishing, collecting leaves, and generally thriving on constant outdoor activity. One of the primary goals of his blog is to get people, especially young ones, to have fun and spend time outside!

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