Category Archives: A Good Picture, Or Three…

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS AS THEY SAY, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU CAN NOT GET OUT THERE TO SEE IT FOR YOUR SELF…

Outdoor Photography by Erwin Bauer. Mountain Goat on Front cover

Outdoor Photography: Specially For Hunters, Fishermen, Naturalists, Wildlife Enthusiasts by Erwin Bauer.

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – Ansel Adams

A Good Picture, Or Three..., Art, Antiques & Sporting Collectibles

Where Decoys Rule The Day – The Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum

November 18, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

“There is no feeling in the world like that of seeing ducks dropping out of a winter sky coming to decoys that you have made with your own hands. Sometimes I can’t even shoot, the sight is so beautiful. Carving decoys lets a man understand in a very personal way that there is so much more to hunting ducks than shooting them.” – Charles Frank, Southern Living Magazine, 1985

Folk Art, or Fine?…It’s All Fantastic To Me

Simply said, I absolutely love vintage sporting books, wildlife art, and all manners of hunting and fishing collectables…but decoys ride the shimmering waves high above them all. They make my heart sing, and the look of a good one almost always takes my breath away.

Why this is, exactly, I could never say for sure, or should I say – completely. The full battery of descriptive words elude me still.

Nor can I tell you why the mere sight of them always seems to cause that sudden catch in my throat, or fully activate the location of that special human gene that causes the quickening of the hunter’s heart.

What I can say is that New Jersey decoys are a special breed of bird, and that some of the best of the breed can be found at The Baymen’s Museum at The Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton, New Jersey.

Below are some photographs that I took at the museum in July 2016. Mere images cannot truly do them justice, for to enjoy the full effect you must take it all in for yourself.

I have done that myself, several times – but there has never been enough time to fully satisfy that mysterious part inside of me that always wants for more.

So don’t make my mistake. Set aside an hour or two…perhaps an afternoon, to wander the museum and contemplate these wonderful works of art. Steep yourself in the history and lore of the great bays, and learn just a bit of the lives of the carver’s that made it all possible.

There’s plenty of room. You may find me there too, close at hand, but far, far away…watching…searching…for those things that only a hunter sees.

Enjoy!

A Pair of Collectible Decoys On Display at The Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — Art of the Finest Form and Function

A History of New Jersey Decoys And Their Carvers. A Display At The Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A History of New Jersey Decoys And Their Carvers

A Merganser Decoy by Joe West of Bordentown, New Jersey. Displayed at The Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Merganser Decoy by Joe West of Bordentown, New Jersey

The Outstanding Work Of Decoy Carver Rowley Horner of Tuckerton, New Jersey. On Display at the Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen's Museum. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — The Outstanding Work Of Rowley Horner

An American Widgeon Decoy, or Baldpate by Chris Sprague of Beach Haven, New Jersey. Displayed at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — An American Widgeon Decoy, or Baldpate by Chris Sprague of Beach Haven, New Jersey.

An Old Squaw Duck Decoy by Joseph Eugene "Gene" Hendrickson. Displayed at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — An Old Squaw Decoy by Joseph Eugene “Gene” Hendrickson.

A Rare Pintail Decoy, Painted as A Black Duck, By Harry M. Shourds of Tuckerton, New Jersey. Displayed at The Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum at Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Rare Pintail Decoy, Painted as A Black Duck, By Harry M. Shourds of Tuckerton, New Jersey.

A Drake Broadbill Decoy By Sam Forsyth of Bay Head, New Jersey. Displayed at The Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — Drake Broadbill By Sam Forsyth of Bay Head, New Jersey

A Canvasback, or Redhead Decoy, Attributed to the Inman Family of Bay Head, New Jersey. It is on Display at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Canvasback, or Redhead Decoy, Attributed to the Inman Family of Bay Head, New Jersey

A Hen Red Breasted Merganser Decoy by John Horn of Oceanville, New Jersey Dispalyed at The Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Hen Red Breasted Merganser by John Horn of Oceanville, New Jersey

Canada Goose by Harry V. Shourds of Tuckerton, New Jersey. Displayed at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — Canada Goose by Harry V. Shourds of Tuckerton, New Jersey

A Mallard Drake Decoy by John Updike of Green Bank, New Jersey. Displayed at The Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Mallard Drake Decoy by John Updike of Green Bank, New Jersey

A Wonderful Miscellany, Including a Shorebird and Brandt Decoy by Hurley Conklin of Manihawkin, New Jersey. On Display at the Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton, New Jersey. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — A Wonderful Miscellany, Including a Shorebird and Brandt by Hurley Conklin of Manihawkin, New Jersey

——————————————————–

All Photographs by Michael Patrick McCarty

The Front of The Dustjacket of The Book New Jersey Decoys by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr., Which Shows A Pair of Early MeNew Jersey Decoys Rule!rganser Duck Decoys. — An Indispensable Reference for New Jersey Decoy Collectors

For more Information and a photographic history of more than 700 New Jersey ducks, geese, and shorebirds, you may wish to purchase a copy of New Jersey Decoys by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr. In Hardcover edition, 270 pages, 1983.

Barnegat Bay Decoys and Gunning Clubs by Patricia H. Burke. An Invaluable Reference Guide to New Jersey Decoys, The Barnegat Bay Sneak Box, Duck Carvers, Artists, and More. New Jersey Decoys Rule! — Barnegat Bay Decoys and Gunning Clubs by Patricia H. Burke.

Another great reference is Barnegat Bay Decoys and Gunning Clubs by Patricia H. Burke. Published by Ocean County Historical Society, Toms River, New Jersey in 1985. In softcover wraps; 44 pages.

We usually have copies of each in stock. Please email us at huntbook1@gmail.com for a price quote.

A Good Picture, Or Three..., Backcountry Considerations, Woodcraft and Outdoor Skills

Some Basic Mountain Mulemanship

November 16, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

To The Mountain Horse

“His sire was Spain; His dam, the Nez-perce. Legs forged on granite anvils; Heart forged by the mountains.

Kin to the bighorn With clever hoof and infinite eye. Drinker of the wind, the dawn-singer, Kin to the elk.

Enduring, gaunt, rock-worn, Lacking titled rank or registry, His labors win the noble heights And the consort of eagles.” – John Madson, From The Elk, 1966

A Pack Mule Poses in Front of the Colorado Snow-Covered Peaks, While on an Elk Hunting Trip On Red Table Mountain, Near Basalt. — Mule Over Mountain – A Stunning View From Red Table Mountain Near Basalt, Colorado. Photo by David Massender

There is no better way to hunt elk or mule deer in the high Rocky Mountains than by horseback or mule, yet working with pack animals is fast becoming a lost art. Still, there are still some diehards out there, so hats off to all of you pack-in hunters.

Mountain hunting holds a certain romance and allure all its own, and a large part of the experience depends on how you get there. Some prefer horses, others say that mules may be better. But then again, I think I will stay out of that argument.

Still, from what little I know about mules, they always seem to be playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. They are definitely smart, and so sure-footed too! As many of you know, that can be particularly comforting when your life literally depends on the careful placement of hooves on stone.

Check out this short video for some basic tips.

– Video courtesy of Dave Massender. See Dave’s Youtube Channel Here.

——————————————————–

Posted by Michael Patrick McCarty

You Might Also See Red Rock Sentinels

We can highly recommend:

Hunting For The Pot, Fishing For The Pan, Through A Hunter's Eyes, Trophy Gallery

The Biggest Small Game – Young Boys and Bushytails

November 15, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

A Vntage Photograph of a Boy With A Shotgun and a Limit of Squirrels Taken After a Morning of Squirrel Hunting in Maryland. Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty — Fixins For Some Squirrel Pie!

My friend and my brother and I used to hunt squirrels, and other game, on a game-filled property in the heart of the Maryland farm country. Things with wings were the main attraction, like ducks or mourning doves. Canada geese, however were the real lure that brought us there, and populations were on the upswing in the early 1970’s. The shooting was often truly extraordinary.

The goose hunting was more than satisfying for our fathers and their friends, but not always enough for us. We were, after all, young boys bursting with inexhaustible momentum, and guns, and we badly needed something to do when the morning flights of Canada Geese had ended and the birds had laid up to rest.

For me, it was not just a way to pass the time until the late afternoon hunt. Goose shooting is thrilling, and fun, but squirrels…now that’s a young hunter’s big game.

Fortunately, the hardwood fingers between the cornfields and the backwaters of Chesapeake Bay were absolutely jammed with the elusive bushytails. We spent a lot of time still hunting through the autumn leaves, sharpening our eyes behind the rifle sights and practicing our future whitetail hunting skills. Squirrels fell all around us, though I doubt that we ever really put much of a dent in their numbers. They are, among so many things, a restless and boundless survivor in the long-term scheme of things.

I miss those days spent within that colorful cathedral of canopy, slipping soundlessly around the trunks of tall trees with my chin pointed to the sky. Patience is a virtue in this game, as is focus and sharp eyesight. A flash here and a flash there was sometimes all you got, but sometimes, if you were lucky or good, you got a little more too. A squirrel’s head is a tiny target, and you could fancy yourself quite a marksman if you could drop one cleanly and quick.

Long ago I graduated to hunting much bigger and more glamorous game, in places where the terrain and scenery could not be much more different from that gentle land. But those squirrels of my youth have never journeyed very far out of mind, and that is a good thing.

I long to hunt squirrels. I crave those simple and rewarding days in the land of sassafras and scolding bluejays. Some are quick to say that the world moves on, and that you can never really revisit a time gone by. Perhaps that is true, but certainly not in all things. I would like to think that squirrel hunting is one of those.

I feel a well deserved squirrel hunt coming on, and some Brunswick Stew to go with it, wherever they may be…

You?

By Michael Patrick McCarty

You Might Also Like Our Post The Promise of Deer HERE

——————————————————–

Recipe By Hank Shaw

Squirrel Pie

There are a number of hacks and subs you can do here. First, you can use any white meat for the filling. Rabbit, turkey, pheasant, quail, partridge and yes, chicken would all be fine. Next, you can skip the acorn flour and just use a whole wheat or some other darkish flour your like. Third, you can use regular walnuts for the black walnuts… or use whatever nut makes you happy.

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Serves: 9 pies

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

DOUGH

1/2 cup acorn flour
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour, or regular AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup duck fat, lard, butter or shortening

FILLING

3 tablespoons bacon fat
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
3/4 pound shredded and chopped squirrel meat
1 cup diced apple, peeled and cored (I use Granny Smiths)
1/2 cup toasted, chopped black walnuts
1/2 teaspoon Cavender’s seasoning, or black pepper
1/2 cup warm stock, squirrel, chicken or something light
2 teaspoons sorghum syrup or molasses
1 cup shredded gruyere, emmental or jarlsberg cheese(optional)

Instructions

MAKE THE DOUGH

Mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a small pot, heat the milk until it’s steaming, then turn off the heat. Stir in the fat until it’s mostly melted in; a few bits that aren’t melted are fine.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork until it’s a shaggy mass. Knead this all together until you have a smooth ball, then shape it into a cylinder. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

MAKE THE FILLING

Heat the bacon fat in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the cabbage and onions. Saute until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Salt this as it cooks. Add the squirrel meat, apple, walnuts and Cavender’s seasoning (or black pepper), stir well and cook for a few minutes.
Stir the sorghum syrup in with the stock until combined, then pour this into the pan with everything else. Stir this well and let it cook another few minutes so the ingredients absorb the liquid. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool.

MAKE THE PIES

If you have a tortilla press, get it out and cut a heavy plastic bag apart to make two plastic sheets that you’ll use to keep the dough off the metal of the press. If you don’t have a press, lay out a work space and flour it well.
Cut the dough into anywhere between 8 and 10 pieces, trying to keep them about the same size. Put half the pieces back in the fridge. Roll a piece into a flat, disc and set it on a piece of plastic on the press. Put the other piece of plastic over it and squash the dough into a thin disc. I find that I do one squeeze, then adjust the dough so it’s perfectly centered in the tortilla press.

If you don’t have a press, roll the dough balls into flat discs about 1/8 of an inch thick.
Remove the dough from the plastic and put about 1/4 cup of filling on one side of the disc. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top if you’d like. Fold over the dough to make a half-moon and seal. Crimp the edges with a fork and set on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Move to a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before you eat them. Best served hot, but they’ll keep for a week or so in the fridge and are pretty good cold, too.

NOTE: I start with meat shredded off squirrels used in making stock. You can do this, or braise squirrels in salty water until tender, or you can just cut meat off the bones of raw squirrels and chop that up. All methods will work.

You Can Find The Entire Article Here

—————————————————–

You Might Wish To Pick Up A Copy Of:

Looking For That Flash of Tail

“Sure, the usually available squirrel is fine game for the beginning hunter. No game animal will give him better training in hunting fundamentals – stalking, concealment, woodsmanship, and shooting and gun handling. And should he become so fortunate that he has a chance at them, those early lessons will serve him well on this continent’s most prized big game animals…Frequent jaunts to a convenient squirrel woods season the long and colorful careers of many of our most famous hunters…

The hunter pussyfooting through the squirrel woods is not seeking a trophy animal, is not concerned about the behavior of an expensive bird dog, nor is he attempting to impress a hunting partner with his wingshooting. He is in the hardwoods for the pure joy of hunting…” –By Bob Gooch, Found in All About Small-Game Hunting in America. Edited by Russell Tinsley.

For Sale:

All About Small-Game Hunting in America. By Russell Tinsley

Published by Macmillan, 1984. Very Good condition in Very Good Dustjacket.

Feel Free To Email Us At huntbook1@gmail.com for Details.

——————————————————–

We Can Also Recommend:

A Good Picture, Or Three..., Trophy Gallery

Just Another Hunting Season Survivor

November 11, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

Big Mule Deer bucks are experts at stealth, evasion, and concealment, and they always seem to completely vanish during the annual rifle seasons.

I have watched this guy come along for several years now, and he has returned once again to his favorite doe-chasing country on unhunted, private lands. A battered old warrior, for sure, and a survivor of bears, mountain lions, and the relentless coyote hoards.

He may be even bigger than ever, certainly taller, but not wider, and perhaps just a bit on the downside of his prime. Still, he seems unchallenged among his competitors, though no doubt, some will run the gauntlet of horns before the end of the current breeding season.

My guess is he will die of old age before some lucky hunter can surprise him in his transitional haunts, if, in fact, they be anywhere where he could be legally hunted. I should know, for I have tried.

But there is hope, there is always hope…and there is always, God Willing, next year!

Long Live Big Bucks!

Photographs By Michael Patrick McCarty

A Kinsman In The Clouds

November 6, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty 6 Comments

FIRE IN THE SKY

Sacred Rain Arrow. Sculpture By Allan Houser, Found At the Denver Botanic Gardens. Photograph by Chris Smith — Sacred Rain Arrow. Sculpture By Allan Houser

“The poet is the kinsman in the clouds, who scoffs at archers, loves a stormy day

But on the ground, among the hooting crowds, he cannot walk, his wings are in the way.”

—Charles Baudelaire

“An archer is a conflicted character. Both warrior, and poet. Technician, or magician. No matter. I pledge my life to the flight of the arrow. May it fly, forever true.” – Michael Patrick McCarty

You Might Also Like An Archery Quote By World Class Shooter Frank Pearson

———————————————————————–

Read About the Origins Of The Sculpture Here.

Photograph By Chris Smith, Found At the Denver Botanic Gardens.

—————————————————-

We Can also Recommend: The Witchery Of Archery

Maurice Thompson’s 1879 book “The Witchery of Archery”, was the main inspiration for the increase of interest in archery in the United States at the beginning of the century.

Dr. R. P. Elmer wrote of it “That wonderful little book has had as much effect on archery as Uncle Tom’s Cabin had on the Civil War!”

The Witchery of Archery was the first book in English about hunting with a bow ever published. At the time of its publication the book was well received for its wit and use of common language. (Publisher’s Description)

“Maurice Thompson’s graphic articles will delight the lovers of Archery, which ancient sport finds new life and freshness under the vigorous touches of his pen.”—New York Tribune.

A Good Picture, Or Three..., The Backyard Biologist - Observations of an Amature Naturalist

In The Hushed Silence of Winter Storm

November 2, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

A Young Mule Deer Buck With Fresh Snow On His Back, Patiently Waits Out A Fast Moving Storm In The Colorado Rockies. Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty — Laying Low and Hanging Out.

A Small Flock Of Canada Geese Walks Through A Field Of Snow And Grass, Searching For Food In A Rocky Mountain Winter Storm. Photo by Michael Patrick McCarty — It’s a lean, Yearning, Time of Year

Michael Patrick McCarty

An Elk of Spirit, and Snow

October 29, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

Into The Storm

A photograph of a larger than life-sized bronze sculpture of a trophy bull elk, taken in a winter snow storm near Carbondale, Colorado — A Bull of the Night…And Dreams

It has often been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and let me add that we never know when it may grace us with an unexpected visit.

I found my latest blessing in the form of a magnificent bronze sculpture of a bull elk, found near Carbondale, Colorado.

I can see it now, and forever – in my mind’s eye, disappearing into the solitude of a quiet winter storm.

Enjoy!

Sculpture by Chris Navarro.

Photograph by Michael Patrick McCarty

Active Member Outdoor Writers Association of America

A Good Picture, Or Three..., My Opinion (For What It's Worth), Primitive Skills

Colorado Muzzleloading Memories

October 27, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

Bowhunting has always been my passion and the bow and arrow my weapon of choice. I might add that this has remained unchanged for nearly fifty years too!

Occasionally though, I have toted around the powder and ball. Not that much, mind you, but enough to know that black powder hunting has its own special romance and charm. And, I have often said that muzzleloading may be the most effective way to take a trophy class big game animal in the west. It may be even more true today.

Here’s a long-lost photo from the early 1980’s, taken in the middle of an epic rain storm on an elk and mule deer hunt on Red Table Mountain near Basalt, Colorado.

The bucks were huge and the elk were plentiful, but I’m afraid that the weather won the week on this trip. I also learned, forever, what it means to “keep your powder dry”.

I can’t tell you how much I now wish that I had taken many more pictures on this hunt, but I do remember being far more concerned about wind, and mud, than taking pretty photos. It rapidly turned into a battle for comfort, and survival, while waiting impatiently for conditions to change. Some hunts are like that, and it’s always best to be prepared, particularly when carrying around the old smokepole.

I did bring back a bucketful of memories, however wet they may be. I can still see those giant mulies staring through the mist and downpour, on a mountain where you can barely find a buck today,

And I can truly say, that those were indeed, the days…

An elk and mule deer hunter in northwestern Colorado poses on the deck of a small hunting cabin, somewhere on Red Table Mountain in the mid 1980's. Michael Patrick McCarty — A Dry and Warm A-Framed Port in The Storm. Photograph by Kevin McBride

A muzzleloader hunter poses for the camera in northwestern Colorado, about to set off for elk and mule deer on Red Table Mountain in the mid 1980's — It’s All Blue Skies For A Hunting Man. Photograph by Kevin McBride

Cowboy Medicine – A Hunter’s Brew For You

October 26, 2018 Michael Patrick McCarty Leave a comment

Set On Down and Stay Awhile. Photograph by Frank Donofrio

COFFEE UP – BOYS, AND GIRLS!

I am often struck by the power of photographs, and the way they can transport us in time and space, sometimes backwards to a place of fond memories, sometimes forward in anticipation of future adventures. I found such a picture tacked to the bulletin board of our local feed store, and I thought I would share it with you.

Exactly why it caught my attention so dramatically I do not know, but it stopped me in my tracks as I reached for the exit door. I stepped closer, and as I did it drew me deeper and deeper into that perfect recorded moment of experience. Perhaps it reminded me of a past hunt, with the excited chatter of friends or family nearby. Maybe you, like me, can imagine elk in the background and just out of view, hanging on the edge of the timber on their way to cover or feed. I can feel the crispness of the air there, and smell the smoke in the swirling winds. I can smell and taste the coffee too!

This wonderful image was captured by Frank Donofrio of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He calls it “Cowboy Medicine”, and he has been kind enough to let us reproduce it here. It is an unexpected comfort, and a gift for the eye of the restless soul.

Frank tells me that he snapped it a few years back, on a mid November elk hunt in the spectacular high country near Aspen. He says it was a cold, blustery day, and that in his hunter’s wanderings he happened to meet up with a woman in her later years and her middle-aged son. They told him that they had grown up nearby and were quite intimate with the country, having hunted it all of their lives. They were happy to share some of their hard won backcountry knowledge, and more.

The son offered to build a pot of coffee to help stave off the numbing chill, right there and right then. Frank gladly accepted. After all, the company was fine, and the view was pretty good too.

Apparently, the man liked coffee of the cowboy kind, brewed simple, black, and strong. The recipe is not complicated, but ask anyone in the know and they will tell you that it’s proper preparation is still a fine art, freely given, yet earned on a life of many trails.

Start with a healthy slug of water, freshly drawn from a sparkling mountain stream. Bring to a roaring boil over a fire of spruce and pine, and throw in a handful or three of coffee grounds as you back the hissing pot from the hottest part of the flames. Let it simmer down a bit, and then throw in a splash of water or two or maybe a fist-full of snow to cool it down. Take it from the fire and set it on the ground awhile to let the grounds settle, but not for too long.

It’s always best served piping hot, and there is something to be said for a dose of grounds in the mix. The old cowboys used to say that you could tell when it was right when you could stand up a spoon in it. It’s about texture too, and if you look real hard you can see them there, squinting past weathered brows while chewing on their coffee behind big handlebar mustaches. Or at least I would like to think so.

Now kick back and wrap your hands around a steaming mug of mountain medicine for warmth and moral support. Enjoy the ride. Savor the moment. It’s the doing of it that counts and where you are that matters.

That place be elk country, and there is no finer location on terra firma to drink a’ cup a’ Joe.

I wish to be somewhere just like this next fall, god willing, squatting behind a cowboy fire on a rugged ridge of the Rocky Mountains. There may even be some horses close by, nickering and pawing in the soft white powder.

We’ll keep an extra tin cup in the outfit, just for you. Hope to see you there!

——————————————————————–

*I have always heard references to the fact that the old-time ranch cooks would not think of forgetting to add a raw egg or some egg shells to a pot of their boiling brew. It turns out that this is true, as the egg or eggshell attracts sediment like a magnet and makes for a cleaner presentation.

Well, I have tried adding the eggshell, and it does work. For now I’ll withhold judgement as to whether this makes a difference in the taste, but it might. I haven’t tried the raw egg yet, but in the camps I generally inhabit a raw egg is a much too precious commodity to mix in my morning caffeine. But I don’t mind being wrong, and I shall try it sometime soon.

Of course if I do that will mean that I have shared another elk camp, and that would be more than fine.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it all works out.

—————————————————————–

By Michael Patrick McCarty, Lover of Coffee and Elk Hunting.

You Might Also Like our posts Sportsmen’s Recipes and The Best, and Worst of Food