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Harvesting Nature

Author: A.J. Fick

Hunting
A.J. Fick

Three Simple Exercises to Improve Backcountry Endurance

Then one day, my right ear felt full, and I realized I couldn’t hear out of it. After a few weeks of doctor’s visits, my ornithologist diagnosed it as a cholesteatoma, which is essentially an expansive and erosive cyst on the inside of one’s eardrum, growing towards and consuming the middle/inner ear. While the thought of the cyst was ever-present for the next few weeks, archery and physical conditioning were a welcome distraction.

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Wild Recipes
A.J. Fick

Great Plains Meatloaf

The confluence of the foothills of the Rockies and the western edge of the Great Plains is a magical place where two ecosystems literally collide that I look forward to hunting every year. Whenever I’m there, I can’t help but imagine the millions of bison that once roamed freely across the plains. The antelope that reign king there today are a captivating and unique animal in their own right, but they are missing their plains brethren, the bison.
I decided to reunite them, with a take on a hearty, satisfying meatloaf. With hints of sage to complement the combination of the two meats, it’s perfect on a crisp winter day after returning home from a late season hunt. Enjoy!

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Hunting
A.J. Fick

Sheds for Salvation

Every outdoorsman has the same proverbial itch that is only satisfied by the cool morning air in our lungs, the feel of an antler in our hands and the sound if the pines catching the subtle breeze on a remote mountain side. It seems to be the most prevalent in the Spring, when our minds are fixated on tag applications, drawing odds and the potential that lies ahead in the Fall. It’s also the midpoint between last year’s outings and the next year’s adventures and pursuit of our dream hunts. Maybe this will be the year we draw that coveted tag. Last month, I decided to take a solo combination trip to New Mexico’s Lincoln National Forest in pursuit of a Merriam’s turkey, as well as a foray into shed hunting for elk antlers. My first exposure to both.

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Wild Recipes
A.J. Fick

Lone Star Jerky

Jerky has a long history and remains a popular on-the-go, healthy, nutritious snack that has stood the test of time. I find it fitting to use the National Beer of Texas, Lone Star, in a recipe for a staple of the many early pioneers and cowboys that cut a living on this very land and relied on jerky in times when fresh meat was unavailable. If you don’t have access to Lone Star, Pabst Blue Ribbon works great too.

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