Politics: Sportsmen's Action Needed...

.....to Stop U.S. Postal Service from Promoting HSUS

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is allowing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to place its anti-animal use rhetoric on postage stamps, and use money gained from the sale of the stamps to further its anti-hunting, anti-animal use mission. Sportsmen’s action is needed immediately to stop this outrage.

Zazzle.com, the company offering the HSUS stamps, reports that through its Community Giving Program 20 percent, or more, of the sales of the HSUS stamps goes to the HSUS.

Earlier this year, Congress amended an 1872 law that forbade advertisements on U.S. currency, including postage stamps. The amendment paved the way for an experimental one-year trial period allowing companies such as Endicia.com, Stamps.com and Zazzle.com to offer customizable stamps via the Internet. These stamps can be printed with everything from baby photos to corporate logos, and in the case of the HSUS stamps, anti-animal use slogans.

Sportsmen must stop this now! Every penny earned through such fundraisers is another penny that will be used to bring an end to hunting, fishing and trapping in the United States.

Contact the USPS and make your outrage known! Send letters to Postmaster General John Potter, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C., 20260-0010. Faxes can be sent to Mr. Potter at (202) 268-5211. Convince him that it is unacceptable for the USPS to promote and raise money for the HSUS.

Most importantly, call, write and fax your U.S. senators and congressman. Let them know that you expect them to put an end to this exploitation of the U.S. Mail to benefit an inflammatory organization such as the HSUS. Be sure to send a copy of your letters and faxes to the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

Avoid sending emails! While e-mail is an excellent way to inform people about an issue, it is not the best way to send opinions. With the click of a button, an e-mail and dozens of others like it can be deleted.

Sample letters for the Postmaster General and legislators are available at the Legislative Action Center. Sportsmen are encouraged to modify, personalize and print these letters to send to the USPS and their legislators. Go to www.ussportsmen.org to access the Legislative Action Center.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org

Contacts you need to write, email and fax to, to stop this travesty:

Postmaster General John Potter, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C., 20260-0010. Faxes can be sent to Mr. Potter at (202) 268-5211

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org

Zazzle.com (This link will take you direct to their "feedback" page.)

News: Alaskan shoots grizzly while answering nature's call

Chris Yeager has a grizzly story you'll have to read to believe.

It's definitely one of those "only in Alaska" stories, but 43-year-old Chris Yeager swears it's gospel, and he's got the grizzly hide with six holes in it to prove his tale.

Grizzly bear
Chris Yeager has a grizzly story you'll have to read to believe.

It was May 30 and Yeager was planning to check a black bear bait station he had set up in the mountains about 140 miles north of Fairbanks.

Yeager told the Fairbanks News-Miner outdoor writer Tim Mowry he stopped at the Hilltop Café for "one of those big breakfast omelets that are about 18 inches wide and 4 inches deep."

Later, down the road apiece and feeling the need to answer nature's call, Yeager pulled over, grabbed a roll of toilet paper, his .460-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and headed into the woods.

He was searching for "the right spot" to do his business when he heard a sound from behind him and turned around. There was a big inland grizzly bearing down on him, literally and figuratively.

"He was really close," Yeager told the News-Miner reporter. "I was smelling his breath."

At that point, there was little Yeager could do but react. He pulled the pistol and fired three point-blank shots at the bear, hitting it all three times. A later inspection of the hide revealed all three shots had completely penetrated the grizzly.

Fortunately, the hunter had purchased a grizzly license just two days before his encounter. As a result, he can keep his 6-foot, 3-inch trophy hide, the 21-inch skull and the 100-pounds of Italian sausage he had made from the meat.

"It's not really the way I envisioned getting my first grizzly," Yeager said.

Tags: Grizzly Bear , Alaska

News: WHA: Open Letter to All Hunters - “A shot in the Arm”

You could say many things about David Faberman, the CEO of the World Hunting Association, but lack self-confidence is not one of them. Faberman published an open letter to all hunters on his website. An attempt to extinguish the fire of fury he created with the announcement to launch his concept of competitive game shooting with tranquilizer guns and arrows. To me it looks like he just added some more fuel to the fire with that letter.

Having received thousands of letters from angry hunters that caused his sponsors to pull out of his high fence live target shooting plans, he now feels that he has to justify his great idea and add a little patronizing to it. He writes; “Let’s face it, our sport could use a shot in the arm…It’s time to improve that image and show the world the complexity, skill and strategy that is the core of hunting.”

I like the “shot in the arm” bit. Did he intend the pun? Beats me how he wants to “improve” the image of hunting. How? By shooting tranquilizer drugs at penned animals and then having them scored and flashing a big cardboard check for x-thousand dollars in front of the camera I can see it now how PETA and other such organizations endorse that type of sport as “ethical” treatment of animals.

Faberman also believes that his competition sport game-chasing endeavour will have a positive impact on game conservation, disease control and other “valuable scientific impacts.” No he is not kidding. That seems what he truly believes. I guess it would be like doing research on livestock like cows, that is what penned game is, and then use that data for wild living bison. He also says that
licensed veterinarians will do blood samples on the bucks and then mark them so that they will not be shot with drugs twice in a competition. Tranquilizing wild animals is a very dodgy affair. Every veterinarian will tell you that to get the dose right you have to know the age, weight and general health and physical condition of the animal. That is not possible with wild animals, unless they are tame, and thus the chances of fatally “overdosing” is quit high.

For me there is also another issue with that sort of sport. Animals suffer high stress in a tranquilized condition. Remember they are not knocked out cold and sleep. Tranquilized animals are fully conscious and aware; they just can’t move or feel pain. Next to overdosing the stress is what kills a lot of so treated animals. I imagine the stress level could be even higher for the animal with all the hoopla of high fiving, hollering, cameras and light around them.

The letter ends with; “Now is the time for all hunters to stand together, shoulder to shoulder. While new ideas and change can sometimes be uncomfortable, this is a great opportunity for hunters to elevate the sport, clear up misconceptions and expand the next generation of hunters.”

It is just me that thinks Faberman is a tad patronizing in the last paragraph? “While new ideas and change can sometimes be uncomfortable…” Why does he think real hunters are uncomfortable with his new idea? Has he not read the letters and e-mails he’s gotten from highly concerned outdoors enthusiasts? Could it be that we have every reason to be uncomfortable with the idea that the hunting heritage is to be turned into a spectator’s sport like tennis or baseball? You bet I am uncomfortable with it and so are thousands of other hunters judging from what we have heard.

I am not sure at all how Faberman thinks that his “sport hunting”- and big money paying –use of game animals as live targets and doping them up to their eyeballs could possibly clear up “misconceptions” about hunting let alone “elevate the sport.

I do not know Faberman personally and have no desire to remedy that fact. But I do know that he has absolutely not the foggiest idea what the spirit and the heritage of hunting is all about. Neither does he know what stirs deep down in our soul when we enter the great outdoors and follow our natural instinct that has been with us from the beginning of time.

Faberman welcomes hunter’s feedback and suggestions, he says, to build his “sport hunting tour.” Please write him and let him know what you think about his ideas and plans: commissioner@worldhunt.com

Anti-Hunters: PETA's Latest Stunt: Barbecuing A Corpse

I never have copied articles into this blog that I have not written myself. However, today I overlook that rule. I believe that as many people as possible should know how twisted PETA & Co. are.

The article is written by the well known and respected outdoor writer Mike Hanback who has authored many books and magazine articles and appeared on Mossy Oak’s and Realtree’s television shows and videos. Mike Hanback also has his own Blog, the Mike Hanback's Big Buck Zone, from which this article has been taken.

PETA's Latest Stunt: Barbecuing A Corpse
By Mike Hanback

Now I have heard everything…this from PETA’s website today:

Hoping to prompt the Laramie, WY lunch crowd into realizing that whether fish, foul—or even Frank!—a corpse is a corpse, PETA will slather a 10-gallon-hat-wearing effigy of a cowboy with barbecue sauce and pretend to cook "him" on a mock grill downtown today from 12 to 1 PM. PETA’s point? That all animals are made of flesh, bone, and blood, just as humans are, and that eating meat entails eating the corpse of an animal who was an individual with feelings, a family, and a distinct personality. In addition to the "human barbecue," activists will hold signs that read, "Meat Is Murder," and give out delicious vegetarian riblet sandwiches to curious passersby.

"People are understandably revolted by the idea of eating a human corpse, which is exactly why they should also lose their appetites at the thought of eating any animal’s corpse—to smell them cooking, you can’t tell the difference," says PETA’s Mike Brazell.

As long as there are nuts like this running around in America, we hunters and fishermen had damn sure better stop fussing and fighting amongst ourselves and stick together.

Product Review: Swarovski Binoculars 10x42 SLC Waterproof

By the year 2000 I finally scraped the money together to buy a pair of Swarovski SLC binoculars. With a price tag of over 1000 dollars this is the Rolls-Royce of binoculars.

Was it money well worth to spend or just a status symbol?

Well let’s find out! I might tell you right now two things about this field test. First, I did not get paid to write this review and second, when I field test equipment I do not pussyfoot around. My equipment has to keep up with me and the way I handle it. I regard all my hunting gear are tools for me to do a particular job and not a status symbol.

Lets find out how the Swarovski measured up to my expectations. The 10x42 SLC has been a classic in the Swarovski line up since the mid 1990s. It received an outstanding review from the time of its appearance and became almost over night an instant favourite with hunters all across North America. Over the years the Swarovski SLC has remained essentially the same, with modest design changes to the armoured profile. The most recent update is a rubber armour to a polyurethane shell and the Swarobright lens coating. The excellent optics have remained unchanged, including the 330ft. FOV (Field Of View), 30.7 oz weight - which makes these binos rather heavy to lug around all day- and 14mm eye relief.

Some of the advantages I personally like about the Swarovski's is its superb balance and well placed thumb groves to aid in the balance. This comfortable feature makes up for the weight. Another outstanding feature is the excellent depth of focus made possible by razor sharp focusing which gives you an almost 3-D spatial field perception. This comes in really useful in some of the thick brush I hunt. No problem here to penetrate the tangle and pick out details of antler or fur of a buck. Of course the Swarovski is 100% waterproof and shockproof.
I can attest to the later when I dropped mien out of a treestand at 20ft. off the ground. not only was the Swarovski still in one piece but it thick armor prevented dents and scratches and the focusing mechanism didn't suffer either.

Other features I appreciate are the handy located turn knob for focusing, no fiddling around here, the knob is large and easy to exactly adjust to the focusing distance. I also appreciate the excellent lenses that let me look trough the binoculars all day long without getting a headache. For me that is very important. I use binos religiously, I rather would forget my rifle or the bow at home than be without binoculars. Without binos I am blind in the deer woods and might just as well stay home. Having good optics will let you see deer long before they see you and just as important they won’t harm your eyes in the long run.

So do I think that the Swarovski binoculars are worth the price tag they carry? I would say so! If you can save up the money and buy a Swarovsky it most likely will be the last pair you ever will have to buy. I own a battery of binoculars but have found that I now only take the Swarovski with me all the time.

Misc.: Feeling Creative

I have had this blog for just over one year now and used the ready made up templates provided by Blogger. However, recently I have been thinking how to give this blog a more personal note. With the help of my lovely wife Heidi, a graphic designer and photographer, I finally got my own head banner. By the way, if you love art and good photography you should visit Heidi's website, Artemis Graphics & Design.

Having the banner I still needed some help with the html to make it work. With the help from some fine people at the About Write Forum I managed to give this blog the current look it has now. After all this was done I have to say that I am quit pleased with how this blog turned out. After tweaking and modifying a few other things on the settings and the template I managed to make the blog also more user friendly for you, the visitor to this blog.

While I was doing this and having some time on my hands with nothing better to do I began to surf the web to look for outdoor releated resources. As I am sure you are aware of it, there is plentiful information about hunting, fishing and the outdoors in general on the Internet. But I have been spesifically searching for other blogs related to the outdoors and more particular to hunting and fishing.

While it is true that today everybody and their uncle seems to have a blog or online journal, this seems not so much to be the case for the outdoor community. But the few blogs and web-journals in the blogosphere that I have found have merit for a closer look and spend some time reading them. In the following I am offering you a list of blogs that I have found to be particular noteworthy, be it that they offer valuable information for the hunter, fisher and enthusiastic outdoors person or simply for their entertainment value. What all these blogs have in common is the fact that they share the love and appreciation of the great outdoors.

One of the first blogs I came across and that impresseed me was Ron' Journal. This blog is mainly about photography and archery but also many other subjects around the great outdoors.

Another well and frequent written blog is Jim Braaten's Sportsmans Blog. Jim Braaten writes about all hunting and fishing subjects and offers a wealth of valuable information, including wild game cooking recipes.

Another impressieve blog I stopped by to read more is from Dave Richey. Richey is a well-known outdoor writer. He seems to have a passion and humor that is truly inspiring and he loves writing on his blog and passing on his wealth of knowledge with daily new postings.

I am sure that I left out a lot of other blogs and perhaps will report about the one or other here in the future. If you find a hunting, fishing ot outdoors blog that you think I need to check out drop me a line and let me know or leave a comment here.

Politics: U.S Sportsmen's Alliance

Another quick update on the World Hunting Association saga.

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance has just released a statement blasting the World Hunting Association.

USSA Statement on New Tournament Hunting Organization
A new tournament hunting organization has been announced, the World Hunting Organization. It will outfit tournament participants with tranquilizing drugs and darting equipment. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has concerns about:

• The potential for misuse of dangerous drugs by lay people,
• The potential for their misuse in the case of unrecovered animals,
• Their impact on non-target species who might feed on carcasses,
• The scattering in the field of syringes that could be found by children,

A competition that treats wildlife solely as a commercial commodity.
There appear to be a number of legal issues to be overcome (IE. the distribution to participants of drugs tightly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration).
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance will have no part of the organization.

News: Pope and Young speaks against Word Hunting Association

The blows against the World Hunting Association keep coming from all directions. I wouldn't be surprised if David S. Farbman, CEO and founder of the W.H.A. is soon to realize that his great money making dream is not welcome by the hunters and the hunting organizations and turns into a nightmare for him.

After thousands of hunters have flooded the W.H.A. and their sponsors with outraged letters and emails over the plans to turn hunting in a competiton sport by shooting at penned animals with tranquilizer guns all but one sponsor pulled their support of the W.H.A.

But that was only the beginning, the infantry if you will. Then the artillery pulled up. Beginning with the Safari Club Internationl (SCI) who on June 14, 2006 released a press statement, saying that the do not aprove of the moral and ethics of the W.H.A. and their plans to turn hunting into a NASCAR like spectator sport for prize money.

Now, only two days later, the reputable Pope and Young Club had this to say against the W.H.A.

P&Y Nixes Proposed "Hunt" Tournament

A recent announcement by the World Hunting Association has raised significant concerns within the Pope and Young Club. According to WHA publicity releases, a televised tournament series featuring “professional hunters” is slated for broadcast this coming fall. Competitors reportedly will seek to tranquilize deer within high-fence game farm properties. Lucrative prizes are to be awarded to individuals collecting the biggest or most captive deer during televised “hunts.” Both bows and firearms will be used to deliver the tranquilizing agents.

“Hunting is not a ‘catch and release’ proposition,” said P&Y President M. R. James. “Nor is it intended to be an entertaining public spectacle. The Pope and Young Club certainly does not want its organization identified with this type of commercial endeavor, either directly or indirectly. That includes any reference to P&Y-class animals or the use of our measuring system to determine the score of captive deer. This idea flies in the face of the ethical, Fair Chase bowhunting challenges our organization embraces.”

Noting that the Pope and Young Club does not accept any captive animals as record book entries, Executive Secretary Kevin Hisey added: “The idea that this concept is just plain wrong goes well beyond the issue of game farms and high fences. Many responsible hunters will view it as an affront to the values, principles, and integrity of hunting so many hold dear.”

I wrote an email to the Boone and Crockett Club to ask what their stance is on the World Hunting Association here is what they sent back to me:

The Boone and Crockett Club does not support the WHA in what they are doing as it violates our basic positions on fair chase and ethical hunting.

Thank you for your thoughtful inquiry.

Regards,

George

A press statement is soon to be expected from the Boone and Crockett Club in this regard. Daily more and more Outdoor and Hunting Clubs and Association but also hunting publication speak out against the World Hunting Association and I think that is a very good thing. The sooner this outrages and highly unethical company is sent back into oblivion the better for all of us.

News: Safari Club International speaks out against World Hunting Association

After thousands of hunters from all over North America have flooded the World Hunting Association and sponsors with protest letters which have caused sponsors to pull their support for the W.H.A.

Now it's the reputable Safari Club International to follow suit and voice their opinion against the World Hunting Association. That is very good news for all ethical hunters and could very well be the last nail in the proverbial coffin for the World Hunting Association. Lets hope so!

SCI Questions Concept of "World Hunting Association

The "World Hunting Association" last week announced that it would stage a series of "tournament" professional hunting events this year, in which the game pursued would be shot with tranquilizer darts launched from bow hunting equipment. Participants would compete for much as $600,000 in prize money over the series of tournament events. SCI has serious concerns with attempts to "professionalize" the tradition of the hunt, particularly with cash rewards. In addition, the institution of "catch and release" tactics for hunting, using powerful sedatives, is highly questionable with regard to the future health of the game animals that are captured for the competition. While the group espouses the noble goals of increasing hunter recruitment and retention, SCI believes that education and outreach programs remain the best option for bring newcomers into the field. Likewise, SCI believes that conventional regulated hunting techniques, including due diligence on the part of hunters to prevent the wounding of game, are the only true definition of hunting. SCI President Mike Simpson told Crosshairs that "Hunting isn't bass fishing. It just doesn't translate to made-for-TV entertainment, conducted on a professional catch-and-release basis for cash rewards."

News: X-Treme Sports Group

Here is another update on the highly questionable plans of the Word Hunting Association to stage competitive high fencing hunting competitions. While I yesterday reported that after thousands of hunters wrote potest letters to the sponsors of W.H.A most of them have pulled the plug on sponsoring the World Hunting Association with two remaining sponsors. The two where
X-Treme Sports Group, makers of X-Treme Scents and Pneu-Dart makers of remote injection equipment and tranquilizer guns.

Today I am happy to report that X-Treme Sports Group has decided to bow down to ethical hunters and pull out as sponsors of W.H.A. Here is the email I received today.

XTREME SPORTS GROUP
June 13, 2006

Thank you for your recent email pertaining to the WHA. We are listening to all of our customers regarding the WHA. In response to your feedback, we have spoken to the Chairman of the WHA over the weekend to discuss last week’s events. Both parties are discussing this issue again this week. We have not signed any formal agreements to be a sponsor. We will issue a Press Release upon our final decision.

It is our goal as a company to do what is best for our customers, retailers, hunting industry and our company. Again thank you for your input towards the WHA. Again, we are listening to everyone’s opinions before we make a final decision.

Thank you,


Jefffrey S. Stawiarski
President
Xtreme Sports Group

The only sponsor left is Pneu-Dart, which has direct business gains trough W.H.A. as manufacturer of of remote injection equipment and tranquilizer guns. Remember the W.H.A. wants to use tranqualizer guns and arrows for their hunting competition what they call "catch and release hunting". The animals are not killed, they are tranqualized and then revived so the next competitive hunter can tranquailze the animal again. Have they ever thought about what these frequent administering of a dangerours drug will do to an animals health in the long term?

Please send X-Treme Sports Group your letters of appreciation for their wise decision to pull out of W.H.A.

Stay tuned here for more updates on W.H.A. if we are keeping this pressure up we will prevent that our hunting heritage will be shamed by this unethical and highly questionable money making scheme that has nothing whatsoever to do with hunting, but more with an enterpreneurs idea of how to make a quick buck without any regard to our cherished heritage and the reasons why we hunt.

News: World Hunting Association Update

Well it looks like the will of the people, or hunters, in this matter has manifested itself and seems to work.

As reported yesterday in my article World Hunting Association: Comepetitive Hunting. Founder and CEO David Faberman, a real estate executive has announced the founding of the World Hunting Association. With this company Faberman offers competitive hunting tournaments. In these tournaments monetary prizes of up to US$ 500,000 can be won by shooting at live animals in high fencing game operations with tranquilizer rifels and arrows. The animal is then revived so the next hunter can shoot at it. Read another good article about this shameless money making scheme Worldhunt.com - High Fences and Low Ethics on Rons Journal.

What Faberman announced in his own big words as; "For far too long, hunters have looked forward to the day when we would eventually get our own professional sports league," has now turned out to be exactly NOT what the hunting community has been looking forward to. In fact hunters have been so disgusted by the very idea to turn the honored hunting heritage into a sport, that thousand have written letters and emails in protest to the World Hunting Association and their sponsors.

The result so far, I am very happy to report, is that several sponors such as Carbon Express Arrows , G-5 Outdoors and Gorilla Treestands have pulled their sponsorship. Still listed as sponsors of World Hunting Association are Xtreme Scents and Pneu Dart.

As a fellow hunter I would like to thank the thousands of hunters all over North America who wrote and send protest letters and took the time to make a difference. To view some of the online hunting community discussions visit BowZone and HuntingBC.ca.

I would like to encourage hunters that not yet have voiced their disgust and resentment about the plans of the World Hunting Association to turn our age old outdoor heritage into a spectator sport for the highest bidder, to take a pen to paper and write directly to the World Hunting Association or any of the sponsors mentioned. I also would like to suggest to write letters of appriciations to the sponors that have pulled their support.

This is a very important issue and we need to stop it before more money makers smell the bacon and try to turn hunting into a sport for the masses like football or tennis.

News: World Hunting Association: Competitive Hunting

Here I was, all the time thinking and believing that hunting is a age old heritage and a useful wildlife management tool. I actually thought that hunting never could be reduced to a mere competitive sport with thousands of dollars cash prizes to win.

Boy was I wrong!

The World Hunting Association founded by David Faberman, a real estate executive has just announced plans to launch a competitive hunting tour around the world, with the inaugural season beginning in Gladwin, Michigan. Competitive Sport Hunters will shoot game animals with tranquilizers. This is what the World Hunting Association refers to as “catch and release hunting”.

Faberman got the idea from the bass fishing tournaments and like them the winner of his hunting tournament is offered more than $500,000 in prize money for the first two tournaments. Faberman has big plans and likes to talk big too. He claims that this hunting competition “…fills a void by providing a platform that benefits the entire international hunting industry today and for generations to come.” Another bold statement he made is; “For to long, hunters have looked forward to the day when we would eventually get our own professional sport league.”

Well, it looks like Faberman may choke on his own big plans and words. The hunting community if anything is outraged by the mere idea that their heritage is about to be reduced to a spectator’s sport for the highest bidding participants. Rumor has it that the phone lines and email inboxes are jammed with complaints from the hunting community. The last I heard is that due to hunter pressure some of the World Hunting Association sponsors have pulled out or at least reconsider sponsorship.

If the World Hunting Association should get off to a start then there are some very negative aspects to conceder. I hope that hunters all over the world will keep up the pressure on the World Hunting Assiciation and their sponsores to stop this money driven insanity by a person who obviously cares more about making big bucks than about the hunting heritage and real hunters for that matter.

Updates: To Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer

Hey there fellow hunters, fishers and visitors to Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer.

Life just got a little easier and simple to obtain valuable information of your interest.

You now have the opportunity to subscribe to Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer. Simply scroll down this page to “Enter your Email” on the right panel and provide us with a valued email address and you will receive an email every time this blog is updated with a new article. This will save you time by having the information directly delivered into your inbox.

Another new addition to Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer is the Weather Channel. We all know how important an up-to-date weather forecast is in planning a hunting or fishing trip. The weather channel in the right panel lets you view the weather forecast in your town, area or anywhere else in the world you intend to hunt or fish.

Happy Hunting and Fishing

Othmar Vohringer

Recipes: Grilled Trout Recipe (Smoked)

Not only do I like to hunt and fish but I also like to cook. Over the years I have cooked many meals for the family and friends. Some recipes have become favorites and since this is the time of year for trout fishing I thought I would share one of my all time favorite trout recipes with you.
Enjoy

Grilled Trout Recipe (Smoked)

• 2 c. water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 cloves shallot, sliced
• 2 tbsps. salt
• 2 tbsps. sugar
• 2 tbsps. chopped dill
• Made for 6 (12 oz.) boneless rainbow trout

Start by mixing the brine ingredients together and pour over the trout. Marinate in the frige for 4 to 5 hours. Smoke the trout in a covered grill for 25 minutes at 250-300 degrees.

Use a tight-fitting lid for your grill to make this technique work. Start by soaking wood chips in water for several hours. Build a charcoal fire on one side of your grill. Place a shallow pan of water in the other half of the grill. When the fire is glowing, it's ready for cooking. Than scatter wet wood chips on top of the coals. This should produce lots of smoke. Place the trout on grill directly over the pan of water. Put the lid on grill to trap the smoke inside. Within about 25 minutes the trout is ready and smoked.

Top with any type of heavy cream sauce, horseradish, or just add a little lemon juice.