HEALED BY THE HUNT

By Tammy Wood; Cabela’s Pro Staff, Wild Game Chef, Author, Hunter, & Angler.



The Field to Fork lifestyle is something that I embrace everyday. Whether it’s tending to my garden and hobby farm animals, out on the waters catching fish, foraging for mushrooms and edible greens, or out in the forest in search for that next big game animal to feed my large family, it is a constant in my life.

As a widowed mom of six children, being able to provide for my kids off the land has always been a priority. If things in life took a turn for the worse, I wanted to know that I was able to take care of my kids without relying on a grocery store.

I always was a serious fisherman but did not get into hunting until after my husbands’ workplace accident. It was a survival choice at the time. Losing his income and not being able to work myself, I had to come up with another way to survive.

I had five children, three in diapers, and was four months pregnant when my husband was killed. When I decided to get my firearms and hunting licenses, and go out for my first season, I can tell you without a doubt that it changed my life for the better. I was healed by hunting. It is not always about harvesting an animal. It is about getting out into the wilderness, embracing the quiet solitude, and having many hours to think and heal and understand why things happen. And if you cannot figure out why, at least it helps to understand how to move forward and deal with the pain.

It has made me a more well-rounded person, taught me extreme patience, how to breathe, and allowed me to see the power a female can have without having to rely on someone else to get the job done.

 

I have learned that attitude is everything. If you dive into a task, whether its hunting or fishing or foraging, your internal focus must be positive and unwavering. You must believe that you can be successful.

My goal has always been to show my children that you can do anything you put your mind to. Our lifestyle is something my children embrace. I love that my kids can fish and hunt beside me. My biggest lessons to them are that these animals have given up their life for ours, so we can have meat in our freezer to sustain us. I have made it the focal point of our family that empathy, humility, respect, and appreciation are the most important things to be as a hunter.

My children have always been there from the beginning to the end with everything we harvest in the wild. My son Jake recently got his hunting licence. I took him and his good buddy Dallas out for a 10-day bear hunt. They were both remarkably successful and did everything themselves. They were taught how to field dress, how to cape out an animal, how to load their backpacks and hike back out.

These kids were incredible, and it made my heart so happy to see them succeed in the field and at home. I love when I can bring home something to the family, but to watch the next generation succeed is so much more gratifying to me.

My kids have seen me grow and change into an unstoppable force that has beaten every odd thrown my way. There are certain paths that you must walk alone in life and grief is one of them. It can be described sort of like a 12-step program. Some only make it to step 2 or step 5, but some make it to the end. And I am happy to say that I have made it, with the help of my hunting and fishing lifestyle. Field to Fork has shaped me into who I am today.

Everyone in this world is unique and different and they gravitate to their own unique passions. Some people do not understand this lifestyle, simply because they have never been put into a position where they have to rely on it. The funny thing about an opinion is everyone has one, and that’s one thing to remember when you are questioned or made to feel like less of a human being for harvesting an animal yourself instead of picking up a package from the meat counter.

 

I have made it the focal point of our family that empathy, humility, respect, and appreciation are the most important things to be as a hunter.

My dad is a Red Seal Chef, and my mom is also an incredible cook. I grew up tasting and trying all types of ethnic cuisine. I have always enjoyed cooking and when I started hunting, it was only natural that I would start experimenting with Wild Game dishes and start changing the minds (and tastebuds!) of even the most fastidious eaters. My kids love wild game and choose it over any other meat I prepare. When I started cooking heavily, it brought me to another level of culinary achievement. Not only was I able to encourage women, children, widows, single mom’s, and youth to embrace the Field to Fork Lifestyle, I was now able to teach wild game cooking. It is a wonderful challenge to serve a dish that people love and then to tell them what it is. I take it as a win when someone who did not like deer, suddenly has a newfound love for it because of a dish I have created. One of my favourite comfort foods is Vietnamese Pho’, made with an Elk bone broth. I could eat that everyday!

I embrace being a hunter and angler. I am proud to share my passion and am never afraid to step out of my comfort zone and talk about it. On Master Chef Canada I told 7 million people who I was, and on Wall of Chefs I did the same.

I am proud to be a female hunter, and I hope that I can continue to encourage, and offer support to anyone looking for an alternative in life. Our forefathers lived off the land, and I believe it is essential through periods of uncertainty—like what we are dealing with right now—that we get back to basics and learn how to be self sufficient.

Jalapeno Stuffed Bear with Dark Maple Glaze

By Cabela’s Pro Staff Tammy Wood
  • Ingredients:
  • 2 LB ground Bear Meat
    2-3 LB of sliced, smoked bacon (maple bacon is best)
    4 TBSP coriander
    2 TBSP garlic powder
    1 TBSP Kosher Salt
    1 TBSP Paprika
    2 TBSP Dried Basil
    1 Cup of Dark Maple Syrup v 2 Eggs
    10 Green Jalapenos (sliced in half, seeds and pith removed)

  • Filling for Jalapenos:
  • 1 Package of Cream cheese
    ½ Cup Ricotta
    1 Package chopped Spinach
    3 Roma Tomatoes diced
    ½ Cup shredded Parmesan
    2 TBSP fresh basil chopped
    1 TSP Kosher Salt
    1 TSP Cracked Pepper
  • Method:
  • Place the ground bear in a bowl and add coriander, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and dried basil. Mix well and add two eggs as a binder and mix again. Cover with plastic and let chill in the fridge for an hour.

    In another bowl, add cream cheese and ricotta. Using an electric mixer, blend well. Add the spinach and mix till well blended throughout. Add the rest of your filling ingredients and roll together with a large spoon.

    Take your clean, sliced in half jalapenos, and fill each half with filling and sandwich them back together. The filling will act as a glue and keep your jalapenos from falling apart.

    Take out your bacon and allow it to sit in room temperature. This will allow an easier way of wrapping your bear rolls. Bacon at room temperature stretches much easier than cold bacon.

    Remove the bear meat mixture from the fridge. Using your hands, take a portion of bear meat in your palm. Place the stuffed jalapeno on top and massage the meat around it. Take more meat and cover the top until the jalapeno is completely covered with the meat and evenly distributed for a more even cook.

    Take your bacon and begin to wrap the bear meat, until it is completely covered. It usually takes up to three slices of bacon to cover it completely. You can wrap one slice from end to end and finish off the centre with two slices. Wrapping around and around.

    As you finish each piece, place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. A baking sheet is better than a pan, as the bacon will get an even, crispy outer shell.

    Sprinkle with some dried parsley and place in a pre heated 350’ oven. Cooking time will be around one hour, bacon browned and crispy, with an internal temperature of 165.

    Pour your Maple Syrup in a bowl and baste the bear rolls once the bacon is crispy.

    Let the stuffed bear rolls rest before slicing. You can serve them whole on a plate for your family, or pre slice and shingle on a serving plate. I always finish it off with a drizzle of Maple syrup over the entire plate.

    The syrup cuts the heat of the jalapeno and brings a wonderful element of flavour to the Smokey bacon.