Yet Another Yummy Burgoo...Gale Style

Fashioned after a recipe Gale discovered, called Kentucky Burgoo, which listed specific ingredients--especially the meat--as I recall, wild boar, squirrel and venison...soup stock and Guiness beer. Gale's Burgoo is concocted from whatever meats are handy. As with the original she always starts with at least three meats--this one has four, chicken, venison, ham and sage grouse. She then adds veggies and a bunch of other stuff. Into this one I watched her toss carrots, sweet and white potatoes, onion, celery, peas, string beans (?), mushrooms, beef (or chicken?) stock, a pint or so porter beer (couldn't come up with Guiness this time around in Dillon) canned tomatoes, tomato paste and a variety of spices (ask her). Instead of outside in the dutch oven as we often do, this one went into the oven at, I think, 350 degrees for about 4 hours...Anyway, served over fresh baked cornbread, trust me, this is one you do not want to miss...

Pheasants Forever FactsnFigures

Ice Out Fishing Montana Reservoirs...

Ice Out at Clark Canyon Reservoir and the fishing is hot...

The ice went off Clark Canyon Reservoir a couple days ago and trout are swarming the banks, ushering in some of the season's best and easiest fishing. Rig a 9';6-7 weight floating line; tapered leader and 2X flouro tippet. For starters set your bobber about 5 feet or so above bottom fly; add a dropper about 12-18 inches up. Rig a 1/32 oz. simple, sparsely tied wild turkey marabou jig on bottom; a #12 BH Pearl lightning bug, chrome chronomid or red SJW (bead) on the dropper.Pinch a single split shot between the bobber and dropper, just enough weight to keep tension on the bobber. To fish deeper than the length of your rod, a slip bobber makes life a whole lot easier.

Most days the best strategy is to cast out and let it sit...the longer it sits out there the better your chances of a cruising trout finding your flies. If the lake is dead calm try creating small waves with your foot just enough to move the bobber. Should all else fail, ditch the bobber; cast, count down (vary the count until you strike paydirt); strip in ever so slo-o-wly; water and trout are still cold...Right.

Lewis & Clark's Montana Discoveries...

Clockwise from top left: bull snake, grizzly bear, greater sage grouse,
 bison, arctic grayling, westslope cutthroat trout;
ChucknGale Robbins photos

...included all the above except for bison, which at the time were found all across the midwest, in parts of the northeast and southern Canada. In total the expedition is credited with discovering 172 animal species--mammal, bird, fish and reptile--and several hundred plant species new to science, most of which, including bison, were and still are found today in Montana

Springtime In Montana...

Sage grouse struttin', sandhill cranes yodelin', gobblers gobblin', big browns munchin'...ain't springtime in Montana just wonderful.

Campfire Settin', Sippin' and Cookin'... Arizona Desert Style

Sittin' Round the Campfire...Keith Szafranski photos

As you can see, in Arizona, once the birds are cleaned, the dogs fed, the guns put away we gather about the campfire, sip a little bourbon, swap a few lies and set the Dutch Ovens in the mesquite coals, kick back, relax...Perhaps do a little star gazin'.

Tonight's meal is Gale original Arizona Burgoo with Cornbread. As you can see the Burgoo has lots a veggies--potatoes, carrots, onions, chiles, okra, corn and probably a few others, I can't recall; three kinds a meat--venison (mule deer), quail (a mix of Gambel's and Mearn's) and pheasant. The liquid is a mix of Guiness beer, red wine and beef broth. You'll have to ask Gale about spices and other ingredients.

The secret to a good burgoo is slow-cooking; this pot has been simmering for about 4 hours. The cornbread of course takes only a few minutes.