Chamois Boerewors and Baked Trout

[Tim Buma]

Been out gathering a bit of meat last week. Shot this nice fat Buck Chamois. Getting it knocked up into Boerwors using a recipe I got off a Swedish guy who uses the recipe for moose.
If you're interested in the recipe I can post it here.
Our seasons being opposite to yours, this buck is losing it's winter coat and going into summer moult, so unfortunately the hide isn't good for much, however the meat is great.
The rifle is a Remington Titanium in 7mm SAUM
Shooting 140 grain Nosler Partitions. They do the job well.
Shot him at 235 yards uphill, so just put the crosshairs right on where you can see the hit. (That's the exit, entry is a little lower on the other side.)
Carried him two hours and 3,000 feet of altitude drop, down to a lake where I boated him back to my 4WD.
These are challenging little brutes to hunt. Very good eyes and fast on their feet, live in the high mountain areas.
Not a goat and not an antelope, a seperate species somewhere in the middle. Originally come from Austria and found throughout the Europeon Alps. William Tell used to hunt them with his crossbow.
In winter their coats are jet black and thick and hairy. They make an awesome trophy. Best time to hunt them for trophies down here is April to August.

[Tim Buma]

And also been doing a lot of Fly Fishing lately.
This one is not a big one compared to some I've caught this week, but the colours are good.
Been catching mainly Brown Trout in the high country Lakes and streams.
Occasionally get a Rainbow or two. Biggest so far has been around 8 pound. This one is about 4 pound.
My favourite combo is two Hare and copper nymphs, one beadhead the other plain, or a Royal Wolf/Hair & Copper combo.
Most of the trout are released, but this specimen ended up on the menu.
I like baking them whole wrapped in tin foil, along with herbs, garlic, butter and lemon.

[vb.kiwi]

I use to chase thar down there years ago Tim, and i thought they were hard enough to track down. got a nose bleed just looking at them with the bynos..

[ELKampMaster]

Boerwors? Wasn't that a little tiff between the British and the African settlers back in the early 1900's?
No, seriously Tim, I would be interested in the recipe.

Let's see here, 4WD to the end of the road, boat across the lake, 3000' up the mountain and exotic (by our definition) game at the end of it all --- sounds like the "real deal". My wife and I have discussed how the perfect snowbirding existence would be between Alaska and New Zealand with some Hawaii time in between. I know a Northwest pilot who lives in Wisconsin and has bought retirement property in New Zealand --- sounds sweet (hope that's not a sore subject down there). I also like your lack of a 5 day hunting season (as we have here in Colorado) and open mindedness to firearms in general (vs. Australia) --- just too cool.

Thanks for taking the time to actually take photos, get them onto the net, and write up the hunt/fish adventure and share it (articulate writing BTW). I for one, appreciate it.

P.S. Please send the recipe, that is where the "adventure meets the plate" and since I'm half Swedish it ought to be fun.

EKM

[Tim Buma]

RECIPE

Erik D.'s Boerewors (From Sweden)

This is a recipe based on one we got from a farm in Namibia:

9 kg moose (or other lean gamemeat)
1.5 kg mutton
800 gram smoked bacon (without the rind)
2 kg sheep fat (or pork fat if sheep fat is hard to find) It is easiest to cut if semi-frozen.
4 cups oatmeal
2 liter icewater (to be added just before stuffing!)
7 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons smoked salt
7 tablespoons whole corrianderseeds (brown in pan, and then grind and sift to get rid of the husks.)
6 tablespoons bbq spice
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons black pepper (finely grinded)
1 tablespoon thyme
2 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons nutmeg (finely grinded)
2 teaspoons cloves (finely grinded)
250 ml worschester sauce
170 ml apple cider vinegar
40 meters pig casings

* 20 meters sheep casings (for making droerewors out of some of the batch). If you only want to make boerewors, it"™s often best to stick to pigcasings as these are a bit bigger, and are easier to work with. Sheep casings do work for boerewors, but make sure you don"™t stuff them too much or they will split when cooking!

Cut all the meat and fat into small (1 square inch) pieces. Mix all the spices, both wet and dry together in a bowl. Spread the diced meat, fat and oatmeal onto a table (or in a big tub.) and pour the spice mix evenly over the meat. Mix gently together with your hands to spread all the spice "œjuice"�.

Grind the meatmix in a course (about 7mm) mincer. Mince only once. It's supposed to be course. Let the grinded meatmix sit 24 hours in a fridge or other cool place. A half hour before stuffing, soak the casings in lukewarm water, and then rinse in cold running water. Just before stuffing, mix in the 2 liters of icewater into the meat mix (gently!).

Start stuffing! Don"™t stuff to hard or they"™ll split open during cooking. We have found it easiest to make a longish, spiral ring instead of single, separate sausages. We make the spiral long enough to feed 2 people.

After stuffing, keep the boerewors in the refrigerator overnight before freezing.

Enjoy!


Erik D.

Ps. If making droerwors, make a single oval ring, tying off the sausage at each end. Tie another knot to connect each loose end so you can hang it over a broomstick (or whatever you might use to hang and dry things). Submerge in boiling water mixed with vinegar (5 dl vinegar to 3 liters water) for 2 seconds. Hang in a cool place (about 5-10 degrees celcius) with a good breeze (or use a fan). After 1 day take down the sausages, and flatten them gentley with a rolling pin to get out any trapped air. hang up again and let hang for about 2 weeks. Or until dry, it depends on the temperature. If any mold appears, throw it away!

[Writer Guy]

Tim,

So another critter succumbs to the 7mm. Man, that chamois is really light-colored compared to the one I got. -TONY

[Tim Buma]

Yeah they're losing their winter pelage real quick. I shot another this week, a bigger buck than this one, he was one step further toward summer coat, which is an attractive straw/light brown. The summer trophies/capes are just as attractive as the winter (Black) ones. I recently saw a mount where they had one of each mounted together on one plaque, that was really awesome. I'll post some more pictures of my latest hunt once I have them developed. (Still haven't gone digital)
Have since caught a pile more trout as well, some real beauts.
Right now no huntin/fishin as it's snowing and the rivers are flooded.
Unusual weather for this time of year.
That swap hunt (Tahr for Alaska Mountain Goat) is coming together.
Also working on a swap for an Ibex in Spain.