sausageheavenoutdoors Enjoy making homemade sausage, Tasty way's to BBQ, smoking meats and poultry. See how northern Minnesota was settled and the life early homesteader's lived their lives and more!!

FIREARMS DEER RESULTS

Minnesota hunters registered 111,000 deer through the third and last weekend of firearms deer season, down 31,000 from the same period in 2013 , according to the DNR. So far this year during special hunts and archery, early antlerless and firearms seasons, hunters have harvested 127,000 deer, down from the 2013 to-date harvest total of 160,000. This year’s lower harvest is by design because regulations were implemented to place more deer-particularly does-off limits to increase Minnesota’s deer population.

The DNR’s ongoing deer management work also includes upcoming revisions to the deer population goals for large portions or northeastern , north-central and east-central Minnesota. This is part of a multi-year goal setting process for rthe entire state. People interested in helping set these deer population goals can get more information on the process and opportunities for involvement at http://www.mndnr.gov/deer.

Additional deer will be harvested during the late southeastern season, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 30, and the muzzleloader season, which begins Saturday, Nov. 29, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 14. The archery season also runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31.

SAUSAGE FOR STUFFING

So you don’t have a grinder and that store bought sausage just isn’t doing it for you anymore. Most of us use pork sausage for stuffing for Thanksgiving stuffing. For me it’s a must have!! I have a grinder and make my own sausage all year long as most of you know. However I know some of you do not have a grinder and may be looking for a great recipe just to make a pound or two. Well here it is. All you need to do is buy some ground pork, and the seasonings, we usually have around the house. If not they are easy to get so let’s get to it.

Easy Tasty Pork Sausage

1 lb. ground pork
1 T brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper [optional]
1 tsp smokehouse maple seasoning [optional] I use McCormicks [Grill Mates] Smokehouse Maple.

The cayenne is if you want a little heat and the Smokehouse Maple is of course if you want a little maple flavor in your sausage. In a large bowl, stir seasonings together with ground pork. Scoop into balls and form into patties. Fry in a nonstick skillet with a little cooking spray. Once they are done, put them on paper towels and serve as patties or just fry and chop the mix up as your frying into small pieces and use in your stuffing. Give it a try, you wont be disappointed. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

FEWER DEER HUNTERS REGISTER DEER

Should not surprise anyone with bucks only in most of Minnesota. Also the weather in the last two years with the heavy snow and cold temps put deer numbers at very low levels so far. Minnesota hunters registered 54,000 deer during the first three days of firearms deer season, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Final numbers from the weekend show that the number of deer registered dropped 30,000 from 2013. So far this year, including special hunts and the archery season, hunters have harvested 67,000 deer, down from the 2013 to-date harvest total of 100,000.

“Comparing this year’s harvest to harvests in previous years doesn’t necessarily reflect hunter opportunity or the number of deer on the landscape in 2014”, said Leslie McInenly, DNR big game program leader. This year’s lower harvest is by design because regulations were implemented to place more deer=particularly does-off limits to increase Minnesota’s deer population.

The DNR’s ongoing deer management work also includes upcoming revisions to the deer population goals for large portions of northeastern, north-central and east-central Minnesota. This is part of a multi-year goal-setting process for the entire state. People interested in helping set these deer population goals can get more information on the process and opportunities for involvement at http://www.mndnr.gov/deer.

In much of Minnesota, the deer season continues through Sunday, Nov. 23; the late southeastern season, which runs Saturday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 30; and the muzzleloader season, which begins Saturday, Nov. 29, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 14.