Montana's New Wildlife Salvage Law/Recipes

HELENA - Montana’s new wildlife salvage law went into affect on Tuesday, November 26, 2013; it allows people to claim deer, elk, antelope, or moose that are killed in a vehicle collision.
The permit system, which is now approved and became operational on Tuesday, allows people to pick up road-killed wildlife. The permit must be completed within 24 hours of salvage, and only deer, elk, antelope, or moose killed in vehicular collisions can be salvaged.
A press release from MT FWP says that if a person is involved in a vehicle-animal collision, the Montana Highway Patrol and some other law enforcement officers responding to the collision will have the ability to process a permit on site. If not, the person must apply for a permit online.
Anyone who salvages a road-killed deer, elk, antelope, or moose will be required to remove the entire animal from where it is found. Parts or viscera cannot be left on site. The salvaged animal must be used for one’s own consumption and cannot be donated to others, used for bait or pet food.
To obtain a permit, a person must first agree to an affirmation to the conditions for the salvage and possession of vehicle killed wildlife. A law enforcement officer may require inspection of the animal, parts, and meat, and may request the permittee take the officer to the site where the animal was picked up.
Montana Highway Patrol Sergeant Jay Nelson explained, “Any peace officer in the state of Montana can issue a vehicle-killed wildlife salvaged permit. The Montana Highway Patrol is capable of actually printing the permits in their vehicles, we can issue the permits on the side of the road.”
Consumers of wildlife believe the new law is great for Montanans.
“We have people that are hungry here in this country. This is a good way to supplement your food. Some of that meat’s good. Yeah, some of it will be bad if it’s been hit hard, but overall I think it’s a wonderful program,” said Jefferson City resident Don Balser.
Go to: http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licenses/salvagePermit.html for more information.
So, if you are unfortunate enough to hit a deer, elk, antelope, or moose here are some recipes you might want to try!

City Chicken

Yield: 6 servings
Push onto 6 skewers:
2 pounds (beef/pork/wild meat)* cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
Combine:
1/2 cup fine cracker crumbs
1/2 cup corn-flake crumbs
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
3/4 t. poultry seasoning
1/2 t. MSG - (optional)
Combine:
1 slightly beaten egg
2 T. milk
Dip meat in:
1/2 cup flour
then in egg mixture, then in crumbs.
Brown slowly on all sides in
2 to 3 T fat
Dissolve:
1 chicken bouillon cube in
3/4 cup water
Add to meat. Cover tightly; simmer 1 hour or till tender or cover and bake at 350 about 1 hour.
Serve meat liquid as gravy.
Makes 6 servings.
* Editor’s note: If I don’t have any wild meat I use a combination of beef and pork. If I do have wild meat I use a combination of wild meat and pork.

Swiss Elk Steak
Game is Good Eating! by John Willard

2 lbs. chuck or low round steak about 1 1/2 inches thick
1/4 c. flour
2 T. bacon drippings
2 t. salt
2 c. canned tomatoes
3 medium-sized onions, sliced
1 stalk chopped celery
1/2 t. oregano
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
Pound flour into steak with back of butcher knife and brown slowly in hot fat in iron skillet.
Salt and pepper, then add rest of ingredients.
Cover an cook in 325-degree oven till tender, or about 2 hours.
Add a little water if needed to keep moist. Serve with tomato gravy.
Don’t be afraid to experiment a little with this one. Try some other seasonings, such as basil, sage, garlic, dry mustard or dried onions.

Venison Cutlets with Mushrooms

10 whole juniper berries
5 whole black peppercorns
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 t. salt
6 (6 oz.) venison cutlets, cut 1/2-inch think and pounded slightly, cut 1/2 inches thick
2 c. plus 1 T. flour
4 T. butter
1 T. cooking oil
1 c. thinly sliced mushrooms
3/4 c. cream
In a blender, pulverize the juniper berries, peppercorns, crumbled bay leaf and salt together. Firmly press the mixture into both sides of the cutlets with your fingertips. Dip cutlets in flour and shake off excess.
Melt the butter and oil in a heavy, 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the cutlets. Cook them for two or three minutes on each side so that they color evenly without burning. Don’t overcook, they should be slightly pink inside when done. Place the cutlets on a heated platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the mushrooms to the fat remaining in the skillet and cook them over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for three or four minutes.
Stir in 1 T. of flour and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly. Pour sauce over cutlets and serve.

Venison Chili

3 T. salad oil
2 lbs. boneless venison, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minded or pressed
1 fresh jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes
1/2 c. chili powder
1 t. sugar
1 (about 28 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
salt
Pour oil into a 5 to 6 quart pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add venison, a portion at a time, and brown well, stirring often. Then stir in onion, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Stir often until onion is limp, about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid, chili powder, and the sugar.
Stirring often, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until venison is very tender to bite, about 1 hour and 45 minutes; stir occasionally. Stir in beans and simmer until hot, about 10 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt. Makes about 10 cups, 7 or 8 servings.

Editor’s Note: If you don’t see any recipes here that sound good check out the recipes in the cookbook called: “How to Cook Road Kill - Meals from Under Wheels” by R. Marcou Print this post