It all started with looking at the food I was eating and giving my son and wondering what happened to it before it gets in our plates. What impact did it have on nature, what will it do to my body, but more importantly how will it support or compromise my son’s development and future health. What I learned motivated me to make some changes. After all, you are what you eat. The first steps of the journey were easy; gradually switching to organic, stalking farmers markets to get to know who does what and how. Buying bulk from ethical farmers and learning techniques for preserving and canning. Th ..read more

On my travels through Hanoi Vietnam, my favourite meal was Bun Cha. Grilled meatballs with fresh herbs on vermicelli with “special” dipping sauce. Special, because every family’s dipping sauce is a bit different highlighting the sweet, the sour, or the savoury of the sauce. Traditionally this dish is made with ground pork. I use the much leaner ground game meat and add about 1/3 ground pork. The pork adds fat and acts as a binder for the meatballs. This recipe features black bear meat which has a much higher fat content than venison, so you can skip the adding pork. However, the pork ..read more

On Missing Deer My hunting mentor once said to me: Dylan, you miss more deer than most guys will see in a lifetime. I used to think that was something to be proud of: I was capable of creating the opportunity to see lots of deer. I sometimes tell a story about missing four deer in one morning. I missed the fourth deer at 6 yards away with the first shot, when he was 15 yards away I got him. There are many ways to miss deer and I think that it is something we should talk more about as hunters and something we should try to do a better job of avoiding. Within our hunting culture we more oft ..read more