South Dakota
Here are three very easy recipes for fur, feather, and fin appetizers. For the sliders, you can use any venison (whitetail, mule deer, elk, caribou, etc.). For the Buffalo Pheasant, you can indeed substitute any upland bird (even waterfowl, I suppose) and incorporate this somewhat homemade buffalo sauce. For the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, you guessed it—you can use any fish, from saltwater to freshwater to scuzzy pond water fare (e.g., catfish).
The Blacktail Deer Foundation field team kicked 2025 off right with a conservation project on Kodiak Island Alaska capturing, collaring, and tracking black-tailed deer.
Inspired by the curry chicken and curry goat rotis I’d ordered from Trini roti shops in Toronto, I decided to make a version using venison meat instead. This is the perfect opportunity to use the venison stew meat you got back from the butcher’s or to cube up your own venison shoulder or neck roast. Keep in mind those Scotch bonnets are SPICY, so decrease the amount in the recipe if you’re sensitive to heat. If you can’t find Scotch bonnets, use habaneros or a couple of shots of Caribbean Scotch bonnet hot sauce instead.
Over the last 25 years, a common assertion you often hear is that muledeer populations are in decline. But is this true? This question is frequently posed to us at the Mule Deer Foun- dation (MDF), and it represents a significant issue that our leadership actively addresses. So, what’s the reality? The answer is nuanced. Innshort, it depends.
Birria is a famous Mexican stew or soup made with chili peppers and traditionally goat meat. It originated in the areas of Jalisco and Michoacán, as I understand, but continues to grow in popularity worldwide, with many variations popping up on social media.
It’s the little stuff like this that’s going to keep you in the field longer. Foot care is Paramount, especially if you’re heading into the foothills of the Rockies to chase after a Muley. You’ll need to put some miles on, and if your boots aren’t in tip-top shape, you’re setting yourself up for failure. So take the time now to clean your boots and do what maintenance is necessary. The reward? A comfortable, pain-free adventure when you head out to the mountain this fall.
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) benefitted 122 deer herds in 18 states through their mission delivery in 2024. These conservation actions improved over 700,000 acres and 151 miles of fence removed or modified to wildlife-friendly standards
When the Mule Deer Foundation asked me to write a Valentine’s Day recipe, I knew just the one. This is a Goñi Gonzalez family recipe—one my abuela often prepared for me, traditionally using corzo (roe deer), toro (bull), or beef. Over the years as I’ve started hunting the western United States, I’ve adapted it to include blacktail, elk, and of course, mule deer.
The Mule Deer Foundation is hosting a lottery drawing for the Treasure State’s most coveted big game tag. Contrary to the past where this exclusive tag has been all but unattainable behind a pay to play auction system; in 2025, we are hosting an open raffle with a price tag available to all who are interested.
The North American conservation model is the bedrock of all hunting and fishing tradtions in the United States. A critical part of this concept is that we, the people, own the land and the resources, which is managed through scientific management through the state wildlife agencies and legislation supported by scientific data from these agencies. Now, this is very much the best-case scenario: a state legislator sitting in the State Communittee that overseas fishing and game notices that the Turkey population has been decreasing. A member then uses that scientific data from the state agency, to propose a bill that would limit the season so they can in the long term help try to recover the population. It’s pretty cut and dry, but unfortunately, that’s not always what happens.
Spicy venison fruit snacks might also be an appropriate recipe name, since that is how I’d best classify this jerky. There is some decent spice to this jerky—not overwhelming, in my opinion—but it may be too hot for kids, so not exactly kid-friendly venison fruit snacks. I did however give to my 4-year-old daughter and she enjoyed, but took a long time chewing the small piece, saying, “It’s kinda spicy.”