We’re filming a Game and Fish Department webcast on cooking wild game. Actually, the “we’re” part is a stretch because I’m doing next to nothing from a comfortable chair in the background where I won’t bump an LED panel or trip over a camera tripod.
Scott Clausen (left), Finley (middle) and Cayla Bendel pose after the opening day of pheasant season.
If all goes well, I’m hoping for a free bowl of soup.
The webcast is called “Cayla’s Kitchen,” but it’s not actually being shot in her kitchen, which means nothing, and I mention it only to be transparent.
Cayla Bendel, North Dakota Game and Fish Department R3 coordinator, is cooking pheasant tortilla soup today. Cayla and her husband, Scott Clausen, and bird dog, Finley, harvested the birds opening weekend somewhere in Sheridan County, I think. (Note: While she will tell you what goes into her pheasant tortilla soup, from the garden-grown jalapenos to the canned black beans, Cayla is not going to give up her hunting spots.)
Maybe the main reason I’m playing the fly on the wall in this production is because I believe it’s important to celebrate the field to table aspect of why we hunt and fish. I’ve long preached to my kids that if you’re going to pull the trigger, then plan on eating it. The vacuum-sealed jackrabbit, fox squirrels, doves, pheasants, grouse and venison housed in our basement freezers are testament to that mantra that I’m certain my kids are tired of hearing but bow to with certainty.
“There's nothing more empowering and cool than going into the field and coming back and cooking what you harvested, or maybe saving for later to share with friends and family,” Cayla said. “I love the feeling of connecting all those dots together from field to table.”
Knowing what will grace her dinner plate and its origin is also a big motivator in her push to eat mostly wild game no matter the season.
“A pretty big driver for me and for a lot of young people getting into hunting is knowing where their food came from and eating healthy,” she said. “In terms of getting new people interested in hunting, the food aspect is a big deal ... from field to table with no steps in between.”
Cayla and Scott hunt and fish a lot and chase whatever is in season. While upland game bird hunting behind their pointing dog might top the list of her favorite outdoor activities, choosing a favorite many times fluctuates with the season.
“Pretty much every weekend that we can, we're out doing something,” she said. “The downside of trying to do it all is I feel like we're always torn on which thing to do and sometimes I feel we're making the wrong decision, but every once in a while, we get lucky.”
And Cayla is just as passionate about the time she spends in the kitchen. She smiles when asked if she enjoys cooking. She laughs when asked if Scott is any help in the kitchen. She wishes she could make a pie crust as well as her mom.
“Turkey hunting ranks pretty high with me and a lot of that has to do with the fact that I love the meat from wild turkey,” she said. “Usually, I just make turkey nuggets with the birds we get. That’s probably my husband’s favorite meal is when I make wild turkey nuggets.”
Another perk in my attendance is that while I’ve long enjoyed cooking wild game – I’m a long way from being good at it and always resort to the same old recipes – is that I figured I could pick up some ideas, go home with a tip or two.
See, I learned something. A couple easy tips to store in my mostly empty pantry of wild game cooking knowledge.
And just so you know, I never did get my free bowl of soup.
