Saturday, September 27, 2008

Adcock's alligator hunt


Click here to view this video of William Adcock getting this gator. Be sure to click your back browser button to return here.
There's two more weekends left! We see the ones that make it into the boat. Click below to tell us your stories of the ones that got away!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Frank Moses got this huge wild boar!




Now I know the picture would be better if the hog was facing up, but there was no one here that could pick up a 396 lb. wild boar. Frank's getting Kenneth to do an open mouth boar mount on him, so keep a look out for this one in the shop in a few months!
If you get a big boar - over 200 lbs. or so - the meat is usually not good to eat. And no, it doesn't help to castrate him once he's dead! Think about it, once the blood stops pumping, the male hormones stop moving through the body, so it makes no difference. The hormones that make the meat strong smelling are related to the maturity of the animal, so unless you plan on mounting a boar leave it in the woods for recycling!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Wow! Biggest dressed weight ever! Bill McKinnon's buck dressed 158. 2 lbs.


This buck beats all the records since we've been keeping them here at Cordray's! Bill McKinnon killed this 11 point buck in rural Dorchester County. Bill says he's seen him twice around the soybean fields before today. When he saw him tonight he said he just looked bigger and bigger as he kept walking towards the stand. I think Bill and his dad were as surprised as we were when we got the chance to look at him in the bright light. The new Big Buck leader's live weight was 253 lbs. and he dressed, even after being caped, at 158.2 lbs. The picture really doesn't do justice to just how big this deer was! Congratulations, Bill McKinnon!

Meatballs!

Meatballs with Gravy

Ingredients for the Meatballs:
1 lb of ground beef
½ lb of ground pork (Cordray Brother’s sausage is a good pick!)
½ cup onions (I choose not to put in onions, but it is your preference)
¾ cup dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
½ cup milk
Ingredients for the Gravy:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tap pepper
2 cups water
¾ cup sour cream
To prepare the meatballs:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Once combined roll some meat into about 1 inch thick balls. (You can choose to make them thicker, but the thicker they are the longer it takes to cook them.) Cook each meatball in a saucepan with oil until the meat is cooked through. Let them sit on a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil. Set aside.
To prepare the gravy:
Add the first 4 ingredients until they are smooth. Add the water and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the sour cream (not while boiling).

Once the gravy is done, add the meatballs back into the pan and let everything heat. Serve the meatballs and gravy with rice.

If you like to prepare ahead of time, this is a great recipe. You can cook the meatballs and once they have cooled, you can freeze them. Then whenever you are in a crunch for supper, just let the meatballs thaw and you only have to make the sauce!
Have ideas for other quick meals? Click to comment on this post and we'll share your recipes.
Kristin

Ernie Warder and Dave Olson are tied!



First time ever! Right now the Big Buck contest is tied. Dave Olson and Ernie Warder both had bucks that weighed 128.4 lbs. Now you know it will just hurt Michael to have to give away 2 deer stands on September 27th! And if they both stay on top, he will whine for months if he has to give away 2 shotguns! So please, bring in a bigger buck!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Heather Prine got an 8 point!


Heather was all smiles when she brought in this 8 point Sunday evening. Most of the hunters Saturday and Sunday reported seeing lots of doe groups and a few young bucks still traveling together. We aren't getting any reports on signs of the rut yet. We've had quite a spike in the deer brought in, but are attributing most of that to the cooler weather. Tell your story below.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The TV crew was here!

For the next 3 Sundays we are opening on Sunday mornings to take in gators. We're only open from 8 to 10 am, but this morning we had an added attraction of a TV crew from Comcast. They are doing a story on the new gator season, so came by to interview some gator hunters. Stay tuned for more information as we get it on when and where it will be aired.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Look who's cutting doughnuts in the yard!



Now don't you think these two should know better?

Ethelene Cordray, Michael's mother, and Tristan tore through the parking lot Saturday afternoon! I'm pretty sure she refused to ride into the pond with the ducks.