doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Anyone eat Woodchuck?

Had to read that line twice. I placed one word in the wrong sequence the first time!

guns I laughed out loud. I was raised on a farm too.

Thanks.

My Lithuanian grandma cooked woodchuck---for the dog. How did she cook it? Just throw it into a big pot, boil it, hair, guts and all! What a stink--she said you just needed to kill the worms, dogs eat road kill and survive. Yuck! Nothing went to waste on her farm.....But I read there are some scent glands you should cut out if people are being fed. Never tried it after seeing grannie cook it!

Watched an episode of "Hillbilly Blood" this weekend where the boys from Cold Mountain, N.C. cooked up some possum road kill. Sorry to say the only part left worth cooking was the legs. It kind of looked funny with those possum feet in the frying pan.
But I will say it must is going to be a long summer when a tread like this sprouts legs like it has.
Just saying

One Sunday when I was a kid, the Old Man skipped church and went fishing. Bored, I grabbed an old single 12 and went for a walk in the back pastures. I jumped a fat groundhog and gave him a dose of #3. I toted him back to the house and asked Mom if she would cook it. For some reason, she agreed, and I cleaned him and she threw him in the roaster pan with some onion soup mix. Lo and behold the Preacher shows up to check on why we weren't at church. Now, for anyone who hasn't grown up in the Bible Belt, it's common for preachers to make their rounds and its a written, enforceable law (somewhere) that he must be fed best Sunday dinner when he comes by. Mom went into a panic, because she was flat busted with the Old Man out fishing (another law). She went into a bustle fixing cornbread, potatoes and green beans while nervously conversing with the Preacher as he patiently sat at the dinner table. I set the table and poured the ice tea. Once all the platters were filled, out came the main entree. The Guest of Honor lifted the roaster lid and there sat brother groundhog, all gray and slick with fat. At which point Preacher, a man well experienced in surprise meals, deadpanned, "Well, what are we having, rat?" Mom's heart stopped and and her mouth started moving with no words coming out. Preacher asked me to help cut it up and we dug in. Kinda stringy and a bit greasy. We finished and Preacher went on his way. Mom took her first full breath only after the door shut. Next Sunday we were all in church. I recall the Old Man not looking too happy.

I have shot a lot of groundhogs on our farm in Virginia. Never eaten one though.

I have been told by those that have eaten groundhog that the younger ones were good eating.

Good story A10CN....laughed out loud on that one!

Never eaten groundhog, there's none here in N ID, but perhaps a rock chuck would be a good substitute. My brother and I did cook up a raccoon he trapped years ago. It tasted decent, but was a bit greasy. My folks were mortified that we cooked and ate it.

Never tried wood chuck, but always intended too...Any of my 3 favorite muskrat recipes ought to work for 'chucks:
1) boil lightly the skinned/gutted body and pick the meat off. Then layer the meat in a casserole dish with alternating layers of rice and cheese. cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.
2)I once substituited muskrat for chicken in my mother's chicken caccatorre recipe. Those that tried it, loved it.
3) Muskrat meatloaf. Ground rat mixed with all the traditional meat loaf ingrediants. Very tasty.
Mergus

I have not eaten any Woodchucks but I had an older friend who was raised out in New York state, he told me they used to hunt them to eat. They would string out a can of baked beans for them when they got gunshy. He claimed that a Woodchuck could not resist baked beans from a can. I know they eat them.
I also had an older lady who taught me a good method of cooking Raccoons and I am sure it would work for Woodchucks.
First she said to never try and eat an old one, only the younger ones. Next you have to skin them as soon as you can and gut them, then you take out the scent glands under the front legs, she called them kernels. You then take a knife and cut and scrape off all the fat you can get off the carcass. Then you need to parboil them in vinegar water, this removes more fat residue and gets rid of some of the stronger taste.
Last, you cut up a large onion and an apple, quarter both and stuff them into the body cavity, then do a slow roast in the oven after adding a little liquid to the bottom of the pan. This method turns young raccoons into a delicious meal. I have eaten Beaver fixed this way as well. Cook them long and low to make them good and tender. Bob