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Wanda Redd recently visited North Platte from Beatrice to see Sandhil cranes. I ran into her at Lake Maloney where she and her family were staying. We began talking about Dutch ovens…and you know me and Dutch ovens! Redd prepared a wonderful meal made in her cast iron and I was lucky enough to get invited to taste some of what she made.

No…this is not a recipe for Sandhill crane. It is about Wanda Redd and her visit to North Platte.

Redd was recently in North Platte to see Sandhill cranes. She and her extended family are all residents of Beatrice. I met up with her at Lake Maloney where the group was staying and saw she was cooking with Dutch ovens. I am a big Dutch oven fan and one question lead to another. Then, I got invited to dinner.

“I began dabbling in Dutch oven cooking about 10 years ago when I attended a Becoming and Outdoor Woman event with my daughter at the national forest near Halsey,” Redd began. “I was hooked! I love cooking for my kids and grandkids, so cooking with cast iron was a natural extension for me.”

“I get so focused on my Dutch oven cooking that I can get separated from the chaos of the world and it takes me back in history,” Redd continued. “Today we are so used to fast food that we don’t appreciate the process of cooking and what you get back out of it. I remember what my mother and grandmother used to make, and I have a greater appreciation for them and what they did.”

“I remember I made baked beans once. I used a mixture of beans…black beans, red beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, some barbeque sauce, a little bit of Liquid Smoke and some brown sugar. Everyone liked them!” Redd said. “It just made me want to do more.”

I asked Redd what she wanted to do next with her Dutch ovens. Every Dutch oven cook I know looks for new things to try and experiment with.

“I want to learn how to make breads,” Redd answered. “I love the different types of breads and flavors. I think that would be fun.”

For the dinner I was invited to, Redd had made a roast beef with carrots and onions. For dessert there was a dish that she told me her great granddaughters had named ‘Fire Brownies’. It was a very thick, chocolaty, gooey dish that did remind me of brownies…and it was delicious.

If Redd and her family do come back to North Platte to see the Sandhill cranes again, I hope I get invited back to dinner!

The spring archery season for wild turkey begins this Friday. Good luck to all the archers out there who will be hunting.

Hunting the earliest part of this season can be very interesting. For example, what will the weather be like? The early part of this week Nebraska had snow in certain areas. I don’t think many people think about snow in the spring turkey season, but you need to.

Some years back I went on an early spring turkey hunting trip near Chadron. It snowed over a foot the night before the season open. That didn’t help those that had dark green camo! The spring turkey season can be full of surprises.

Have you ever experienced an aggressive gobbler charge in and attack your decoy? It may be hard to get an accurate shot off while you are laughing so hard, I’ve been there!

Early in the spring hunt, the Boss Gobbler in the area you are hunting can be quite aggressive if he thinks his territory is being invaded some other upstart tom. I often use a partial strut jake as a decoy just to illicit this kind of response. The Boss Gobbler will often charge in and attack the jake decoy. It is quite interesting to watch.

Dedicated scouting really helps your chances of success in the early season. Find the high point in your area and start studying the landscape. Look for movement.

Watch for turkeys leaving their roost in the morning or heading back in the evening. Watch for turkeys feeding during the middle of the day. Finding these kinds of spots can help put you in the right location.

You don’t have long to get all your gear in order. Have a good hunt!

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Wanda Redd recently visited North Platte from Beatrice to see Sandhil cranes. I ran into her at Lake Maloney where she and her family were staying. We began talking about Dutch ovens…and you know me and Dutch ovens! Redd prepared a wonderful meal made in her cast iron and I was lucky enough to get invited to taste some of what she made.

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