Banana spider

Okay this was still in Louisiana, but I haven't actually shot anything in Texas yet and I found this from a few days ago.It's not just the big game you have to watch out for around here!

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Squirrel stew

This was honestly the best meal I've had here in Louisiana. Squirrel season just opened up here and people are having cookouts everywhere. In Ville Platte, schools even shut down for a few days because the hunt is so popular. I had my reservations when it came to squirrel, but it was truly delicious. It tasted more like fowl than rabbit, not too gamy, juicy, tender and flavored just right. Squirrel stew

Shoot a couple of squirrels (when in season). Skin, gut & clean them and chop them up. Brown them in some butter or oil in a Dutch oven. Remove the squirrel, and fry some chopped onion, bell pepper, and perhaps a little celery. Add the squirrel and chopped smoked sausage (andouille will do just fine). Let the squirrel simmer on a low heat, adding water as needed, until tender. About four hours should do it. Season to taste and serve with rice and homemade coleslaw.

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Gator Nr 1, bagged and tagged

Today was our first day out on a gator hunt. We had breakfast at 6:30, with Louisiana still in a dark fog, and we were off to the marshes.I can't give up the full story just yet, but here's a glimpse of the ten foot lizard they caught today.

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gator head

Hello there TX&LA!

After a 30 hour (door to door) horror trip, we finally made it to Dallas, Texas, where everything is, indeed, bigger. Today we drove down to Opelousas, Louisiana, where we had dinner at this gorgeous truck stop with our first alligator hunter. Tomorrow he's taking us hunting in the swamps. 5:45 am, rise and shine!

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Back to school!

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Well people, I've made a decision: I'm going back to school. To the University of Amsterdam, to get my bachelor in English language and culture (part time). As the hunting project grew in my mind, I realized I needed writing to accompany this big project. The subject of hunting and its cultural/historical background are far too interesting and complex to cover in image alone. I considered collaborating with writers and researchers about this, and got very enthusiastic responses from several great writers, but practically it didn't work out. Since I'd been on the project from day one and would be there every step of the way, I slowly figured out it would be for the best if I would try writing it myself. I've always enjoyed writing, but I'm very excited about getting extensive training in writing critical essays and to learn how to do proper research. And to read all that literature! I've got first-day-of-school-jitters all over again, I never thought I'd see the day!