When you walk up to the butcher in your local supermarket and ask, “Is this meat raised free range on a farm and fed an all-natural diet, free of antibiotic/hormone injections?” You may or may not find what you are looking for. We at Gage Outdoors believe that the cleanest and leanest meat you will find comes from those found on a network of our ranches, with notable wide-open acreage. And, you might be surprised at all the new people we are attracting to hunting.
Excerpted from Esquire Magazine, By Ilise S. Carter June 2015. “If you’re going to go organic, artisanal, locally sourced and farm-to-table, you might as well shoot it yourself. At least that’s what hunter John Donahue believes. Donahue is an enthusiastic advocate for the positive aspects of hunting and wants the public to consider what it means to stalk and harvest your meats. A Brooklyn-dwelling, white-collar marketing consultant, he’s not the good old boy with a gun rack that people usually associate with the sport.
Clearly a city kid, Donahue peppers his descriptions of the hunting experience with excited revelations, such as “Who knew that turkeys flew, by the way? I didn’t know turkeys flew, but they can fly their ass off!” Donahue became interested in bow hunting several years ago after shooting some targets at his cousin’s house in upstate New York. It was a gateway to hunting, which he found more rewarding. “Finding a 25-lb. bird in 25-acres [of farmland] is more difficult than one would expect,” he says, “it became clear to me that the hunt was the part that was exciting.” And he means the actual hunt itself. He spends days getting to know the literal lay of the land–where the animals eat, sleep, and travel, only then does he harvest, field dress an animal, and take it home to consume. It’s a process, he insists, that gives him a sense of reverence for nature and that, if done right, isn’t an act of pure macho aggression. “A hunter knows where their food comes from and they respect those animals. It’s such a powerful, spiritual thing to go through.”
– founded by two brothers from Michigan, Janis and Mahting Putelis, who now promote and mentor hunters of all ages on how to track, hunt, field dress and cook what they catch. Check them out at https://hunttoeat.com/. One of the brothers helped found https://store.themeateater.com/. In a recent blog post from Mahting, he said “hunting is an ethically and scientifically sound conservation practice that is an integral part of the North American model of wildlife management.”
The Putelis brothers have built their business and their reputations on hunting to provide “real food” while also encouraging best practices for the conservation of all wild-life.
Call us today, ask for Rob or Mercy # 763-595-5936. We’ll help you fill your freezer!
Gage Outdoor Expeditions / Thunderstik Lodge / Texas Specialty Hunts / Texas Helicopter Hog Hunting
