The Fleming County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Mason County horticulture agent, and Mason County program assistant partnered with the local library and Fish & Wildlife officers to host a cook wild program. The program was requested and gained a lot of interest as sign-ups were required. Registration limits were reached at 25 people, with a significant wait list.

Prior to the program, a trip to Jungle Jim’s was planned to purchase wild game meat, but several types of meat were not available. The agents and program assistant worked together to find the meat needed and have it donated for the program, which included dove, duck, and beaver. The program took many hours of preparation as the agents & assistant spent ten hours each cooking “Cook Wild” recipes to serve to the participants.

Taste of Kentucky Wild started with a room decorated by the agents and program assistant with mounted animals to give the true feeling of an outdoor experience. The Fleming County Ag & Natural Resource agent started by welcoming everyone and describing the program and information about the recipes they would try. During this time, the Mason County horticulture agent and program assistant plated up each recipe so all the plates looked the same so they could follow along with the picture provided, and the library helped hand out plates. The meal included recipes from Cook Wild; there were several different types of meat, including beaver, rabbit, deer, dove, duck, elk, squirrel, and frog legs.

The Horticulture agent prepared a PowerPoint so participants could see what each animal looked like; in addition, she brought pelts for everyone to see and touch. Examples of rubber animal tracks and scat were passed around where the agent talked about identifying wildlife without actually seeing the animal. She explained that some wildlife animals are not considered edible and that each type of animal may need a different trap to catch or kill the animal.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officers spoke last about hunting and trapping requirements. They explained that there are laws and regulations in Kentucky that must be followed. The requirements included dates of hunting, trapping along with harvesting amounts, and do’s and don’ts of harvesting animals. The day ended by having wildlife officers process a rabbit. Participants gathered around officers as they processed the rabbit and explained it step-by-step. Two participants took home the processed rabbit to freeze to cook later.

Overall, the program was successful based on survey questions, as 100% of surveyed participants said they learned something new and tried at least one new wild game meat.  All participants said they planned to use one of the recipes at home.