Born to Hunt

Duma the hunter.

Duma is a Catahoula Leopard Dog. The state dog of Louisiana. We got him from a shelter, but think he must be pure bred. If you go to Wikipedia and look up his breed, there is picture of a dog that could be Duma. The breed is thought to have been derived from a cross of French and Native American hunting dogs. In our lives, Duma is a working dog. A very sweet one, if you’re a human. Not so sweet if you’re anything other than human or canine. He kills the rabbits, groundhogs, voles, moles, rats, mice, deer, chickens, and tries to kill the cats. He’s a hunting dog. It’s what he is made to do.

Dumas weapons of choice.

Last week I got an email from a friend named Janet who keeps chickens. One of her spring chicks had grown up to be a rooster instead of a hen. Janet already had a rooster, one that was civil to her hens. This young rooster, it turned out, was not so gentle. Janet wanted him gone. I started looking up recipes for Coq Au Vin.

When unwanted, commonly eaten animals turn up, I usually get a call. Not just from Janet, from everyone. Deer caught in the fence? My phone rings. Groundhog chewing up the crops? My texts ping. (Yes, groundhog is edible and when cooked the right way, really delicious.)

I picked up the rooster from Janet’s. It was captured and waiting in a cardboard box, taped shut. I took the rooster to the farm and went for a walk through the woods with Malaika and Duma. As is his way, Duma was on the hunt, for anything. He’d pick up a scent and race off after the deer on the other side of the fence. He’d dig and schnarf around for moles. Finally he found a mound of dirt in the woods that kept him focused and digging for 20 minutes.

With the dog focused on digging, the moment was ripe to kill the rooster. I got a knife, and slowly opened the rooster’s box. I had a plan. Pick up the rooster, hold him and slit his throat. The rooster had other plans. Cue the Alice in Chains song, Rooster.

I spent the next hour running through the fields with a knife, after a speedy rooster. Finally the bird realized it was getting dark and he could hide in the woods. Which he did.

That’s about the time Duma showed up.

We humans have a long history of utilizing dogs when hunting. And we’ve bred some to be incredibly efficient at the task. All I had to say was, “Duma, get the rooster,” and in less than a minute. We had a dead bird.

It was an incredible thing to witness. Duma walked into the woods, nose to the ground, head darting back and forth, until he rooted out the rooster which gave chase. The dog followed in a streak and pounced like a large cat. Then it was over. I took the bird from the dog, who surrendered it right over.

Dead Rooster.

I removed the guts and gave Duma a well-deserved treat, the liver and heart, then plucked the bird. The next day, I stewed the meat and bones (and feet and cockscomb) in a bottle of wine with several root vegetables. It was incredibly rich, and really delicious. I dropped a quart off for Janet.

Coq Au Vin
Serves 6

Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 2 hr

2 slices bacon, chopped
1 rooster, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 of a bottle of good red wine
1 turnip, peeled and chunked
1 rutabaga, peeled and chunked
1 carrot, peeled and chunked

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a bowl leaving the fat in the pan. Season the rooster with salt and pepper, then brown the pieces in batches. Remove the rooster, then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute.

Stir in the wine (and drink the rest of the bottle) along with the turnip, rutabaga, carrot, rooster, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve sprinkled with the bacon over cooked egg noodles.