BY KEITH LACEY
Add the right spices, marinate properly and add some tender, loving care and you?d be amazed how good certain wild animals can taste, says Bud Carmichael. He would know.
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Bud Carmichael calls the annual Sudbury Wild Game Dinner a labour of love. |
For the 15th consecutive year, Carmichael has organized the Sudbury Wild Game Dinner, set for this afternoon at the Croatian Hall on Frood Road. Carmichael and 140 hunting buddies, seniors and good friends will gather to consume an assortment of wild game.
Carmichael, 72, long retired after 37 years as a conservation officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources, spends much of his free time hunting different species across Canada and the United States.
This year?s wild game dinner will include portions of deer, moose, caribou, elk, wild turkey, pheasant, quail, beaver and even crocodile.
Carmichael bags most of the game, but also spends three days with friend and former railway chef Shane Mulroy preparing the feast.
?It?s something we both love doing.?
When asked to rate his favourite wild game, Carmichael doesn?t hesitate for a second.
?I like elk the best, moose is number two, deer number three and caribou number four in my books,? he said.
Carmichael just returned from a two-week deer hunting excursion to Missouri. He?s been a regular hunter over much of his life in numerous provinces and several states south of the border, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico.
The wild game dinner has always been a fundraising event for various Sudbury and area non-profit organizations.
Once again this year, all proceeds from the dinner will go to the Sudbury Big Brothers organization.
?I invite mostly seniors and personal friends of mine. We don?t charge anything, but we do ask everyone who attends to make a donation of what they can afford.?
He expects to present Big Brothers with a cheque exceeding $1,000.
Carmichael plans on hunting and holding the wild game dinner for many years to come.
?I just love this or else I wouldn?t do it,? he said. ?As long as the good Lord is willing, I hope we can do this for a few more years.?
