Where Are the Wild Things?
Carnage afield led to protective laws aplenty, putting an end to game in restaurants as Americans once knew it. Michaela York explains what happened and how now to taste nature as nature intended.
Many restaurants extol their game dishes. From a mixed grill entrée of elk chop, buffalo prime rib, and venison bratwurst at The Gun Barrel Steak & Game House in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to a weeklong wild game celebration at Big 4 Restaurant in The Huntington Hotel & Nob Hill Spa in San Francisco (see page 128), chefs are bringing a taste of the wild indoors. Or are they? In the United States, where the sale of wild game meat was restricted decades ago, some patrons may be wondering what's so gamey about the game meat on their plates.
When Henry Hudson anchored his Half Moon in today's New York harbor in 1609, he was amazed at the quantity of wildlife on Manhattan island. The area was a microcosm of the animals found in the rest of North America. The prairie lands stretching between the Appalachian Mountains and Rocky Mountains were the greatest wildlife repositories on the continent, a virtual walking larder of wild game. By the mid-1800s, game birds and large game animals filled meat markets around the country. It was not unusual in 1830s America for hundreds of deer, bear, raccoons, wild turkeys, geese, and various species of ducks to be displayed at the game market in New York. Because of North America's bounty, market-gunning hunters decimated whole populations of native species without any regard for the consequences. During the golden era of the commercial hunter from post–Civil War years to the beginning of the 20th century, birds and animals were driven to the edge of extinction. Indeed, the passenger pigeon, so numerous that in flight they turned day to night, was shot out of existence. Wild turkeys and heath hens disappeared. Market hunters shot waterfowl and shorebirds to oblivion, delivering them by the 100-pound barrel to restaurants in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Chicago. Market hunters killed quantities of deer and thinned buffalo past the point of being herds. The commercial market hunting of migratory birds became particularly alarming with the depletion of many species. Restaurant owners paid handsomely for wild birds while the fashion industry clamored for the dashing plumes of egrets and herons for ladies' hats. Conservationists and market hunters squared off in what has become known as "The Feather Wars." Although game laws existed in America from colonial days, including closed seasons and predator bounties, sportsmanlike conduct was yet to be defined.
Ultimately, it was sportsmen who spearheaded the conservation movement in the 1870s. National periodicals such as American Sports man, Forest and Stream, Field & Stream, and American Angler emerged, using the pages of their journals to disclose the exploits of the market hunters. Sportsmanship and responsible hunting were the mantra of these journals. Legislation was enacted for wildlife protection. In May 1900, Congress passed the Lacey Act, making the interstate shipment of illegally killed wild game a federal offense. But with profits too attractive and enforcement officers too few, the law was toothless. In 1913, the Weeks-McLean Law attempted to stop commercial market hunting and the illegal shipment of migratory birds between states.
Stronger legislation followed in 1916 with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, established between the United States and Canada, which protected all migratory birds and their parts—including eggs, nests, and feathers—by making it unlawful to take, possess, buy, sell, purchase, or barter any migratory bird. In ensuing decades, similar treaties were made between the United States and Mexico, Japan, and Russia. By the end of the first quarter of the 1900s, market hunters could no longer commercially sell game except some fish.
While the Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it clear that no migratory birds can be bought or sold, rules governing game are far less clear. In fact, it seems there is no law prohibiting the sale of wild game, only the lack of inclusion in the Federal Meat Inspection Act, which prevents the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting it. President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, mandating that the Department of Agriculture inspect livestock prior to slaughter, inspect carcasses postmortem, establish standards of sanitation for slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, and regularly inspect these operations. The law was partially inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, which exposed the unsanitary conditions of Chicago slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants. Wild game was excluded. However, premortem inspection of wild game was impossible and contrary to the nature of the hunt. Even today, the Federal Meat Inspection Act does not specify wild game in its guidelines, so the USDA cannot inspect it. Anything not under USDA jurisdiction falls to the Food and Drug Administration, which is not an inspection agency.
Though the United States currently boasts 25 million hunters, North American wild game is infrequently eaten in American homes and, with only one known exception, is never eaten in restaurants. The wild game enjoyed in restaurants has been USDA inspected premortem and postmortem and has been either farm or ranch raised. Ranch raised game roams over hundreds of acres and forages for food. Farm raised game lives in restricted space outdoors and is grain fed. True wild animals are born, live, forage, survive, and die, whether by natural causes or licensed sportsmen, in the wild.
So, where does the game on restaurant tables originate? Broken Arrow Ranch, located in Ingram, Texas, may be the only outfit harvesting true wild game meat. Since 1983 it has supplied restaurants with venison, antelope, and wild boar. "We're hunting on ranches that average 4,000 acres or so," says Chris Hughes, Broken Arrow Ranch president. "Many of these animals are behind a high fence, but they're not being fed. They're living on natural vegetation." Hughes points out that most of his wild game animals only roam within a limited radius of where they're born. Generally speaking, they aren't migratory.
However, the venison, antelope, and wild boar that Broken Arrow harvests are exotic or nonnative to Texas soil. The game consists of axis, sika, and fallow deer, and nilgai and blackbuck antelope. Most of these species were introduced to the area some 70 or 80 years ago. The wild boar is of European ancestry. Because these animals are exotic, they are considered livestock and can be owned. Translation: the animals can be bought and sold by ranchers; they can be harvested year-round because they are not regulated by hunting seasons; and they can be sold commercially.
At Broken Arrow Ranch a sanitary portable processing plant was developed for field harvesting. When a rancher contacts Broken Arrow Ranch to glean particular animals from the fields, a two-person harvest team made up of a shooter and skinner as well as a state meat inspector travel to the area with the mobile processing unit. The animal is killed and brought to the two-room mobile facility, where it's eviscerated and the carcass hung in the refrigerated cooler for transport back to the plant.
"Basically, instead of taking the animals to the plant, we take the plant to the animals," Hughes says. "We're not doing anything that anyone else couldn't do."
Working within the confines of the law, some Texas trappers are risking life and limb to trap wild boar alive, then carry them to Broken Arrow Ranch for slaughter under USDA inspection. Even though wild boar is a nonnative species, it's still considered pork and must abide by USDA inspection regulations. Though only hunters (or those of us who have hunters as friends) can cook and eat American game birds, we do have the option of enjoying a few imports. That is correct. We can't buy or sell game birds of national origin, but consumption of some that have traveled from Scotland is permitted.
Terrance Brennan, chef/owner of New York City's Picholine, has featured a wild game tasting menu for five years. 'The menu runs from the end of September until the last bird comes in, usually in the middle of February," Brennan says. While he would be thrilled to feature true wild game from the United States on his menu, currently he can only serve hare, grouse, and sometimes venison from Scotland, which is imported and distributed by Andrew Hamilton of Scottish Wild Harvest in Plainfield, New Jersey. Indeed, Brennan was Hamilton’s guest for a bird hunt in Scotland earlier this year.
Purveyors such as Ariane Daguin, owner of D'Artagnan in Newark, New Jersey, import game birds such as wood pigeon and pheasant from the Highlands of northern Scotland, where they are hunted on estates. Apparently, special trade links exist between the United States and Great Britain allowing the sale of their wild game meat in the United States. In some years, venison is allowed as well. Interestingly, in other parts of the world, postmortem inspections alone are acceptable practice. Science and technology today allow inspectors to look at the meat of a dead animal to determine whether it comes from a healthy specimen.
"The law in America is about animal inspection," Daguin says. "You cannot commercialize or do business with anyone whose animals are not killed in front of a USDA inspector."
Daguin emphasizes that there's little difference in the taste and texture of the meat of farm and ranch raised game. Specifically, she mentions a small New Jersey farmer who raises pheasants in confined large spaces, not in coops. The pheasants eat as much as they want and are able to fly and move about. Though the birds are tasty, technically speaking they're still farm raised. Daguin concedes that if the laws and regulations were such that American hunters could once again sell true wild game, she would embrace the concept.
"Certainly, the harvest, processing, and sale of wild game meat in America would have to be regulated to prevent abuse, but hunting for commercial sale would help regulate overpopulated deer herds," Daguin says.
It's also interesting to note a somewhat clandestine activity of eating wild game in American restaurants. Hunters, who are also faithful restaurant patrons, can bring game they've bagged to a restaurant for preparation. Though an extreme exception and special favor by the restaurant, the practice is tolerated though unappreciated by inspectors.
Certainly, the laws and regulations regarding the sale of wild game are confusing and convoluted at best. Can they be changed? Hughes explains that the USDA is such a large agency that it's nearly impossible to affect change without the help of a congressman. Ultimately, the key may exist within the jurisdiction of state health inspectors and Wildlife and Fisheries agents. For instance, wild alligators—hunted, processed, and commercially sold in Louisiana—were placed on the endangered species list in 1967 but had recovered by 1987 because of efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as southern state wildlife agencies. Today in Louisiana more than 33,000 wild alligators are harvested annually, with the estimated value of raw meat and raw hide harvests topping $10 million per year.
Of course, there are alligator hunt regulations. To qualify for alligator harvest tags, hunters must either own or lease wetland habitat. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issues harvest tags based on whether the habitat can sustain a harvest. Alligator hunters must also apply for an alligator hunting license, provide proof of property ownership, a map of the hunting area, a landowner's signature permitting alligator harvesting on the land, and if applicable, provide a legal alligator hunting lease. Those without permission to hunt alligators on private property, including nonresidents, can still participate as a sport hunter if accompanied by a guide possessing alligator tags. Residential alligator sport hunter licenses are $25; nonresidents pay $150 for the hunting privilege. The monies collected from licenses support educational outreach and the conservation and management programs of the Louisiana Fur and Alligator Advisory Council.
But what about processing facilities? To sell alligator meat, processors must pass several spot inspections annually by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals; they must have a Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries permit; they must comply with HACCP regulations; and they must pass annual FDA inspection. Though other states with wild alligator populations also sell the meat, Louisiana is likely the largest wholesaler and retailer of the product.
So, where's the loophole? Alligators are not wild game. They are considered fish when it comes to processing and sale. If alligators, once decimated by overhunting, have been allowed to recover to the point that their meat is now sold through regulated processors, why not implement similar regulations for the hunting and processing of other wild game meats? Glory be the day when restaurant goers can once again dine on the wild side of the law.
Sources for Game Broken Arrow Ranch Ingram, Texas 800-962-4263; www.brokenarrowranch.com A family owned and operated artisanal purveyor, Broken Arrow Ranch prides itself on field harvesting only truly wild animals and providing high-quality, free-range venison, antelope, and wild boar meats. Cavendish Game Birds Springfield, Vermont 800-772-0928; www.vermontquail.com Owned by bothers Rick and Bill Thompson, Cavendish Game Birds utilizes sustainable agriculture in producing farm-raised jumbo quail and ring-necked pheasant. A variety of products are available, including whole pheasant roosters, semi-boneless quail, quail eggs, and boneless airline breasts as well as pheasant and quail bones. D'Artagnan Newark, New Jersey 800-327-8264; x0; www.dartagnan.com Since 1985, D'Artagnan has been dedicated to supplying home and restaurant kitchens alike with the finest, freshest, and most natural game, meat, foie gras, truffles, and mushrooms. A leading purveyor not only in selection and quality but also in researching innovation and ecologically responsible means of production. Fossil Farms Oakland, New York 201-651-1190; www.fossilfarms.com Originally specializing in ostrich, this family owned and operated business, based out of Sussex County, New Jersey, has expanded to include numerous other all-natural , farm-raised game such as elk, antelope, buffalo, rabbit, quail, alligator, and squab. Millbrook Venison Products Millbrook, New York 800-774-DEER This Hudson Valley farm focuses solely on providing lean, farm-raised venison in a wide variety of cuts, including saddle, leg, medallions, and chops. Nicky USA Portland, Oregon 800-469-4162; www.nickyusa.com Focusing on sustainable, free-range game birds and meats, this Oregon-based purveyor offers high quality pheasant, palmetto squab, Oregon goat, moulard Muscovy duck, as well as Hudson Valley and Sonoma moulard foie gras. Scottish Wild Harvest Plainfield, New Jersey 908-822-1369; www.scottishwildharvest.com Scottish Wild Harvest imports wild food straight from Scotland. Founder Andrew Hamilton supplies some of New York City's top restaurants with his native land's langoustines, young grouse, pheasant, partridge, pigeon, wild salmon, and Highland venison. Wild Idea Buffalo Company Rapid City, South Dakota 866-658-6137; www.wildideabuffalo.com A company committed to sustainability and focused on healthy, humanely raised, grass-fed buffalo meat. In addition to the ranch, Wild Idea runs a nonprofit organization called Sustainable Harvest Alliance and works with a sister company, Broken Heart Buffalo Leather, to utilize the ranch's buffalo hides. —Anna Kostuk |
