An End Of Hunting Season Recipe: Tag Soup

Depending on where you live in BC, you may find yourself at the end of hunting season with nothing in the freezer. This soup recipe, although sometimes difficult to swallow, will be just enough to get you through a long winter and into a fresh start in 2021. This is just a guideline, so feel free to adjust amounts according to how your season went.

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 months of scouting
• Several dashes of early season optimism
• 3 to 4 missed opportunities
• 2 to 3 weeks of poor weather
• 2 dozen instances of getting busted by does
• A couple hundred kilometres put on the hiking boots
• 1/2 cup of sweat
• 1/4 cup of tears
• All unfilled hunting tags, sliced into strips
• One ounce of remaining motivation
• A love of the outdoors, to taste

Method

In a large stock pot, bring two to four months of scouting to a boil over medium high heat. If you still have some stashed away, this is the point in which you want to add several dashes of early season optimism. While this is coming to a boil, prepare the other ingredients. Depending on the season, you may have a variety of different things to add to the soup: several missed opportunities, a few weeks of poor weather conditions, a handful of good hunting days lost to work obligations, a couple dozen instances of getting busted by does, and a several hundred kilometers put on the old boots. Add this all into the stockpot once your mixture comes to a boil, then cover and simmer for several hours.

After the soup has been simmering, you will add the remaining ingredients before serving. Combine the sweat and tears in a small bowl and whisk together before pouring into the stockpot, add the unfilled hunting tags, an ounce of any remaining motivation (you might have to search deep for this) and top it all off with a heaping spoonful of love for the outdoors. Stir together, pour into individual serving bowls, and try your best to enjoy!

*Note: Tag soup is best enjoyed as a meal with some of your closest hunting buddies. It serves as a good opportunity to look back at your hunting season, both the good and the bad. Reflecting on a season that left you with tag soup is a great way to prepare yourself for next year’s season.