Please be aware that Outdoor Buddies will be following all state and local guidelines for our events. If you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, have traveled out of state in the past 2 weeks, or have been in close contact with anyone testing positive for COVID-19, please do not attend these events. Furthermore, if you are in a high-risk category, carefully consider your risk before attending.

We will be continuing to update our events and precautions as the situation develops. Thank you for your patience, optimism, and understanding. Hope all is well with you and yours!

This year it seemed like October took forever to get here for some reason!

The anticipation of the first Outdoor Buddies event of the year for hunting was felt by all!

The Outdoor Buddies annual Pronghorn hunt in Northern Colorado was underway! On Friday, October 1st the volunteers of Outdoor Buddies converged on the ranch to setup the camp check in wall tents that have become a beacon of light for those who participate in the hunting event!

Before the end of the day it looked like a small western town had popped up with all of the volunteers as well as the folks with disabilities that were camping to get the most out of their hunt for hope!

The next morning around 5am the smell of coffee was in the air as the volunteers that run the check in station get ready to greet the hunters with disabilities the youth and all of the volunteers that have been waiting all year for this day! The new volunteers that come to this event for the first time are always amazed at all the different disabilities and the sheer determination that they all have to enjoy the Colorado outdoors through this 9day event!

Over the next week there are many memories made by all. The number on “inkind” hours that are donated by the many volunteers that stay on the ranch to help make this event the success it is , well its humbling! Thank you to all that worked so hard that made this year’s event a great success.

The number of hunters did their part in the herd management of the Pronghorn on this ranch event though the hunters put in more hours per hunter to accomplish putting some meat in the freezer at least 90 percent of the hunters filled their license!

For our program’s the measurement of the success is not the number of tags filled but more importantly that the hunters made it out and the time spent enjoying the great outdoors is a gold standard Outdoor Buddies participants are measured by!

Special thanks to everyone who helped or participated in the Oct. rifle Pronghorn event! Great Job!

On another note, we are going to be running the late season rifle hunt for folks with disabilities that have drawn their doe pronghorn starting Nov.

CONTACT LARRY SANFORD THAT YOU HAVE A LICENSE FOR THE LATE SEASON IN NORTHERN CO. TO GO ON THAT HUNT.

TEXT WORKS GREAT, USE YOUR NAME AND THAT YOU HAVE A DOE LICENSE. 970-218-5356

My name is Jeff Dufrane. I am a mobility impaired hunter with a shoot from the vehicle license. This is my first year hunting in this condition due to a few new permanent medical conditions. I have always enjoyed hunting, and eagerly looked forward to getting out in the outdoors anytime my Army career would make that possible over the years. I moved back to Colorado for my final retirement move in 2018 and really didn’t know anyone here besides immediate family. Hunting was a challenge! A veteran I knew in Germany told me about Outdoor buddies and I was very excited to join! I have never been disappointed since! The exceptional support, help and guidance from this organization has always amazed me and I am honored to be a part of the organization.

My pronghorn hunt on 2 Oct 2021 was very much an example of this. The day started out with a bustle of people at the Meadow Springs Ranch in northern Colorado, about 24 miles from Fort Collins, CO. I drove to the controlled access entrance gate and was warmly greeted and handed two forms to fill out and instructed where to park and to turn the forms in at the tent. Upon completion, I was meet by Larry Sanford, who introduced me to my guide, Nate Lucht. We all gathered for a safety briefing and comments from Larry at 6:20 AM. We put a magnetic sign on the side of my truck and joined a line of hunters heading out into this 18,000 acre area. Nate drove and knows the area extremely well. And it wasn’t long before we were seeing pronghorn at a distance, of course, they were seeing us too! We broke off from another group of hunters we were traveling with and ventured out on our own. It’s about here that I must confess that shooting from a vehicle (especially in the civilian world) is a lot more difficult than I ever thought it would be. Getting a good sight picture takes a bit of practice, and lining up the vehicle to help get that perfect sight picture with a person you haven’t been out with, who really doesn’t know what he wants is even harder. We, (I) missed a few shots that I really shouldn’t have. Immediately I regretted being in the hospital when the outdoor buddies did rifle sight-in and shoot from a vehicle practice earlier this year.

Nate however is amazing, quick to adapt, easy going and encouraging. He simply responded with “let’s go find another Buck, this is exciting, and I’m loving this!” I couldn’t agree more, the area was breathtaking and there were plenty of opportunities.

We finally came across a buck that wasn’t that jumpy, in fact, when we saw it, and started backing away to get a better approach, it actually laid down! This gave Nate the perfect opportunity to get us into an optimal position to go around a hill and get a shot from above. When we crested the hill, he had moved a bit, but still a doable shot. Finally, the shot was made and the sound of a body hit could be heard 275 yards away. The buck jumped and disappeared. Driving closer, he was found dead below a little hill. Celebratory high 5s and pictures soon followed. Now the amazing work really started!

Nate got out his knives and had the buck clean and loaded in minutes. We headed back to camp with him smiling as much about or success as I was. We took the Buck to the game hooks at camp and Nate removed its skin and head for me so it could cool better for my trip home to Pueblo West, CO.

I have been on many hunts before, but none in my experience, have been so enjoyable. I contemplated the experience over and over in my head on the way home and feel, without a doubt, that I have been privileged to be a part of the day, hunt, and organization and hope that I might have been able to show how appreciative I was of having this opportunity also to meet new people and make new friends!

Thank you,

My hunting adventure with Outdoor Buddies took place on October 2, 2021. My husband and I drove up to the ranch (Unit 9) just North of Carr, Colorado. We got there around 5:30 am. We got all signed in and got the appropriate paperwork filled out. We waited until all the other hunters and volunteers were there. We all had a meeting with Larry Sanford, then we were paired up with Josh and Jenny Swanson as the guides and helpers for my hunt. After getting all set up, we drove to a section, where Josh wanted to take us.

Our first sighting was a buck- He was about 50 -70 yards away from us. Unfortunately, I could not try for the doe, since my tag was for a doe. The buck stood there and watched us, then it started moving. It got ahead of us on the path, and looked back at us as if it was wanting us to follow it. We drove around for about two and a half hours, without seeing any other pronghorn. We decided to head back to base camp, to use the restroom. We saw another hunter headed toward us. We stopped to say “Hello,” and they asked us if we had seen any pronghorn. We told them about the doe. We wished them good luck, then we continued to drive back to base camp. Upon arriving at base camp, we all got out to use the restroom, and they had Santiago Burritos, plus donuts for everyone who was there that day. We all got something to eat, then got all loaded back up in the truck to go back out hunting.

We drove in a different direction after leaving base camp. We drove for a little while, then Josh spotted some pronghorn. There were four does a little ways away from us. There was another hunter set up, so we stayed back to see if they were going to try and get one of the does. Josh was watching the hunter in the binoculars. They pulled out their rifle and got set up to take a shot. We heard the shot go off. We waited to move, until we knew the rifle was put down. Josh saw the hunter put the rifle back in the truck. We knew it was safe to move forward. We stopped to see if the hunter needed any help, or if she got one of the does. She told us she missed. Even though she missed, she still had the biggest smile on her face.

We wished her good luck, and then we drove off. We drove around for quite a while without seeing anymore pronghorn. Josh said, "Let's go back just in case some pronghorn have come back to any of the areas we have already driven by.” We turned around and started heading back. After a little while Josh spotted a couple pronghorn. Josh and Jenny were looking in the binoculars to see if they were does or bucks. We drove slowly to get closer to find out what they were. It was a buck laying down and a doe standing up. We kept moving slower to get closer for me to try and get a shot at the doe. Jenny helped me put my rifle out the window and to get a round in the chamber. We spotted another hunter a little bit behind us. We noticed they stopped. We kept inching closer to the buck and the doe. The buck got up and they both moved on us, so we had to try and turn our truck to get me in the right position for shooting. I was sitting in the backseat behind the driver's seat. We got turned enough for me to get into position. Jenny helped me steady my rifle and we all waited for the doe to turn, since she was facing us. She turned and I shot.

My husband, Josh and Jenny all hollered “You got her, she's on the ground!” It was such a great feeling hearing them all holler. I wasn't sure if I got her or not, due to my G-Line Phone Scope turning my phone off after the shot. We saw the other hunter drive slowly by. We later found out they wanted the buck. Lucky for them, the buck didn't run off very far from where I got my Doe. We were taking pictures, and we heard the shot from the other hunter. We hoped they got the buck, but we couldn't see from where we were. We got done taking pictures. My husband, Josh and Jenny got my doe loaded up in the truck, and we headed back to base camp. We got to base camp, got all signed back in, used the restroom, and then drove over to the hanging station to get my doe ready to be able to take her home and put her in the freezer. Josh and Jenny took the fur off, quartered, and gutted my doe, so we could put her in the cooler to bring home and put her in the freezer. While we were at the hanging station, we saw the other hunter from previously. He had gotten the buck that was with the doe I got. We congratulated him, and thought it was kinda cool the buck and doe were hanging side by side at the hanging station. The weather was nice for hunting and it was a great time. Even if I would not have gotten my doe tag filled, it still would have been fun, due to being able to get outdoors and go hunting.

I would like to thank Larry Sanford, The owner of the Ranch, and The Outdoor Buddies Organization for allowing me to go antelope hunting.

Google time: I am no linguist and almost none of this is pronounced how you might think it is on account of the French background. The sauce does not share a name with the likes or Robert Redford, Robert Frost, or your uncle on your dad’s side. In this usage Robert is pronounced “ROH-bear”. Pomme frites is pronounced “pom-freet” Confession time: this is not a true Sauce Robert, it’s Sauce Robert adjacent (I adapted it to better accompany venison). And I only called this “Steak Robert & Pomme Frites” to sound fancy…make no mistake about it, this is good ol’ fashioned steak and fries.

However if you tell friends you are making a twist on a classic French recipe with venison called Steak Robert and Pomme Frites, they will think you are much more cultured than if you told them you are making venison steak and fries with a tasty sauce.

Sauce Robert is a classic French sauce made with browned roux and brown mustard. It lives under the “espagnole” sauce family in the 5 “mother sauces” of French cooking and is normally used with pork. I fell down the sauce making rabbit hole a couple years ago and have still not fully emerged.

All you need to know for this recipe is that this sauce is the whole point to making it, otherwise it’s just steak. The sauce is what would happen if an old fashioned, red blooded American decided to attempt his/her own take at classic French sauces…and blindly stumbled upon something wonderful…after many failed attempts. I use a reduction technique instead of the roux and butter approach and while I love them to death, I don’t use onions in this sauce as a traditional Sauce Robert would. Serve this dish with fries or country fried potatoes…just like Uncle Sam would want you to.

· 3/4 cup Brandy (bourbon or whiskey will substitute just fine)

· 3 cups beef or venison stock

· 2 tbsp Brown or Dijon mustard

· 1 tsp black pepper

· ¼+ cup heavy whipping cream

· Fresh basil

· 2 tbsp oil

o Vegetable, canola, peanut, etc. Anything with a high smoke point (not olive oil).

o You want enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan lightly

· 1-2 lbs tender cut of wild game

o This will work equally well for any ungulate (hooved mammal). I have used it extensively for pronghorn

antelope but it also works well on elk. The cut is what is important here: use backstrap. For this dish to work,

a tender cut of meat that you would eat as a steak is essential.

o Leave backstrap whole but portioned out to specified weight above, do not pre-cut into steaks. You’ll end up

using one half to one eighth of a full backstrap for this (depending on the animal and the amount of folks you

are feeding). Just pay attention to the weight and adjust the sauce measurements accordingly.

· Salt/Black Pepper

Set the meat on a plate on your countertop, lightly salt and leave to come to room temperature (about 15 minutes). In the meantime, prep your side dishes and heat oil to medium high heat in a medium sized sauce pan.

Simply season meat generously with salt and black pepper. A good alternate would be to use a chili/coffee rub for red meat (available at many grocery stores, recipes also available online).

Slip meat into hot oil on sauce pan. DO NOT MOVE THE MEAT UNTIL IT RELEASES EASILY FROM THE PAN. If the meat sticks to the pan under a light-ish touch, it’s not ready to be turned. Turn the meat as it releases from the pan on each side until all sides (including ends) are properly seared. Be careful not to overdo it, this is a process that needs to be monitored. All said and done, this should take around 8-10 minutes total for a typical antelope backstrap, possibly up to 15 minutes for elk. It all depends on the surface area of meat.

Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature frequently in this process. You are shooting for 130 degrees internal temperature, knowing that the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees while resting after being removed from the heat source. Remove the meat and loosely tent in tin foil to rest.

*For thinner back straps (antelope and deer) you likely will be done after the pan sear. It’s helpful to have a minimally heated oven to rest the meat in after the pan sear: see process in the chicken fried steak recipe.

*For thicker cuts (elk and moose) you may need to place seared meat into a pre-heated oven at around 250 degrees for 10 minutes or so while you make your sauce.

In the same pan you seared the meat in, “deglaze” the pan with brandy/bourbon. Basically, as soon as you take the meat off, pour in the brandy while the pan is still hot and scrape up the fried bits of browned meat with a wooden or plastic spoon. This process takes less than 1 minute with most sized sauce pans…your deglazing liquid will instantly boil sending up a cloud of steam that you do not want to get a nose full of (trust me). The alcohol will burn off very quickly so be ready with the stock. As soon as you have an aggressive boil going with the deglazing liquid and the browned bits are all scraped up, add the stock. Lower heat to medium and “reduce”.

Reducing is the process of concentrating flavors while reducing volume; you are loosing liquid to evaporation while all the good stuff that makes a sauce a sauce becomes more concentrated. You don’t want a hard boil here, but you want some soft bubbling and a lot of steam coming off the mixture. Make a mental note of where the liquid level is on the sauce pan sides. You will want to stir this every couple of minutes. Within 10 minutes (depending on a variety of factors) the mixture should be reduced by at least half. You can judge whether or not you have reduced enough by dragging the spoon across the bottom of the pan: if the sauce fills in immediately behind the spoon you should continue to reduce. If the spoon leaves a trail behind it and the sauce fills it in slowly, you are ready. In terms of thickness, this should be somewhere between gravy and pure cream. When you have the desired thickness, add mustard and whisk it in. Add black pepper, stir and reduce heat to medium low for 1 minute.

At this point you do not want your sauce boiling or bubbling at all, just a steaming hot pan of tastiness. Add heavy cream and whisk into the sauce. Note that if you have a boiling sauce when you add cream (or bring it to boil afterwards) it will “break” your sauce and you will not be able to blend the cream with the oils. Hence the gradual reduction of heat during the sauce building process.

Add fresh basil to the sauce and stir for 1 minute. Turn off heat. Remove backstrap from the oven/foil and slice in ½”- ¼” thick pieces, across the grain. Ladle sauce onto the plate, add potatoes and slices of steak on top, garnish with chopped parsley if desired and enjoy!

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.