Hunting season can mean a generous amount of deer meat to process and enjoy. But if you are like me, you set out a pack of venison to cook, and then life gets in the way…

Can you refreeze that venison after it’s thawed out?

The Deer hunting community seems to have this rumor floating around…” you cant refreeze deer meat!”

But that’s just not true…

You can refreeze thawed venison without safety concerns, provided you make sure it has been kept cool and dry, such as in the refrigerator. After that, the only real issue with re-freezing is that you may notice a distinct drop in taste and tenderness from moisture loss.

If you are looking into making the most out of your venison, keep on reading.

In the rest of this article, I’ll get into the details of how protein-rich and flavorful venison meat is processed and stored and how refreezing them could impact quality.

Table of Contents

• Can You Refreeze Defrosted Venison?
  • What Is Venison?
• What Happens When You Refreeze Defrosted Venison?
• How To Transport and Process Freshly Hunted Venison
• How Do You Store Venison?
• Do You Need To Freeze Venison?
• How Should You Thaw Venison?

Can You Refreeze Defrosted Venison?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, you can still refreeze thawed meat, although you must handle it correctly before being refrozen. This includes keeping venison thawed in the refrigerator for a maximum of four days or at room temperature for no more than two hours.

Thawed meat also cannot be left out of the fridge at a temperature above 90 °F (32.22 °C) for more than an hour.

Be mindful, however, that these standards are the essential elements of safely storing and preparing meat products for future consumption. Safety, though, does not necessarily guarantee quality.

Unfortunately, the taste and quality of venison can deteriorate when refrozen, so this is something you will also have to consider.

It’s also important to fully understand the meat you’re working with, as it has slightly different properties to beef and pork.

What Is Venison?

Venison is any portion of deer meat that is edible. Generally, venison includes all the deer’s internal organs, such as the heart, kidneys, liver, intestines, and of course the main cuts of red meat. It takes its name from the Latin word venatus, which literally means “to hunt.”

Composition-wise, it resembles that of beef and can also be prepared into similar cut-types such as chops, cutlets, tenderloins, and ribs.

In the United States, Canada, and other countries like Australia, deer hunting is extremely popular. Hunters help regulate populations, and in turn, provide funding through license sales that help fund conservation efforts.

Whitetail deer is the most popular big game mammal in the United States, and millions of ethical hunters harvest and process their own venison for the dinner table.

Me included!

What Happens When You Refreeze Defrosted Venison?

We’ve already established that refreezing defrosted venison a second time is generally safe, given that you observe certain safety caveats.

Many are curious, though, about the specific trade-offs when you refreeze venison and why it is usually discouraged.

While refreezing venison is safe, it can come with quality tradeoffs. In a mini-experiment, tasters compared two types of cooked venison meats, with the first thawed once and the second twice. They found the twice-frozen venison meat either less tender or less flavorful.

Still, it depends on the overall food preparation and handling, as one of the tasters reported that they did not notice any difference between the two types of meat’s overall flavor.

How To Transport and Process Freshly Hunted Venison

Freshly hunted venison needs to be processed correctly to avoid contamination and possible poisoning. Licensed venison processors adhere to safety standards to produce safe, retail-quality deer meat.

Upon transporting deer carcasses from hunting to initial processing, handlers must ensure that environmental elements or fecal matter do not contaminate the raw meat.

During transport, pack ice cubes into the deer’s cavity to keep its insides cold. Ice must be contained in a sealed pouch as once it melts, excess water inside the cavity may lead to spoilage. Carcasses must also be processed immediately and placed away from sunlight to maintain their freshness.

Especially when the ambient air is above 40 °F (4.44°C), hunters must refrigerate venison as soon as possible, ideally within three to four hours.

If you bring your venison carcass to a meat processor, they could refuse to handle it if they find apparent signs of meat mishandling. The measure is necessary to keep you and the rest of your family safe by consuming only fresh venison, so it is best not to argue with them.

How Do You Store Venison?

You should store venison below 4 °F (-15.56°C). Raw, uncooked venison also cannot stay in the refrigerator for more than four days. However, if you plan to cook it after a more extended period, there is always the freezing option.

Just make sure to portion your venison into meal-sized cuts to prevent you from thawing excessive amounts when you decide to cook it.

Also, ensure that the packaging you’re using to store your venison in before freezing is not permeable to the air.

Freezer burns often occur when meats are frozen in the presence of oxygen, resulting in the deterioration of meat quality, color, and taste.

To prevent freezer burns, wrap your raw venison portions in butcher paper. I recommend using Reynolds Freezer Paper Plastic from Amazon.com. This packaging has a wax-lining on the side the meat touches preventing oxygen from penetrating the meat during storage.

You can also invest in a vacuum sealer like the FoodSaver FM2100-000 Vacuum Sealer Machine System and buy rolls of vacuum-sealer bags like the Vacuum Sealer Bags Heavy Duty.

All you have to do is put your raw venison portions into the bags and let your vacuum sealer do the work. The sealer sucks the air out of the bag, ensuring that your venison is in an oxygen-free environment for the entire freezing time.

See Also: Can You Eat Venison Rare?

Do You Need To Freeze Venison?

You do need to freeze venison if you don’t plan on eating it right away to prevent bacteria and parasites from ruining it. At low enough temperatures, the activity of these organisms can completely halt due to the slow movement of molecules inside the meat.

The US Food Safety and Inspection Service recommend freezing all kinds of meats, including venison, to 0 °F (-18 °C) to keep them safe for consumption indefinitely.

However, prolonged freezing time may affect the quality of meat. Fortunately, the quality of frozen raw venison will remain more or less the same for 8 to 12 months as long as it is prepared and packed correctly.

How Should You Thaw Venison?

To thaw venison, you can either let it thaw in the fridge, immerse the whole package in cold water, put it in a microwave, or skip the separate thawing part and cook it immediately. The most important thing to note is that It is not safe to thaw venison at room temperature.

It will likely take one to two days to thaw venison in a fridge, and if you store them in large chunks, each pound of venison could take an additional five hours of thawing time.

If you need the thawed venison a little faster, you can opt for the cold water thawing. Place the venison in a leak-free container, usually a plastic pouch, and completely immerse in cold water.

While the last step can be much faster, you will also have to be physically present to change the cold water once every half an hour and check for possible water leakage into the meat as this could lead to spoilage.

See Also: Why Does Eating Venison Give Me Gas?

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Introduction

The journey of progression that saw Browning Sweet 16 evolve into the current state is one you will love catching up with. The original old Auto-5 Sweet 16 saw a rigorous production process that began in 1902 when John Browning designed the first Auto-5, which turned out as a very functional semi-automatic shotgun. From then, Fabrique Nationale, a Belgian, took the production and proceeded with that for the next 75 years till 1977.

Production later moved to Miroku, Japan, which proceeded for the next 23 years. In these years of production and remodeling, the Auto-5s were made in 12, 16, and 20 gauges, with the sweet 16 version getting the attention of a majority of users then. You may also want to check out other 16 gauge shotguns. Sweet 16 was loved so much was its ability to combine the abilities of gauges 20 and 12. It was until the year 2000 that the last run of Auto-5 was sold.

How it Came to Be

The old A-5 was not popular for nothing. Its unique humpback profile and its long-recoil action with the moving barrel made it reliable and a preferred choice to almost every gun user. It was so popular that if someone didn’t own it, they at least knew someone who did.

Between the period when the old Auto-5 aged and when the new Sweet 16 was introduced, the browning company introduced a more modern inertia-operated shotgun known as the A-500, which was to be renamed A500R. This gun was only produced for a few years, and the Browning team had to move ahead to something better.

After several attempts to come up with an outstanding gas-operated auto gun, which saw the introduction of discontinued gun versions like the B80, B2000 and A500G, Browning decided to bring in something new. In the year 2012, they introduced the A5, which came in as a 12 gauge gun. In 2016, however, during the 2016 SHOT show, the A5 was reintroduced as A5 sweet sixteen thanks to its 16-gauge features. It is this A5 sweet 16 that we want to focus on today in this guide.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Expect from this Beauty

Features

You may feel motivated already to buy this iconic gun, but before making that step to own one, you may want to know what to look out for in this gun. I gathered some of the general features you can check out for before settling for a reliable A5 sweet 16. Have a look.

The Inertia Action

The A5’s inertia action, which is also called Kinematic drive-by Browning, is an outstanding feature that you must look for when buying the gun. It allows you to keep the outer bolt housing in place while the A5’s recoil moves the gun to the rear. This action helps eliminate the need to have the recoil move the barrel to the rear and push the bolt back to its original position as in the original A-5.

The inertia action applies pressure to an interior bolt spring, which in return powers the bolt backward making the rotary head to twist free of the barrel, which cocks the hummer and ejects the hull. When all these happen, the spring in the stock forces the bolt forward to chamber the new shell and close the bolt.

Detachable Trigger

The A5’s trigger is detachable, and you can easily do this by pushing out the two cross pins and giving it a yank or a pull. As you check closer, you should expect a trigger housing made of aluminum as well as the trigger blade. It has a push-through safety button at the rear of the trigger guard and a bolt latch in front of the trigger guard. This allows the assembly guard to lock when the magazine is empty. The bolt latch can also help release a shell from the magazine to load into the chamber.

New Invector DS Screw Chokes

The A5 sweet sixteen comes with three of the new invector DS screw chokes. They are flush-mounted and are about 2.9 inches long, which gradually compress the shot to avoid deformation. The DS (Double Seal), refers to the choke‘s brass branded seal at the back and front threading at the muzzle. While screw chokes threaded at the muzzle allow carbon to build up between the choke and the bore, the invector DS brass back seal perfectly prevents this.

‘Grade 1’ Wood

One other thing I find appealing, and you would want to check out for it the high-quality wooding on the A5 sweet sixteen shotguns. The wood on this gun has a nice finish in a high-gloss synthetic. The wood’s checkering is a result of a perfect machine-cut, which is well executed in an attractive 18 lines per inch pattern to give it an executive look.

Slender Forearm

The gun has a slender forearm or forend, which makes the gun light and easy to handle, move around and lend in the air. This forend features ergonomic wood construction that offers a perfect grip making the gun stable in your hand for better shooting accuracy.

Adjustable Stock

The stock comes with six shims that fit between the head of the stock and the receiver’s rear, which helps you easily adjust the height and cast off the shaft. Three of the shims will help you adjust the stock’s height only while the other three will adjust both height and cast.

The Two Loading Options

When you go purchasing the A5 sweet sixteen, you will have to check or ask about the gun’s loading options available during the trials. First, there is the normal option for semi-auto guns where you drop the shell into the ejection port and push the bolt-closing button and then place the next shell into the magazine. The second option is the Browning’s speed loading plus where you feed the first shell into the magazine, which it automatically chambers and the closes the bolt.

Upon confirmation of the above features, you will be sure that you are settling for a genuine A5 sweet sixteen shotgun. Let us now see the advantages of getting the new A5 sweet sixteen shotgun below.

What I Love about it

• Smaller, lighter receiver for reduced weight.
• It offers a sleek feel in your hands.
• It is made entirely of steel with wooden stock for durability.
• Attractive and good looking.
• Comes packaged in an ABS case with storage holes to hold the disassembled gun.
• The Inflex II recoil pad at the end of the stock improves its looks and reduces snagging on your cloth.
• Kinematic drive system.

What I Don’t Like

• The supplied shims don’t quickly move the barrel up enough to measure.

What is the Difference between the Original Browning Auto-5 and the New Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen?

The original A5 Browning shotgun had some structural and functional differences that set it apart from the new sweet sixteen. While these differences may not be major ones, knowing about them could help you differentiate the two and settle for the sweet sixteen much easier. Let us see what sets them apart below.

Receiver

One distinguishing factor between the standard and the new sweet sixteen would be the receiver. The sweet sixteen’s receiver is hollows out in usually four spots taking shape reminiscent of half-moons. The original one, on the other hand, had a distinctive squared-off humpbacked receiver. The new sweet sixteen’s receiver is of aluminum, which gives it the resilient strength against corrosion. The standard one, on the other hand, had its receiver mostly made of steel.

Barrels

The barrels on the older versions where the barrel ring mounts on the mag tube come with three holes drilled out to ease some weight away. On the other hand, the sweet sixteen enjoys a total barrel dynamics, which helps to extract the overall performance from this revered gauge (g 16).

Feel and Texture

There is a real difference in how the two guns feel, and their texture would easily tell them apart. The old A5 has a thinner wood finish that offers less grip; hence it is less stable in the hands than the new sweet sixteen. The new one has a checkered finish on the stock, making it attractive but sturdy to hold hence more stable in the hands than its predecessor.

Weight

With time the sweet sixteen came into the picture. One of the things that the manufacturers shelved from the older version was some excess weight from the stock and the forearm. This meant that the outcoming sweet sixteen had to weigh lesser than the original one.

‘Sweet Sixteen’ Designation

Initially, all A5 sweet sixteen had the ‘Sweet Sixteen’ designation inscribed on the receiver’s left side, which automatically reminded you that you were holding a sweet sixteen shotgun. However, over the years, the new sweet sixteen has evolved, and the guns have been refinished with the latest ones having the designation removed.

Safety

The older versions had the safety pins on the trigger guard’s front that slid back and forth through the trigger guard. These initial safety pins were considered unsafe, and they had to be replaced with at least two subsequent safety styles in the latest version. So essentially, the new sweet sixteen offers safer operations than what the old version did.

Shooting the New A5 Sweet Sixteen

After settling for the sweet sixteen shotguns, you have many expectations running in your mind about how the gun is going to function. The shooting experience can be very smooth and fun when you do everything right. So let us find out what happens after the purchase deal is sealed.

When bought, the gun comes out of the box very dry. After a few shots, it may start to fail to cycle the shells. The perfect shells you can consider for this gun include the Fiocchi 1-oz number 8. They offer a maximum speed of up to 1.156 fps, which are lighter for increased air velocity. Since the gun comes out when dry, you may consider applying some oil to smoothen the shooting process.

Convenience

I believe the speed loading gun plus feature would be more convenient than the standard option for semi-auto shotguns to load the gun. The gun’s trigger pull will appear a bit heavier than the overall weight of the gun. It weighs about 6.25 pounds, which is still a bearable weight for an entire operation. The trigger has a bit of creep, but its likely you won’t feel it because of the heavy trigger pull.

If you have a full face and a short neck, the sweet sixteen’s stock design would be a perfect fit. The drop of 1.75 inches at the nose area on the stock helps you better view the hump. If you do not have the full face and short neck, you have to lift your face over the stock.

Comfortably expect a perfectly stable operation despite the gun being delightfully light for field carry. It doesn’t whip about when shooting thanks to its long barrel. The gun comes packaged in a black ABS take-down case, ideal for car travel but not for demanding travel escapades.

It comes with the two extra chokes and wrench, stock lengths, spacers, cable trigger lock, manual, and six height shims. Its manual is unique as it gives you a detailed guide on how to use the gun. This ensures you have a comfortable time during the assembling and disassembling of the firearm.

Most Popular Browning Sweet 16 Accessories

Final Verdict

The Browning sweet sixteen is a revolutionary gun with outstanding features that will meet your expectations and exceed them. Mainly used for hunting, the sweet sixteen will improve your success score in the fields. Remember to have extra magazines for convenience during your hunts; this helps you reduce wastage of time refilling the magazine.

Do not forget to check out the features that define a modern sweet sixteen before making a purchase. Ensure you check the inertia action, new DS screw chokes, detachable trigger, and adjustable stock, among other features. Do not keep waiting any longer; get yourself a new sweet sixteen shotgun and join the rest in enjoying this gun’s excellent features.

The Palmetto State Armory Dagger, also known as the PSA Dagger, was created to compete in the compact pistol market against the Glock 19. This is clearly a Glock 19 Gen 3 clone.

What makes the PSA Dagger so different is the fact that it comes in at a $299 price point. This price point makes it extremely attractive, considering Glock’s can be $500 plus dollars.

The Dagger really shines in terms of MSRP, but does it hold up to Glock’s reputation of quality and performance?

Well, that’s why I’m going to do a complete review of the PSA Dagger. I think it’s important to preface this by saying, I purchased this PSA dagger and while we do work with PSA sometimes, I purchased this outright, at the MSRP.

PSA Dagger First Impression

First of all, the PSA Dagger comes in a cardboard box with the foam cut out for the gun.

Upon opening it, you could take the gun out, take the chamber flag out, and the lid holds all of your manuals and other information. You can pull the bottom out and that’s where you’ll find your magazine, and other materials from Palmetto, including your Gun Lock.

PSA did a good job with the box, the opening, the presentation, is all very good. That’s very well done. It doesn’t come in a plastic case, but if you’re like me, you don’t much care about the plastic cases because you’re not going to use them anyway.

I typically have to stack them somewhere in case I ever decide to sell a gun, which I don’t do anymore.

My first impression when I held the PSA Dagger was, is this a Glock, or is this a Sig?

It’s very interesting because it definitely has the Glock frame, but I think what threw me was the texture of the grip.

So, when I held it, I was like, Oh man, this feels like a SIG. But the more and more I held it, the more and more I was like, Okay, this gives you a Glock feel with a SIG texture.

It’s a very interesting feel to the gun, and I really like it. So, I was actually really impressed with a $300 gun in the overall initial feel.

Now, the overall aesthetics and look are pretty much like Glock. There is a little bit of difference in the slide cut.

I think you get a little bit different finish than you would on a Glock or others. It does come with a Magpul magazine. So, no proprietary mags, and you can run standard Glock mags in it as well.

PSA Dagger Features

The features of the PSA Dagger include pretty much everything on the Glock 19 Gen 3.

You have the standard takedown method, you have your magazine release, which is done almost just like a Gen 3 with PSA’s slight touch to it.

There is a hump in the middle of the grip like the Gen 3’s are known for. The slide does have a unique design, but it doesn’t have any of Palmetto State Armory’s markings on it. It is just a clear, clean-cut, slide. I do like that.

Now, Palmetto State Armory does have all their information on the grip. The serial number for the gun is located in the same spot it would be on a Glock, and the sights are just standard, three white dot sights with no night sights.

In addition to no Palmetto State Armory markings on the slide, it does have front and rear cut serrations.

Overall, the gun feels good, the slide reminds me somewhat of the blocky design of the SIG P320, but at the same time, still looks like a Glock.

It just doesn’t have the rounded corners on the slide, it definitely has the edges more of a SIG.

Grip and Ergonomics

Like I mentioned in my initial impression of the gun, the grip really struck me.

It definitely has the same texture, that the SIG P320’s have. It has the ergonomics, however, of a Glock Gen 3.

I really like what Palmetto did with the grip texture. It does have the little Palmetto State Armory logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the grip, on the left side and on the right side, it would be in the bottom left-hand corner.

It’s definitely visually appealing and it’s also very nice and porous and allows you to get a good grip on the gun.

Establishing your master grip is very easy, and overall, I think they did a great job on the grip.

Sights

The sights on the PSA dagger are a little disappointing, but at $300, I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting.

I guess I’ve just become so used to sights on guns coming with night sights. So when I realized the PSA Dagger didn’t have night sights, I was a little surprised.

But again, I thought to myself, “This is a $300 gun. What did you expect?”

The good news is you can change these out to any Glock sights, they haven’t changed their design in years. So, these are definitely changeable.

The one thing I would say I would have done, had it been in stock, is buy the red dot cut slide.

It’s only $80 more, and I definitely would’ve gone that route if that was an option at the time I ordered this gun.

The stock sights aren’t, particularly my favorite type of sights. I prefer no rear dots on the rear sight and just a singular dot on the front sight.

I’ve had no problems with these though. I took it out and shot it, and we’ll get to the actual shooting of it. But as far as sights go, they’re accurate, they were on, had no problems hitting targets.

So the sights, once again, good, cool, would’ve loved to see them as night sights. But again, I think the price point would likely have to have increased.

Magazine

The magazine of this gun is nothing to write home about, it’s just a Magpul Glock 19 magazine. There’s nothing wrong with it.

There’s only one of them, but again, you’re buying a $300 gun. This is in the realm of Taurus and a lot of other guns, but you’re almost getting a Glock quality product for $300.

Now, if you have a Glock 19, and have carried a Glock 19 since they released the Gen 3 version, you have a ton of Glock mags that are already compatible.

I personally have an undisclosed amount of Glock mags, nice try ATF, which will work in the PSA Dagger.

So, I’m okay magazine-wise. I don’t have any issues with the Magpul magazines and so far, this has functioned perfectly fine.

Optics Ready Model

Like I mentioned, under the sight section, this is one thing that I think everybody should know about.

I think you should definitely consider getting the optics-ready version. The pistol world is likely going all red dot. I don’t blame them, it’s fantastic.

If you haven’t done it, try it, you might not like it at first, I didn’t. But give it a shot because it’s actually a really, really, nice way to shoot a pistol.

Once you get used to it, your accuracy is going to increase tenfold and I don’t think you’re ever going to turn back from not owning an optic mountable pistol.

With that being said, get the PSA cut slide from the factory, for 80 more dollars. You’re not going to be able to save any money getting it milled somewhere else.

Even some of the cheapest slide millers I know, charge a minimum of a hundred dollars to cut a slide. So, don’t try to save some money here. PSA’s already done that for you. Go ahead and get the RMR cut slide.

Controls

So, let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of any gun, and that’s the controls. The controls of this pistol are, once again, that of a Glock Gen 3.

You have your magazine release, you have your takedown in the middle of the slide, to where you can field strip the gun and take it apart.

You also have your slide release and also magazine release, and that’s pretty much the basics of the gun. You also have your trigger. So let’s dive in, starting with the magazine release.

Magazine release

The magazine release in this gun does stand up relatively high. It’s fairly easy to depress and does have the same texture as the Glock Generation 3’s.

The grip frame does have a spot cut for it, to where your thumb can fall in. Nothing special, it works.

It drops the mag clear, about what you’d expect from this gun, given the fact that the frame is based on the Glock.

Slide Stop

So the slide stop/slide release is pretty much the same thing as a Glock Gen 3.

They’re not, however, like the Glock Gen 5. So, this is only on the left-hand side of the gun.

I prefer the ambidextrous style slide stop slide release as it makes it easier to pull the slide release down.

This does not have that, it is the standard flat slide switch.

There’s nothing to really catch your finger. It’s about as stock as you can get, but it does work.

There are no issues with it, you can lock the mag back easily. You can drop it free, easy.

It does function extremely well, but just know that it’s a stock part on a $300 gun. It’s not going to wow you.

Trigger

The PSA Dagger trigger is probably the only part of this gun that disappointed me to an extreme level.

Everything else is pretty much on par with what I expect out of a $300 gun. Granted, the trigger is terrible.

Probably the worst trigger I’ve ever felt. They use a Smith and Wesson M&P trigger design, where it bends in the middle, versus something like the Glock trigger that has the safe action in the middle.

I don’t know the rationale behind this, but what I can tell you is it feels like sandpaper when pulling the trigger. It’s pretty bad.

I don’t want to harp on this too much, as the gun overall, is an extremely nice gun. It’s even fun to shoot, but the trigger is so lackluster that it’s crazy. This was beyond an afterthought, in my opinion.

I’m not here to hate on PSA. I own a number of their products and most of them are fantastic, especially for the price point. But even for a $300 gun, this just feels like sandpaper.

The take-up travel is good, and the break is clean. It’s not very crisp, but it is clean and not spongy.

The reset is short and it’s just back to the wall.

So my beef is really with the smoothness of the take-up which is almost like sand was dumped into the fire control group of this gun, and that saddens me.

But at the same time, it’s a $300 gun and still shoots great and what I found while shooting the gun is while the trigger is gritty it doesn’t have an impact on accuracy, and shooting the gun overall is actually really fun.

PSA Dagger Ammo

If you are in the market for some ammo for your PSA dagger the options are endless.

Accessories

The nice part about the accessories for the PSA dagger, the fact that pretty much any Glock Gen 3 accessories will work.

PSA Dagger Slides

Looking for a baller pistol on a budget? Turn to the PSA Dagger because the number of available slide options from Palmetto are incredible.

SW5 RMR Slide

I’ve always like the TIN barrels and bolts on guns so forgive me for being a sucker if these aren’t your thing. But for just $329 you can get the SW5 RMR Slide which features a milled slide with an RMR cut and a threaded barrel.

That is a crazy good deal considering Glock threaded barrels typically start at $119 and go up.

SW1 RMR Slide With Copper Threaded Barrel

With a number of different slide cut options you can really get the look you are going for with your pistol the SW1 RMR Slide With Copper Threaded Barrel is definitively a looker.

One of the great things about Palmetto is they don’t just offer you different colors but also didn’t cut styles and even better features like threaded barrels and optics ready cuts.

PSA Dagger Holsters

Now, the only exception to that is holsters. They’ll fit in some Glock 19 holsters, but not well.

It’s very tight and it’s extremely hard to get out. I think that has a lot to do with the slide, but I believe the retention point on the frame is the same.

The slide is thicker and has a slightly different profile so it doesn’t slide into the holster as easily as a stock Glock 19.

So if you want a Kydex holster for your PSA Dagger you might want to grab one that’s available on their website. But keep in mind it’s slim pickings right now, but hopefully, the selection will grow.

PSA Dagger Flashlight

I grabbed an Inforce Wild 2 flashlight for the PSA Dagger and while it’s a polymer flashlight I don’t even have a holster that will fit my Dagger yet so it’s more or less a light that wouldn’t see a lot of action outside of the range.

Personally, the light is fantastic but it still has it limitations namely it’s a polymer flashlight.

But output wise it’s fantastic!

The dagger is nice because the rail will allow nearly any pistol flashlight to be mounted to the gun.

Aesthetics

The overall look and feel of this gun are fantastic. Starting with the bottom of the grip frame features a nice little cut-out that allows you to grab and rip your magazine if it was ever stuck for any reason.

The DLC slide with carry cuts looks fantastic and gives a unique picture from behind the gun with the blocky design of the slide. This side is great and I like what PSA did with it.

PSA Dagger vs Glock 19 Gen 3

The PSA Dagger is a revamp of the Glock 19 Gen 3 and the most notable differences are the aesthetics.

The internals do feature some slight differences namely the slide rails.

The PSA Dagger also has a different grip and grip texture as you can see below.

The slides are nearly identical with the spring guide rod being the biggest difference.

Lastly here’s a side-by-side picture of the complete internals.

As you can tell there are some clear differences and clear similarities between these two pistols and I think each has its place in the market.

PSA Dagger Durability

North Carolina finally produced some snow for the first time in several years so I figured I might as well make use of such a fine day!

So I put the dagger through a quick and short test for function. By no means do I think these were comprehensive or even a true torture test but it’s more than most people would likely ever put their gun through.

I put the Dagger through several various things and it never skipped a beat. The misses were all me being it cold and almost never shooting with gloves on, I accept all of the misses as my fault.

I also dropped it from roughly waist height and shot it one-handed so I could video the results. I racked the slide on my boot and other than my misses it functioned fine.

Overall, I’m happy how the Dagger did in the mild snow test I performed on it.

Shooting the PSA Dagger

Now, shooting the PSA Dagger is actually a little different. It does feel like a SIG texture in your hand, but this thing absolutely shoots like a Glock 19, all day long.

Shooting this side by side with a Glock 19, you’re really not going to notice much difference and for better or for worse, that’s a plus in my opinion.

Will you like to shoot the PSA Dagger? It depends on if you like a Glock 19. It does well on the range, it shoots good, and it puts rounds on target.

I had no flaws, no malfunctions, and nothing bad to say about shooting this gun. I didn’t have any pins walk out on me.

I didn’t have any problems with this gun so far, whatsoever. In fact, it’d be hard for me not to recommend this gun.

Other than to warn people, you’re not going to have a nice trigger.

While triggers are changeable, by the time you throw a new trigger in this gun, you’re getting dangerously close to Glock prices.

If you don’t like the Glock trigger either, and you’re going to replace that trigger anyway, this gun is a value.

Overall shooting this gun is very smooth, very crisp, and clean and I really enjoyed it. The slide and the sight picture are fantastic.

Final Thoughts

My final thoughts on the PSA Dagger are this, I don’t think that this is a Glock replacement.

The Dagger is more of a reason not to buy a Polymer 80 Build. Now, if you’re worried about a serial number, that’s one thing.

But as far as cost savings, or building a cheap Glock, there’s no reason to build a Polymer 80 build, when the PSA Dagger is available at this price point.

Now, if you’re looking for night sights from the factory, or the nice clean trigger, or something of that nature, you might default to a Glock.

The Palmetto State Armory Dagger definitely gives a solid run for the money, and for $300, it is a bargain. I think it fits exactly in the niche it’s trying to fill and will be a great carry gun for a lot of people.

The Dagger, PSA Jakl, and PSA AK are hands down my favorite guns from Palmetto.

Need snake removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices – updated for year 2020. One of the things that separates human beings from any other animal on the planet is their ability to create acronyms and pneumonic devices that help them to be able to memorize key pieces of information. This is used by biologists to remember the classification system, soldiers to remember ranks, and astronomers to remember the different galaxies. However, the ability to use memory devices like this are not limited to pneumonic and acronym options. One of the best ways to remember something is through the use of a story or poem. Because of the manner in which they are written they can become very useful techniques to be able to help a person to remember important dates, like the War of 1812 or Paul Revere’s ride. One that has become quite successful in helping people to identify snakes is a poem that was written that not only tells how one can identify if something is a coral snake, King snake, or Florida scarlet snake, but whether those snakes are venomous to people. It is a beautifully written poem based on the three primary colors of these animals: read, black, and yellow. What is so amazing about this poem is that it accurately depicts the exact way that a person is able to tell which one of these snakes a person comes upon, and whether that snake is poisonous or venomous to you. Because of the fact that the coral snake is quite venomous and extremely dangerous to you, it is important to be able to distinguish it from the other two kinds of snakes, especially when you only have a few moments to be able to make a determination. This poem is written beautifully to ensure that you can do just that. It isn’t written in any kind of like the pentameter, like you are reading a story from Homer, but is instead written so that you can make a quick decision about whether this snake is to be of concern to you or not. According to the tail, this rhyme was first created in 1862 by a man known as “Fat” Jack Loticus. While there have been variations of it that had been developed over the years, the fact remains that this poem has been helpful for over 150 years in helping people to be able to identify what kind of snake they are looking at. While it is clearly a great way to learn how to identify the snake, what separates it and makes it such a beneficial tool is that it helps children to be able to learn more about the world around them. The fact remains that the more that we understand our ecosystem in the different species of animals that live within it, the better off we are in the better it is for the ecosystem itself. We all live together in this big blue marble in the sky, and it makes sense to be able to get to know our fellow species on this planet a little better. Here is that poem in its entirety. Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack Red touch yellow, kills a fellow. Red touch black, venom lack. Red touch yellow, death says hello. Black touch red, keep your head. Yellow touch red, you be dead. Red touch black, eat Cracker Jack. Red and yellow mingle, bite feel a tingle. Red and black hug, sing a song, you lug. Red and yellow cohabitate, soon you will suffocate. Red and black together, in for sunny weather. Red leans on yellow, legs turn to jell-o. Red leans on black, keep a strong back. Yellow brushes red, snake gets fed. Red brushes black, snake gets no snack. Snake of black and yellow and red, soon a stupid rhyme is said. Need snake removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices- updated for year 2020.

The snake poem — red touch yellow killed a fellow — commonly refers to two snakes that look very much alike. One of them is venomous and one of them isn’t. The rhyme helps you to work out which one is which and, hopefully, prevent yourself from becoming a snake dinner. Or, at the very least, a snake victim. The coral snake is the actual venomous snake, although various other snakes try to mimic the bright patterns and colors to make themselves look more frightening to predatory attacks. The Florida scarlet snake is a prime example of this, and another is the scarlet king snake. The shovel-nose snake is another non-venomous snake that is often confused with a venomous snake, but sadly this rhyme doesn’t work in this case. In both species of snake, the red bands are touched by the yellow bands. This makes the shovel-nose snake appear venomous even when it is not, but that’s not a bad thing. You’ll be more inclined to steer clear, and we’d highly recommend that with ANY species of snake, whether you think it’s a venomous one or not. There is another case where the rhyme doesn’t work, and in this case, the fact that the rhyme doesn’t work actually makes it incredibly dangerous. The South American coral snake has black bands that touch red bands, which would make them seem entirely harmless. This is NOT the case. The South American coral snake is venomous and should be avoided at all costs. The rhyme — red touches yellow, kills a fellow, red touches black, friend of Jack – doesn’t work in every case, and that’s we do not recommend using it as a reliable way of identifying venomous or dangerous snake species. Although there are ways that you can identify venomous from non-venomous snakes, the tricks and tips aren’t entirely foolproof and there will always be cases where there are exceptions to the rule. If you are faced with a snake on your property or in your home, don’t get close enough to it to work out what kind of snake it is. Try to keep the creature confined to one room and call for help. This is not the kind of job you’ll want to tackle on your own. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:How much does snake removal cost? – get the lowdown on prices.How to get rid of snakes – my main snake removal info guide.Example snake trapping photographs – get do-it-yourself ideas.Snake job blog – learn from great examples of snake jobs I’ve done.

Your hunting dog is a focused and dedicated partner, helping you find, retrieve, or flush your quarry. Such a loyal and helpful companion deserves a great name, and why not make it hunting-themed?

Whether you have a hound, terrier, retriever, or gun dog, you should be able to find a great name on our list. We’ve gathered over 100 amazing hunting names, covering males, females, unique names, duck hunting names, and names that are just right for a Labrador Retriever. Scroll down to find your new favorite hunting dog name!

Female Hunting Dog Names

• Beretta
• Maverick
• Scout
• Emily
• Sundance
• Kimber
• Rebel
• Samantha
• Willow
• Arya
• Grenade
• Ivy
• Rain
• Kodiak
• Oakley
• Dakota
• Cammie
• Moxy
• Copper
• Spike
• Aspen

Male Hunting Dog Names

• Remington
• Tiger
• Sauer
• Killer
• Bill
• Cricket
• Boomer
• Samson
• Buck
• Captain
• Dash
• Major
• Giant
• Bear
• Jack
• Jameson
• Duke
• Finn
• Browning
• Brutus
• Hunter
• Bolt
• Benelli

Unique Hunting Dog Names

• Outlaw
• Artemis
• Camo
• Arrow
• Justice
• Cheetah
• Liberty
• Sarge
• Dandelion
• Legolas
• Diesel
• Hercules
• Zeus
• Cedar
• Oak
• Brutus
• Blind
• Shadow
• General
• Vigilante
• Thor
• Daisy
• Athena
• Atlas
• Bomb
• Legend
• Huckleberry
• Beast
• Tank

Duck Hunting Dog Names

• Drake
• Goose
• Birdie
• Highball
• Hawk
• Blitz
• Flock
• Deke
• Decoy
• Sparrow
• Lady Bird
• Rifle
• Duckie
• Radar
• Mallard
• Quack
• Powder

Hunting Dog Names for Labrador Retrievers

• Buddy
• Trapper
• Bow
• Lynx
• Buck
• Winchester
• Fetch
• Shooter
• Lion
• Robin
• Neptune
• Boomer
• Fox
• Fletch
• Gunner
• Dixie
• Chase
• Retty
• Ranger

Bonus: Famous Hunting Dog Breeds

There are quite a few hunting dog breeds, including hounds, terriers, and retrievers. Here’s a look at four exceptional hunting dog breeds:

American Foxhound

Foxhounds look a little like Beagles, but as their name suggests, they were specifically bred to hunt foxes. These lean, athletic dogs specialize in hunting and tracking. They’re also low-maintenance, loving family dogs.

Beagle

These popular, loyal hounds make great hunting dogs. They were bred to hunt animals like birds, foxes, rabbits, and even small deer. Curious and adorable dogs, Beagles are intelligent and easy to train.

Bloodhound

As you’ve probably seen in countless detective movies, Bloodhounds have an amazing sense of smell. They’re good at tracking prey using scent and have been used by search and rescue teams to find missing persons.

Golden Retriever

In recent times, Golden Retrievers have become popular family dogs, but they were originally used as bird hunting companions. As their name should tell you, Golden Retrievers are good at retrieving birds after you’ve shot them. They’re also loyal, smart, and athletic dogs with friendly dispositions and beautiful golden coats.

Finding the Right Name for Your Hunting Dog

Have you found a great name for your hunting dog? We hope that our extensive list has shown you the wide range of the hunting dog names available, whether you prefer something unique like Artemis or duck-themed like Mallard. Your hunting partner will thank you for taking the time to find just the right name!

Not quite there? Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of other creative options:

• 100+ Perfect Names for Brown Dogs
• What should you name your Golden Retriever?
• The Best Italian Dog Names

Featured Image Credit: Pxfuel

Choosing the best snow goose ammo can be overwhelming due to the wide range of options available these days. Many ammo manufacturers have loads designed specifically for snows, like Federal Black Cloud. But are these loads what you should be shooting on your next snow goose hunt?

The short answer is NO, not really. Most are gimmick loads for spring snow goose hunts that will do alright in a pinch, but they are the not the best. For a snow goose load to be the best, it has to perform across a wide range of conditions, bring knock down power, and be able to pattern tightly at long distances. The best snow goose loads are the 10 gauge 3 ½ inch 1 3/4oz. load of #2 Hevishot and the 12 gauge 3 inch 1 3/8oz. Heavyweight #4’s.

These loads are the perfect mix of ballistics and density that crush decoying snow geese out to 70 yards. If you’ve shot these load you already know, and if you haven’t, feel free to go on believing what you’re using even comes close. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the top snow goose ammo currently available and discuss what makes them so effective.

Best Steel Shot Ammo for Snow Geese

Steel shot is the most popular ammo shot at geese on any given year. Why? Because it’s CHEAP! Very rarely will you find the cheapest of anything being the best in its class. Well, steel shot is far from the best snow goose load, but it will harvest birds cleanly if patterned correctly and birds are within range when the shot is called. These are some of the top steel snow goose loads I’ve had the most success with.

• HEVI-Snow 12ga 1 3/8 oz. BB or BBB at 1550fps (click to see this ammo at Cabelas)
• 12/10ga 1 ½ oz. #BB or BBB at 1600FPS (Made by Sporting Ammo)
• 10ga 1 ¾ oz. #BB at 1265FPS (Remington)
• 12ga 1 9/16 oz. #BBB at 1300 FPS (Kent) (click here to see this ammo at Cabelas)

Popular 3 inch and 3.5 inch Waterfowl Ammo

Typical steel shot sizes for geese range from #2 all the way up to F-shot. The best all-around steel pellet size in my opinion is BBB. It allows for a good pattern density (62 pellets/oz.) and the knock down power for shots past 50 yards. If a situation arises, like e-caller season in a hot field, then you could drop down to #1 shot for added pattern density up close. Likewise, if you are going to be pass shooting, a well patterned load of T-shot is hard to beat.

Related: Need a new choke tube? Check out the list of the top performers here.

The best steel shot ammo currently is a 1 ½ oz. load traveling at 1600 fps. This load is a great combination of payload and speed. To find out how many pellets are in the loads you’re shooting, check out our pellet count table here.

Here’s a great clip that shows what you can expect to achieve with HEVI-Snow Loads.

Best Long Range Ammo for Snow Geese

The alternative to steel shot is Hevishot and other tungsten based ammo. Tungsten loads, due to their long range effectiveness, are the best snow goose rounds available today. Typical Hevishot density is 12 g/cc and Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) is 18 g/cc. For comparison, steel shot density is 7.3 g/cc. What does this mean? Tungsten based pellets are heavier and can retain energy at further distances than steel shot. This additional energy means better pellet pass through and vital hits at 50 yards or more.

Something that tungsten ammo also does well is it allows you to increase your pattern density by dropping pellet sizes. If you normally shoot #2 steel shot, you can get the same ballistics out of a #5-6 tungsten pellet. This means an increase of 120 pellets or more. With the ability of tungsten pellets to retain their energy longer and the increase gained in pattern density from reducing pellet size, tungsten shot produces some of the best ammo for hunting snow geese.

The following is a list of shot types and their densities.

• Steel……………………7.3 (g/cc)
• HeviSteel………………9.2
• Hevi Duck… …………..9.7
• Bismuth…………………..9.8
• Nice Shot…………………10.2
• Lead………………………11.3
• Winchester Ext. Range…12
• Remington HD……………12
• Hevi Goose………………12
• Hevi 13……………………13
• Federal Heavyweight….15
• TSS……………………..18

When it comes to goose hunting, shot that is denser than steel is preferred. There’s no arguing this. Will steel do the job? Of course, but Hevi-shot will do it 10 times better and reduce cripples. This means more birds in the bag, less time chasing cripples, and the ability to fold up birds at longer ranges. If you have shot tungsten based ammo at geese, you know what I’m talking about.

Tungsten loads also allow you to reduce your shot size to increase your pattern density. This makes even Hevishot #4 a viable load for decoying geese due to the energy retained at longer distances. Steel loads just can’t match it.

I realize cost is a big factor in determining which loads most people choose. Very few want to spend $20-30 for 10 shells. The off season is the perfect time to look for discounted ammo deals on websites to pick these kinds of shells up more affordably. Additionally, learning to load your own shells can also reduce the cost by ordering your loose tungsten shot in bulk.

Best Tungsten Ammo for Snow Geese

• 10 ga Hevishot load of 1 3/4oz #2’s @ 1300fps (click to see this load at Cabelas)
• 12 ga TSS 1 1/4oz. load of #5-7’s
• 12 ga Heavyweight 1 3/8 oz. #4’s (best 12 gauge load for snow geese)
• 12 ga Hevishot 3 inch 1 3/4oz. #4’s
• 10 ga Hevishot 1 7/8oz #4’s

Federal has since discontinued the waterfowl version of their Heavyweight line of shot, but it can still be found in their Turkey loads.

Pick the Best Ammo for the Hunting Situation

Ammunition is only as good as the conditions you’re hunting in. Decoy shooting up close vs. long distance pass shooting are two different hunting methods requiring different approaches. Hunting in a strong wind where shot drift occurs is a problem and usually happens with lighter density loads like steel. Hevishot and other tungsten loads are less affected by the negative effects of bad weather and high winds.

Your hunting situation will define what load is ideal. However, the only way to know if a load is ideal for your situation is to pattern it. Each gun is different. One load patterning great in your Benelli will not necessarily give good patterns in your Remington. Patterning is one of the most important aspects in finding a great load for a given situation. For additional patterning tips, check out this link.

Test different chokes tubes to find which patterns best with your gun. I’ve had good luck with Briley and Terror Chokes, but Patternmaster is also one that works good as well. Here’s a list of my top choke tubes for waterfowl and the results you can expect from each.

Bottom Line

Snow geese can be challenging birds to hunt, and having the wrong ammo can make the hunt even worse. The best snow goose ammo is tungsten based and capable of clean kills between 50-70 yards. Steel just can’t do it consistently.

My favorite load for snow geese is a 10ga 1 3/4oz load of Hevishot #2’s. This load is effective beyond 70 yards and will absolutely CRUSH snow geese. This load results in cleaner kills, less time chasing cripples, and more time in the blind hunting.

TSS is a relative newcomer, but it’s ballistically superior to even Hevishot. I’ve had a chance to reload some TSS shells and have been impressed with their performance, but I just haven’t gotten comfortable with it as a go to load. It’s more expensive ($50lb for bulk shot) and it patterns extremely tight. I have no doubts that with some tweaking it could be the best snow goose load around, I just haven’t been able to test it enough to be comfortable with it.

You won’t find steel shot in the best snow goose load, but if you must go with steel, try for the 1 ½ oz load of BB or BBB going 1600FPS.

For more snow goose hunting tips, check out my guide here!

Every hunter dreams of an instant kill, where their prey simply hits the ground dead. It’s the perfect shot, the best intention, and the only way to make sure the animal doesn’t suffer. Here, we’ll take a look at your placement when you’re trying to take down the gobbler you’ve got your eye on.

Broadside

If the turkey approaches you broadside, the best place to put your shot is right where the wing joints to the body. You’ll slice through heart and lungs and there is no more instant kill than that. Plus, should you miss your mark by an inch or two on any side of this shot, you’ll still hit enough necessary organs to take the bird down in one go (almost certainly).

We do have to note that broadside shots are usually the most preferred to take with both firearms and archery since they allow for a much larger target and an easier spot. Plus, broadside shots allow you to see spurs on gobblers and assure you that the bird you’re shooting is not a hen.

Above the Beard

Maybe your gobbler is just demanding that you shoot it from the front. It wants to look you in the eye when you put it down and you know what? You’re game for that.

Shoot just above the bird’s beard to get that turkey’s pretty fan on your wall. Shooting under will likely damage the breast meat and may cause a gut shot, which could end up ruining the entire bird. If you take the turkey with a shot above the beard but below the neck, you’ll go straight through the heart and lungs once again and put it down in a blink.

Where the Fan Meets

Or maybe you’re experiencing the opposite problem. The turkey won’t turn around and is being, well, a turkey. In this case, we recommend calling vigorously to try to get the gobbler’s attention. A broadside or front shot is so much easier than trying to knock off the bird’s backside.

However, we take whatever shots we can, right? It’s more important to bag your bird than it is to let it get away because it’s only showing its back to you.

Shoot at the base of the fan, just below the actual tail of the bird but above the cloaca. Unfortunately, you’ll likely see some meat loss with this shot but that doesn’t matter quite as much if you’re just after the fan and you’re feeding your dogs the rest. Still, even if you’re just after the fan, this probably isn’t the best shot in the world, anyway.

Try to get the bird to turn, but take what you can if it won’t.

From Behind

Maybe the turkey doesn’t even care enough to flip its fan at you. That, or you’re after a bearded hen that you’ve had your eye on and she couldn’t care less. Go ahead and shoot in the same position, but across the back rather than from underneath the fan. You’re looking to aim for the tail joint at the body and sort of up along the spine rather than down into the body cavity.

Again, ideally, you get the turkey to turn your way and try to get that broadside or front shot. If you can’t, the joint of the tail and the body is a simple place to put a shot.

The Head Debate

It is preferred to kill a turkey by placing a body shot across the heart or lungs to ruin as little meat as possible and to kill the bird instantly. After all, we want their meat and the trophies, and we want the turkey to die as fast as possible.

So why not try for a headshot and be done with it?

Turkeys have incredibly tiny brains. Anyone who’s watched them for a while will probably chuckle at that, but we aren’t making fun of their intelligence. Instead, this is a simple fact. The heart and lungs of a turkey are far larger than the brain and better targets. Yes, your rifle is probably going to completely behead that turkey if you manage to get a really solid shot at it.

The target is tiny, the brain is minuscule, and you don’t want to take a bird’s beak off and leave it to starve to death by a misfire. A body shot will kill almost any bird, even if you don’t clip the heart and lungs. The damage done to the internal system of the turkey is simply too much for the body to bear. That isn’t so if you miss their very small head (and smaller brain).

Bottom Line

We strongly recommend either a broadside or a front-facing shot. These are the easiest to take and assure that the bird is probably dead before it hits the ground.

Looking for some more tips? Check out our other articles: 15 Expert Tips for Spring Turkey Hunting and How to Clean a Wild Turkey.

Amy Trubek

2004 | No. 68

The Shagbark Hickory Nut Is It the Finest Native American Nut?

By Amy Trubek

“They are the nobility of nuts,” the chef Odessa Piper says, “what the black truffle is to mushrooms.” Shagbark hickory nuts have “more flavor… more snap, more tooth-feel than either pecans or walnuts.” Unlike most nuts, toasting is required to intensify their flavor and create the shattering texture that makes them unique. Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) is a relative of the pecan and a North American native, widely found in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. It’s hard to miss because the unique bark peels away from the tree in thin strips from six inches to four feet long. The trees are often found along roadsides. On the small dairy farms that dominate the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, the cornfields and cow pastures mingle with stands of oak and hickory.

Gathering hickory nuts has long been part of rural Wisconsin family life. I went looking for hickory nuts late one fall, when the leaves had turned a vibrant mustard yellow. The nuts had dropped to the ground, their moist green husks now hard and black, having split open along four ribs to expose thin but strong inner shells. Several people told me that when they were young, their families would take a drive in the country and pull over when someone spotted a tree. The kids would pile out of the car and race to see who could pick up the most nuts the fastest. These people recalled with pleasure the nut’s luscious combination of sweet and smoky. But as to shelling… on that subject their eyes tended to glaze over.

Shelling the nuts is drudgery. Once the hard shell is broken, typically with a hammer, the meats have to be pried out. One serious harvester I met uses a dental pick. A pound of nutmeats takes a lot of cracking and picking and scraping — up to four hours’ worth — which explains why hickory nuts are rarely found in supermarkets or restaurants. Conventional wisdom in Wisconsin holds that this activity is for old-timers.

The main place to find shelled shagbark hickory nuts for sale is at farmers’ markets. At the one in Madison, various stands sell them. Harvey Ruehlow of the Nut Factory says, “The old guys are dying off, and the young people don’t have time.” He and his wife, Beverly, learned to forage and pick from Harvey’s dad, who loved to eat cinnamon rolls topped with chopped hickory nuts — it used to be that the nuts were used only for baking.

Note on toasting from Edward Behr

Eaten raw, shagbark hickory nuts have an echo of the curious rancid fruit flavor of another North American native, the black walnut — most people don’t like it. But shagbark hickory nuts respond unusually well to toasting, and they require a degree of it to taste their best. A mere light toasting causes the odd fruitiness to disappear and a superior taste to emerge, like a cross between a regular walnut and a pecan. Enough toasting also gives a satisfying, soft, oily crunch. The effect is so good that either the shagbark hickory or the wild pecan, another member of the hickory family, is the finest native North American nut. (A competitor, once, would have been the American chestnut, before the chestnut blight eliminated it.) To toast the nuts, heat the oven to 250 degrees F, spread them on a metal baking sheet or pan, toast for two minutes until they show some color, stir, and then toast for at least a minute or two longer. The longer the time, the stronger the flavor and the more crunch. Our small group of tasters preferred them after 10 or even 15 minutes. ● From issue 68

You can keep arrowheads you find on private land

Although different places have different laws, anything you find on public land (national parks, for example) is off-limits. What you find on private land that you have permission to look for arrowheads on is legal. Different laws apply in different places, but that is the general rule.

If arrowheads are on the surface, can you pick them up on public land?

No. Even if you don’t dig for the arrowheads, picking up arrowheads on public land is not allowed. There is always a fine per artifact if you collect arrowheads on public land.

It is not usually a felony to take arrowheads illegally, but you should look for arrowheads respectfully and legally. Look for arrowheads on private land with the owner’s permission.

A large majority of the land in Texas and elsewhere is privately owned, and a large majority of arrowheads can be found on this land. You aren’t missing out on anything special if you don’t look for arrowheads on public land.

In most states, you can’t dig up an archeological site even on private land that you have permission to use. There are laws against digging up archeological sites.

However, it can be legal to dig for artifacts in Texas because of property rights. The property owner gets to decide what happens to an archeological site on their land.

Any of the following are public land:

• National parks
• National forests
• Bureau of land management land
• National monuments

There are privately owned lakes that the public is allowed to use, where you may find arrowheads. It is usually legal to find arrowheads at these locations.

Are public waterways off-limits?

It depends on what state you are in. For example, it is legal in Missouri but illegal in Florida. Riverbeds are a good place to find arrowheads, but make sure it is legal.

Often, anything you find in a river is the property of the state, so it may be illegal to take anything you find. It can be illegal to dive for arrowheads without a permit.

Trespassing laws usually do not cover rivers. If the river is big enough to take a canoe down easily, it is usually legal to use the river. Check the laws in your state.

Is it legal to dig for arrowheads?

It is not legal to dig up archeological sites. Digging for artifacts on Federal land or Indian reservations is illegal under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979.

The act is there to protect sites valuable to archeologists from being dug up by amateurs who will not learn valuable archeological information. The laws also protect native cultural heritage sites. It is considered looting to dig up a burial mound.

Oddly, the laws do not apply to natural artifacts, such as dinosaur fossils. You can dig for fossils on public land. Fossils are considered paleontological rather than archeological, so the act does not apply.

Digging up burial mounds is disrespectful and illegal. You cannot dig up an area where you find human remains or assume you are likely to find them even on your own property.

It is not necessary to illegally dig up burial sites to find good arrowheads. One of the best places to find arrowheads is near rivers, where it is usually legal to look for arrowheads.

You can also find arrowheads after a flood, even a small flood that does not damage any property. When a river floods, it disturbs the ground and can uncover artifacts.

The 1979 act does not apply to private land, so it is legal to dig for arrowheads. The owner of the property must be willing to let you dig, or else you could be charged with damaging their property. You cannot dig up human burial sites even on private property.

How do the laws in Texas compare to laws in other states?

In Texas, property owners decide what happens to artifacts on their land. This reinforces the legality of digging up sites without having an archeological permit.

If you find artifacts on someone else’s property and you have permission from the owner to keep what you find, you can take and sell the arrowheads. Texas property rights mean that the owner can decide to do what they want with archeological sites on their property.

Do a lot of people look for artifacts illegally?

Yes, some antique dealers illegally dig up sites on private property to find artifacts to sell. Some even hire people to dig up sites at night. This is illegal and unethical for many reasons, including because it damages the owner’s property.

Artifacts found by archeologists are taken out of the ground carefully while collecting as much information as possible. They take detailed notes and photograph everything as it is removed from the ground.

If someone digs up a burial mound without notes and photographs, it stops being possible to learn as much about the site as archeologists could have.

Campsites are not quite the same as burial mounds. It may be more ethical or legal to dig up campsites. The best place to find arrowheads is on or near the surface.

How old are the oldest arrowheads in Texas?

Projectile points as much as 16000 years old have been found in Texas. These spear or dart points are some of the oldest tools ever found in the Americas.

This surprised the discoverers, who did not expect to find anything that old in Texas. The points are more than 2000 years older than anything previously found in the area.

How long ago people came to the Americas is not known for sure. A conservative estimate is still only about 16000 years, roughly as old as the recent finds in Texas. Most archeologists believe 20,000 years is the best estimate.

However, evidence is building up in favor of much earlier dates. There may have been people in the Americas for about twice that long.

Even how people reached the Americas is disputed. Arguably, some people reached South America from Australia and Melanesia at a very early date. Many people came from Siberia to Alaska, but other people may have reached the Americans in other ways.

Did you find unknown orange mushrooms in your yard, in the wood, or growing on tree trunks? We made a list of 10 species of orange mushrooms to help you recognize them.

The diversity of mushrooms is impressive. Not only do they look different from species to species, but they also impress with their color variety. We can find species ranging from white to red shades to even green and blue.

In this article, we will talk mainly about several species of fungi that develop predominantly orange fruiting bodies.

Keep in mind that it’s not a good idea to try identifying mushrooms based solely on their colors. Some species may have variable colors depending on the different stages of their lives. Some may be white initially, then turn yellowish, later orange, and even reddish close to the end of their life cycle. Therefore, we recommend you pay great attention when classifying them.

IMPORTANT: The toxicity of each species of mushroom included in this article was obtained from several sources. This data and display photos may or may NOT be entirely accurate. The purpose of this article is NOT to advise whether these species of mushrooms are edible or not, but it’s intended to present fascinating facts about the numerous types of orange fungi.

Never consume any wild mushrooms unless you are 100% sure they are edible! Just because a mushroom species is labeled as “Non-Toxic” or “Non-Poisonous” in this article doesn’t necessarily mean it is edible and safe for consumption.

1. Orange Mycena (Mycena Leaiana)

Mycena leaiana is a species of mushrooms with origins in North America, but there is a related variety (Mycena leaiana var. australis) that can be seen in the woodlands of New Zealand and Australia. Other common names for mycena leaiana include the orange mycena or Lea’s mycena.

This mushroom species is usually easily distinguished by its bright orange cap with a smooth and sticky surface. Its cap is no greater than 1.5 inches (4 cm) in diameter, has a bright orange color, but this may fade as the mushroom matures. Initially, it has a bell shape but becomes convex with age and frequently forms a depression in the center.

On the underside of the cap, it has crowded orange gills with reddish-orange margins. These are almost free from the stem.

The cap is supported by long and thin stipes, also orange and covered in fine hairs.

Mycena leaiana is a saprobic species. It feeds on dead and rotting wood, leaves, and other organic matter found in the forests. Another particularity of these mushrooms is the fact that they usually grow in dense clusters on deciduous logs.

Although it is oftentimes labeled as non-poisonous, the edibility of Mycena leaiana is unknown. In the absence of any convincing studies concerning these species of mushrooms, it is not recommended their consumption.

2. Orange Peel Fungus (Aleuria Aurantia)

Aleuria aurantia is a species of fungus seen throughout Europe, South and North America, parts of Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

This fungus develops an orange, thin fruiting body similar to a cup, or a husk, hence its popular name, “the orange peel.” When maturing, it can take on a flat or irregular shape and can reach sizes up to 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter under favorable conditions. The underside of the cap may be fuzzy, lighter in color than the top, or even whitish when the mushroom is young.

It doesn’t have a stem. It attaches directly to the ground through a thickening in the center of the cap.

Aleuria aurantia usually appears in late summer to autumn (or even in winter in warmer climates) and grows in clusters on the soil’s surface. It is frequently spotted in urban landscaped areas with disturbed soils, clays, roadside, or covered with wood chip mulches.

Aleuria aurantia is generally considered a non-toxic species and edible if cooked. However, it does not excel in flavor, and many say that it is almost tasteless. It is also quite difficult to pick because it is fragile and breaks into small fragments when touched.

Also keep in mind that there are several poisonous European species that look similar to these mushrooms, such as Caloscypha fulgens or Sarcoscypha coccinea.

3. Jack-O-Lantern (Omphalotus Illudens)

Omphalotus Illudens is a species of orange mushrooms distributed mainly in eastern North America and parts of Europe. These mushrooms are largely known as “jack-o’lantern mushrooms” due to their pumpkin-orange color and bioluminescent properties (thought to glow in the dark due to a chemical reaction, but some say that this is just a myth).

Although luminescence is not very common among mushrooms, according to PlantSnap, there are over 80 species of bioluminescent mushrooms. Through the weak light emitted in the dark, these species of fungi attract certain insects that spread their spores, hence, helping their multiplication.

Omphalotus Illudens is a saprobic fungus that feeds with dead organic matter from the forests, such as decaying stumps or dry fallen branches. It usually grows in clusters and is frequently spotted at the base of hardwood trees.

These fungi can reach fairly large sizes, especially at the group level. They are distinguished by a yellow-to-orange cap that initially has an umbrella shape which later flattens. The underside holds true non-forking gills, the same color as the cap, that run down the stem. The cap’s margins are initially curled inward but later can turn upward.

The stalk is long, has a smooth surface with a bright yellowish-orange color, darkening towards the base.

The Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms are toxic and should never be consumed raw or cooked. Unhappily, they are easily confused with edible species such as the golden chanterelle.

4. Goblet Waxcap (Hygrocybe Cantharellus)

Hygrocybe cantharellus is a species of small mushrooms found largely in the grasslands and woodlands of eastern North America, Europe, and parts of Australia. It belongs to the genus Hygrocybe (waxcaps), the family Hygrophoraceae and it’s popularly known as the Goblet Waxcap.

It has a small-size cap with a dry surface whose color can vary from light orange to reddish-orange. It does not usually exceed a few centimeters in width, initially has a convex shape, then flattens out and forms a slight depression in the center.

The cap’s edges are usually twisted inwards, slightly lighter in color, and become scalloped when aging. On the underside, it features sharp-edged pale yellow gills that run down the stem.

The stem is thin but relatively long compared to the mushroom’s size, orange in color, but pales toward the bottom.

Goblet Waxcap is considered by many to be a saprobic fungus because it sometimes grows on wood or decaying roots of plants but also thrives in areas covered with moss. It can grow both in small groups and alone.

Depending on the climate, they usually appear from late summer to late autumn.

Hygrocybe cantharellus is generally considered a non-toxic mushroom, but there is limited data on the edibility of this species to be considered entirely safe for consumption. Its reduced size can also be a downside.

5. Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces Lactifluorum)

Hypomyces Lactifluorum, or the Lobster mushroom as it’s commonly known, is a species of parasitic fungus that develops on top of several species of mushrooms. Although it is believed to be distributed mainly in North America, there are numerous records of the existence of this fungus on several other continents.

It is popularly called the “lobster mushroom” because it has the appearance of the outer shell of a cooked lobster and a reddish-orange color.

At maturity, hypomyces lactifluorum contains its host entirely, making the original species impossible to identify visually. Studies also point that this fungus not only changes the look of its host but can also alter its chemical composition.

Among the species of mushrooms that Hypomyces Lactifluorum prefers are those of the genus Russula, Lactifluus, and Lactarius.

This fungus is usually found in hardwood and coniferous forests, places where the host mushrooms mentioned above are regularly found.

It doesn’t have always the same shape. While at times mimics the form of the mushroom species it attacks, other times, it can exercise a pretty irregular shape. The orange color and the lobster shell look covered with tiny pimples may be the best indicators to recognize the lobster mushrooms.

Lobster mushrooms are non-toxic and also edible. They are even sold in certain markets. Still, many argue that there may be situations when these parasitic fungi might become inedible.

Although they are known to only parasite particular non-poisonous species, some say that might be always a slim chance for them to infect a poisonous variety. In this case, it raises the possibility to carry on the host’s toxins.

Unfortunately, I was not able to find any solid study to confirm or disprove this fact, nor any reports of poisonings linked to hypomyces lactifluorum consumption. Therefore, I would recommend you to be cautious, and only consume these when you know the host species.

6. Woolly Chanterelle (Turbinellus Floccosus)

Turbinellus floccosus is a species of fungi growing especially in coniferous woodlands across Asia and North America. It has several popular names such as the woolly chanterelle, scaly vase, scaly chanterelle, shaggy chanterelle, and more.

Although the popular name of turbinellus floccosus often includes the term “chanterelle,” and even has some similarities in shape with mushrooms in the genus Cantharellus, they are not related.

Turbinellus floccosus appears especially in late summer and autumn and prefers humid regions with heavy rains. They can grow both individually and in small groups.

These mushrooms are mainly distinguishable through their trumpet or vase-like shape and a central depression that gets deeper when aging. The cap’s top color usually alternates depending on humidity and age and can vary from yellowish orange to a dark reddish-orange.

Instead of gills, turbinellus floccosus possess irregular pale yellow-to-cream wrinkled ridges that go down the whole stem. There is no clear separation between the cap and the stem. Sometimes, multiple fruit bodies may grow from one stipe.

Turbinellus floccosus is generally considered inedible as it is known to cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. However, some sources assert that the geographical region in which these mushrooms grow may determine whether or not they are edible. Apparently, those growing in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia are toxic, while the ones from central Mexico and India are considered edible.

7. Jackson’s Slender Amanita (Amanita Jacksonii)

Amanita jacksonii is a species of mushrooms native to North America. It belongs to the family Amanitaceae, which is famous for including some of the most poisonous mushrooms, but also varieties appreciated for their flavor.

The appearance of this mushroom and its color vary depending on its maturity stage. At first, it looks like a white oval egg that rises above the ground. Later, it opens up, forming an orange or reddish-orange hemispherical cap that becomes convex and eventually flat, usually with a small cavity in the middle.

Its pigment concentrates in a central orange or reddish ring at maturity, fading to yellow toward the margins, with orange streaks on the edges.

The underneath has moderately crowded to crowded yellow to yellow-orange gills, free from the stem or slightly attached. It also presents subtruncate to truncate short gills.

A long and slim yellow stem supports the cap, often sprinkled with orange spots at the surface. At the base, you can often see white remnants of the original coating.

Amanita jacksonii is non-toxic and even labeled as edible by various sources. However, there are several deadly Amanita species similar to them. Hence, there is a significant risk of misidentifying this mushroom and ending up consuming a poisonous one.

8. Eyelash Cup (Scutellinia Scutellata)

Scutellinia scutellata is a saprobic fungus species found in many regions of the world. It is, in fact, one of the most widespread fungi in the world.

Besides the scientific name, it is also known as the Eyelash cup, Molly eye-winker, or the Common eyelash fungus.

It produces a small fruiting body which is generally seen growing in small groups on rotting wood or on soggy soil. It thrives in swampy environments where there is humidity constantly.

Scutellinia scutellata is easily recognizable due to its oily wet look, bright orange or reddish color, cup shape or flattened, and margins covered with stiff hairs, similar to an eyelash.

Depending on the climate, it can be noticed from late spring to late fall, and sometimes even in winter or spring.

We did not find data regarding the toxicity of Scutellinia scutellata, but most sources seem to indicate that it is not edible.

9. The Orange Bonnet (Mycena Acicula)

Mycena acicula, ordinarily known as the coral spring Mycena or orange bonnet, is a species of miniature mushrooms found throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean.

This species of fungus is mainly identified by the small size of its fruiting body, along with several particularities.

The orange bonnet has the classic mushroom look, with an orange-red cap that presents gills underneath and which is supported by a leg. Even at maturity, the cap rarely grows more than 0.4 inches (1cm).

Initially, the cap is hemispherical, later gets a bell shape, and eventually becomes convex. Its surface becomes smooth with the age and shows streaks leading to the edges.

The stem is relatively long compared to the overall size and does not usually exceed 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) in length.

These tiny mushrooms grow solitary in wet environments. Are often found on hardwood and conifer twigs or buried under the top layer of the leaf litter. They usually make their presence from late autumn to mid-winter and usually in spring in mountainous regions.

It is not known exactly if these mushrooms contain any toxic chemicals, but they are considered inedible due to their small size.

10. The Golden Trumpet (Xeromphalina Campanella)

Xeromphalina campanella is a saprobic species of mushrooms native to North America. It is known by several names such as the golden trumpet, Omphalina bell, or fuzzy foot.

The mushroom is observed in coniferous forests, usually growing in dense clusters on rotting logs and stumps. It is a small mushroom, but it cannot easily go unnoticed due to the fact that it almost always grows in large groups.

The cap of xeromphalina campanella has an umbrella shape when young, then its margins widen and rise, forming a central depression. Its color ranges from brownish yellow to orange. On the underside, it has well-spaced gills that run down the stem. These range in color from pale yellow to orange.

The stalk is thin, light orange near the cap, and brownish to yellow towards the base, which is covered with fine yellow or brown hairs, hence its common name “fuzzy foot.”

Although it is generally considered non-toxic, most sources label Xeromphalina campanella as inedible.

Final Word

This is just a tiny selection of the orange mushrooms that you can observe throughout various regions of the world. Because of their orange color, they are often easily observable in the green grass, growing on trees’ trunks, on decaying wood stumps, on the forest floor, or even in your yard or garden.

We hope you found this list helpful and assist you in identifying mushrooms with this particularity.

Several other species of fungi that produce orange fruiting bodies are:

• Cantharellus cinnabarinus
• Cystodermella cinnabarina
• Entoloma quadratum
• Gliophorus perplexus
• Gymnopilus sapineus
• Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae
• Pycnoporellus fulgens
• Pycnoporus cinnabarinus
• Tylopilus balloui
• Laetiporus cincinnatus

Since you have reached the end of the article, you may also be interested in our selection of 10 yellow mushroom species or 10 red mushroom species.

Please do not eat any species of mushrooms based only on the information presented in this article! Always consult a specialist before determining whether a mushroom is safe for consumption or not.