A one-pot, stick-to-your-ribs Amish-style winter stew that works in a Dutch oven, cast-iron over coals, or a kitchen stove. The recipe gives practical steps for browning, simmering and thickening, plus adaptable ingredient swaps for beef, game, or ham and off-grid storage and reheating guidance for hunters and homesteaders.
December has a way of stripping things down to what actually works. The leaves are long gone, the wind has teeth, and every step in the woods or on the ice has to earn its keep. This month, we leaned into that reality—where the days are short, the deer are wary, and a good fire or hot meal can turn a hard hunt into a memory worth keeping.
You’ll see it in our late-season hunting coverage, where we follow deer into winter yards, track bucks across the snow line, and break down what whitetails do once the guns go quiet and the rut fades. We dig into December rabbit hunting, small game when the woods go silent, and lessons from old-school trappers and tough seasons. Alongside that, we’ve got waterfowl strategies for bitter mornings and minimal-gear ground setups for those willing to stay mobile when the mercury drops.
Staying outside now means knowing how to handle the cold, not just survive it. We compare hot tents to cold camps, lay out the best winter fire layouts and overnight fire configurations, and get into feather sticks, snow-proof tinder, reflector fires, and raised bed setups. There’s knife care in freezing temps, natural wind checkers, field-ready first aid, emergency car kits, and winter daypacks that actually match the conditions you’ll face between mud and crusted snow.
And when you step back inside, the season doesn’t stop at the door. We’ve got slow-cooker rabbit stew, rabbit and trout over cast iron, jerky basics, winter stews, breakfasts built from wild game, and homestead projects like canning broth, winter egg production, and indoor herbs and food to carry your pantry through the dark stretch. Whether you’re glassing a food source after a warm snap, checking cold-creek trout patterns, or tending a woodpile and a rabbit hutch, this December issue is built to keep you effective, warm, and honest about the way we live with winter.
– Jeff Bilbrey, Editor-In-Chief
Winter bird behavior funnels ducks and geese into narrow open-water seams and sheltered spots, so reading the cues lets you hunt faster and more safely.
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A one-pot, stick-to-your-ribs Amish-style winter stew that works in a Dutch oven, cast-iron over coals, or a kitchen stove. The recipe gives practical steps for
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