Food and Hunting – A Film on Wild Game Food Writer Hank Shaw

The musings and personal story of upland game chef Hank Shaw

For those of you who have already dived into the book Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail you are probably very familiar with the backstory of award-winning food writer Hank Shaw. Or maybe you have been following along on his website at honest-food.net or his new articles over at Pheasants Forever. Hank is a chef by trade, by artistic skill, and a journalist. He is also a bird hunter.

We caught up with Hank on his book tour this past fall as he journeyed to Kansas for a fundraising event for habitat. There he cooked delicious food and signed books, but most importantly, hunted wild ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail.

“There is something extremely hardwired-satisfying about the flavor of anything it is that you eat that you had to work for. And upland bird hunting is the epitome of that.”

Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw’s involvement in conservation is nothing new. He is a life member of Quail Forever after all. Originally from New Jersey, he now resides in California where the world of quail is the pursuit of choice.

Hank’s work has exposed many non-hunters to the world of sustainable and healthy wild game eating and cooking. In his own words, “I am the omnivore who has solved his dilemma.” And maybe he is too humble to say it, but he has helped others solve the dilemma, as well.

He popularized the eating of legs on upland game, properly taught the plucking of birds, and continues to give plenty of time to the vast differences that upland game bird meat has to offer.

In this film we follow along with Hank as he explores his backstory, history with upland, and the future of his work. He is as passionate about eating birds as anyone we’ve met — just ask the TSA folks he met on his way home from this Kansas trip as he brought a cooler full of pheasant onto the plane.

To catch even more about Hank Shaw and his platform Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook, check out the recent article in the fall issue of Project Upland Magazine titled Taste of All Things Wild as featured on the front cover!

This film was made possible by our friends at Federal Premium, Pheasants Forever, and Quail Forever.