It’s game day, and your house will be filled with hungry people. You could go the conventional route: chips, dip, hotdogs, hamburgers — or you could put out an epic wild game spread. Game days are great opportunities to share the successful hunting season you’ve been having or to simply clear out the freezer. Also, these parties generally go down well with people who have never eaten wild game.

I’ve found that serving small bites or appetizers is an effective way to get people to try game meat. These gatherings are typically casual, and friends and family can eat at their own pace. Furthermore, they will be trying food that they may already recognize—most people enjoy foods like poppers and fried pockets of meat already. It’s not like sitting down to a plated deer chop dinner, which might be overwhelming for picky palates.

So, here’s a collection of game-day-ready recipes. All these recipes can be prepped ahead, which makes them perfect for big gatherings.

Grouse and Date Poppers Recipe

Many of us were introduced to hunting by way of game meat wrapped in bacon, and poppers (pictured above) are the gateway bite. Even with strong-tasting game meat, the familiarity of bacon and cream cheese is always welcomed, and the spicy kick of jalapenos keeps this go-to dish exciting. Though, after years of eating the same poppers over and over again, I was ready to mix it up a bit. These goat cheese and date poppers depart from the typical jalapeno and cream cheese. You get a sweet and salty bite, with the nuttiness of a cashew tucked inside. These poppers are almost like dessert.

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Dove Empanada Recipe

Empanadas are the perfect party food. The filling can be made the day ahead, and when you’re ready, assemble them and fry. Fried empanadas may be kept warm until your guests arrive or reheated in the oven.

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Fried Duck Egg Rolls Recipe

Stuffing wild game and cheese in a fried egg roll wrapper was one of my first, and best, attempts at cooking wild game. In 2012, I was finishing up my senior year in college and also started learning how to hunt. I came up with this recipe after a work trip to Philadelphia, where I tasted the Philly cheesesteak egg roll at the Continental Mid-Town. I thought it was a stroke of genius, and when I returned home, quickly went to work recreating the dish with wild duck.

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Berry-Chipotle Goose Sliders Recipe

If goose meat doesn’t normally excite you, this recipe might help with tough or strongly-flavored Canada or snow geese. For the best flavor, prepare the meat, sauce and coleslaw the day before. The meat can be kept warm in a crockpot during the party. Multiply the recipe as needed.

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Wild Turkey Leg Chipotle Fried Tacos Recipe

Crispy, a little greasy and so flavorful – I love fried tacos. Although the original recipe was written for wild turkey legs, any game bird and cut will do. Note that wild turkey, especially the legs, take an awful long time to tenderize, so adjust your braising time accordingly if you’re going to use birds like grouse or duck. Braise meat, shred and sauté the day before. The next day, assemble the tacos and refrigerate until you’re ready to fry them.

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Buffalo Pheasant Dip Recipe

I have a couple of friends known for their buffalo chicken dip, which they could always be depended on to bring to parties. This pheasant dip is the wild game version of that. However, where they use canned chicken breast, this recipe takes a bit more effort to slow cook game birds—but it’s worth it and a good opportunity to use cuts many bird hunters normally wouldn’t know what to do with. This is a great recipe for pheasant legs and thighs. I recommend braising the meat the day ahead, mixing all the ingredients together and pouring it into a baking dish to refrigerate overnight. Before your guests arrive, pop it into the oven to heat through. 

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