Some people might think this is weird, or even inappropriate, but I want everyone to have an open mind and think outside the box.
Everyone expects hunters to try and use every part of the animal. I think I definitely take that to the next level with two DIY projects that can be created from parts you wouldn't normally use.
Bear Swizzle Stick
I got into helping my friend guide bear hunts, so I had the opportunity to gut and skin a lot of bears. My friend told me that people use the bone from the “private part” of a boar bear for a swizzle stick. It’s a straight bone so it makes perfect sense for that. Of coarse you clean it!
To clean:
Scrape as much meat off as you can
Boil in hot water with Lysol
After it boils for about 40 minutes, scrape off the rest of the meat, then scrape it with some steel wool
It’s a perfectly clean sanitized swizzle stick.
Raccoon Tooth Pick
Since they outlawed running your hounds on bears in California, I haven’t really wanted to hunt bear anymore and have taken up coon hunting with dogs. My friend now tells me that you can use the bone from the "private part" of a boar coon for a toothpick because it has a curved tip.
Clean it the same way as the bear bone, but you'll have to shave down the tip of the bone to a point to get in between your teeth. You now have your own coon toothpick!
How funny would it be if you have company over and someone asks for something to mix their drink with or needs a toothpick and you bring out one of the animal bones. What a conversation starter.
Follow Kelly Cohen on Instagram at @kellycohen4202.