Author Topic: Frog Legs anyone??? (Read 2968 times)

Woodchuk · « **on:** March 26, 2003, 06:11:46 AM »

Here' something I found interesting that doesn't involve squirrels,a favored topic of this forum in the past.

My family recently came across an old VHS tape that was converted from some 8mm footage that my grandfather took, must have been about 45 years ago...One part of the tape showed my grandmother and great uncle cleaning a mess of frogs, actually a whole bucket full, preparing them to make frog legs.

As per NEW YORK STATE regulations: "Frogs may be taken statewide from sunrise to sunset from June 15 to September 30. There is no bag limit. A fishing or small game license is required to take frogs with a spear, club, hook or by hand. A small game license is required to take frogs with a gun or bow."

I'd like to know if anybody else on this board has ever taken frogs for food, or if you have ever eaten frog legs, wild or otherwise...Also do other states have frog seasons?

I'll try to check with my grandmother, about how she cooked them (I imagine she fried 'em) as I don't see any frog leg recipes in the cook book I have...

Frog123 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2003, 08:05:09 PM »

OH Yeahhh, I love those froggies. Myself and a friend or two go out a couple of times each spring and summer just to take frogs. Same thing here in Tenn. You have to have a small game license to harvest bullfrogs. We use gigs (multi prong spears), .22's and sometimes bow and arrows. A whole lotta fun, especially during the spring before the bugs get real bad. Throw a light on 'em at night and their eye's will glow. Just ease up behind 'em and spear 'em or shoot 'em. To clean, just cut the frogs in half at the pelvis and peel the skin off the hind quarters like a glove. Batter and fry in hot oil, but watch out. They are known to occasionally "jump" out of the frying pan. They have some of the sweetest most tasty meat you'll ever eat. Most memorable experience, my buddie Greg gigged what he thought was a frog, turned out to be a three foot cotton mouth with a serious attitude. Wished you could've been there for that!

Frog

Woodchuk · « **Reply #2 on:** March 27, 2003, 03:53:10 AM »

Frog123,

What kind of frogs were they, bullfrogs? Are there different kinds that you can eat? How many do you need to make a decent meal?

Also, what kind of points did you use when taking them with bow and arrow?

Thanks,
Woodchuk

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** March 27, 2003, 12:43:44 PM »

Oh yeah, you better betcha. Frog legs is fine vittles.

I've gigged and shot them. Here in Bama we do it at night however with a light for the most part. Down here it is such a big sport there is a local guy who invented an automatic gig that really works super and he makes and sells them nationally. It works something like a spear gun for scuba divers as I understand it. Never seen one only the photos of them long ago when he came up witht the idea.

For the most part bull frogs are what we take but any frog with legs big enough for eating is fine. Once a restaurant nearby was importing some frog legs from somewhere that were the largest I've ever seen anywhere. They were much longer than the plates were wide and hung over on both sides. It was all you could eat fish and seafood. We took visitors to the Army Depot down there often so me and Mrs. GB had plenty of occasion to go eat out there. Believe me I can put away a LOT of shrimp and frog legs and catfish which were what I concentrated on.

GB

crawfish · « **Reply #4 on:** March 27, 2003, 05:20:21 PM »

:grin: I have 7 ponds on the farm all are frog rich. My youngest son and I go a couple times during my off shifts. Up until about five years ago we only kept the back legs of frogs but I was in south LA for a visit to my mother's home when a friend gave her some frogs that were whole but for the head. Giver said there was lots of "good meat" on the frog body. There is, so that is the way we do them now.
Couple of frog stories:
About four years ago was cooking for our annual oyster roast/seafood cookout. I was frying frogs real big ones. There were a bunch of ladies sitting at the table talking when it struck me as to how much the frog I was holding looked like my kids Barbie doll with out it's head. I was holding the frog under it's front legs turned to the assambled bunch and stated loudly "LOOK LITTLE PEOPLE". Cleared the kitchen in two seconds.

We used to always shoot frogs usually at dusk and into the night. About ten years ago a cousin from LA showed me how to "fish" for them and I do that alot now. You use the longest pole you have ( I use collapsing fiberglass brim busters 11-15' long or a fly fishing rig) with a white or pink feather as bait (don't need a hook). The frog will take that thing right out of the air and hold on until you grab it. BUt at night you also catch other critters with that feather lots of water snakes which tends to make things exciting

Like GB said any frog with legs big enough to make it worth the trouble are eaten. I saw a news show about the decline of the frog population in Europe that showed people eating frogs so small that I though it was a joke.

BTY my "little people" frog was over 14 inches long and it really looked like a headless child. I have pics of those frogs along side a ruler that I'll sent to someone to post if I can lay hands on.

One more thing frogs = YUM YUM

rwng · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2003, 04:47:02 AM »

When I was a kid up in Michigan, we would catch them using a small fishing pole and a piece of red flannel. We would also gig 'em. Just last year while in Indiana my son was catching frogs bigger than I even remember. (two handers for him

) But I couldn't bring myself to convince him to skin and eat his "trophies". Besides he only had 2 or 3 good sized ones. They are good eatin'. Taste like ... ah froglegs

.

Chuck from arkansaw · « **Reply #6 on:** May 19, 2003, 08:34:10 PM »

I have gigged and shot lots of frogs in the past. I like to gig at night, take turns in a boat, one gig man one trolling motor and light man. A live well comes in handy, pull them off the prongs and just crack the door and pitch them in. Pull the boat well out of the water to unload or some are sure to get away, even after being gigged. You don't lunge at a frog with a gig, you sneak it up till it almost touches them, then shove it through. In daylight, an accurate .22 is lots of fun. My dad had 2 ponds a couple of hundred yards apart. Around the second week of June they are croaking, which makes it easy to find them. Head shots at 25-40 yards. If they jump into the water after you hit them, they will float up in 10 or 15 minutes so you can recover them. With the ponds some distance apart you coud shoot at one till they got scared and quit croaking, then go to the other pond and start all over. A few trips back and fourth and you have a mess of frogs. I shot 21 in a couple of hours, and believe me, 42 legs breaded up and fried up golden brown makes a might fine looking platter of sea food.

KYtrapper17 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2003, 03:11:12 PM »

Frog Gigging is one of the funnest things I can think of. I do it with a .22 rifle shooting hollow pooints. Frog legs are also one of the best types of wild meat.

AKA Craig · « **Reply #8 on:** July 06, 2003, 04:08:45 PM »

hey we got a pond that has lots of big frogs, but i dont know how to clean em do you skin them after you cut the legs off?

Story

Me and my cousin was about 10, we went to the pond to shoot frogs with our pellet guns :grin: we shot 26 that i can remember my mom made us get rid of them because they were "dirty" but we measured them and they was anywhere from 15 to 24 inches. now i realized it was a shame that we had to just throw them away.

is there any diaeases you can get from eating frogs? :?

THE#1hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** July 17, 2003, 02:49:09 PM »

never heard of any?

coboconk · « **Reply #10 on:** February 15, 2004, 11:55:17 AM »

I grew up in upstate New York and we use to catch frogs all the time and eat them. We would use a long pole with fish line and a small barbless hook. You just add a piece of red flanel to the hook and dangle it in front of them. They will leap right on the hook. My uncle use to cut the legs off right next to the pond and just carry the saddles home. My aunt would fry them in butter and we would chow down. My wife thinks that is disgusting to eat froglegs, :eek: but thinks nothing of eating squid or snails. :shock: Guess it's the way you were raised.

janehal · « **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2004, 06:54:46 AM »

:lol: Have gigged and eaten many frogs..........great..........the BEST part of your post was saying that you had the tape of your relatives in this sport......It must be PRICELESS......we all need to remember and take lots of pictures as some day they will be viewed like this.........CHERISH them forever Hal

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2004, 01:49:25 PM »

FROG! EEEEEEEWWWWW!!!

Just kidding! LOL!

I haven't been for a while, but yes, I love hunting the little buggers. I like giggin'em, but I'd a whole lot rather shoot'em with 22 shorts from a canoe or small boat.

I also like eating them too. They're not my very favorite wild food, but they're definately way up the list!

Doc T · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2004, 06:06:21 AM »

The MOST fun method of frog hunting is to go after them at night in a small boat. Shine a spotlight on them and they freeze. Then you ease up to them with someone leaning over the front of the boat and grab them by hand. You have to look closely for Cottonmouths before you grab the frog, though.

ihuntbucks · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2004, 02:49:48 PM »

Oh yeah....Love frog legs.As GB said we gig'em here at night w/ spot light.It's really big "doings" down here.Only thing about doing this at night is sometimes you get critters you don't want,exp...water mocks.If you really want to scare the c..p out of someone;go gigging at night working the banks of your favorite creek and drop a large stick onto the bottom of the boat :-D .Their first move is usally into the water;which btw is the last place you want to be. :eek: This is from a voice of experience and vituim there of. Rick

fishdaddy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 24, 2004, 10:20:57 AM »

is there such a thing as a frog trap?
thanks.
fish.

ihuntbucks · « **Reply #16 on:** March 24, 2004, 04:10:06 PM »

You've got me fish.If there is;what do you bait it with?Kinda hard to keep bugs,flies,ect...in one....don't know.If there is,I sure would like to see one...................Rick

rickt300 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 12, 2004, 07:39:50 AM »

I get em using a stick and a landing net. Once you freezem in the light make em jump with the stick and catch em in the net. No reaching into snakey places and you can get several in the net before you have to put them in the fish basket..

Lawdog · « **Reply #18 on:** April 12, 2004, 10:55:11 AM »

We like to use a crossbow handgun(80 lb.) with special three prong gig bolts I make from fiberglass arrow blanks. Attached to 80 lb. test fishing line they fly unheeded for quite a ways. Deadly out to 30 or so feet. Once hit the frogs do not get away. Lawdog

cdbeaver · « **Reply #19 on:** June 01, 2004, 09:37:02 AM »

My brother and I used to hunt bull frogs at night. We used .22 caliber revolvers loaded with birdshot. We each had a flashlight and a burlap sack.

When we spotted a suitable frog, we shot for the middle of the back. When struck there, the frog would simply flatten straight out and freeze to make pick-up easier. A head shot would result in a convulsive leap that often put him out of side or deep into the water.

We used revolvers because shotshells didn't work well in autoloaders. One night my brother's sack had a nice large hole in the bottom. Even though he shot his fair share, his sack was much lighter than mine at hunt's end. Didn't matter; we had plenty to eat.

warf73 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 13, 2004, 10:52:52 PM »

My dad and I make it for opening day of frog season every year July 1.
We both work the graveyard shift so we just take off work and headed out to our favorite frog pond.
It has been really rainy this year and cool the hunt was fun as dad and I got out and BS all the way there but only seen 2 nice frogs and very few little ones.

Since the night was young 1:00am we headed to our favorite duck hunting hole 80 miles away to see how the place looked in the summer.
It was a pretty drive full moon out seen a lot of game deer, yotes, opossums, and raccoons.
Needless to say we put little over 350 miles on my truck got home a little after sun rise and no frogs but was fun.

Last year we caught our limit of frogs (8 each) in just under 10 mins. Nice big ones.
So we proceeded to kill the over population of snakes. Well I did dad just watch and shook his head every time I would gig one.
Just a side note water snakes smell worse than a skunk when you remove there head.

maddmaxx · « **Reply #21 on:** July 26, 2004, 04:42:59 AM »

Boats? Gigs? Nets? .22's? All I use is a light. Tie my pant legs shut, put the light in my mouth, and slowly slither toward the bank. At less than arm's length, make a grab and carry 'em in my pants. But of course we don't have any poisonious snakes around here. Even get the wife out once in a while. She was gonna "just walk on the bank" -till she met a disgruntled 'coon. Stayed in the water after that.

7magWoodsman · « **Reply #22 on:** July 27, 2004, 09:02:07 PM »

Frog Legs are one of my favorite foods...One of my oldest memories is going Giggin' with Dad. they can and will jump out of the pan while friing though, it helps to soak em in salt water. We always battered them in corn meal after we rolled em in an egg. but I have cooked them over a camp fire like a hot dog and pan fried different ways. In Kentucky we gig at night. It seems they dont like to die though, one time I remember de-legging a buch and throwed all the bodies in a bag, it was late(3-4am) so I took a nap, when I woke I heard one crokin' and thought I forgot one being tired and all, but when I opened the bag there he was leggless and ribbiting I know that sounds gross but its the truth.

AndyC · « **Reply #23 on:** September 01, 2004, 04:49:21 PM »

I am a waiter at an Italian Resteraunt and every couple weeks we have sautayed from legs in a lemon and white sauce with diced tomatoes. :grin: :grin: mmmm mmmm good!

Froghunter · « **Reply #24 on:** December 06, 2005, 07:56:18 AM »

Man, Count me in, I'll be there! In the spring I will start posting my adventures! ( An undertaking that involves unknown dangers and risk )

GeorgiaDave · « **Reply #25 on:** February 11, 2006, 03:06:15 AM »

Hello from Georgia,
I have been hunting frogs since I was a small child. We used a regular gig for many years until I inherited my great uncle's spring loaded gig, which can be gotten through bass pro shops.These are opened up and held open by a trigger that when activated closes very quickly and holds whatever is in it. It uses spring steel to power it and is VERY effective on frogs, and moccasins as well. I have mine mounted on the threaded part of a paint roller which I am able to screw onto a 12' extendable paint pole. Something else that is great to use as a pole is the square poles used to check the level of gas in the underground tanks at the gas station.

After a succesful hunt we clean the frogs and occasionaly fry them but my favorite way to enjoy them is cooking them on an open fire. Simply lay the legs in some aluminum foil with some butter, salt, pepper, hot sauce, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, or whatever you like and roll them up. place them on a small bed of coals and flip them every few minutes. When the foil starts to swell up really good (usually no more than 12-15 mins.) they are done. This is a real treat to be enjoyed and relished. Good luck hunting those big ol bullfrogs !

Dave

K.K · « **Reply #26 on:** April 06, 2006, 04:17:59 PM »

Every Fourth of July, my brother and law and I get out the waders, pole-handled trout net and the rimfires and wade the farm ponds on his place. I like my Henry lever .22, and he uses a Marlin 17 HMR (altough we sometimes have to scour the brush for the frogs). I'm thinking of taking my Ruger MArk III hunter this year. Anyway, we only harvest mature bullfrogs and we supplement the barbeque with some fresh forg legs. It is a great time, and a great way to hone your hunting and marksmanship skills. I'm glad that there are others out there that enjoy this pastime. Have fun!