Appetizer
Grilled Venison Heart Anticuchos Skewers
Do you have a deer heart in the freezer that you saved because you felt guilty discarding it, but you don’t really know what to do with it? Try the Wild Game Gourmet’s Peruvian-style recipe for skewers that will make just enough for everyone to have a couple of bites. It requires a couple hours of marinating time, so get it going in the morning and then send someone else out to the grill to cook it up while you’re putting the finishing touches on everything else. Heads up: This uses mostly simple ingredients that you already have or can get easily, except for one. Plan ahead if you need to search for the Gojujang chili paste (or order it online).
(Photo courtesy thewildgamegourmet.com)
On the Side 
Cheesy Bacon Polenta
Cheese, bacon—what’s not to love? Polenta is, basically, glorified grits, and it makes an excellent side dish to almost any meal. This recipe from the Wild Game Gourmet (different from The Wild Game Gourmet of the previous recipe) calls for bacon bits, so chop up some wild hog bacon and go to town. This recipe doesn’t take long to cook, but you do need to keep an eye on it to keep it from burning the pan dry. If you think the family won’t riot, this starchy dish would be a great substitute for the same-old-same-old mashed potatoes.
(Photo courtesy wildgamegourmet.net)
I’m Stuffed
Venison Stuffing
It’s not exactly gourmet, but it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. This venison stuffing recipe from Wide Open Country starts with a box of stuffing mix and then dresses it up with some ground venison, fresh veggies and herbs, and Grandma’s classic go-to ingredient—cream of mushroom soup. It’s hearty enough to be a one-pot meal any night of the week, but it’ll also pair perfectly with your Thanksgiving turkey. And obviously, you can’t have Thanksgiving without stuffing! Of course, between this and the polenta, we’re getting pretty carb-heavy. Maybe make some green beans or brussels sprouts, too.
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If You Want to Get Fancy
Duck Confit
Hank Shaw is a master at taking wildly fancy game recipes and breaking them down in ways that the easily intimidated among us can handle. If you’d like to get a little hoity toity this Thanksgiving, try his recipe for duck confit. Hank does a superb job of explaining each step to make this dish manageable. He does recommend doing a lot of birds at once, so if you don’t have a pile of ducks in the freezer, you might want to wait until next year to tackle this, or do it in a small batch—it’s better to do it days or weeks ahead of time, anyway. Shredded duck confit goes well on salads, with pasta and grains, over polenta and even in tacos, so you can surely find a way to incorporate this into a Thanksgiving side dish. Hank might disagree with me (because, obviously, he’s much better at this than I am), but I’m going to recommend you make this recipe with fatty mallards and other good-tasting ducks. The fat of sea ducks will almost certainly not be as tasty.
(Photo courtesy honest-food.net)
The Main Event
Roasted Wild Turkey
What’s Thanksgiving without a roasted turkey? The trouble is, wild turkey dries out so easily that it can be tricky to get it right. This recipe from The Sporting Chef, Scott Leysath, solves that problem with some creative steps like smearing diced bacon and herbs between the skin and the meat, then baking the bird breast-side-down to keep the white meat from drying out in the oven. True, you won’t get that picture-perfect, golden brown Thanksgiving turkey served breast-side-up, but it'll be juicy and delicious, and that’s a worthy trade-off in our book. Our advice is to use a meat thermometer to ensure your turkey is done without being overcooked—Scott says to pull it from the oven when the breasts are 155 degrees. He also warns that the legs, which are notoriously tough on wild turkeys, will not be tender, so you should remove them and save them for another use. Speaking of which…
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The Day After 
Creamy Wild Turkey Soup
Leftovers are arguably one of the best things about Thanksgiving, and turkey soup is a classic. The morning after Thanksgiving, pick the meat off those legs and thighs, put it aside in the fridge, and put the carcass in a deep stock pot, covered in water. Let that simmer for several hours, then strain it and proceed with this recipe from RealTree, using your turkey broth in place of the chicken broth the recipe calls for (taste it first and salt it as needed). It’s a creamy twist on turkey soup, using half and half and cheddar along with green chilis and some bell pepper for color and flavor. The recipe seems to be missing some steps, so I’ll just advise you to add all the vegetables after straining the broth and let them simmer until they’re soft, then pick up with the recipe where it has you add the flour and dairy. Like most soups, this will get even better the next day, so enjoy your leftovers!
(Photo courtesy RealTree)
