Delta Conservationist
Delta Wildlife Board Member Highlight: Will Choate
By Amy Taylor
Rolling Fork native Will Choate’s passion for hunting and the outdoors goes back as far as he can remember. “I grew up deer hunting with my father and brother at Whiting Bayou and duck hunting on Dunbar Lee’s farmland—both in Issaquena County,” he comments. And now, as the father of four, Will is continuing the legacy by instilling that same passion into his children.
After graduating from Sharkey-Issaquena Academy, Will attended Mississippi State University and received a degree in General Business in 1997. He was employed by Bunge North America for the next five years, and then went to work as a Member Service Representative for the National Cotton Council for five more. He is married to the former Elise Jordan, and in 2010 he joined his in-laws in their family farming operation in Carter, Mississippi, in Yazoo County, where they grow cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.
“My connection with Delta Wildlife began with my father, who was a member,” Will explains. “My dad always enjoyed hunting and instilled that appreciation of wildlife and the outdoors in us.” He adds, “Whether it’s on a farming or hunting level, Delta Wildlife is invaluable to the Delta. They are always ready and willing to do anything for anyone. We’ve called upon them for advice on water structures on our farmland, and their knowledge and expertise on habitat enhancement is vital to the outdoorsman.”
An original member of Crane Lake Hunting Club in Onward, Mississippi, Will enjoys hunting there with the Miller family and on the family farm with his father-in-law, Bernie Jordan, as well as his children. He comments, “I really try to teach the love of the outdoors to my children. There’s so much competition with technology today (they love their iPhones and PlayStation 4s!), so it’s really important to me to spend time with them outdoors, whether deer or duck hunting. My boys (ages 11 and 9) both enjoy hunting, and I just spent yesterday with my 6-year-old daughter in the woods. She’s a “Daddy’s Girl” for sure, and it’s exciting for her to see and learn about wildlife; she’s just as happy to see the squirrels and raccoons as she is the deer!”
In addition to serving on the board of Delta Wildlife, Will is President of Yazoo County Farm Bureau and past Director of Delta Council. He also serves on the Manchester Academy School Board and is a volunteer assistant basketball coach of the junior high and high school teams there.
Although he professes to be “more of an eater than a cook,” Will shares his dad’s recipe for Barbecue Venison below.
Delta BBQ Venison Shoulder
1 venison front shoulder - trimmed
4 large white onions - sliced thick
2 bay leaves
Thick cut bacon
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
Ketchup - about 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
Salt, Pepper, and Tony Chacheres
Meat tenderizer (if desired)
Worcestershire Sauce - 10 dashes from bottle
Heinz 57 sauce - 5 tablespoons
Clean the front shoulder and take time to trim the meat as clean as possible. Season the shoulder generously with meat tenderizer, “Tony’s,” garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a large roasting pan, create a sandwich-type arrangement in the following order: put a layer of sliced bacon on the bottom of the pan, followed by a generous layer of sliced onions, then add a generous amount of ketchup evenly over the onion layer followed by 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and 2.5 tablespoons of Heinz 57 sauce, then add the front shoulder, another layer of sliced onions, followed by another generous amount of ketchup along with several dashes of Worcestershire sauce and 2.5 tablespoons of Heinz 57 sauce, add the 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, then cover with a final layer of bacon strips. Add the two bay leaves on opposite sides of the pan near the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees until tender for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours depending on the size of the shoulder. Carve or pull apart with fork for serving.
Delta Wildlife Board Member Highlight: Will Choate
By Amy Taylor
Rolling Fork native Will Choate’s passion for hunting and the outdoors goes back as far as he can remember. “I grew up deer hunting with my father and brother at Whiting Bayou and duck hunting on Dunbar Lee’s farmland—both in Issaquena County,” he comments. And now, as the father of four, Will is continuing the legacy by instilling that same passion into his children.
After graduating from Sharkey-Issaquena Academy, Will attended Mississippi State University and received a degree in General Business in 1997. He was employed by Bunge North America for the next five years, and then went to work as a Member Service Representative for the National Cotton Council for five more. He is married to the former Elise Jordan, and in 2010 he joined his in-laws in their family farming operation in Carter, Mississippi, in Yazoo County, where they grow cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.
“My connection with Delta Wildlife began with my father, who was a member,” Will explains. “My dad always enjoyed hunting and instilled that appreciation of wildlife and the outdoors in us.” He adds, “Whether it’s on a farming or hunting level, Delta Wildlife is invaluable to the Delta. They are always ready and willing to do anything for anyone. We’ve called upon them for advice on water structures on our farmland, and their knowledge and expertise on habitat enhancement is vital to the outdoorsman.”
An original member of Crane Lake Hunting Club in Onward, Mississippi, Will enjoys hunting there with the Miller family and on the family farm with his father-in-law, Bernie Jordan, as well as his children. He comments, “I really try to teach the love of the outdoors to my children. There’s so much competition with technology today (they love their iPhones and PlayStation 4s!), so it’s really important to me to spend time with them outdoors, whether deer or duck hunting. My boys (ages 11 and 9) both enjoy hunting, and I just spent yesterday with my 6-year-old daughter in the woods. She’s a “Daddy’s Girl” for sure, and it’s exciting for her to see and learn about wildlife; she’s just as happy to see the squirrels and raccoons as she is the deer!”
In addition to serving on the board of Delta Wildlife, Will is President of Yazoo County Farm Bureau and past Director of Delta Council. He also serves on the Manchester Academy School Board and is a volunteer assistant basketball coach of the junior high and high school teams there.
Although he professes to be “more of an eater than a cook,” Will shares his dad’s recipe for Barbecue Venison below.
Delta BBQ Venison Shoulder
1 venison front shoulder - trimmed
4 large white onions - sliced thick
2 bay leaves
Thick cut bacon
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
Ketchup - about 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
Salt, Pepper, and Tony Chacheres
Meat tenderizer (if desired)
Worcestershire Sauce - 10 dashes from bottle
Heinz 57 sauce - 5 tablespoons
Clean the front shoulder and take time to trim the meat as clean as possible. Season the shoulder generously with meat tenderizer, “Tony’s,” garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a large roasting pan, create a sandwich-type arrangement in the following order: put a layer of sliced bacon on the bottom of the pan, followed by a generous layer of sliced onions, then add a generous amount of ketchup evenly over the onion layer followed by 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and 2.5 tablespoons of Heinz 57 sauce, then add the front shoulder, another layer of sliced onions, followed by another generous amount of ketchup along with several dashes of Worcestershire sauce and 2.5 tablespoons of Heinz 57 sauce, add the 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, then cover with a final layer of bacon strips. Add the two bay leaves on opposite sides of the pan near the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees until tender for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours depending on the size of the shoulder. Carve or pull apart with fork for serving.