Frog Gigging

Disclaimer. Frog gigging, like any kind of hunting, fishing or other activity that is aimed to kill animals, fish, birds, etc. has its fans and those, who side the animals. This article is aimed at those, who are interested in this kind of activity, not those, who believe it is inhumane. The article was created for informational purposes only.

What is frog gigging?

Frog gigging is an activity which means hunting frogs with home-made gigs. A gig is a spear that has got several points mounted to it. As a rule, the spear itself is 5-7 ft long and has got 5-8 points mounted to it. Frog hunters themselves do not call it ‘spear’ or frog gigging pole. Instead, they just use the word ‘gig’. When making a gig for yourself, you need to consider several factors to come up with a tool, that is guaranteed to work for you:

• Proper length of the gig allows you to get the frog before you spook it by getting too close;
• Several points increase the chances that you will actually get the frog;
• You can use an extra net to help you get the frog.

Other than frogs, you can use gig to hunt fish the same way. If you are interested, this activity is called fish gigging. The most popular kind of frogs Americans hunt is bulldog frog, as it is large and meaty, and may be found in many ponds and lakes country-wide.

How to frog gig?

Frog gigging traditions vary from state to state, as well as the legal limits of the frogs allowed to hunt per person. So it is highly recommended to check on the legal aspect prior to hunting the frogs.

Frog Gigging Equipment

To hunt frogs, you will need:

1. a frog gig;
2. a bag to store the game;
3. a flashlight or a headlamps;
4. a boat (optional, depends on the hunting style).

How to Frog Gig: Tactics

Usually people frog gig at night. They take a flashlight to find the frogs in darkness. By the size of eyes the hunters determine the large edible-sized frogs to hunt. Next. they approach the frogs they find interesting and actually kill the frog with a gig. Then, frogs are put into the bag and cleaned. Cleaning actually means that you will carry only legs, as that is the only part people actually eat in a frog.

How to clean frogs?

When you have the right tools, cleaning American Bullfrogs for pan is quite easy. Here are the tools for frog cleaning that will help you easily clean the game for the pan or grill:

1. a sharp pocket knife;
2. game shears;
3. blunt-ended fish-skinning pliers.

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Here is how you can clean your game:

1. Snip the frog legs off the frog right above the hip. Make sure to cut them so that they stay together.
2. Next, make 1-inch-long cut on the thigh of each leg.
3. Take the pliers and pull off the skin off the legs.
4. You may want to remove feet off by snipping them, yet there is still some meat on them. So, removing feet is optional.

How to cook frog legs?

Many of those, who are into frog hunt or frog gigging claim, that the frog legs are the tastiest dish they ever tried. Of course, tasted differ, as well as recipes of frog legs. In America, grilled or fried frog legs are the most popular ways of cooking this unusual game. Depending on the state, traditions of the frog leg cooking may vary, so there are several popular variations.

• Cooking frog legs on a fire;
• Cooking frog legs on a grill;
• Cooking frog legs in an air fryer;
• Cooking frog legs in a pan;
• Cooking frog legs in the oven;
• Cooking frog legs over the fire;
• Cooking frog legs chinese style;
• Cooking frog legs cajun style.

Regardless of the way you select to cook frog legs, the idea is pretty much the same, as well as the cooking steps. Here is how to cook frog legs easily without any hassle. You can try out this simple recipe and then move to adding your own components or extra steps to make this dish even tastier, in your own style.

How to cook frog legs: Recipe

1. Clean the frog.
2. Soak the frog legs in milk for 1 hr. Keep them cool in the fridge.
3. Mix 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper and 1 cup flour, add chopped garlic and parsley.
4. Heat and melt 5 tablespoons of butter. Find a pan large enough to fry all frog legs you’ve got. If you don’t have one, you can cook the frog legs in oven. Just take a baking sheet and put a rack. You will be putting the finished frog legs there while the rest is frying in a smaller pan.
5. Take the frog legs from milk, dredge them in seasoned flour and fry in the butter. Set up the medium heat while you fry them until they become golden. As a rule it takes about 5 minutes per side. And here is a tip. The flour coating is very fragile, so flip only once.
6. When the legs are fried, set them on the rack to drain.
7. Set the oven to 180 F to store the legs if you are not using a large pan.
8. While the butter in the pan is hot, add some garlic until it smells right. It will take you around a minute to make this sauce. Then turn off heat and add parsley.
9. Serve frog legs immediately by putting a frog leg and adding some butter sauce on it.

Where do American Bullfrogs live?

American bullfrog is the biggest edible frog in America, that’s why it is popular among those, who hunt and gig frogs. If you are not sure, whether American Bullfrogs live in your state, just refer to the table below to find it out!

American Bullfrogs on the U.S. Map

Where do American Bullfrogs Live: State by State