Bob Berry cooks a pot of smothered duck at an overnight stay at a camp at Lake Fausse Pointe.

Women may be queens of their kitchens, but men reign in the camp kitchen.

When Teche Area men retreat to their camps to enjoy a leisurely weekend, it is no longer all about hunting or fishing. For many, it is just as rewarding to cook the catch or the kill of the day as it is to hunt or fish.

The days of eating beans out of a can at a camp outing are long gone. Cast iron and Magnalite pots are just as important as the hunting and fishing gear as men take pride in turning the bounty from Louisiana’s waterways and woods into a savory meal.

A little spirits, a game of bourré with a friendly wager, a few jokes, some tall tales and a meal simmering on the stove with wild game or fresh seafood are all that is needed for an enjoyable and relaxing weekend. Whether the camp is facing a view of the Gulf, woods, lake, bayou or the majestic Atchafalaya Basin, the time-honored camp tradition always brings a smile to Teche Area sportsmen.

Iberia Parish residents Mike McGowen, Irving Boudreaux, Bob Berry, Mike Berry and Darryl Francois are part of a men’s camp group and always take every opportunity to break away from their busy schedules to enjoy nature at its best at their camp at Bird Island Bayou at Lake Fausse Pointe.

Boudreaux, regional president of Mid South Bank, said he always welcomes a weekend at a camp to get away from the stress and to enjoy nature and outdoor recreation.

With such a wide variety of hunting and fishing activities available for the sportsman all year round, Boudreaux said, there is never any problem of finding something to put in the pot at the end of the day.

A weekend trip to the camp, whether it is on the lake or on the Atchafalaya Basin, has been part of Boudreuax’s life for nearly 40 years.

“Whatever we kill or catch, we cook. But just in case it is a bad day, we do bring backup from the house that we might have in the freezer from a previous hunting or fishing trip,” he said.

The menu might range from venison back strip wrapped in bacon, smothered ducks or quail, fried fish, duck gumbo, or smothered frog legs.

If it crawls, swims, walks, jumps or flies and can fit into a pot, it can easily be turned into a mouthwatering meal that will have sportsmen and their camp guests liking their lips.

McGowen said many men have become serious cooks, especially when it comes to camp cooking.

“There is one thing abut a Cajun cook — we can find a way to cook just about anything,” said McGowen, a semi-retired oilfield consultant. “Whatever is on the menu depends on the time of the season. If it is a busy day hunting or fishing and we don’t have much time at the end of the day, we might throw a rib-eye on the grill.”

The Jeanerette resident said he has cooked nutria and even armadillo once, which was served at a work gathering for men.

“The armadillo meat is similar to a frog leg and it taste a lot like chicken when it is fried. I have to admit that was the most unusual meat I had ever eaten. I guess this just proves Cajuns can cook anything,” said McGowen.

McGowen said he has been part of a camp group for 15 years and looks forward to the meal, just about as much as the hunt or fishing trip.

Bob Berry, a sales representative with Quality Construction Production, said everything taste better when it is cooked at a camp.

“We all take turns cooking and each of us have our own specialty dishes,” said Bob Berry. “We are adventurous and like to try different recipes, but there is nothing that beats wild game at the camp.”

Whether it is a frog leg spaghetti, smothered nutria, wild duck gumbo or turtle sauce piquante, guests visiting our camp can be sure they will never eat sandwiches, said Berry.