Missouri frog aficionados get weekend opener

Fried, sautéed or added to gumbo, frog legs provide an excuse to be out in watery places at night.

JEFFERSON CITY-What is green, tastes like chicken and can be taken with fishing lines, air guns, crossbows, hand nets or bare hands starting at sunset June 30? If you answered bullfrogs and green frogs, move to the front of the frogging class.

The opening of frogging season is an annual event eagerly anticipated by many Missourians as they listen to the nocturnal serenades of the state’s only game amphibians. This year’s season opener is likely to attract more participants than usual because it falls on a Friday night.

The bullfrog (Missouri’s state amphibian) and the green frog are unique in the fact that they can be taken either on a hunting or a fishing permit. They also can be taken with the aid of artificial lights, something that is strictly forbidden for most other game animals.

Regulations concerning the taking of green and bullfrogs give gourmands a dizzying array of options. If you have a hunting permit, you can take frogs with a pellet gun, longbow, crossbow, hand net or with your bare hands. With a fishing permit, you may use your hands or a hand net, a gig, a longbow or hook and line. Frogs are among a small number of game animals for which the use of artificial lights is not only legal but nearly indispensable.

The bullfrog is North America’s biggest frog, measuring up to 8 inches all scrunched up and ready to jump. A good-sized bullfrog can weigh well over a pound, and much of that is legs. Green frogs are more modest-sized, topping out at about 4 inches long when sitting. Though not as large, their legs taste just like those of bullfrogs.

The daily and possession limits of eight and 16 bullfrogs and green frogs in the aggregate, respectively, sounds liberal. However, it takes a hefty frog to provide more than a mouthful of food. Almost all the edible muscle is on the hind legs.
If you are lucky enough to obtain a limit of frogs, cut off the hind legs and remove the skin before cooking. Pliers with close-fitting jaws come in handy for gripping the slippery skin.

When pressed about frog legs’ flavor, frog fanciers sometimes say they taste like chicken. That may be true if you batter and fry frog legs as you would chicken drumsticks. When sautéed in a little butter, however, frog legs have a mild flavor that hints of fish. Adding a little minced garlic to the pan and sprinkling with salt afterwards makes a delicious dish.

Pan-frying with any commercial breading also yields tasty results. Other recipes are found in Cy Littleby’s Cookbook. This folksy compendium of wild cookery is available at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s regional offices and conservation nature centers. You also can order the book from the Conservation Department’s online Nature Shop (www.mdcnatureshop.com) for $3.50 plus shipping, handling and sales tax, where applicable or with a toll-free telephone call to (877) 521-8632.

Male frogs fill the air above Missouri lakes and streams with their songs on summer nights. The bullfrog’s tune is a deep base chant that sound something like "Jug-O-Rum, Jug-O-Rum." Green frogs are less lyrical. Their "songs" have been described as sounding like someone plucking loose banjo strings. The resulting sound can be a soft chuckle or a single, explosive bark.

Each year the idea of beating other froggers to the punch induces a few scofflaws to start the season early. You can help preserve the bullfrog bounty by calling the toll-free Operation Game Thief hot line, (800) 392-1111.

Frogging season runs through Oct. 31. For more information about catching frogs, visit mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2003/06/40.htm.

- Jim Low-