In Québec, forests, lakes and streams converge to create a hunting and fishing paradise. Game-hunting may mean an excursion to outfitters ' areas that are clearly off the beaten track, but sometimes it may be as simple as a trek down a country road to hunt partridge and deer. Game meat is a tradition with many Québeckers. This natural taste for game has led to the emergence of game farming. Producers offer an array of game animals, whether feathered or fur-bearing.
The pheasant is one of the first fowl species to be farmed. Quail meat and eggs are so popular that quails are now considered more like specialty poultry than like game birds.
Guinea fowl, partridge and wood-partridge also taste like wild game when the right recipe is used. Some large game animals that have been domesticated are spectacular, not the least of which is the red deer. Deer producers are working hard to make it a specialty in Québec. Fallow deer, like red deer, are also being raised in conditions that sometimes mirror their natural habitat.
Caribou has earned it an enviable reputation with consumers and chefs, who prepare it with loving care. Boar and bison are also raised for their meat. The ostrich, a newcomer to Québec, is carving out a niche for itself and is doing a good job of braving Québec winters. A whole new breed of Québec fowl!