Deer hunting question.

[teumessian_fox]

I stopped hunting when I moved to The People's Republic of Kalifornia. Too much red tape.

I've moved back to civilization and am considering picking the sport back up. Here's what I'd like to do. Harvest the game animal, use a wheeled thingy to transport it back to my truck (I'm too old/bad back/just don't want to drag that much dead weight), then pay somebody to process it.

And really, all I care to eat are the tenderloins/steaks. The part(s) of the deer they use to make hamburger really don't interest me. I might, however, be interested in some good, lean, deer sausage.

So, am I way off base here? Should I just take up croquet? Or is that crochet?

thanx

[Brian Pfleuger]

I'm not really sure what your question is, but there's nothing wrong with your plan.

There are plenty of programs that allow part or all of your venison to be donated to feed those in need.

If you enjoy hunting and don't have need or want for all of the meat, have at it.

I love fishing, but don't eat fish. I just through them back.

"Shoot and release" doesn't work nearly as well though.

[teumessian_fox]

I'm not really sure what your question is,

I guess I'm just wondering if there's anyplace in the whitetail deer hunting world for a hunter who's not as young as he used to be.

Shoot and release. That's funny.

[Pahoo]

I guess I'm just wondering if there's anyplace in the whitetail deer hunting world for a hunter who's not as young as he used to be.

Absotivly and the only real factor, is motivation. You will find ways to overcome your physical limitations. Two seasons ago, I got a deer, deep in the woods and it was getting dark. I field dressed and split him. Carried the rears out, bagged and hung up the front. Went back in the morning and took out the front.

Getting ahead of ourselves but have you ever tried Ring Balogna, Brats and Sticks? Yes, it will cost you !! ..


Be Safe !!!

[kraigwy]

Hey I kind of know how you feel,............kind of..........

I'm old, and lazy so I hunt on horseback

But I hunt more then I shoot. I just like hunting. I leave the shooting and killing for the grandkids for the most part. I do the butchering or we donate the deer if we get more then we need. I do like to see how close I can get to the suckers. But I enjoy the snow ball fights with my grandaughter when I take her hunting more.

If you want to hunt but don't want to eat 'em or fool with them, take up praire dog hunting. Not much work there, just sit there and bang away.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

I'm an Ol'Coot, and gett'in older as we speak.

However, am lucky to live in Ideeeeeho and the last two years have taken one of my two deer within about 10min walk of the house.

The 4wheeler brought both of them in, plus my two bucks that were considerably, much farther out.

On top of the age factor, I am going to hunt this year with a 45/70 and my own cast boolits. Using my own boolits for rifle hunting is one of the last "new to me" things I can reasonably do in the handloading I have done, starting back in the 60s.

As far as your meat is concerned, get it cooled ASAP and clean!!!!! CLEAN!

I personaly like berger!!!!!, but roasts also find favor at this house, so I take the premo cuts for steaks - backstrap & loin - make some good roasts and the rest goes into burger.

I hate mis cut meat like I'd get back from a butcher shop, so am careful to make sure the grain runs correctly in the steak or roast.

Providing you clean properly and soon after the kill, much of the meat on the ribs can be used for sausage or GROUND MEAT jerky --- if you don't allow it to hang overly long and dry out. Get that part cut off and taken care of within a couple of days or loose it.

It was a bit cool here yesterday, so the wife roasted a buck roast from a critter taken the Fall of 2008. Great shape after almost two years and hmmmmmmmmmmmm GOOD with the spuds and carrots!

When packaging our meat, I am a real grouch about having the meat tightly, AND I MEAN TIGHTLY!!! wrapped. First with plastic wrap and then butcher paper.

Believe me, it pays off in quality and no freezer burn down the road!

Years back, before I cut up my first critter, I was really concerned about the "how" of the process and a co-worker told me, it's all meat.

So, clean and cool asap then cut so the grain runs correctly and you'll have good eating.

You'll find the hams of a critter will naturally section out into separate pieces with good grain direction, so don't try to make huge steaks or roasts and end up with tough meat.

Hope you enjoy your hunt!

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[jimbob86]

..... donate the unused portions.

I think it is unethical to kill for no reason- eat it or give it to someone who will. There are hungry people out there who would be glad to have it.

[twobit]

I had to grow up in a town of about 20,000. Papa grew up in SW Texas during the depression and actually worked his early years as a "cowboy", staying in line shacks and traveling by horse a week at a time tending the livestock. He knew how to use up every bit of a rabbit except the hop. Papa was about 22 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He then went from ranch hand to Navy Metalsmith 3e and spent the war in Guam assigned to floating drydock USS SDFB 3. After the war, he and momma settled near Dallas because that was where the jobs were, but he was always a county boy at heart. When he retired he moved to East Texas and got some cows.

Papa was 38 when I was born. He wanted his kids to be exposed to the country life. When I was a young teenager (early seventies) Papa would take me hunting for Christmas holiday and we would "rough it". The drive was 350 miles to SW Texas. Often only the two of us would be on a thousand acres of very rough hill country. We would camp in a tent for up to a week. It was often very cold. No runnning water, electricity or other comforts. A campfire, coleman stove, and coleman lantern was it. Water was obtained at a windmill, stored in buckets. Papa would be up around four AM stirring the coals and making dutch-oven bisquits from scratch. He said it reminded him of his cowboy days. I helped with the boiled coffee,fried eggs and bacon. Then I washed dishes with boiling water. Papa taught me much about old style camping. He had taken me camping as much as possible since I was about three. He was later also scoutmaster to about thirty kids that had never been out of the city. I was the camping expert around the other kids (ha ha).

Big breakfast finished, we headed out on foot.The truck stayed at camp because that was where the road (jeep trail) ended. We would walk to the canyons we had picked to hunt way before daylight, sometimes nearly a mile from camp. We sat on one side of a canyon and hunted the other side across from us. We each had a canyon, hunting alone, but about 1/4 mile apart. Average shot was 200 yds. We carried empty backpack frames to pack out the whitetail if we got a shot. No radios, no GPS, no phones, no feeders, no stands, no does allowed (rules set by the rancher who owned the place). Hunted each morning till 11 am then back to camp. Stirred up the coals and cooked a hearty lunch. Went back out at 3 pm till dark. Did that for about five years in a row. Sometimes we filled our tags, sometimes we didn't. Best hunting I ever did in my whole life! Deer were sometimes scarce. We rarely ever missed if we were lucky enough to get a shot at one. Over the years we got five pointers to twelve pointers. Once I shot a javilina sow at 300 yards. A day later Papa shot one (a big male) at 20 feet that would have charged him had he not hit it in the brain. We butchered the sow. It was not bad. I shot a turkey at 50 feet with my .270 when about 20 walked by me. The old rancher had said he had not seen turkey on that place in decades. I hit it in one drumstick and tore nothing else up on it. It made a good Christmas bird.

Now I am fifty. Papa passed on 23 years ago. I live on a small ranch in SW Texas about 40 miles from that place we used to hunt. I am surrounded by deer, turkey, and other game everyday (even up into the yard). I harvest a nice fat doe or two every few seasons because I still love the taste of venison (you cant eat the horns, so why go for a tough old buck). It is not hunting anymore, more like butchering a domestic animal. I limit my shot to a morning kill, so I dont have to clean it after dark. Mostly I either shoot out of the upstairs bedroom window, or off the back porch. I still go out and sit in a blind at 1am sometimes and shoot hogs. They tear up my fences and I try and reduce their numbers, but that is a losing battle. I hope Papa doesn't mind that I now "camp" in a 32 foot fifth wheel and shoot deer off the porch. I still cook his famous scratch bisquits, clean my own game, and think of our hunts often. I started up again reloading this year, something Papa taught me nearly thirty years ago.

Take your kids hunting and teach them the old stuff before they grow up and loose interest. If you do, they just might type up a story about it in 40 years.

See you in a couple of decades Papa, we'll go hunting again. I'll bring the tent.

[Kreyzhorse]

..... donate the unused portions.

Hell, we are all getting too old to lug a deer out of the woods these days....

If you like to hunt, hunt. Kill your deer, load it up on your cart and head to the processor. Take the parts you want and donate the rest like Jimbob pointed out.

If you check around, I'm sure there is a processor or two that will donate the parts you don't want to "Hunters for the Hungry" or other such groups.

[retiredcoasty]

I thought of buying one of those ‘wheely things’ but decided to buy an ATV instead. It carries my lazy butt out and back and hauls the game back to home.

There are plenty of people out there that will love you extra game. I normally give a lot away. I have given entire deer to families that needed the meat. They never said ‘no’. Just ask around. You’ll have more takers than you believe.

[James R. Burke]

Eat the parts you like, and donate the rest I agree with that. Now a days there are some real good proccesors that can make anything you want out of it. I never was a big venison eater but now I am. I have a neck roast done, some bacon burger, andy steaks, some slim jim sticks, and all the rest into summer sausage. It does cost some, but you figure what you pay to put into a hunt, and it is worth it. Plus I will eat it all. I dont even give much away, unless someone really needs it or it's a close freind. Dont shoot it if your not going to eat it.

[Cindyann]

I agree with not killing it if you aren't going to eat it but I know down here in GA most processors have the numbers of people who want the deer meat but don't have the means to hunt and the number of the Atl. food bank and they will come and get any deer meat that is not wanted. Lots of hungry people around these days.

[reloader28]

We take 3 or 4 deer between me, the wife and daughters.(we're only allowed 1 apiece) We make steaks from the best cuts and hamburger the rest for jerky.I would like to make sausage this year, but we'll see.

Get a jerky shooter for hamburger and use it. Everyone loves jerky and the amount of meat from a deer would be about right for you and your wife if you dont eat much. I cant keep it cause it gets ate fast.

The steaks that dont get ate get canned in the fall to make room for the fresh meat. We'll be busy making room this week with deer meat and smoking fish.

Like was already said, you can donate meat at some processers, just say its for a rescue mission or something of your choice, and you probly wont even have to pay anything. Or theres always somebody looking for deer meat. Ask your friends. Nothing wrong with hunting just to hunt, as long as the meat dont go to waste. We've donated alota meat.

[hooligan1]

Good read,twobit, thanks for sharing!