Deer Hunting Season

Love venison. It is lean, so the trick is, do not overcook it ... medium rare please.

The only times I've had wild game I wasn't crazy about, the taste being off, was when someone was giving it away because [I wind up assuming later] they knew it was off. If you like wild game, these people often assume you'll like it because, well, you like that weird stuff. Once somebody gave me some rabbits that had been soaked in saltwater so long it was pure salt, uneatable. Now that was thoughtless!

We went to the ranch last evening. There was a little work to do before the hunt. One of the feeders was malfunctioning and we had to replace it. That took about half an hour; then we took a tour around the ranch because one of the folks with me had never been. I showed her where it is rumored LBJ used to land when he flew in to hunt in the area many years ago. I don't know if it is true, but there were dilapidated cabins in an are of the ranch that appeared to be of an age that could support some kind of camp back before his Presidency. Who knows...the property has changed hands a few times since then.

Anyway, we went to the stand and looked for deer. With the change in the feeder, the deer initially approached very carefully. Once light faded as the sun started to set, they got less wary and several very nice bucks came to the feeder. There were a couple of really beautiful 10 points and a spectacular 8 pointer, plus a few less notable racks. Interestingly, no does came to the feeder area. Our targets being does (keep the population in control) and bucks with low potential to look like the nice ones, we were limited.

A buck with four points who appeared to be three years old (who can really tell on the hoof with any great accuracy) came in around sunset. I deemed it a cull buck and my son took the shot, dropping it with an excellent heart shot. We cleared out of the stand, loaded the deer, and went back to camp and cleaned it. I am getting better at that and finding tricks to do a better job. I think it important to understand the process of bringing meat to the table as humanely as possible.

This meat is destined for boxes for wounded warriors we will hunt with in a month or so. they'll get to harvest deer and then take home a cooler full of backstrap, summer sausage, smoked sausage, slim jim's, etc. That weekend is something I look forward to each year. We treat them to the hunt, some great meals, give thanks for their service, and generally have a damned good time.

They say there is far more deer here now then there was in the 1700s. It's because of deer thrive on open grazing areas and because we cut down trees and planted crops we now have way more grazing areas then they had 300 years ago. There are millions of deer here now and every state has them.

Also wild boar.

Interesting to watch them hunt those big tuskers.

Quote: RonC

......This meat is destined for boxes for wounded warriors we will hunt with in a month or so. they'll get to harvest deer and then take home a cooler full of backstrap, summer sausage, smoked sausage, slim jim's, etc. That weekend is something I look forward to each year. We treat them to the hunt, some great meals, give thanks for their service, and generally have a damned good time.

That is a wonderful thing that you are doing. Very commendable.

I hunted several times this week. I'll head out in a bit to do some prep work for the upcoming wounded warrior hunt; we need to set up some more hunting areas as the ranch land has increased since the past two hunts. The deer population is out of balance for the amount of land, so there is a lot of harvesting to be done to get it back in check. It is almost to the point that we will be donating venison to folks that help the homeless and others soon, as we have done in years past.

I think each warrior will be allowed to take up to four deer, including one "cull" buck. No "trophies" taken yet but there are some interesting culls out there so one of them might get a good mount. We let the nicer deer walk and get rid of less desirable bucks. The "culls" that are good deer have included one with a weird looking rack that my son shot last year and another very narrow rack animal that was taken this year--it was the largest bodied deer I have seen taken and the rack was good, but not a "trophy"...except to the kid that shot it!

I did take a doe this week. I m not the best at cleaning deer but I have figured out a way to get the six pieces of meat worth saving--front quarters, hind quarters, and backstraps--without opening up or messing with the innards. These deer are small, so the tenderloins are not worth the trouble in most cases. The key is to not mess up any meat with a bullet, so head shots are the first step in the process.

I'm excited to meet this year's guests for the warrior hunt. They are good folks and we try to provide a good time.

It starts tomorrow here. If PA deer hunters were an army it would be the 7th largest on earth.

Quote: AZDuffman

It starts tomorrow here. If PA deer hunters were an army it would be the 7th largest on earth.

The couple of years that I attended elementary school in PA, I remember the first day of buck season being a holiday.

They also taught the Hunter Safety to the whole sixth grade class each year. That is roughly when you become old enough to get a hunting license.

You can get a license to hunt a lot younger in Texas. I am not sure there is an age requirement, but you do have to hunt with a licensed adult until you are 9 or so and have done hunter's education.

Quote: RonC

The couple of years that I attended elementary school in PA, I remember the first day of buck season being a holiday.

They also taught the Hunter Safety to the whole sixth grade class each year. That is roughly when you become old enough to get a hunting license.

You can get a license to hunt a lot younger in Texas. I am not sure there is an age requirement, but you do have to hunt with a licensed adult until you are 9 or so and have done hunter's education.

Still a holiday for most schools. God help you if you are a guy in high school and actually sick on Tuesday, nobody will believe you.

Around my part of VA you can get in a jam if you need a plumber or electrician and it's deer season, esp. the first week

this helped me out once with a washing machine that put out a sewage smell ... I finally figured it out myself