Hunting season...here we go again...

   / Hunting season...here we go again... #21  
Yes, I agree.. Vinison needs to be prepared just right. If you cook it on the medium rare side, I believe you end up with as good or better taste than beef. Of course some cuts are tough and must be cooked a little longer, but those are usually better suited for stews.

My last deer was very similar to your story, I arrived at the property with about 30min till dark. before I could get to my tree, I saw a nice little 7pt heading my way. Since I was hunting with my revolver, it was extremely gratifying to take this deer at 10yds, ten minutes after ariving.. This was probably the best hunt I ever had, I'll try to beat it next Saturday morning though. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #22  
HGM, I wish we had a long hunting season for deer like the south does. I would not have to buy any meat from the store. I'd be shooting, cutting and freezing venison as much as possible. I hear they have way too many deer down south.
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again...
  • Thread Starter
#23  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I hear they have way too many deer down south. )</font>

Yep. Just like big brown rabbits down here. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #24  
yea, we've got a bunch. They give us a 12 deer limit, 10 can be antlerless, the other two bucks. You do have a 15in limit on one buck. We also get either sex for the entire season, 9/10-1/15.

Alabama has a bit of a different system though. They have a daily limit of two(I believe thats correct).

Honestly,I get tired of cleaning them after the 2nd or 3rd. So, I tend to be selective. Definitly a couple of does, only a wallhanger for a buck.
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #25  
Ahh yes, the call of the wild. My wild, happens to be about 5 minutes behind the house. I got started hunting deer in 1984, after the rascals ate $500 worth of fruit trees and grapes I had planted. I have been eating them every since. I sent one out to be butchered only once...and never again. I wasn't satisfied with the results, so started doing them myself. If you have a real productive season though, it can get tiring. I enjoy taking the time to do it right, from handling in the field to cooking. I take such care in processing mine, that my wife is a bit spoiled. We eat very little beef, and my family all prefers venison to beef....not to say we don't enjoy a big ribeye or NY strip once in awhile. My daughter went to college to study culinary arts, and now works in California where she has often prepared venison that is raised on game farms. The trick is not to over cook it, but also depends on how the animal was killed/handled/processed, and age of the deer. When my daughter comes home to Indiana, she sometimes packs up some venison, and bluegill filets to take home with her. Last time she was here, I came home to a dinner she prepared with the deer cooked in wine, etc. It was to die for. So there is a lot that goes into it...but if done with care.... I think you would be surprised at how good venison is and also healthier for you.

Only downside I have had was when I failed to produce one year. My wife put me on the county "deer road kill list" . They call you to come pick up a road kill when your name comes up. So in the middle of the night I would get these calls from the sheriff asking me if I want to pick up a deer. Needless to say , my wife had a good time with that one. She got her point across. Every since then, I have tried to make sure I have successful hunts. Ditto on what the others said about enjoying a crisp, Fall morning in the woods.

sassafraspete
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #26  
I do still hunt, but rarely kill anymore. I have pretty much retired my gun and use only my bow. But even then, I mostly sit in the woods and enjoy watching and hearing nature. And yes, there is the social part. I have been hunting the last 37 yrs with 3 guys I graduated high school with. That is pretty much the only time I see them, so opening weekend is sort of an annual renuion. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
And then there is my son and grandson. We go some time after opening weekend. I raised my son hunting, but also to respect all of nature. And he has learned it well. Now I am watching him teach the same things to my 6 yr on grandson. And that is gratifying. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #27  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The most fun I had was taking my two boys hunting with me when they were 12 years old. Priceless to have an experience like that. >>>>>

I know my dad would say the same. I would give anything to have had ONE MORE hunt before he got so down in his legs that he could not hunt anymore. (He had the same thing I have now with my legs).

My last hunt with him was many years ago, quail hunting on his old home place. Last shot he saw me take was a quail, single bird, 60 yards away with a 12 gauge shell after it.......I did hit it, and we had bird that nite. See one thing dad did not realize before then, he had taught me to hunt well, I had learned to shoot better than him.

Since dad passed away last year I have often thought of many one more times.

Back to life, now I golf, volunteer at a big cat rescue, and take care of my place, and watch some deer if I can. )</font>
My dad is still active (58 years old) so when we get the chance we go, as we both know that we won't always be able to hunt like we do now. He will get old and won't be able to do it, I will have kids someday and not have as much time, so we eat it up now. We have 4 brittany's, one is a master hunter in every aspect, one is on it's way and two are pups who have never yet hunted, so we are in for an exciting season. I also guide quail hunts at a huntign preserve, by the time march rolls around my dog and I are almost tired of looking at each other.
Dad and I use to deer hunt, we enjoyed it but we never got the enjoyment of waitign on deer as we do chasing birds. Watching a good pack of bird dogs, regardless of breed, has to be one of the best things I have ever seen. We have the brittany's and each one of them has a unique character that cannot be found in another dog, we have had many and each has been different but all have hunted hard and will not quit or run off and be a hardhead all day.

We truly cherish our days afield and someday I will have a son to take ot the same way. Till then it's dad and I and my fiance' wants in on it and my 10 year old nephew is nipping at our heels to go with us, we take him as often as we can get him away from my sister and brother in law. Brother in law woudl like to go but he works alot and can't go, but he is all for Andrew going with us. Can't wait to see that little turd shoot his first bird, he's a crackshot with his .22, but he hasn't got the arm span to graduate to a shotgun comfortably yet. I see images of a Remington Wingmaster 20 gauge under the Christams tree in the next few years.
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #28  
Hey, 58 isn't old.
My hunting partner was hunting at 84, but his last elk hunt was when he was 79. He nearly wiped himself out with the morning jogs to get his one lung in shape.

At 66, I get two to three deer a year, but don't drag them around like I used to either. But I hunt alone now, and enjoy that as well. Turkey hunting is easy, as it is sitting. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Another good friend (68) is losing his hunting partner. His son (44) has cancer of the bone and is failing fast. They have lab hunting dogs and have always done the goose, duck, partridge, elk, deer, turkey hunting together, but not likely anymore. Pretty sad.

Still, your thought of getting it done today, for tomorrow we don't know if it can be, is a good policy to follow. Happy hunting. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #29  
My wife is petite and could not handle a full size shotgun. I had my dealer order her a Remington 1100, 20 gauge, youth model, shotgun. They did not make a pump model at the time. It has a synthetic camo stock with a parkerized finish on the metal. Being a semi-automatic, the gas operated bolt takes a lot of the recoil out and is a very gentle shooter for a small person. A 20 gauge you might ask, but she has taken several deer with this gun. An auto shotgun might not be the best for a novice but it sounds like your nephew has some good mentors. Just food for thought!
 
   / Hunting season...here we go again... #30  
It has been my expierience that a lot of people treat venison like beef. They like to let it hang, and then cook it like beef too. I have seen antelope spoiled by hanging in camp.

I get my venison cleaned, hung, and ready for the butcher quickly. Sometimes it is only a few hours from field to butcher cold storage, or my own butchering. It is not beef, and does not need to hang for days. Some of the best has been deer and antelope I have taken in Wyoming; we got them in the morning, and by the evening the butcher was already cutting them up.

Venison likes slow moist cooking(for the most part). Try and cook it fast, or dry like beef, and it will be terrible. I did that a few years ago on a camp trip. Took some venison to share with friends in camp. It got late and dark. Grilled it up, and it was terrible. Made some at my buddies house a night later, cooked right, and it was great!

One thing I find too, is some folks don't like the richer flavor. All of our store bought meat is grain fed, and has such a mild flavor. They've controlled the feed, and taken any "range" flavor out of it. Now, when you get a natural range fed deer, it has that natural flavor. People are not used to that any more. It's kinda like the chicken you can get now, grain fed, or range fed; the range fed has more flavor.

Look for cookbooks by Timothy Manion. He has some excellent wild game cookbooks..
 
 
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