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Post by wallycat on Nov 20, 2017 16:26:59 GMT -5
I bagged my first EVER buck, first time out hunting with DH this season. (Such mixed emotions going)
I'll be looking for venison ideas for anyone that eats it.
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Varaile
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Post by Varaile on Nov 23, 2017 8:36:40 GMT -5
Congrats on your successful hunt! Nicely done getting a buck!
I totally understand the emotional see-saw. Been there, done that. Will continue to do that.
When we have venison in the freezer, I use the meat as a beef substitute and adjust the times accordingly because venison is so much leaner.
You didn't mention how you are having the deer processed and what kind of cuts - so I would suggest use the meat in your favorite chili, soup, stews, stir fry, casseroles, etc; cook on the grill, slow cooker or slow roast.
If I can remember where I saved a couple of my favorite recipes, I'll come back and post.
Enjoy!
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Post by wallycat on Nov 23, 2017 11:02:08 GMT -5
Thanks!
We were only allowed bucks where we were. Still having moments of despair, though I know every speck of meat we eat, someone does this on our behalf. DH thinks it is great (he's been hunting since Jr. High) so it is all in my own head.
I helped skin the deer along with our Alaska neighbors. Let it hang for a day or so and then he, DH and I butchered it ourselves. Mostly traditional cuts but some just roasts w/ bones. Indeed, this boy was extremely lean; too busy with the ladies as the second rut was on. Stir fry and chili sound like great starts. I'll try the chops cooked quickly, like lamb and see what happens.
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Post by soupandstew on Nov 23, 2017 20:37:24 GMT -5
Our nextdoor neighbors are hunters and we will get some venison and wild hog in exchange for pet sitting the dog and cats while they are gone many fall weekends. They shared some great wild hog sausage last week (home processed, double ground, super lean and mesquite smoked). We are on duty with the furbabies for the Thanksgiving weekend and hope to get some venison this time. I love venison and/or hog in chili and look forward to stockpiling my freezer with it.
I've never personally hunted because I have poor vision and couldn't hit the side of a barn but have gone with others and helped dress out their kill. DH decided years ago to abandon blind hunting which is the norm in South Texas and concentrate on mule deer in the Dakotas where they stalk them. Mule deer are heavier and a somewhat fattier meat than our Texas whitetails.
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Post by wallycat on Nov 23, 2017 23:48:22 GMT -5
I would love to find a place for elk. That is, to my mind, the best tasting meat. So much work to move and (I like that wording) "dress" the animal...
I remember my first time out fishing and wailed like a baby seeing what happened there...but now I enjoy fishing. I hope I can learn to enjoy this. I'll probably be on blood pressure meds if I continue...well, this time out I was stressed for weeks prior to the hunting and every day out was fight-flight for me. Not healthy. Need to get over it or not do it again.
Appreciate all these stories and it really is helping me come to terms. Thank you kindly.
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Post by wallycat on Nov 26, 2017 11:13:24 GMT -5
Had the front leg made in the crockpot last night. INCREDIBLE. If someone enjoys dark meat (about the only thing I like), this was like the best duck/lamb/turkey leg rolled into one. SO tender and it didn't dry out at all. After I stopped crying, I thanked the animal and enjoyed him.
DH says that only "trophy hunters" care how big the rack is; most people who hunt for the food prefer the younger animals. I can see why. SOOOO good.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Nov 26, 2017 15:10:46 GMT -5
Clearly I couldn't help with any recipe suggestions, hey I had to look up what a buck was to make sure I was right. Glad you enjoyed you dinner. I've never had venison before and I've never been hunting and I don't think I've ever been fishing either.
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Post by soupandstew on Nov 27, 2017 20:41:25 GMT -5
My neighbors got a doe this weekend. They really wanted a buck for the mount and I hope they get one before the end of the year, but that doe will be better eating. I have zero problem with people hunting IF they are able to get a clean kill and use the meat or donate it to someone who will eat it. The sad truth is that, in many parts of the country, without a hunting season to cull the numbers starvation and/or disease will decimate the deer population.
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Post by wallycat on Nov 28, 2017 11:56:11 GMT -5
Soupandstew, thank you for sharing these stories. It really has helped me. Our hunting season is over for the year and when it is in season, we are each only allowed one deer. It is a shame that there isn't more culling of the herds since many of the in-city deer are starting to show the issues from over-crowding.
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Varaile
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Post by Varaile on Dec 2, 2017 7:43:37 GMT -5
I would FAR prefer to take and consume a deer that's been out foraging, than eat a cow that's been standing ankle deep in muck in a Nebraska feed lot, stuffed full of antibiotics and probiotics because it can't digest the corn its eating. Which is why I don't eat beef and try my best to find pasture raised pigs and chickens. Totally my quirk.
SoupandStew - we were in Texas Hill Country a couple weeks ago on vacation and doing a little preliminary scouting for a possible guided hunting trip in 2019 (Llano area maybe?). The Husband really wants to try for wild hog. We did notice how much smaller in size the Texas deer are compared to Minnesota deer - and the deer were <i>everywhere</i>. I thought they were bad in my corner of the world...just...wow.
Wallycat - I echo what SoupandStew is saying about deer populations and disease. I work for a land management agency and we spend about $200,000 a <i>year</i> trying to protect our 1 to 5 year old pine plantations from deer browse. We rely on hunting to help keep the deer numbers and damage down.
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Post by wallycat on Dec 2, 2017 11:34:30 GMT -5
Again, I so appreciate these stories.
I was disheartened to hear that Montana now has deer wasting disease. WA has been very conservative on what can come into the state from hunts in other areas, so I am hopeful they can contain our area from it....but I know I am being optimistic. WI is riddled with it and I don't recall when DH stopped hunting when we lived there (way before he met me).
I wish there were an easy way to butcher and contend with the harvest...there is only one butcher out here and by hunting season, he is so full and busy he can't even hold the deer for you.
Varaile, your job sounds wonderful!
Update: Had some chops 2 days ago. OMG. TO DIE (sorry, buck-boy) for good. So tender and sweet. I think he was dining on a lot of apples on the property owner's land. Better than any tenderloin I've ever had and I adore tenderloin!
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Post by wallycat on Dec 6, 2017 14:57:26 GMT -5
Made the liver (and onions) and the heart for lunch just moments ago.
This is unlike anything I've ever had....Beyond tender and almost compared to calf's liver (per DH, since I've never had it--only beef liver). I sliced and simply sauteed the heart. I swear it tasted like tenderloin. So tender and mild.
DH said from now on, if he has a chance to shoot a big deer or a smaller one, he's going for smaller.
I still thank the pieces on my plate and remember the unfortunate boy....that he gave his life for my nutrition and pleasure.
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Post by soupandstew on Dec 6, 2017 17:30:48 GMT -5
I would FAR prefer to take and consume a deer that's been out foraging, than eat a cow that's been standing ankle deep in muck in a Nebraska feed lot, stuffed full of antibiotics and probiotics because it can't digest the corn its eating. Which is why I don't eat beef and try my best to find pasture raised pigs and chickens. Totally my quirk. SoupandStew - we were in Texas Hill Country a couple weeks ago on vacation and doing a little preliminary scouting for a possible guided hunting trip in 2019 (Llano area maybe?). The Husband really wants to try for wild hog. We did notice how much smaller in size the Texas deer are compared to Minnesota deer - and the deer were <i>everywhere</i>. I thought they were bad in my corner of the world...just...wow. Wallycat - I echo what SoupandStew is saying about deer populations and disease. I work for a land management agency and we spend about $200,000 a <i>year</i> trying to protect our 1 to 5 year old pine plantations from deer browse. We rely on hunting to help keep the deer numbers and damage down. Your hubby could come to many Houston suburbs and get all the wild hog he wants - they are a nightmare, particularly after the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey pushed them up into neighborhoods. And when a drought hits, they move in because rooting around in our sprinkler maintained yards is way more fun than rooting for dead plants in rock-hard rural soil. If you want to eat it, a young female hog is lots better than a mature boar. In fact, plenty of farmers trap hogs, castrate the male piglets and release them to mature for hunting season. Whatever you do, please respect them as the very dangerous creatures they are. Those teeth and tusks aren't for show. |
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Post by soupandstew on Dec 6, 2017 17:43:44 GMT -5
Made the liver (and onions) and the heart for lunch just moments ago. This is unlike anything I've ever had....Beyond tender and almost compared to calf's liver (per DH, since I've never had it--only beef liver). I sliced and simply sauteed the heart. I swear it tasted like tenderloin. So tender and mild. DH said from now on, if he has a chance to shoot a big deer or a smaller one, he's going for smaller. I still thank the pieces on my plate and remember the unfortunate boy....that he gave his life for my nutrition and pleasure. That liver and onions sounds amazing! I feel that harvesting the big, trophy-type bucks, is misguided from the standpoint of genetics. Those big boys get that way because they are survivors, able to forage successfully and fight off contenders for does, both qualities of brain and brawn that need passing on to future offspring. If we harvest them and leave the younger, less-skilled bucks to breed, it seems like we are sort of defeating the purpose for future generations. Although I think we will see an overall reduction in buck size, be it white-tail or mule, as temperatures rise across the country, and certainly weather conditions will impact food sources and fawn viability. I'm on pet duty again starting tomorrow night as my neighbors head to their lease again. It's supposed to be in the low 30's Friday morning at 6 a.m. when I have to run next door to let the dog out - the neighbors are going to see an old woman in a furry bathrobe and bunny slippers moving at light speed! |
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