# My hunting ?'s



## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Ok Guys,

I haven't hunted in like 6 years. I'm going because I want to try venison again and honetly, I kind of enjoy sitting in a tree by myself and not wearing waders.


Ok, so it comes to guttin/processin.

I know. Shoot deer(i shoot'em in the neck seems to make'em dead quick without havin them run off)

ok so i field dress.

drag to truck

by this time (maybe im just slow) but between field dressing and dragging, which may be a while its already been an hour or more.

Stick on rack in truck. drive home. Hang deer, and aim floodlight and butcher.



Im thinking that it's got to be like fish... I've got to get it cold asap to increase food value. So i know that removing internals aids in temp reduction as well as bleeding the animal out. So i have to do that, and I can't make myself drag it any faster so... Bring a big cooler and stuff it in there and fill the cavity with ice??? 

The issue is wherever I would hunt would be at least an hour and half from my house so I'm thinking best case scenario thats 4-5 hours without ice. But then again doesn't driving with the deer exposed cool it down too?

Am I over thinking this? Does it matter? Would love to hear some opinions.

I want to increase the food value is the basic goal. I plan on shooting young does unless for some reason Granddad 12pt shows up.


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

You are absolutely right on the cool down part. However with the temps like they are now meat should be fine (without entrails) until you get home. To maximize taste of venison you should try to hang it for a couple days if possible. I am fortunate at Quantico Marine Corps base they have a walk in cooler to hang your deer. The main reason people don't like the taste of venison is field prep(cool down body after kill) and not cooking it properly. You are on track to some good eats and good for you!


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*Deer*

You really do need to get the meat cool quickly but I prefer not to field dress near my stand. I don't want a rotting gut pile near my stands. If I field dress I make sure to do it away from where I plan to hunt in the future. If I field dress, I will stop on the way home to get a bag of ice to stuff into the chest cavity. I generally field dress deer shot with a bow because it is generally hot weather when I bow hunt. 

I second letting the deer hang for a few days. I do not have a place to hang a whole deer but I do have large stainless pans that I put the meat in and let it drain in the pan for 3-5 days in the fridge. I keep a fridge especially for deer meat. 

You should avoid packing the meat in ice and letting it sit in a cooler. The ice will melt and the meat will lay in the water. You are better off allowing it to drain in the fridge. 

After a few days you can process to your liking. 

When I am planning on grinding deer into hamburger I will slice up the meat and make sure I get all the fat and white stuff out of the meat (sinew?). I then place it back in the pan and let it sit another night. The next night I will then grind it mixing in beef fat. After it is ground I will mix well and let sit again over night before i patty it or weigh it out in pound packages. It seams to taste better when I let the meat rest after working it.

Where do you plan on hunting. Bstarling is coming this weekend to hunt with me. If you don't have any luck where you hunt in a couple of weeks shoot me a message I will be happy to put you on a deer or 3.

Darin


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Finger_Mullet said:


> You really do need to get the meat cool quickly but I prefer not to field dress near my stand. I don't want a rotting gut pile near my stands. If I field dress I make sure to do it away from where I plan to hunt in the future. If I field dress, I will stop on the way home to get a bag of ice to stuff into the chest cavity. I generally field dress deer shot with a bow because it is generally hot weather when I bow hunt.
> 
> I second letting the deer hang for a few days. I do not have a place to hang a whole deer but I do have large stainless pans that I put the meat in and let it drain in the pan for 3-5 days in the fridge. I keep a fridge especially for deer meat.
> 
> ...


Damn.... Well I might take you up on that!

My mortgage guy bought a farm and apparently there are a good number of deer on it. I've been tasked will deer control while the wife is not around....


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

Can you hunt over corn in Virginia or wherever you hunt? If so pour out some corn and sit near it. You should not have any trouble shooting small doe. 

Luvs2fish (well Danny now) hunts with me. We have 700 acres leased. We do well. I have never had a problem putting anyone on a deer except Bstarling. I think he sits and farts in the stand and fans it toward the corn pile.  I did offer him a shot at a doe with a crossbow but he would not shoot it so I had to. I took him on a world class crappie fishing trip and a deer hunt on the same weekend.

Darin


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

Finger Mullet is spot on with taking care of his venison and I bet you can tell it when it's cooked. I met a butcher a while back who turned me onto grinding up pork buts with the venison instead of beef fat like I had been. Big differance I buy the pork butts on sale for grinding time 30% pork,70% venison makes awesome burgers. I forgot we were cooking venison burgers one time the people we grilled for couldn't tell the differance. As a matter of fact, wanted to know were we got our meat it was so good.

I sure wish I lived closer I'd take up Finger Mullet if you didn't!


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

Hey NTKG you need any company let me know. I usually gotta hunt alone. I could show you first hand what's up lol!!


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Finger_Mullet said:


> Can you hunt over corn in Virginia or wherever you hunt? If so pour out some corn and sit near it. You should not have any trouble shooting small doe.
> 
> Luvs2fish (well Danny now) hunts with me. We have 700 acres leased. We do well. I have never had a problem putting anyone on a deer except Bstarling. I think he sits and farts in the stand and fans it toward the corn pile.  I did offer him a shot at a doe with a crossbow but he would not shoot it so I had to. I took him on a world class crappie fishing trip and a deer hunt on the same weekend.
> 
> Darin



Darin,

We can't feed between sept-jan here. So no cane or meredere.... 

I would assume I should see a few does at least. Like I said I'm more interested in food than trophy and would rather leave the bucks to mature.

What do you think about food quality? I've heard smaller/younger are better. I shot a pretty nice dear years back and after having to drag it the 2 miles uphill with the rest of my gear I swore I'd never shoot anything over 70lbs again!


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

I hope you don't mind me butting in but you are right on with what to shoot to eat. It's also a lot of fun to watch the bucks mature year after year. Sounds like you have the perfect place to do that. I would invest in a couple trail cameras and see whats on the farm. Like I said if you get overrun let me know!!!!


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

on warmer days putting a bag or two of ice in the chest cavity is probably a good thing ... I had to do it this year ... skining it as soon as possible is also a good thing cools it quicker and is much easier before it stiffins up too much ... all good beef is aged ... some for up to a month ... A very useful tool I found is the BUTT OUT I think it's called ... ram it in and twist it a few turns and yank ... becareful of damaging the intestines ... younger means more tender just watch for shooting button bucks this years male fawns ... real small ones are more work than they are worth meat wise ... medium size does are the best


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*Butt Out*

I used a old worn out butcher's knife. Looks similar to a fillet knife now. No saws, no butt out, no nothing except for the knife. I do use a hatchet to split the pelvis on larger deer. All joints will come completely apart with easy with a sharp knife.

The butt out works good but it can be easily accomplished with a sharp knife and a little know how. 

I will have to try the pork buts next time. I bet it would be good.

The best eating deer by far is a fawn doe or button buck. The younger the better. Next in line is a yearling doe. If you are going to grind it up, it does not matter what it is. You just have to get as much blood out of the meat as you can. I shoot for the heart/lungs and they bleed out pretty quick but there is still blood left. That is what the pan and the fridge is for. Also after you work it up it needs another night or two to finish draining. I never use a cooler and ice anymore unless I am giving it away or if my fridge is full. 

NC is much different. We can bait. People say big mature bucks don't visit a corn pile. They are lying. I have a wall full of large mature deer that was killed at or near a corn pile. I actually saw a very large very mature buck this morning at a corn pile. He was following a doe. 

I like cubed steak. I cook country style steak out of cube venison. It is excellent. My buddy has a commercial cuber. Works awesome.


Darin


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

MI feeds like crazy. Does everywhere. Bovine TB is really bad. Car=deer is still going up. Hand a cleaned deer under 40 head down and cut the neck so it bleeds free. 3-5 days(size). If you want sausage, add pork. Get a good butcher. It ain't no fish.


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

The butcher that told me about the pork butts makes chipped venison. He soaks the complete hind quarter in a salt brine for a month. He then runs it through a chipper comes out just like chipped beef. Man you talk about something good! That and some biscuits and you know GRAVY!!!! I am gonna ask him if he makes that cubed steak, I love fried cubed steak!! Man I tell ya Finger Mullet if that other guy don't take you up on your offer I'll take his spot!! I luvs me some huntn!!


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

Hey Surfchunker, my stepson lives in Cumberland Md.. Lives right on the National forest border is his back yard. We go up there and go to the Roadkill Cafe,"YOU KILL IT WE GRILL IT" . Turkeys and deer roam through his yard and a bear this year.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

This time of year and closer towards December you can gut her and hang her from a tree overnight til you can process...as long as it's well under 40 degrees the whole time. We hang ours 14 days @ 34 degrees to age like fine beef...makes a difference in your steaks, not so much deer burger. 

Certainly if it's hot you need to cool the meat down ASAP. Flying down the highway at 70 mph when it's 40 out shouldn't hurt it. You do need to have a plan for as to what you will do with it once you get it gutted. If you can't/don't want to do it then you can take it to a processor local. They charge a good bit, but if you don't hunt much it'll be cheaper than a quality grinder and the beef fat and/or a cuber. Personally I enjoy butchering my own deer. I have, in a pinch, quartered the deer and put it on ice in a cooler, draining and adding ice as needed for up to 3 days. Never had any problems, but make sure it's clean and cold so no spoilage occurs. Don't let it sit in water.


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## jlove1974 (Oct 9, 2009)

as opposed to those who say don't put the deer in ice:

Here in south central NC, the wintertime temps can range from 15 degrees to 65 degrees. The only way to hang or age a deer is either 

a) have your own walking in cooler and hang the entire skinned carcass
b) gut an old refrigerator and hang the quarters

and the one we use the most

c) ice-age your deer

I absolutely agree about not letting any kind of meat (fish, poultry, beef, pork, or venison) stew in tepid water in the bottom of the cooler.
BUT if you are constantly draining the water from the bottom and adding ice as needed in the top, there's nothing wrong with 'aging' in a cooler for a few days. Open the drain-plug, and add some ice on top and let it melt over the meat. It releases toxins and rigor similar to hanging, and it's alot more practical in the unpredictable southern US weather we get here.


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

NTKG said:


> My mortgage guy bought a farm and apparently there are a good number of deer on it. I've been tasked will deer control while the wife is not around....


sooooo...when we doin work?


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

I asked to tag along sometime and shut the whole thread down lol. I hope you have better luck. It sure is hard to find a place to hunt on private property anymore.


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## chriscustom (Jun 17, 2006)

*Land*

You have a lot of land to hunt in your area. Virginia find game is the place to look for places to hunt. I've been trying some new pieces and am lovin it.


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## SNDFLEE (Sep 8, 2010)

I was talking about private property and the ability to find a piece to hunt. Sure there are PLACES to hunt but most of them are full of people and not full of game. They don't allow motorized vehicles either ie; four wheelers etc.. I looked at that site once and found a lot of lottery hunts. I am glad you found a place you like let me know how your success is.


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