2023-24 Hunting Season

Mmmm Squirrel Pot pie !!

 

Well back from hunting this past week. Hunting group ended up with 10 deer from Saturday thru Wednesday. Temps were mostly in the 20's snowed one day and got windy.
Still hunting paid out for me again saw deer everyday though no legal buck would show up to play "tag " with me. Whacked 4 deer all count as doe , one was a buck with broken off horns shot it while My uncle and I were talking while dad was gutting out one he shot. All I could see was it's head and neck shot in neck and bullet exited high on opposite shoulder dropped in it's tracks. Whacked 2 other nice size doe and opened the skull of one that thought it was hidden in the grass all I could see was ears and top of skull a nice tender one.
Here's some pics one is a little graphic. One pic is back side of a swamp where I usually start the hunt, have about 400 acres that we lease I cover most of it.

 

That first pic, I think the Germans have a machine gun nest somewhere up ahead.

 

Yeah, looks like Bastogne. I still don't know how those guys did it.

 

'66 bummer not finding it.

Did the banzai run up to the butcher and back this morning. Now I have a happy freezer, believe I can make it thru the winter ! Now to seal the kielbasa up and freeze it for future use. Also got a roll of summer sausage and salami made by the butcher. Had another place make Deer bologna ( like sweet Lebanon bologna ) and ring bologna made. All good stuff !!

Good luck with everyone else's hunting ! Season done for me.

 

'66 Good deal !!
We used to let deer hang 3-7 days when butchering our own. Biggest changes to flavor we found was to de-bone meat, not cut thru the bone when doing stuff as it smears the marrow across meat. If I am given steaks with bone cut thru I always cut bone out before cooking changes the flavor to me. Also trim all fat and or silver skin either when butchering or before cooking. Even most people I've cooked deer steaks for don't know it's deer meat until I tell them and yes I have had to pull wrappers from trash to prove it's deer meat.
On another note a buddy called last night excited to say least got a 9 pointer at last light with slug gun at about 200 yds. Now he will wait for after Christmas to hunt extended season in special regs area. Uses shotgun and also hunts with another guy using inline smoke poles and consistently shoots them at 300 yds . Reaches out to 500 yds at times, hard to believe with a smoke pole to me. My buddy has hunted with him last year and this year went to range with him shooting smokepole at those distances. Has one all worked up based on a savage action.

 

I visit this you tube channel during the winter.Brownville's Food Pantry For Deer "Close View" - YouTube First day of feeding was Saturday.

 

Well back from vacation week chasing spring gobbler. Arrived at cabin Friday night didn't see many turkeys saturday. Back at cabin in afternoon looked out a window and saw a deer licking a new fawn out past pad to build my new 30 x 40 hunting blind on. Parents arrived sunday night Mom was all excited by the fawn and kept looking all week. Monday found a bird for Dad (pic ) what a good guide I am, left him shoot the bird 10-1/4" beard and over 1" spurs. Damn nice bird.
Wednesday found a Jake for me. Other interesting stuff we saw were a black bear cub, porcupine and a peacock that runs with the turkeys in one area. So it was a really good week.
Now back to reality!

 

A question about eating wild turkeys ... do they also have 'white' breast meat? Or is is all dark? That's a lovely bird.

 

Mainly all dark meat . Legs we crockpot then make a stew with, reason is the "splinters" in the legs are multiplied over a domestic turkey. Thighs sometimes cook and eat or use in the stew with legs. Wings not enough meat on them to bother with in my opinion.