DaveS

WELCOME!

Why do you not field dress the deer? I thought getting the deer cooled down as quickly as possible was the thing to do? Just curious is all. I don't think a "busted gut" (for whatever reason) would be a good thing to leave inside your deer for any length of time. Please elaborate.

OK...got some coffee in me now... Usually I have an idea of what I want before I get started. Start by skinning the deer keeping as much hair off the meat as you can. With the hide off, refer to the thread "tanning deer hides". Wash the meat with a garden hose and clean wire brush. A pressure washer works good here. No soap please! If it's cold outside, let the deer air dry for a few. Using a BATTERY POWERED recipricating saw, cut the deer straight down the center of the spine. Sometimes it helps to have an extra hand holding the deer. Just don't cut them down the middle!! You will have two "halves" hanging. It's easier to work on a half at a time instead of the whole thing. Have a bucket ready. Lay the half on your cutting table. Trim all loose meat from inside and outside of the carcuss (sp) and throw it in the bucket. Remove the shoulder, trim it and wrap as a roast or cut it into Shoulder steaks. I prefer roast for the oven or Smoker. Awesome BBQ'd!! Remove the belly meat and throw it in the bucket. Did I mention putting the dogs up? If you want boneless loin, just filet the loin off the spine and slice it into butterfly chops, bloneless chops or leave it whole. If you want "bone in" chops, Then cut them as such. Remove the ribs, cut into serving side pieces (did I mention getting the grill hot while we were doing all this). Season up, throw them on the grill or wrap for the freezer. Every cut you make, you will have trimmings. Throw them in the "grind" bucket. Now you should have a "hind quarter" left. There are several things you can do with this. Leave whole for BBQ, Leave whole to make country ham (I use one or both for ham). Slice into steaks of all sorts or slice into jerky meat or any combination of the above. It's your deer, cut it how YOU WANT IT! There really is no right or wrong way to cut your deer. Trim the hind quarter up nice and neat Package for freezer. Throw the trimmings into your bucket. There's just not enough room here to tell you how to make each and every cut. Just search for "cutting meat" on the internet....there is alot of good info out there. Repeat the same on the other side of meat. Take the bucket of "grind" and put it in the fridge for awhile. Cold meat scraps are easier to grind than warm ones. If you want to make sausage, weigh the amount of meat you want for sausage. You will need this info when buying enough seasoning. I usually take half of the total grind for burger and half for sausage. Keep in mind, to make burger and sausage you need a good grinder, and depending on the type of sausage, you may need a sausage stuffer. When I make deer sausage of any type, for every ten pounds of venison, I use a five pound "Boston Butt" roast. It adds ALOT to your sausage. Most venison is too dry (no fat) to make juicy sausage (remember that deer brat "popping" in your mouth and the juices flooding your taste buds?) That's how that happens. I don't know what else to share here. I guess we'll hold a "Q&A session now. Thank you for reading my endless babble. Dave (WD-40)

To me...one of the greatest joys of processing your own deer is making your own country hams and sausages. Grill a fresh made deer brat, bite down on it, and when it "pops" in your mouth? Dude....make ya slap ya buddy for another!

Mike knows how to eat!

I do my own processing, and making venison hams, sausage (all types) and balogna is a hobby of mine. I'll sit after bit and fill ya in a bit.

Welcome...read you Lima Charlie!

Off topic?

We had a similiar situation a couple of years ago. We could see the deer where it went down. It was shot on a WMA but ran to someones back yard before it dropped dead. Trying to do all the right things, I went to the house to ask to recover the deer. To my surprise...the chump said no! I had to call the game warden to help get our deer. Technically, the guy didn't have to let me have it. Next time, I'll use my military training and get it after dark!

No tadams...but I do give her a swift kick now again.

Do you eat your "carnage", or just leave them lay?

I think that 100 yard rule is only public land and WMAs.

Well, I'll close with this. When you get here, see for yourself. I do have some awesome stanky old bucks if you want to hunt and eat them. Be my guest. Just let me know. As long as the "Automotive Insurance institute" has any say in the "lobbying" matter, there will never be a "point restriction" in this part of Tennessee or Fort Campbell. On my land I do have a point restriction. You may shoot an 8 pointer or bigger, ONLY AFTER you have gotten a doe or scrub buck. It works for me! That's just me dude.

Odds are, private land. Just my experience is all. Dave

You're right guntroll....but when I have to dodge deer after deer driving down the road, and spotted fawns are legal to hunt on Fort Campblell...that says "something ". Something has to be done! And I feel "point restriction" is not the answer right now, until the population is under control. Until then, I will continue to shoot every deer that walks withing range of my tree stand, and allow the "big boys" to breed my does. So be it. Law is Law, and you nor I can do a dang thing about it. Meat is meat, and young bucks are as tastie as they get! HUOH!!

Sorry you had such a bad experience on your hog hunt. I'm glad you passed this info along, as I plan on going on a hog hunt this fall, after I retire from the fire department. I want to go out to the eastern part of the state to hunt. Dave

No place around here to just "pull up" and blast anything!

Good deal! Dave

I do build my own rifles. Both flintlocks were built from scratch and several parts were forged by hand. Alot of time and pride go into them. Years ago, I built some Hawken "caplocks" from kit, but built my kentucky flintlocks from scratch. I've dreamed of it all my life, and finally did it! Dave

I shot one of my nicer bucks with my "rocklock" rifle. Cover your lock, frizzen and pan with a leather cover (called a cow's knee) and you'll be just fine. Rain does have it's drawback though. You'll need to change your pan powder every now and then. Maybe all of us "smoke pole" hunters can get together this year for a hunt. I see the muzzleloader season has been extended. WOO HOO!!! Dave

guntroll...I see your point on a lot of the issues. I too hunt public land at times, and had nothing but public land to hunt until a couple of years ago. I have been involved in Taxidermy for many years and closed my shop 3 years ago, until I retire from the Fire Dept (September). I have seen a decline in deer size and antler size over the years. Our sub-divisions here just don't grow deer very well. Sub divisions directed at military housing is sucking up farm land in the area like you wouldn't believe. I don't know what the answers are. You may have the right idea. As far as Tennessee Dirt Scratchers (turkeys)....kill all them pest you want (within the law of course). When you get in this area, contact me...got some thing to show ya! Dave

guntroll....the doe to buck ratio in northern middle Tennessee, in the Fort Campbell area is (at last reading) was 8 to 1. The area of the state as well as Fort Campbell is overrun with does and scrub bucks. There are a few trophies around, but not like they used to be. If you're looking for "god's country" bucks here...look elsewhere! Like folks already said on here...when hunting public land, get your deer while you can...or someone else will. Dave

Try this...impose the restriction on yourself this season. Make a vow....stick with it! Lets say...minimum of 4 points on one side. All of ya'll that are in favor and voted yes...hunt your deer this year with that restriction. Then, at the end of the season, lets all get back together again on this. So, make your vows here! Dave

You are right. But something has to be done to cut down on the number of does. TWRA allows 3 a day, which means nothing if hunters don't have access to land to hunt on. We can control those deer on public land, but, the problem lies within private holdings and the "NO Hunting" signs that are nailed to almost every tree in the county. This is where the problems lie in controling deer numbers. It's a fight that goes on year after year. The problem is going to continue to worsen until the state steps in. And I feel putting a point restriction on deer will worsen the population problem.

We have food plots on our land, with good creek bottoms and awesome hardwood ridges, with good mast every year. Good mature bucks always seem to stay in the area year after year. Large mature bucks is what we want breeding our does, not scrub meat deer. I guess every one has thier own opinion on how to manage thier deer herds. Bottom line is...it's my 167 acres and anyone that I allow to hunt it, is required to harvest a doe or what I call scrub bucks, BEFORE they tag "big boy", or they won't be back. Private land in this part of the state is getting hard to come by. Trophy hunting on Fort Campbell has been declining some over the years, and every piece of farm land in the area is being built up on. The only option for most people is LBL (gun hunting by quota only) and state WMAs. In this part of the state and while hunting on public land and as crowded as they get, you have to pretty much have a "if its brown its down" attitude. You may not get another shot at a deer. Something has to be done statewide to better control/manage the deer herds, or we'll be on a collision course with disastor (sp). But in keeping this thread on subject, I do not, nor would I support a limit of minimum number of points on one side. I have plenty of "nice" bucks on my wall, and not a single rack is edible. I'll take a scrub any day of the week. Besides, who wants to drag a 210lb 12 pointer out of the woods...too much like work! Have a nice day! Dave