Deer Hunt Eats

[Paymaster]

I hauled the Akorn Cooker out into the field on our annual trip to Piedmont NWR last week. I always do the cooking in our camp, But this was a step up from the Coleman stove! One in our group shot a deer so we feel successful. I did Deer Kababs and Brats one night and a deer ham, a butt and a fattie the next. There were hundreds of hunters in the campground. I put up a little banner so some web forum friend that were there could find our camp.

[salt and pepper]

Looks like fun & food. Except for the "100's" of hunters!

[Paymaster]

Originally Posted by salt and pepper

Looks like fun & food. Except for the "100's" of hunters!

30,000 acres of forest and 1200 hunter quota. There were probably 500 or so folks in the camp ground which is several hundred acres in size. Was not bad at all.

[salt and pepper]

I wonder how many camps are set up in the 47 sq miles? Must be good numbers of deer in that section. Well have fun and keep the hunters happy with your good food. Are you hunting too, or the camp cook?

[Addie]

Last night I watch "North Woods Law." They stated that just one deer doe can feed 100 people. Imagine what a buck could feed.

If two members of one household were hunters, they could feed the family for a whole year with just a couple of hunting trips a year, each. For the cost of a couple of boxes of bullets and the gas, not a bad deal.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by Addie

Last night I watch "North Woods Law." They stated that just one deer doe can feed 100 people. Imagine what a buck could feed.

If two members of one household were hunters, they could feed the family for a whole year with just a couple of hunting trips a year, each. For the cost of a couple of boxes of bullets and the gas, not a bad deal.

Good one.
I know of no hunter that just spends money each year on ammo and gas. And that's not even counting the licenses, stamps, permits, latest camo pattern, buck scent, rattling antlers, blind, deer stand, four-wheeler,
Sure, after you've hunted a while you pretty much have everything, but then you need to upgrade.
My neighbor processes his own deer and I'll bet he's got $1000 just in stainless tables, meat grinder, slicer, hoist, spices, casing, freezer paper...
IMO getting a deer is the bonus. You'd be spending money on hunting whether you got one every year or not.
Ask me how I know

[Zereh]

Male bonding at it's finest. =) Looks like it was a fantastic time with some great eats!

[Paymaster]

Originally Posted by salt and pepper

I wonder how many camps are set up in the 47 sq miles? Must be good numbers of deer in that section. Well have fun and keep the hunters happy with your good food. Are you hunting too, or the camp cook?

I hunt as well as cook. Neat thing about the Akorn is it is portable and can be set up at a certain temp and left to do it's thing. I set the temp for the deer ham and butt cook at 250* and went to sleep with a remote therm probe in the deer ham. The remote alarm was set to go off when internal temp hit 160*. It alarmed, I got up and took the deer meet off and put the probe into the boston butt and set the alarm at 205* and went back to bed in the camper. I got up at 4:30 to do breakfast and the internal on the butt was at 203*. By the time it was time to hit the woods, the butt was done and I removed it.I like that Akorn cooker!!!!!!!!

[taxlady]

Addie, that math works when the locals are poaching deer for food.

[salt and pepper]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Addie, that math works when the locals are poaching deer for food.

Poaching is not Hunting!!!

[Addie]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Good one.
I know of no hunter that just spends money each year on ammo and gas. And that's not even counting the licenses, stamps, permits, latest camo pattern, buck scent, rattling antlers, blind, deer stand, four-wheeler,
Sure, after you've hunted a while you pretty much have everything, but then you need to upgrade.
My neighbor processes his own deer and I'll bet he's got $1000 just in stainless tables, meat grinder, slicer, hoist, spices, casing, freezer paper...
IMO getting a deer is the bonus. You'd be spending money on hunting whether you got one every year or not.
Ask me how I know

I was thinking of you when I saw that. When I lived in Texas, each hunter bought ten tickets to place on their deer. I thought that was a lot. But that year it happened to be the first year they were putting a limit on the hunt. My landlord had a processing store in the front of the house I was renting. I used to help him in wrapping, checking tickets, recording them, and other chores. In Maine, it is only one deer per person and they hold a lottery for the hunting season.

One customer came in with a buck the day after the season closed. My landlord refused to accept it for processing and confiscated it to be reported to the gaming department. The hunter tried to say he shot it the day before, but the blood around the wound was still a bit damp. I made a quick exit from the shop as I knew there was going to be a big problem. And there was. I had to call the cops. That was one mad hunter. And my landlord was one stickler for going by the law. That was quite an education for me.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Addie, that math works when the locals are poaching deer for food.

Exactly. Or if you're a farmer with enough land to be able to cull the herd due to the damage they cause your crops.
Hunting is an expensive addic... err, I mean sport.

[Addie]

Up on the North Shore here, there is a reserve and the deer herds are out of control. The gaming department wants to set up a hunting season for them, but the Bambi Lovers raise holy hell and don't want them hunted. Yet the deer are now roaming in the winter outside of the reserve and destroying private property. There has been some serious damage and some of the residents have been injured by bucks with their antlers. I haven't heard anything on the news for a couple of years. I am wondering which side won. I am for the hunters. Hope they won.

[Paymaster]

Originally Posted by Addie

Last night I watch "North Woods Law." They stated that just one deer doe can feed 100 people. Imagine what a buck could feed.

If two members of one household were hunters, they could feed the family for a whole year with just a couple of hunting trips a year, each. For the cost of a couple of boxes of bullets and the gas, not a bad deal.

We go thru two deer in about six months. Mostly burger and sausage. I do take out the loin whole and sometimes leave a ham de-boned but whole. But as you know, if you check out my threads here, we eat a lot of pork and beef as well as venison.

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Paymaster

We go thru two deer in about six months. Mostly burger and sausage. I do take out the loin whole and sometimes leave a ham de-boned but whole. But as you know, if you check out my threads here, we eat a lot of pork and beef as well as venison.

When the gaming department came to my landlords processing place, they sided with him. They asked him if he would be willing to process it pro bono and donate it. He did and gave it to the elementary school for lunches. He made sausages with the whole deer. The school department was thrilled to get it as it saved on the food budget. I was surprised at how much meat was turned into sausages. It made a heck of a lot of food.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by salt and pepper

Poaching is not Hunting!!!

I guess you were never really poor and living in the country.

[salt and pepper]

Originally Posted by taxlady

I guess you were never really poor and living in the country.

You are so wrong, I come from a family of 12 and have lived in "The Country" most my life. From NY state and now in MT. Wild game hunting is a sport that also feeds many people. Myself included. That does not mean its OK to kill for food, or over kill, for that matter.The price you pay for hunting & fishing is cheap enough that you don't have to just go out and kill something. Thats what gives hunters a bad rap. You are wrong and it will cost you more if you get caught and have to pay a fine, loose you gun, car and have to spend time in jail. So think about that!
There is no need for people to go hungry in this Country, no excuse!

PS: I had to quit school to help feed my family.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by salt and pepper

You are so wrong, I come from a family of 12 and have lived in "The Country" most my life. From NY state and now in MT. Wild game hunting is a sport that also feeds many people. Myself included. That does not mean its OK to kill for food, or over kill, for that matter.The price you pay for hunting & fishing is cheap enough that you don't have to just go out and kill something. Thats what gives hunters a bad rap. You are wrong and it will cost you more if you get caught and have to pay a fine, loose you gun, car and have to spend time in jail. So think about that!
There is no need for people to go hungry in this Country, no excuse!

PS: I had to quit school to help feed my family.

I wasn't really trying to argue the ethics of "poaching". I was pointing out that the economics of hunting near home are different than the economics of a hunting trip.

I lived in an area where many of the locals bagged deer out of season to help feed their families. There were enough deer that the carcasses of starved deer were regularly found in the woods in winter. BTW, hunting season was the most dangerous time to be out in the woods. Most people wore orange vests and put them on their dogs. I even wore mine to go to the outhouse.

We supplemented our meat with snowshoe hare from a snare line. Yes, we had the appropriate licenses and followed the rules.

[Addie]

When a herd of deer feed on your property during a hard winter and they are destroying all the trees and plants, I don't consider it poaching if the home owner shoots some of them and uses the meat to feed the family. But when a person is in a car and spots a deer at the edge of the woods and shoots him from his vehicle for the fun and excitement of it, then that is what I consider poaching. Useless killing of animals is poaching. Feeding your family out of season and protecting your property, is fine with me.

[salt and pepper]

Tax & Addie,
I get you point, now get mine. Its still breaking the law. Lets end this.