wolc123

Be careful what you wish for. I think the "coywolf" (aka Eastern coyote) does the wild turkey more good than harm. The reason being that they are extremely efficient at taking out coons and foxes which are both big-time nest predators.

I have seen mostly singles and a few doubles. If I ever get a crack at a pair again, I will aim for the smaller of the two with my first shot. The last time it happened (with a pair feeding on a bait pile on a moonlit night), I took my first shot at the big male. I then sprayed a few more at the smaller female, as they bolted away, with my Ruger 10/22. I found the male the next morning (Remington yelow-jacket thru both lungs) 40 yards from the pile, but no sign of the female. Just like with deer, killing the females is a lot more effective for population control. The only time I saw more than two, was in June when the hay was just cut, and the pups would come out and play in the daylight. It is too bad that NY state don't let us shoot them then. I think the local population is down these days in WMU 9F, based on increased fox sightings (coyotes do not tolerate foxes in their territory). I only saw one coyote last throughout last deer season. I blew my chance at that one (looked like a big red-tinted male) when it heard my frozen blind window crack as I slid it open. It would have been a standing broadside 50 yard "chip-shot" at 10:00 am in the late-morning.

That's why I cut it also. It makes makes it easier to get "things" (piss sack, etc), out. The only difference is, I use a folding Gerber saw, but the cut takes under a minute. That saw gets used for lots of other things, mostly clearing branches from shooting lanes, so I need it in my pack anyhow. With the butt-out tool, most of the other "things" are already out, by the time the pelvis is cut. I like to get that part of the deer wide open, for the final rinse (using the blood which has collected forward of the diaphram), and cutting the pelvis is the only way to do that.

Happy Birthday

I have been using gloves for the last three seasons. I like the thin rubber ones from Home-Depot that extend about half way to the elbow. When I am done gutting a deer, I walk to the nearest standing water, or use snow to rinse the gloves off. They definitely help out with hand cleanup, saving a few minutes on each deer. I have used the butt-out tool for the last four seasons and that saves about 4 minutes on each deer and results in a cleaner job. I waited until the price dropped to $ 4.99 on Amazon, before I bought one of those, but it has definitely been worth it. The 6 minutes total saved on each deer don't sound like much, but it is a big deal because that is a savings at "prime-time" when the bulk of my family's venison must be secured. It is especially important, when you consider that I usually only have (7) days, over a 2 week stretch in early November, to secure the 3-4 deer that my family needs to provide us with enough red meat for a year. For those who are only looking to kill an occasional trophy, are vegetarians, are content to get most of their meat from "cooped-up" livestock, or have every day of the season(s) available to hunt, I can understand why the time savings from gloves or the butt-out tool is no big deal. If you are looking to get the most wild, free-range meat, in the least amount of time however, those two things are well worth carrying.

I drag the deer to a clear level spot, and start with the butt-out. Next, cut thru shallow from rear to sternum taking care not to puncture the gut(s). Pull out all the stuff behind the diaphram, saving the liver in a gallon zip lock bag if it is a younger deer, along with the nuts. Next, I cut thru the pelvis with a Gerber folding saw, and make double sure the pis-sack and all that stuff is cleared out. Next, cut out the diaphram, remove lungs and save heart in zip-lock bag. Use that fresh blood from forward of the diaphram (there is always plenty there) to rinse the inside of the back part, especially the tenderloins. Those get eaten fast (usually for lunch, along with the oysters that day - see photo) so I go to extremes to make sure they are not tainted with any piss, crap, or gut-juice. A fresh blood rinse does the job perfectly every time and any place.

A 4 year clover one year corn rotation works well for food-plotters. One of the biggest advantages of getting that "free" N from "fixation", is that it does not acidify the soil like heavy urea application does. I will have to look into getting some of that stuff for this spring's crop. I never add urea anyhow, thanks to following that clover rotation. My ground has never needed lime for that reason. Maybe, using that stuff, I can drop starter fertilizer (15-15-15) at planting down from 50 pounds/acre to 25 pounds or so. If I can get the Envita for free, that will greatly reduce my input costs (fertilizer is usually my biggest expense), and really help out on the venison cost per pound. I wonder if it was legal in NY last season ? If so, I will have to talk to some friends and see if they have any "leftovers". It is all about "more for less", and "free is always good".

Good stuff indeed. I am glad to see that we ain't the only ones who prefer to "live off wild animals" rather that get "store-bought meat from cooped up livestock". I could not have said that better myself. I see young Nils-Elmer is eyeballing those big moose oysters in one of the photos. Hopefully, they used lots of pepper when frying them up.

Tacks left a butt-out by one a few years ago.

In all the excitement after killing a nice deer, I have lost several items, including a nice Shrade sharp-finger knife and the Barnett rope-pulley cocking device for my crossbow. The two T-handles that I made to replace than work a lot better than the original device (I might even be able to reload fast enough with them to get off a second bolt if it was ever necessary). I still miss that knife though.

Young and dumb is another possibility: That reminds me of something I did on my first year deer hunting, when I was 16. I had made a climbing tree stand in metal-shop at school that year. I was carrying it by a strap on my right shoulder and I had my grandad's Ithaca 16 gauge shotgun in my left hand, as I was walking through the woods (not on a trail), about an hour before sunrise on opening day. Not knowing exactly where I was, in the big woods across the street, I stopped and leaned the gun against a tree. I took the compass and flashlight out of my pocket, to get my bearings. I then continued off in the westerly direction, reaching the far edge of the woods, and crossing an overgrown field to a hedgerow on the opposite side. When I got to the tree I wanted to climb, I realized that I did not have my gun. It was still a half hour before sunrise and quite dark. I attached the stand to the tree and back-tracked to try and find my gun. Somehow, I was able to walk almost directly to it, despite the darkness and having no clear trail. It was a bit after sunrise, when I finally got up in that tree. A large buck showed up about an hour later. I think I missed him clean at 40 yards. It was my first sighting of a deer while hunting, and I think "buck-fever" prevented me from bringing up the rear sight properly. I imagine that my shot went over his back. During the off-season, I mounted a Weaver 1.5X scope on that gun. That corrected the "sight-picture" issue, and I have not missed a deer with that gun over the next 37 seasons. I am very thankful that I found it that day long ago and that it did not end up like that old Winchester. Dozens of whitetails likely think otherwise however.

In 2018, I killed a large buck from a stand on the edge of a swamp. It was my second encounter with him. The first time I saw him was much deeper in the swamp. He busted me there, on the last weekend of archery season from about 20 yards away, and I was unable to get a shot at him. I was able to get a very good look at his big 8-point rack, with 11" G2's. As he walked away, I carefully noted where he disappeared. I then removed the hang-on stand from the tree where he had seen me. I moved it to the area where he disappeared, at the edge. On opening day morning of gun season, true to plan, I heard him sloshing thru the partially frozen water about a half hour after sunrise. He stopped in an opening and I was able to put him down there, with a 100 yard shot from my 12 gauge slug gun. Getting that 200 plus pound carcass (182 pounds field-dressed) out of the swamp was a pain. I called my brother, and he brought a big plastic sled which we used to "float" him out. Fortunately, I was saved the expense of a shoulder mount, because the buck had busted a couple of his points off during the prior week, making him a good candidate for a "free" power-washer euro mount. That swamp holds a lot of deer and I killed a mature doe from the same stand on opening day last season. She was a little closer, and out of the water, so I did not have to get my feet wet like I did with the buck the year before. I imagine that will be my opening day stand until it fails to produce some year. The edge of the swamp is a good place to be on that day. I may need to invest in some taller boots. In my case, I am not able to hunt the back side of the swamp with a firearm because it is too close to some buildings on the next road (less than 500 feet). The front edge is my only option during gun season. I will probably put a hang-on back up on that island, near the back side, just for archery season. High boots will definitely be required to get to it, on anything other than a drought year. A bonus of that island, is that that it is loaded with white oak trees, making it a prime food source.

My thoughts exactly. Clearly, the inventor is really into it and thinks he has something there. The talk about "to the nearest thousandth of an inch" was comical. I can do a euro myself, with a power washer, in under an hour for the cost of a gallon of gas. A nice feature of a euro, is that you keep the "real" skull, something you don't get to do with a $ 650 shoulder mount. A nice thing about the shoulder mount, is you get to keep the "real" cape. With those rubbery-looking "mancave" specials, you lose both the skull and the cape plus about half the cash that you might spend on a cheaper shoulder mount. My advice to those concerned with saving some money on mounts, would be to get to know a taxidermist or two. Offer to trade your fresh, raw cape, for one they might have from another customer who was not completely satisfied with their tanned one on a form. Most of those just end up in the dumpster anyhow, and those guys are always looking for fresh capes to satisfy fussy folks. Sure you will loose your skull, but at least you will have real deer hair, rather than rubber, and not be out any cash.

I am about 1/4 of the way thru "Chesty, The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC" by LtCol Jon T. Hoffman, USMCR.

No Joke. I will never leave them in the gut pile again. After you learn how to properly prepare them, they are very good. I will also try and save at least (1) liver from a mature deer (that means 1.5 year plus for me) each season from now on. I use to only carry a couple of 1 quart zip-lock bags in my pack, which easily hold the heart and nuts, but now I will carry a gallon bag for the livers. Like I have said repeatedly, the only thing holding folks back, is not having the balls.

The problem is, most folks don't have the balls to give them a try.

One of the keys to getting essential vitamins from meat is to not overcook it. Liver is particularly high in vitamin content (even vitamin C). I don't eat it quite raw, but pretty close, especially when it is from a button-buck. I had not saved the liver from a deer more than 6 months old for a long time, until last fall. I saved the one out of my 3.5 year old buck and it was surprisingly good. I still have 1/3 of that one in the freezer, maybe I will fry it up rare next weekend. The key to making it tender, was keeping the raw liver in the fridge for a week before freezing. That tenderizes it by getting it past the rigor mortis stage, which is never an issue with 6 month old livers. As far as the nuts go, it is all about the black pepper. Add enough of that, and they taste similar, but better than oysters from the sea. I got to thank Steve Rinella for that trick. Forget about the butter though. Olive oil works just as good for frying them up and is healthier for you. If you decide to give them a try, don't forget to make a slit through the outer membrane prior to frying, or they will explode in the pan making a big mess.

Well as long as the whitetails are eating some grain, fruits, and vegetables, I guess I am getting some of that indirectly. I believe I could get along just fine on such a straight-meat diet, much like the Inuit have been doing for centuries on reindeer.

1.5 is "middle-aged" in NY. .5's are the best eating though. Fortunately, I am due for one of those this year (killing them has been an every other year thing for me over the past (38) seasons). I think we just finished the last vacuum- sealed roast from the record-sized bb that I killed in 2018. I can't tell the difference in taste between 1.5's and 3.5's. I only target 1.5's after the mid-point of the seasons. They are definitely tastier than unfilled tags. Exactly how much risk is there in hitting a 1 ft diameter kill zone from 50 yards, with a rifle that holds a 1" group at 100 yards ? Did they teach math at your school, or maybe you have forgotten it ? I hunt for meat, not for sport, and I would never want to be known as "a sportsman", so thanks for the compliment.

That was the best possible move in that particular situation (scoped 30/06 rifle, perfectly still deer, 50 yards away, no wind, good rest). Thanks for bringing up what might be the best shot that I ever made on a deer. This delicious Adirondack buck died instantly, guts came out as clean as a whistle, and meat loss was limited to a small neck roast. It is like the gift that keeps on giving, thanks to a few of you fellas.

I can't make out anything in that blurry video, but I think we all agree that torturing animals is wrong. If the utes in that video are found guilty of that then they should pay a steep price and do some time in jail. I think many people do not understand that God created man as a meat-eater. That is why we have the type of teeth that we do, and why our eyes are positioned as they are. It is a simple design issue: form follows function. As meat-eaters, killing of animals is necessary. That said, the faster the animal is dispatched, the better the meat. For me, it all goes together, maximize the quality of the meat, and minimize the suffering of the animal. That also applies to fish. I am against "catch-and-release" fishing for that reason. Most of the fishing I do is for fish I intend to eat. I always get them into the boat, with as little delay as possible, and keep them in good condition in the ICU ( livewell), until they are mercifully dispatched with a small club, prior to filleting. I know that meat is going to taste great, when I can still feel those fillets twitching, as I drop them into the vacuum packs. I have killed a few deer by slitting their throats, but those were first struck by cars and were on the roadsides where the use of a gun may have gotten me into legal trouble. A sharp knife, properly used, can get the job done almost as fast. While hunting, I always carry some "spare" ammunition, to get the job done quick when necessary. Back when fur was worth decent money, I would dispatch trapped animals using a long handled neck-snare, to hold them in place, and a club. After they were "knocked out", I would stand on their chest until they were suffocated. This is how we were taught to kill them in the 4-H trapper training course. Now that fur is practically worthless, for raccoons: I use a .22 fired perpendicular to the head, aimed at the intersection of an "X" between the ears and the eyes., opossums get that and a second one thru the lungs (they have a smaller brain and are prone to playing their name if you miss that). I will release any opossums caught from here on out because I have heard that they eat tics. Skunks get a shotgun blast to the head from 10-15 yards upwind (none has ever sprayed after receiving that treatment). I only trap now to control the local raccoon population. I can't afford to grow enough corn to maintain good deer hunting without raccoon control. I prefer to do my own killing (by eating deer and fish), rather than depending on others to do it by getting meat from the supermarket.

I got busted and made eye-contact with two deer last year, a 3.5 year old buck and a doe. With the buck across an open field, I was 7 ft up in the air and had a 3 foot wall for cover, as I sat in a swivel chair. I won that stare down, from 60 yards away. I remained perfectly still, only blinking my eyes a few times. After what seemed like a half hour, he put his head down and started moving closer. I then moved in super-slow motion and was able to get a bolt thru both lungs when he reached a range of about 20 yards, standing broadside. The doe was a tougher deal though. I was on the ground in the woods, in a swivel chair for her, with no cover other than camo clothes. It was a bit windy, and I did not hear her come in behind me. I looked behind and there she was, broadside at 40 yards. I tried to swivel around slow, but was not slow enough and she bolted. You win some and you loose some.

Lots of good advice here so far. Vacuum sealing helps a lot and so does skipping the added pork. I can't believe all the people who taint their venison with pork. I have often let vacuum-sealed venison go for three years in the freezer, with no off-taste developing. We use lots of grind, and I always package that from the first deer each year in zip-lock bags. That is consumed in less than 6-months, so vacuum-sealing that first one would be a big waste of time and money. All of the meat from the rest of the deer each season gets vacuum-sealed. The fresh "zip-locked" stuff always gets eaten before the "left-over" vacuum-sealed stuff, which is why three years is not uncommon. At this point, our family of four goes thru about 200 pounds of venison a year. It is always nice to go into a season with some vacuum-sealed stuff left in the freezer. That really helps out on the years when the hunting ain't so good. Years ago, there may have been a written NY state law, that venison had to be consumed within a certain time. I am glad they did away with that one. Since button bucks usually only come-along for me, every other year, that is often the meat that stays the longest in the freezer. It is of so much higher quality (taste and texture) than older deer, that I like to save it for "special occasions". I still have a few packs left from the last one that I killed in 2018. The nuts, tenderloins , and livers from those never make it into the freezer. You got to eat the very best stuff fresh.

Rinehart's in Middleport, $ 8.00 for a 50 lb bag.

If only they were 16 ga.