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wolc123

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Everything posted by wolc123

  1. Has anyone eaten reds? I have not shot many, but they seem too small to mess around with. They like to chase the grays away, which is the only reason I shot the few that I did. They are also much tougher to hit because they seldom stand still long enough for a good shot like grays always do. As far as eating goes, I like gray squirrels much better than rabbits. Many times I had them both cooked in the same crockpot at the same time and the squirrel is always tastier than the rabbit. They are almost my favorite small game to eat, behind only ruffed grouse. I don't remember eating any pheasants, as they pretty much disappeared locally a few years before I was old enough to hunt.
  2. I stopped at a buddies cabin one time to pick him up to go to a pig-roast at another buddies cabin a few miles away. While I was there, we went back to his range, him with his cooler and me with my ML. After a few successful shots and several beers, a patched ball got rammed down the "powderless" barrel. After removing the nipple and pushing a little pyrodex in from the back side, re-installing the nipple and another cap, 3 or 4 times, we were able to get he ball to exit the bore. Lesson learned - save the beer until after the shooting. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and nothing was damaged. Another time I was sighting in my 30/06 on the range at the back of our farm, from the 100 yard bench. I walked over to the target, leaving the rifle on the sandbags, pointed down range. There was no one else around, so I assumed the it was pointed in a safe direction. When I looked back up-range, I saw a buck walk out of the brush, and right over to the bench. For a short time, he had his nose next to the muzzle. I hoped the gun was not loaded but you never know for sure, which is why you treat any gun like it is loaded. A picture flashed through my mind of him knocking the gun off the bags and it going off, hitting me. What a story that would have been. The anti-hunters would have a field day with that one "DEER SHOOTS MAN".
  3. I did miss out on a wide-bodied, single-antlered buck with the side-lock/pyrodex. The load finally lit with the third cap when he was long gone after having walked right below my stand. He did give me a funny look from down below when the first cap went off. I switched to the in-line (TC Omega) the following year and never had any firing issues with that. It fired every time and hit about a dozen deer right where I aimed, killing them all. It was so much more accurate than the rifled slug-gun I had then (Rem 870 with Hastings cantilever scope barrel), that I even used it during regular season. I would probably still be using it if I hadn't located a rifled 12 gauge (Marlin 512) that shoots just as accurate, hits with twice the energy at 160 yards, and gives me 2 extra shots.
  4. WJ: I'll be willing to bet you were using a "substitute" powder & not real Black Powder. Yep, Pyrodex. I am using 777 pellets now in my in-line, and when that runs out, I will switch to that easy-cleanup 209 stuff. For the squirrels with the .22, I also prefer the subsonic target stuff. Increased accuracy and less noise is a tough combination to beat. I shot on the rifle team in high school and the coach would always let me sweep up after practice and matches. I am hoping I can talk my daughters joining the team and doing that in a few years to "refresh" ammo supply. Back in the day, the girls were always the best shots on the team and it seems they still are by the write-ups in the paper. That last squirrel was one of very few that I did not recover after a hit and almost all were shot behind the shoulder. For many years, I used a Remington 510P single shot with a peep sight, then a 3x Bushnell banner scope. About 10 years ago, the accuracy went on it for some reason and now I use a Ruger 10/22 carbine. That is a real tack-driver inside of 50 yards. It shoots better than the old Remington bolt-action ever did.
  5. WJ:"22 LR standard velocity solids are all you need if you know how to shoot. If you didn't recover the squirrel, how do you know where you hit it?" In this case, I had a good rest, clear broadside shot and had just verified the zero on the gun out on the range. I am quite certain the bullet struck near center lung. On any game animal with a gun or bow, I aim center lung, if available, because it provides the greatest margin for error and does not take out much meat. I do make some exceptions, such as a shoulder shot on a lead doe from a group when I have multiple tags. That has produced "doubles" for me on several occasions. I hate loosing the couple of chops that shot placement costs, but getting a whole extra deer makes it well worth the price. You make a good point on aiming forward of the shoulder on squirrels and I will give it a try at the next opportunity. I will then be able to see for myself how much meat it cost me. I consider head-shots on squirrels to be "unethical". Just because they are small does not mean they should not be respected. That said, I did disrespect one a few years ago with my side-lock 50 cal hawken on the last day of ML season for deer. The unlucky squirrel showed up right at dusk when it was time to unload the rifle. I had a bit of a "hangfire", but held steady until he literally lost his head completely.
  6. I am a little upset right now that I used the wrong bullet yesterday on a squirrel hunt. Squirrel stew would have been better than the scrambled eggs I had for lunch. I hit a fat gray, behind the shoulder, broadside from about 20 yards, with a .22 LR Remington thunderbolt. He fell from the branch with a thud, but was able to crawl somewhere into a rock wall, so no food for me. If struck there with a higher velocity, hollow-point "yellow-jacket", I would have been eating better for certain. Most of the meat is in the hind-quarters anyhow, so until we get some "tracking-snow" I will now go with the higher-velocity ammo. With snow, I also like the low or standard-velocity, solid bullets because the quite report usually yields faster follow-up action and they destroy less meat. The shot yesterday was right at dusk, and I was wishing I would have had my "bloodglow" with me. It would have been a perfect opportunity to give it a try. That is CSI-type stuff that, when mixed with water, makes blood glow in the dark. I bought it prior to deer season two years ago. Every deer I have hit since has dropped dead within or just out of sight. Squirrels provide great marksmanship practice, but a little more "tracking-practice" could not hurt.
  7. I also live in a low-lying area where a sump pump is critical. I had a bad experience with a water-backup sump pump during the infamous "October-storm" in WNY a few years back. I got stuck out of town for work when the Buffalo Airport was closed. Rochester remained open, so I got a flight to there, then rented a car, finally arriving home about 5:00 am. The power was out when I arrived. I was dead tired, having been up more than 24 hours. I trusted our water backup pump and crashed for a few hours without checking the basement. That was a big mistake because the storm was widespread enough that it caused problems at Erie county water authority, knocking out the big pumps and dropping the water pressure so low that our water backup sump-pump only added more water to the flooded basement. The water got about 3 feet deep down there, taking out the furnace, hot-water heater, and our big freezer. Fortunately, there was not much meat in that yet because it happened right before deer season. We were also very fortunate that the freezer, furnace, and hot water heater all came back to life after they dried out. That Montgomery-Ward upright freezer in the basement, that my grandparents purchased nearly 40 years ago, continues to run today like it did when new. They sure don't make them like that anymore. I sold the water backup sump pump cheap at a garage sale my wife had the next summer, and bought a battery backup model. I did not have much luck with that either. It was cheaply made and only lasted a couple years, costing us a couple of soaked carpets in a minor flood one time when the primary pump failed. Now I just use a 5000 watt portable generator, and keep an extra 120 volt sump pump next to the installed one in case it fails. I instructed my wife how to set it up if I am away. It will easily run the sump pump, 2 refrigerators, a big freezer, lights and a TV or two. This has worked well for us. I do keep it regularly used and maintained, operating electric string trimmers at the far corners of our yard, and also power tools in the woods working on stands, blinds, and such. A stand-by, installed generator might be a bit better for power outages, but far more expensive, harder to maintain, and less versatile for our uses.
  8. Bait is legal for coyote hunting and can tip the scales in your favor. During deer season, I pile carcasses, hides, heads, etc, about 75 yards behind my bedroom window, in an open field. I butcher 3-4 deer a year to feed our family, getting them from friends and neighbors if I can't kill them myself. Even whole roadkills occasionally end up on that pile, especially when there is snow and a full moon. I also throw trapped raccoon and possum carcasses on the pile, as well as remains of winter small game including rabbits and squirrels. The coyotes are getting smarter however. Last winter, I tried cracking open the window a few times when one showed up but was not able to get off a shot before they bolted off. Several years ago, about this time of year when we had good snow and a full moon, my wife woke me up about 3:00 am asking me what all the noise was out back. I looked out the window and there were two coyotes gorging themselves on the fresh carcass of a late ML season deer. I had a .22/250 and a.22 rimfire at bedside. I loaded the rimfire, since it was a school night and the kids were asleep down the hall, and slid up the window. Looking back, I should have targeted the smaller one (probably a female), but I aimed behind the shoulder of the big one as I squeezed off my first shot. He let out a yelp indicating a hit. I fired short, 2-3 shot bursts at both of them from the semi-auto, as they ran off. I found the 55 pound male 40 yards away the next morning when I went out to check the damages. I doubt I touched the fleeing female as there was no blood on her trail. The male was hit once thru the lungs and again in the rump. One odd thing about coyotes is that they must be terrible tasting to scavengers. Even the crows wont touch their carcasses placed on that same pile. By contrast, every last scrap of deer, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel, and even fox has been quickly devoured. Coyotes just shrivel up and dry out over the winter until I turn them under with the plow the following spring. I have also tried going out at night with a dying rabbit mouth call but the only thing I have taken that way were red foxes. They are getting scarce now as the coyote population is growing.
  9. If you keep up the rpm's and don't stop, they make pretty good jet-skis. It looks like that is all we will see this year.
  10. As hunters and fisherman, we are in especially good position to enjoy God's blessings. Can it be a coincidence that his first four followers were fisherman? At this time of year, when God gave us that greatest gift of all, it is important to remember that it is better to give than to receive. May you all have a merry Christmas.
  11. You wont have to worry about deer getting up and running off after they are down if you just check one thing. Are the eyes open or closed? If they are closed, then you had better place a second shot in a good spot quick because the deer is still alive. That big prostrate buck in the earlier post clearly had his eyes shut. Personally, I don't take any chances here. Fortunately, I learned that lesson from someone else (my own godfather) who learned it the hard way. Now I always walk up to the kill ASAP and stick the muzzle of my loaded gun into the open eye. If it closes, I am position to easily deliver a killing shot. Many years ago, my uncle knocked down the largest buck he ever saw, with a shotgun slug from close range. He leaned his gun against a tree and walked up to the "dead" monster buck with his knife. As he reached it, it sprang to its feet and disappeared into the heavy cover, never to be seen again. I felt especially bad for him, as he taught me much of what I know about hunting (besides this critical lesson) and was even with me when I took my first deer. In a separate issue, somewhat related to the OP: Last winter, I did use my own ML antlerless carcass tag on a road-kill button buck that I dispatched with my knife at the end of our driveway. This was a rather unique situation, and I did not want to bother law-enforcement getting a "proper" tag. I would think they have more important issues to deal with like keeping drunks and texters off of the road. I may have committed a violation, but I would do it again, if it could put some of those brave, hard-working folks time to better use. It was the last Sunday of late ML season and I had no more hunts planned anyhow. I reported the kill with the DEC phone-in system. I may have said "ML" rather than car/knife (there was no selection for that), but at least the date, location, and sex were correct. A neighbor across the street called on the phone, just as I returned to the house in my truck from my last hunt. She had heard a crash a few moments earlier. She saw a car stop, then take off, and saw a deer kicking around in front of our house. I grabbed my knife and my daughter grabbed a flashlight. She found the deer laying "eyes-shut" right next to our mailbox. Unfortunately, my knife was very dull having several good "workouts" during deer season, so it was a sloppy, somewhat dangerous deal trying to finish off that little buck. My daughter was fearful for my safety with the flying hoofs, but eventually I ended his suffering, without suffering any blows myself. When I butchered the deer a few days later, there was a little bruising on one side but 90% of the meat was in excellent condition. It was the "tastiest" of the (4) deer we had that year, especially the liver. It is hard to beat them young ones, way better than "tag-soup", that's for sure.
  12. I am really looking forward to trying some neck roasts like that next season (maybe even this year if I can find a doe with the ML tomorrow). My wife just got one of them programmable crock pots so cooking it should be easy. Roasts are about the easiest and tastiest venison meal there is. We just put the frozen roast in the crockpot (set on low), along with some whole potatoes, carrots, onions, and cream of mushroom soup, in the morning before work. When we get home (9 hours or so later), there is a heck of a supper ready. With the old crock pot, the kids would turn it down (to "keep warm") after 6 hours when they got home from school. Sometimes they forgot and things dried out a little. The programmable one should solve that issue.
  13. A "happy medium" works pretty good for me on this. A doe generally require considerably more fat-trimming work than a buck, especially post-rut. If the temperature is ok for hanging inside the garage (32-50 F), I let them hang with the skin on for a week or so prior to processing. The skin provides great insulation against temperature extremes and keeps the meat from drying out too much. I usually take off the hide the day before processing. I also trim off much of the fat on the outside of the carcasses at that time. A large doe I butchered on opening weekend of gun season had fat more than 2 inches thick over most of the rear, but 2-1/2 year and 1-1/2 year bucks, killed the same day and a couple weeks prior, in the same spot, had very little. When I process the meat, I always trim off the easily accessible fat and tendons as I separate the muscles into roasts, chops, and grind. I don't go nuts on this, like many do, and we have never noticed any "rancid" flavor in the meat. My wife actually likes it so much, that she no longer buys any beef at the store. I always put the first deer each year into zip-lock bags. That is cheaper and saves time over vacuum sealing. As long as you eat it within a few months, there is no noticeable difference in flavor. The rest of the deer are vacuum-sealed. I have not noticed any freezer burn or loss in flavor, up to three years, on those, even without 100% fat removal. Next year, I am going to try making a neck roast or two from the first deer. That is the part that I usually struggle the most with fat-removal. It sounds like not worrying about it at all will not hurt flavor too bad, according to some posts I have read on here. That may only be true if it is not in the freezer too long however. Usually, I can age the meat for a week or so, but that only worked out for the first one this year. I skinned it, cut it in half, and hung it in an old fridge out in the garage (It was too warm to hang out in the garage). The skinned parts don't dry out too bad in that old non frost-free fridge. The other two had to be cut up the day after the kill due again to warm temps and a thanksgiving weekend trip we had planned. Other than the tenderloins, I turned those two "next-day" butchered deer all into roasts and grind. I figured the crock-pot and grinder could take care of the rigermortice that aging usually eliminates. We will have to see how those vacuum-sealed deer compare to the zip-locked one that hung for a week. That one has been excellent eating so far.
  14. Up there on the long Thanksgiving weekend, we had two warm days (Thursday and Friday), and two cold ones (Saturday and Sunday). I mostly fished on the warm days. It was nice out on the water but the bite was not as good as it was in October. I only landed one chunky smallmouth and lost three others. The grouse were still plentiful in the woods, with about 6 flushes as I searched for the elusive bear or whitetail buck. I also flushed a wide-bodied buck on the frosty Saturday morning. It was about 15 minutes prior to sunrise, so I did not shoot. He jumped up just off the trail I was on. As he bounded off into the pines, I could feel the ground shake each time he landed. There was a fresh scrape just past where he flushed. I had the wind in my face, so he did not scent me, and his tail was not up as he departed. I thought there was at least a slim chance that he might return. I got set up nearby at a spot that offered good visibility and favorable wind. About 1/2 hour after sunrise, I heard the unmistakable sound of deer approaching. There were (3), including a large doe, a button-buck just a tad smaller, and a doe-fawn a good bit smaller than the other (2). They passed within 30 yards. When they got down wind, the doe snorted, the tails went up, and they ran by me again, back to where they came from. About short while later, as the sun broke over the mountains, two more antlerless deer approached from a different location at higher elevation. I was well camouflaged and they passed very close. The second one, another big button-buck, got closest to me. He stopped and stared at me for a while, at point blank range, then calmly continued on after his mother. Where were all these antlerless deer during October when I had my muzzleloader? I could only imagine the taste of a fresh button buck liver cooked in an iron frying pan over the campfire. The good news is that the buck population in the area looks pretty good for next year. The big buck I saw should be even bigger, and the small antlered buck I saw in October (assuming he is still kicking), should fill out into a fine 2-1/2 year old. I was encouraged to see the big fawns, because I saw 2 coyotes on the drive up, one just about 2 miles from camp. If this mild winter continues, next years deer hunting should be very good up there. I hope to get up again in mid February, for a little ice fishing, grouse/squirrel/coyote hunting, and some "snow-scouting" for deer. I was able to see the near-peak fall foliage in October, but I missed the snow-covered mountains this November. The scenery up there, at those times, is of such unrivaled beauty, that game harvests are just the "icing on the cake".
  15. I was really surprised how quick it blew the brains out, but it took a little longer than expected to clean up the gums and the hide around the base of the antlers. I am eager to try it again. Hopefully another candidate will show up during late ML season. I did move the pressure washer down to the basement so it would not freeze up and I could winterize the outside of the house. It would be no problem getting it back up and running a hose thru the basement window from the hot water faucet down there. One things for sure, I will never boil one on the stove or even an outside gas burner again. Did you get any funny looks or comments doing it at a public car wash?
  16. How did you get it cleaned up after you skinned it and how long did it take? I posted a photo of one in the taxidermy section that I used a power washer on last week. That worked pretty good, taking about 1/2 hour, after taking about 10 minutes to skin with a sharp knife. My wife wasn't crazy about one a friend did for me a few years ago, but it has grown on her a bit and she tolerates it now. My daughters were a little scared of it for a while but they also got over it ok. Hopefully it wont scare your grandkid.
  17. The tree-stand closest to the road has been the most productive one on our home farm for many years. I remember bumping (3) deer out of a little patch of brush, about 40 yards off a paved 2-lane road, at a central-Adirondack camp, about 20 years ago. In remote areas like that, the road-side growth is likely much more attractive to the deer than the old-growth forest which dominates most of the area. In more populated areas like we have at home, most hunters think they have to get as far as possible from roads and buildings. It seems like the deer might adapt to that, by sticking close. I even shot a buck out of our bedroom window during late ML a few years ago. I wont be able to do that this year as they are making it "antlerless only". Maybe a doe or better yet, a button-buck will pop up. Our venison supply is adequate now but that would really put the icing on the cake.
  18. I have eaten many beef and pig tongues and find that to be just about the best part. My grandma, mother, and now my wife pickle them along with the hearts. I have been tempted a few times to try a deer tongue, but they are kind of small to mess with. Pickled deer hearts are a special treat every year at our new years eve parties. My mother in law did fry up two "Adirondack mountain oysters" from the buck I killed up at their new camp last fall. They did make a bit of a mess when they "blew-up" in the frying pan. If you want to try some, I would recommend splitting them a bit with a sharp knife, before frying. What remained after the explosions was not bad tasting however. Fortunately, we also fried up the sizable heart and tenderloins with those that time, so we had enough to eat.
  19. On the NW edge of the 6 million acre Adirondack park, where I hunt several times per season, I always carry 2 compasses (one in jacket pocket, one in pack), waterproof matches, folding limb saw (works great for splitting deer pelvis bone and to thoroughly clean the cavity), extra ammo, sharp hunting knife, Leatherman tool, two small flashlights, bio-degradable orange ribbon, quart canteen of water, about 20 feet of twine, and a space blanket. All that stuff, plus a handful of candy bars, fits easy in a fanny pack. Aside from the blanket and matches, almost all the stuff I carry is used for the hunt anyhow. I probably should try the matches as they must be close to 20 years old. I have yet to spend a night lost in the woods, but I think I could survive a week in there, relatively easily, if I had to. I have used the second compass several times when I did not believe the first one in some un-familiar territory (following tracks for miles has put me in some of that). It always turned out to be right. I wouldn't bet my life on the cellphone I also carry these days, even though reception is pretty good in that area. It definitely comes in handy on the private land on the edge of the park, to get an ATV close for a carcass recovery. If I had no compass or matches and had to stay one night in the woods, I would build a shelter from materials at hand in an area protected from wind, using as little energy as possible. The next day I would find some water. If I had to stay more than a couple nights, I would worry about food. The "reserves" I carry would get me at least that far. The "rules of threes" come in handy in any survival situation. A human can survive 3 seconds without thinking, 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter/clothing in a hostile (cold/wet) environment, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.
  20. To drink, I prefer Genny "cream ale" for lunch, "light" for supper, and "12-horse" for special occasions. For cooking, plain "red-label" Genny. By pure coincidence, I just posted this picture on another thread in the taxidermy section, but you can see the tap-handles for three of them on the front the "Beer-fridge" behind our bar.
  21. wolc123

    DIY Euro

    The nozzle I used is adjustable. I had it set to the high pressure/pencil position. I have a couple of buddies who have been using this method for a few years. There is a youtube video where a guy says he did one in 10 minutes with a 3000 psi washer. In the daylight, with enough experience, that might be doable. That was my first one. At night, under a floodlight, it took 1/2 hour to blast clean. Hopefully I will get to try it on another one or two in the next couple weeks and I can try to shave a few minutes off my time. The warm weather this season has cut deer activity a bit, but is great for the "water-blast" euro method. This picture shows it next to the one the kid did for me two years ago with boil/scrape method. His dad's power-washed 2-1/2 year old buck scull held up a little better than my boiled 3-1/2. The kid did his own 1-1/2 year buck at the same time as that one, in the same pot, but it got busted up pretty good by the boiling water. Sorry about the confusion on his dad's buck's demise. He killed it with a Marlin 30/30. I found the bullet in the neck while butchering. I will have to give it back to him, maybe he can attach it to the scull somehow. There is no doubt that power-washer would be lethal from close enough range. I accidentally killed a couple other "deere" parts with it, including the vinyl seat on my big tractor, and the drive belt on my mower. I also blew some paint off my truck.
  22. wolc123

    DIY Euro

    I did this one that my buddy killed on opening day with a 3000 psi power washer. It took 40 minutes total, 10 minutes to skin with a sharp knife, then 30 minutes to blast out the eyballs, brains and other soft tissue. His kid did one for me a couple years ago using the conventional boil & scrape method. That took several days, and was a smelly job with a messy cleanup. There was no smell at all blasting off this fresh head with a power washer. I also used it to clean off a smaller buck scull plate during archery season and that only took 10 minutes. I wore goggles and rain bibs and did it on a concrete pad. Cleanup was easy: the birds and vermin had every bit of the mess gone by the following morning. I wrapped the lower part of the horns with duct tape to keep the natural antler color. My buddy was very happy with the job. It was the least I could do for about 75 pounds of boneless venison.
  23. An 8n is not geared low enough for a tiller, so stick with the plow. Definitely a great tractor but you have to work within its limitations. The ORC will take care of most of the trouble of non-live pto or hydraulics. Forget about a front end loader and the lack of power steering wont bother you much. Load the rear tires and you will have plenty of drawbar traction for a 2x12 plow, 8 ft pull-type disk, or 6 ft 3-point. Few tractor makes/models are more durable, and none have better parts availability.
  24. Those food-saver vacuum sealers work pretty good. I have (2) only because my 11 year old one stopped working prior to deer season last year and I did not want to be without. Before I tossed it in the trash, I took apart the pump and found a single, tiny spec of grit on the main diaphragm. I took that out, reassembled, and it works just like it did when new. Now I have a backup if it ever dies for good. I use it year round for fish and game. It keeps the fish tasting fresh much longer than my former method of putting the fillets in zip-lock bags, filling with water, then freezing. We had some that was caught in June for dinner tonight and it tasted like it was just filleted. For fish, I dry the fillets with paper towels prior to vacuum sealing. Also, without the ice, the packages thaw out and are ready to cook much faster. Your next purchase should be a grinder. An old refrigerator comes in handy too, for aging the skinned quarters, when it is too warm to just hang the skin-on carcass. While many folks have an old "beer fridge" out in the garage, for us its primarily a "deer fridge". A couple sharp knives and a heavy duty table come in handy also. I am thankful that my wife helps out with the cleanup of all the gear, except for the grinder housing which I scrub out after every use. She also usually runs the vacuum sealer. The only way you know you get your own meat back from a butcher is trust. When I was young, we had an old retired butcher in the neighborhood who I never doubted always gave me back my own deer. It has to be tough with some of these big seasonal shops, given that 1/2 the total deer kill usually occurs on opening weekend of gun season. Knowing you get your own back is the best part of doing it yourself, but learning where to shoot for minimal meat damage is also good (its hard to beat the broadside, center lung shot in that regard). The money you save is the least of the benefits.
  25. Our family eats 4 average sized deer a year and I always cut them up myself. I usually package the first one in quart-sized zip-lock freezer bags. Those save time and work great as long as you eat it within 3-4 months. The rest get vacuum sealed. That keeps the frozen meat from freezer burning and tasting fresh for at least three years (every so often a dated package gets lost in the back of the freezer). Usually, I age the meat for a week or so at 33 - 45 degrees F, to be sure the rigermortice is broken down, prior to processing and freezing. The timing didn't work out for that on the last two this season. They were killed one day and cut up and froze on the next. It will be interesting to compare them vacuum-sealed packages with the one I zip-locked earlier, during archery season, when I had time to age for a week in an old refrigerator. I made them "next-day" deer into all roasts and grind. I figured the grinder or the crock-pot would be able to take out the rigermortice that way. The meat from one of them, a 1-1/2 year old doe, felt pretty good, like maybe rigermortice had not set up yet. A 2-1/2 year old buck, killed about 5 minutes prior, seemed a little "rubbery" however. Years ago, before I started cutting up my own, I had some from a processor packaged just like yours in them little foam trays and covered with plastic wrap. I don't think I would worry too much about re-packaging as long as you eat it all within about 6 months. Your best bet would have been to just get it frozen ASAP after you got it back. That type of packaging keeps the air out pretty good, probably better than zip-lock freezer bags. Go get yourself another one and vacuum seal that one, for the long term. I am still waiting for number 4 myself this year, hopefully it will be my wife's favorite, a 6-month, antlerless buck. Maybe this weekend or late ML season. Venison does not get much better than the liver of a 6-month old deer and it has been almost a year now since I had any of that.
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