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2022 Wolc Journal


wolc123
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I wasn’t planning on hunting again until Sunday afternoon, over at my parents place, because my deer fridge won’t be available until Saturday evening, when I finish processing doe # 1.  
 

Now, I am thinking of getting out here at home on Saturday morning.  Hopefully, the Buck and Doe shop could take doe # 2 for the Venison Donation program.  If not, I’ll crank up the AC in the garage (it’s supposed to be 80 degrees outside on Saturday), and leave it hang in there till I process the other one. 
 

They were not able to take a cash donation for that at a Lockport Runnings when I picked up my first two dmp tags this year.  I’ll try again at Walmart, when I go back for the other (2) on November 1.  Maybe I can give them some meat before then.  
 

The reason I want to go out is that the local deer population seems to be way too high.  I base that on the distinct browse lines that I see on all of my hedgerows, and the super heavy usage I saw on my wheat plots in the late winter and spring.  
 

I think the local farmers eased way up on their nuisance permits here on the NW corner of wmu 9F.  Not so on the SE corner at my parents place.  I have heard that they hit them extra hard out there this year, and that lines up with my observations.  Also, my food plots out there don’t look so hot.  
 

I have been itching to check out my “deer Foodplot court” in a morning prime time hunt, to hunt from the pop up blind that I brushed in back there, and to try my new shooting sticks.  
 

The only glitch is that I dropped my ML on the carpeted basement floor, when the sling pulled out as I was cleaning it Tuesday night.  I don’t trust that it is still zeroed without testing it first.  I need to do that prior to my October NZ early ML week hunt, but not until after early September antlerless gun season is over. 
 

 For that reason, I am going to run my short, open-sighted 12 ga 870, which will also handle better in the blind, on Saturday.  No change in my plans for my parents place on Sunday (if I still have my last tag).  I was going to use my Ithaca 16 ga on that hunt anyhow.  I have a very good supply of slugs for both of those shotguns.  

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3 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

46ca55cf9827fa0a2c45ac443b3ffe67.jpg


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Thanks for posting that Tacs.   It looks like if I get another one in the morning, I will need to crank up the AC and hang it in the garage till I grind and zip lock the first one and free up the deer fridge.  
 

I always put the grind from the first deer each season in zip lock bags.  It will be gone in a few months,  so vacuum sealing would be a waste of time and money.  I’ll use that all up before I finish the last (7) packs of vacuum sealed grind from last season’s 9-point.  Frozen vacuum-sealed venison is good for at least (4) years with no freezer burn.

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Thanks for posting that Tacs.   It looks like if I get another one in the morning, I will need to crank up the AC and hang it in the garage till I grind and zip lock the first one and free up the deer fridge.  
 
I always put the grind from the first deer each season in zip lock bags.  It will be gone in a few months,  so vacuum sealing would be a waste of time and money.  I’ll use that all up before I finish the last (7) packs of vacuum sealed grind from last season’s 9-point.  Frozen vacuum-sealed venison is good for at least (4) years with no freezer burn.

I am having second thoughts about it. I will be scrambling if I kill one


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3 minutes ago, Otto said:

Bring it to Wolcs.  He’s got an air conditioned barn! 

The barns not air conditioned, just the small one-car garage that’s attached to our house.  I insulated that a few years ago. I can probably only get it down to about 60, with the house central AC cranked down all the way.  I’ll see tonight, when I pull that doe out of the deer fridge, and start processing.

Our “new to me” truck camper, that is stored in the barn right now, has a roof-top AC unit that seems to run pretty good on the 20 amp outlet that I plug it into out there.  I suppose that I could crank that AC unit down all the way, and use the camper for a meat locker for a short time, as long as my wife don’t find out about it.  
D35303D1-6F1C-4488-8D17-8101BA78F097.thumb.jpeg.3f36102106bba61d1fbcf870c3355aa4.jpeg
 

I might just have to do that, if the pair of mature doe, that I have been watching on and off for the last half hour, get a lot closer this morning.  Right now, they are out about 300 yards.  I need one under 100, to earn my last dmp tag.
 

 I didn’t notice any ticks on the doe from back here, that I skinned on Tuesday night.  It would be tough hanging one in that camper, because the ceiling is pretty low.  If necessary,  I’ll stick with plan A, and hang it in the garage, until I finish processing the first one, and can then get it into the vacated deer fridge.  

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The barns not air conditioned, just the small one-car garage that’s attached to our house.  I insulated that a few years ago. I can probably only get it down to about 60, with the house central AC cranked down all the way.  I’ll see tonight, when I pull that doe out of the deer fridge, and start processing.
Our “new to me” truck camper, that is stored in the barn right now, has a roof-top AC unit that seems to run pretty good on the 20 amp outlet that I plug it into out there.  I suppose that I could crank that AC unit down all the way, and use the camper for a meat locker for a short time, as long as my wife don’t find out about it.  
D35303D1-6F1C-4488-8D17-8101BA78F097.thumb.jpeg.3f36102106bba61d1fbcf870c3355aa4.jpeg
 
I might just have to do that, if the pair of mature doe, that I have been watching on and off for the last half hour, get a lot closer this morning.  Right now, they are out about 300 yards.  I need one under 100, to earn my last dmp tag.
 
 I didn’t notice any ticks on the doe from back here, that I skinned on Tuesday night.  It would be tough hanging one in that camper, because the ceiling is pretty low.  If necessary,  I’ll stick with plan A, and hang it in the garage, until I finish processing the first one, and can then get it into the vacated deer fridge.  

Just passed you on my way to Wilson I hope this guy is there the phone number doesn't work. Also there are a bunch of does on that landing strip across the street from you


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35 or so years ago, I hung one in the cooler at my uncle’s then little produce market, up on the corner of Millersport.  Not so  sure if I could get away with that today, as that place has got pretty big and fancy now.  
 

Good luck at Wilson.  Their website claimed that they were taking them till 9pm tomorrow I think.  

44 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:


Just passed you on my way to Wilson I hope this guy is there the phone number doesn't work. Also there are a bunch of does on that landing strip across the street from you


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I saw two does well out of range here earlier, and had two bucks, including one 8 pointer practically licking my blind, about 8:00. 
EB39F02D-06F9-4B2C-825E-89B96344E829.thumb.jpeg.14d68c4b09b183e8f2f5c996b52ae1e8.jpeg

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18 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:


They are open it is a drop off system. It looks like a nice clean place. $115 but that is a small price to pay for my wife not to kill me today we have a lot to do lol, no way I could butcher 7ab9da4f20fd09d653ec7840f0cb7b11.jpg


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Congrats, and thanks for doing your part to help our local resident homeowners, motorists and farmers.

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3 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:


They are open it is a drop off system. It looks like a nice clean place. $115 but that is a small price to pay for my wife not to kill me today we have a lot to do lol, no way I could butcher 7ab9da4f20fd09d653ec7840f0cb7b11.jpg


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Yep very clean shop.. my buddy and his wife own the place.. i usually cut my own but with temps like this i dont even bother

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1 hour ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

Assuming it comes back nice he will be my new spot for warm weather deer. Im always skeeved out by my other options


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At some places, it’s kind of scary when they throw your still-warm deer on a pile that’s several layers deep.   I feel sorry for the folks who showed up early in the morning and their deer were on the bottom of the pile.  Then again there’s likely no telling what deer you get back at those joints, especially if you get it ground or make sausage.
 

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I was up till midnight processing BSM (back strap momma) last night.  I named her that, after taking this picture of her in August.  Normally, if don’t take me that long.  That included all of the packaging and cleanup, which my wife usually does, but she is away.  
184FC41B-AA97-4E58-BB04-680CA41EEC7C.thumb.jpeg.a373c47d999dfc59cad152c81a62715c.jpeg

She was my number one target deer, ever since I caught her, red-handed in June, watching over me as I was hoeing my sweetcorn in June, having just finished cultivating it.  She and her little friend chewed off quite a bit of that sweetcorn, soon after it sprouted. 
5654E66C-0B59-4219-B43B-0B8D65ACA9A1.thumb.jpeg.aa91e8d45351a331c422d8d3da3ae901.jpeg

She was east to identify, because she was accompanied  by last years fawn.  I am thinking that the coyotes probably got this year’s. 
 

Normally, she was out front, with the smaller deer trailing.  Fortunately, their order was reversed last Tuesday.  The little one came thru first (5 yards from my natural blind), allowing me to raise my gun and get in position.
 

That made it easy for me to painlessly send her to her final resting place, deer heaven (mankind’s food supply), with a quick 10 yard heart shot using my 50 cal ML.

82C8996D-FE97-4550-9319-96C9B2B6B33D.thumb.jpeg.d72c0bfc3bc3e65548e73852577886f2.jpeg

 

Her tenderloins were very tasty , and I trust that the other 60 ish pounds of edible yield will be also.  Unfortunately, I had to trim away most of her left ventricle, where the 240 gr xtp passed thru.  I will need to come up with a few more hearts for my wife to pickle for me on Valentine’s Day this season.  
51A58F13-3CCA-431C-A540-C8383AC59F48.thumb.jpeg.6053d6f84036a870a95ade907c2418b3.jpeg

Here are her fillets, cooked rare the way I like them, along with some of the sweetcorn that she didn’t manage to chew off early.


I don’t remember killing a doe with longer, better developed back straps.  That must be a result of loosing her fawn(s) early this year, and not needing to make so much milk over the summer.

21482EB7-0051-4074-9EC5-4A51757F786D.thumb.jpeg.b9b9970c414000f46f76df8cb29c206e.jpeg


I feel very blessed that the Good Lord has allowed me to take my number one target deer on two consecutive seasons.  Last year it was also a doe, another big momma up in the Adirondacks.

I had been after that one for at least (4) years, missing her once, and having many close calls.  I finally caught up with her last October, up near the top of a hardwood covered ridge, and got her with the same ML. 
D7BD6510-FC4A-4DAC-86D1-72884C469B82.thumb.jpeg.4e813c56e12fc0be3776d164408e0049.jpeg

I figure that old Adirondack doe was about 6-1/2 years old, based on previous encounters with her and how tough her tenderloins were.  She had two fawns at the time, lots of milk in her, and somewhat poorly developed back straps.  
 

BLM’s tenderloins tasted like she was about 3.4 years old.  
 

No doubt there are trophy hunters who could not fathom how a doe could be someone’s “number one target deer”.  That’s the way it goes for a meat hunter, until someone comes up with a good recipe for cooking antlers.
 

I have killed my share of mature bucks over the years, and one thing I am certain of:  They are way easier to outsmart and kill than mature does.   

 

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53 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I was up till midnight processing BSM (back strap momma) last night.  I named her that, after taking this picture of her in August.  Normally, if don’t take me that long.  That included all of the packaging and cleanup, which my wife usually does, but she is away.  
184FC41B-AA97-4E58-BB04-680CA41EEC7C.thumb.jpeg.a373c47d999dfc59cad152c81a62715c.jpeg

She was my number one target deer, ever since I caught her, red-handed in June, watching over me as I was hoeing my sweetcorn in June, having just finished cultivating it.  She and her little friend chewed off quite a bit of that sweetcorn, soon after it sprouted. 
5654E66C-0B59-4219-B43B-0B8D65ACA9A1.thumb.jpeg.aa91e8d45351a331c422d8d3da3ae901.jpeg

She was east to identify, because she was accompanied  by last years fawn.  I am thinking that the coyotes probably got this year’s. 
 

Normally, she was out front, with the smaller deer trailing.  Fortunately, their order was reversed last Tuesday.  The little one came thru first (5 yards from my natural blind), allowing me to raise my gun and get in position.
 

That made it easy for me to painlessly send her to her final resting place, deer heaven (mankind’s food supply), with a quick 10 yard heart shot using my 50 cal ML.

82C8996D-FE97-4550-9319-96C9B2B6B33D.thumb.jpeg.d72c0bfc3bc3e65548e73852577886f2.jpeg

 

Her tenderloins were very tasty , and I trust that the other 60 ish pounds of edible yield will be also.  Unfortunately, I had to trim away most of her left ventricle, where the 240 gr xtp passed thru.  I will need to come up with a few more hearts for my wife to pickle for me on Valentine’s Day this season.  
51A58F13-3CCA-431C-A540-C8383AC59F48.thumb.jpeg.6053d6f84036a870a95ade907c2418b3.jpeg

Here are her fillets, cooked rare the way I like them, along with some of the sweetcorn that she didn’t manage to chew off early.


I don’t remember killing a doe with longer, better developed back straps.  That must be a result of loosing her fawn(s) early this year, and not needing to make so much milk over the summer.

21482EB7-0051-4074-9EC5-4A51757F786D.thumb.jpeg.b9b9970c414000f46f76df8cb29c206e.jpeg


I feel very blessed that the Good Lord has allowed me to take my number one target deer on two consecutive seasons.  Last year it was also a doe, another big momma up in the Adirondacks.

I had been after that one for at least (4) years, missing her once, and having many close calls.  I finally caught up with her last October, up near the top of a hardwood covered ridge, and got her with the same ML. 
D7BD6510-FC4A-4DAC-86D1-72884C469B82.thumb.jpeg.4e813c56e12fc0be3776d164408e0049.jpeg

I figure that old Adirondack doe was about 6-1/2 years old, based on previous encounters with her and how tough her tenderloins were.  She had two fawns at the time, lots of milk in her, and somewhat poorly developed back straps.  
 

BLM’s tenderloins tasted like she was about 3.4 years old.  
 

No doubt there are trophy hunters who could not fathom how a doe could be someone’s “number one target deer”.  That’s the way it goes for a meat hunter, until someone comes up with a good recipe for cooking antlers.
 

I have killed my share of mature bucks over the years, and one thing I am certain of:  They are way easier to outsmart and kill than mature does.   

 

Yeah we could all tell just how easy it must have been for you. You kill one halfway decent rack over all these years on this site and you plaster pic’s of it on about every thread on the site for months.                       What a Joke!

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That's an awesome looking butcher table! I'm starting to make a full press on my preparations(shooting bow, washed and treated clothes but most critically polishing off last years venison). Got some shanks and possibly a neck roast hanging around that I reserve for cooler temps that hopefully late September will bring.

I have this one annoying doe in the property I hunt as part of a management program. She and her fawn bed right off the hiking trails in the park which is my only entry. My best chance at her is day 1 but other hunters and hikers don't always allow me to hunt unfettered! Maybe this year she slips up


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