My first deer!

[A J]

Congratulations, @A J!

It's been over 2 years since I've been hunting, thanks Covid! Plus, I moved (temporarily!) from Washington to California, so I left my rifle with my hunting buddies, a pair of Lummi brothers who have taught me more about hunting in the past 6 years than I ever learned in my entire life.

I certainly hope you can get back into it next season. If so, please report how you do.

Judging from the deer tracks in my woods, the place is still thick with deer. I plan on paying more attention to their movements and patterns during the off season. I'm also thinking about getting into muzzle loaders as that will open up about two more weeks of deer season (state of Michigan).

My only regret is not taking up the sport decades earlier.

 

[A J]

Thank goodness you evolved. Reminds me of a famous quote:

What if a greater race of beings were to make flutes or buttons out of our bones? - Thoreau

Hunting is accepted because of our supposed place in the great chain of being and that we have implicit permission to kill "lesser advanced" species. But what if a more advanced species wanted to hunt us?

If Henry David Thoreau tasted one of my grilled venison steaks, he'd be hunting Walden!

 

[Lefty Phillips]

I certainly hope you can get back into it next season. If so, please report how you do.

Judging from the deer tracks in my woods, the place is still thick with deer. I plan on paying more attention to their movements and patterns during the off season. I'm also thinking about getting into muzzle loaders as that will open up about two more weeks of deer season (state of Michigan).

My only regret is not taking up the sport decades earlier.

It'll be 2024 at the earliest. I have no interest in going through the licensing rigamarole in California.

That's interesting that you get two extra weeks if you use a muzzle-loader, makes sense. Do they have subsistence hunting exceptions in Michigan?

The only part of hunting that I don't really enjoy is actually killing. But I sure do like saving hundreds of dollars on meat, and the guys I hunt with use every other bit of the animal for various things, so it's a win for everyone but the deer.

 

[A J]

There are no "subsistence hunting" exceptions. Generally, deer season starts around September and goes to 1 January. It's broken up into: archery, disabled, youth, muzzle loader, firearms and private land only. I got my deer in the private land firearms season, just days before it was supposed to end.

Not sure if I mentioned it, but my wife is allergic to beef and pork. Venison is perfectly OK for her. Chicken gets pretty old, so she has given the green light to hunting. Last year she literally chased me away to go catch fish (every man's dream), but usually I came back empty handed. Believe it or not, we own a small stream that gets filled with migrating salmon but we leave them alone since they're spawning (and usually arrive when the season is over).

 

[MrInsanePolack]

Chicken gets pretty old

Ingredients:
1 jar Frank's Red Hot sauce
Tender sized chicken pieces
Flour
Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Heated oil or fryer

Mix dry ingredients in a glass bowl. Parsley and crushed red pepper are for decoration and flavor, add to your liking.
Pour Frank's into another bowl.
Dip the chicken in the Frank's, then the flour mix.
Repeat the above step (double dip).
Drop in fryer until the chicken fully floats.
Remove, eat, never be bored with chicken again. Best fried chicken ever.

If you want an even crispier, lighter crust, use 50/50 mix of flour and self rising flour instead of just flour. Even bester fried chicken ever.

 

[A J]

Ingredients:
1 jar Frank's Red Hot sauce
Tender sized chicken pieces
Flour
Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Heated oil or fryer

Mix dry ingredients in a glass bowl. Parsley and crushed red pepper are for decoration and flavor, add to your liking.
Pour Frank's into another bowl.
Dip the chicken in the Frank's, then the flour mix.
Repeat the above step (double dip).
Drop in fryer until the chicken fully floats.
Remove, eat, never be bored with chicken again. Best fried chicken ever.

If you want an even crispier, lighter crust, use 50/50 mix of flour and self rising flour instead of just flour. Even bester fried chicken ever.

Thanks for the recipe. I'll show it to my wife tomorrow. She's not a fan of deep fried foods, so it may take some encouragement.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll show it to my wife tomorrow. She's not a fan of deep fried foods, so it may take some encouragement.

Oh no!

I get it, fried isnt healthy. But holy cow the chicken is so good.

 

[Over50drumguy]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll show it to my wife tomorrow. She's not a fan of deep fried foods, so it may take some encouragement.

Oh no!

I get it, fried isnt healthy. But holy cow the chicken is so good.

Air fryer for the win .
I’m gonna try those next week Mr. IP . Thanks

 

[The Shepherd]

I'm also thinking about getting into muzzle loaders as that will open up about two more weeks of deer season (state of Michigan).

I use a muzzleloader where I am in Ontario. Besides being a bit dirty, they knock down deer just fine and are very accurate. You just have to be good with your first shot.

 

[GetAgrippa]

We've always been a bow hunting family-I used an old recurve for years. I quit hunting with it before all the big boom in technology. I showed my eldest brother a Scientific American article on history of making bows and he went nuts-making his own bows with wood and sinew, made shaft of arrows and made flint heads-then he set about traveling the world killing different big game with it. He had both his retinas detach so he doesn't hunt anymore. A bow and arrow is a horrific way to take down any animal though-slowly hemorrhaging to death, so I bagged the bow.

It's amazing a deer can take a major injury-like car or shooting and survive. They can also take a major hit (like through the heart) and keep going-a human one little buckshot pellet in the pelvis will drop em like a Lead Zeppelin. We had a three-legged deer in our neighborhood (from car accident) and everyone in neighborhood was sympathetic wanting to give food-others wanted to put it down thinking it's suffering. I warned them the deer would likely be fine, don't feed just leave it alone. I've seen lots of three legged deer and one legged turkeys in my life. Sure enough the deer was fine and survived injury and I'm sure still in my old neighborhood. A lot of people mean well when it comes to wildlife but actually do more harm.

 

[The Shepherd]

We've always been a bow hunting family-I used an old recurve for years. I quit hunting with it before all the big boom in technology. I showed my eldest brother a Scientific American article on history of making bows and he went nuts-making his own bows with wood and sinew, made shaft of arrows and made flint heads-then he set about traveling the world killing different big game with it. He had both his retinas detach so he doesn't hunt anymore. A bow and arrow is a horrific way to take down any animal though-slowly hemorrhaging to death, so I bagged the bow.

It's amazing a deer can take a major injury-like car or shooting and survive. They can also take a major hit (like through the heart) and keep going-a human one little buckshot pellet in the pelvis will drop em like a Lead Zeppelin. We had a three-legged deer in our neighborhood (from car accident) and everyone in neighborhood was sympathetic wanting to give food-others wanted to put it down thinking it's suffering. I warned them the deer would likely be fine, don't feed just leave it alone. I've seen lots of three legged deer and one legged turkeys in my life. Sure enough the deer was fine and survived injury and I'm sure still in my old neighborhood. A lot of people mean well when it comes to wildlife but actually do more harm.

My bro-in-law shot a deer a few years back. When we were cleaning it, we found a 6" piece of carbon fiber shaft from an arrow in it's shoulder. It was completely healed over and wasn't visible at all from the outside. The arrow head and fletching were gone.

Tough buggers.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

Just took these. Sorry about the quality, it was taken through a window and film insulation. Its 3 separate deer, not 1 deer three times. They were about 15-20 feet away. I was trying not to startle them. I'm pretty sure it's a mom and two kids. The first two are smaller than the last.



This is quite normal actually. I'm pretty sure they know they are safe here.

 

[GetAgrippa]

They look so beautiful and delicious. The ribs don’t have a lot of meat but you can cook simply in oven and they are delicious. The neck and shoulder crock pot or Dutch oven (some of best meat on deer), hams grind into hamburger and I like pork fat to make hamburger but usually use beef -deer makes best hamburger-or you can cube it. The back straps I like fried but you can get creative.

 

[A J]

We've always been a bow hunting family-I used an old recurve for years. I quit hunting with it before all the big boom in technology. I showed my eldest brother a Scientific American article on history of making bows and he went nuts-making his own bows with wood and sinew, made shaft of arrows and made flint heads-then he set about traveling the world killing different big game with it. He had both his retinas detach so he doesn't hunt anymore. A bow and arrow is a horrific way to take down any animal though-slowly hemorrhaging to death, so I bagged the bow.

It's amazing a deer can take a major injury-like car or shooting and survive. They can also take a major hit (like through the heart) and keep going-a human one little buckshot pellet in the pelvis will drop em like a Lead Zeppelin. We had a three-legged deer in our neighborhood (from car accident) and everyone in neighborhood was sympathetic wanting to give food-others wanted to put it down thinking it's suffering. I warned them the deer would likely be fine, don't feed just leave it alone. I've seen lots of three legged deer and one legged turkeys in my life. Sure enough the deer was fine and survived injury and I'm sure still in my old neighborhood. A lot of people mean well when it comes to wildlife but actually do more harm.

Archery isn't my thing. While I have great respect for Michigan's many bow hunters, I would not feel comfortable taking a deer with an arrow. For someone like me with very little experience in archery, the chances of wounding a deer are too great. I'll stick with firearms.

The deer I shot went down almost immediately. Just the way I wanted it. My next purchase will likely be a 50 caliber muzzle loader.

I agree that well-intentioned humans can sometimes cause more harm than good in trying to help nature.

 

[A J]

Just took these. Sorry about the quality, it was taken through a window and film insulation. Its 3 separate deer, not 1 deer three times. They were about 15-20 feet away. I was trying not to startle them. I'm pretty sure it's a mom and two kids. The first two are smaller than the last.
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This is quite normal actually. I'm pretty sure they know they are safe here.

We had a mom and twin does living on our property for quite some time. They liked to munch on our lawn in the early morning.

 

[GetAgrippa]

 

[Over50drumguy]

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I hear ya Art. Not sure what’s worse , not seeing a thing, or being so close you can taste it. It’s just great being out there either way
Heres the calling card of the behemoth I was after in November in northern Maine . I’m almost 6’2” and some of these rubs are almost a foot over my head . His track at the base of these trees are the biggest I’ve ever seen and judging by some of the big boys I’ve harvested in the past , this guy is probably pushing upwards of 275 lbs or more . Had a close call on the only quiet still day where I could hear him grunting around 75 yards away but he never came in and I never saw him . Was my second year after this same deer.

 

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

It's just about propper cooking of each cut as with any other meat.

If you wanna make possible burgers you just add fat from something else.

 

[GetAgrippa]

Deer season is over but I'm having better luck squirrel hunting. I love squirrel-the original Brunswick stew used squirrel, but a young one fried can't be beat. This old male will go in pressure cooker then with rice and gravy-yummy.
.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

I love squirrel

My wife's weenie dog Otis loves him a squirrel. We would occasionally find him on the porch chewing on a squirrel foot. There is only 1 squirrel left around our house. He is a fat squirrel and Otis sooo wants him.

Right now poor Otis is dealing with physical issues so that squirrel will have to wait. Once he is better though, that squirrel better put his game face back on.