Originally Posted by
falcon
Congrats on the deer.
Thank you falcon
Originally Posted by
edmehlig
Congratulations, on your first deer and welcome to the Brother Hood!! You're hooked now for life in making smoke.
Thanks edmehlig, you are sooo right on being hooked!
Originally Posted by
toytruck
Way to go!! Like said above if you decide to butcher your deer yourself, first get the guts out ASAP, then remove as much fat as possible after skinning. Some folks like to leave them hanging a few days after the kill, but depends on the temps.
I work my deer up as soon as I can. If you take it to a processor, you will have better tasting meat if they don't slice any bones, like in making chops or steaks. The bone marrow leaves a strong tainted taste. IMO
You probably already know this, but just in case....
Toy truck, thanks. We gutted the deer as soon as my buddies showed up to give me a hand, I would guess within an hour of shooting the doe. We then hung the deer for about 2 hours then my buddy Ben skinned it and cut all the meat off right there while it was hanging. I didn't know about the bone marrow, thank you for sharing! We are processing the majority of the meat and I have many friends I owe a lot to that I will be sharing a good portion with as they have been very generous towards myself over the past few years.
Originally Posted by
olsaltydog
Congrats on the deer and good luck the rest of the season.
Thank you, would be incredible to see more deer from a stand this season let alone harvest another.
Originally Posted by
Blackpowdersmoke
Yes, Congratulations on your two firsts! First deer and first ML deer! If you do decide to butcher your own, I think you'll find that rewarding as well. You can utilize the cuts and the remaining meat as you wish and there are hundreds of great recipes for Venison in the many books in print specifically for Venison as well as countless youtube videos on both butchering and utilizing your Venison.
I agree with toytruck, the fat and marrow imparts an unpleasant taste so I only use my saw to break the carcass down then the meat is boned off for cuts and grind. If you don't have them, a small #8 or #10 hand or electric meat grinder and a hand meat saw are real assets to a home butcher and well worth your investment.
BPS
Thanks Blackpowdersmoke, it was an easy choice to pickup my ML over my .375 Winchester. I will definitely look up some videos, thank you for the info. A couple of my buddies will process one or two deer each year which sounds like a good bit of work but well worth it.
Originally Posted by
deer655
Congratulations. The first blackpowder deer I shot I did exactly the same thing. Thought I had missed till the smoke cleared. The deer was exactly where I had shot it. Take that backstrap and wrap it 3/4 inch slices in bacon and cook on the grill till medium rare.
Thank you deer655, happy to hear I wasn't the only one who has had that experience! I will try some bacon on my next tenderloin I grill!
Originally Posted by
cayugad
Congratulations!!! Way to go.
Your story reminded me of the first deer I took with my .54 caliber Renegade. I pulled the trigger and a cloud of smoke circled me and I was sure I missed. So I sat there, smoked a cigarette (yes I used to be a heavy smoker) and kept beating myself up for rushing the shot. Then decided .... I better go look. And like you walked over to where I was sure the deer was and there it lay. I think that was the best venison I ever ate that year. I relished every bite.
Congratulations again and enjoy your harvest.
Thank you cayugad, I have read many of post you have been so kind to take the time to share here, and I have learned too many helpful tips thanks to you and many others for me to count. It was a relief to hear others shared the same experience, I have a feeling I will be just as nervousness if I get another opportunity lol.