2023 Deer Tails

[WHX?? 46,724]

Wow!!!! 

3 hours ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

I'd be shaking for days if I took something like that

Shaking hell... I'd still be cleaning the crap from my drawers!

 

I have a hoist scale Ed but haven't used it for years. They always weighed 110 -115. Just always figured they were just year and a half old. 

Would come out for a monster tho. 

On the meat I always take the tenderloins out after hanging. Otherwise they can dry out. So the next morning I sliced them with some butter, onions, potatoes & eggs for breakfast. 

Very tough and chewy. 

Should I have aged them for a week? 

In cleaning out some of last year's to.make room these steaks were the best and melt in your mouth. Mushrooms 🍄, onions 🌰  and olive oil. Shoulda done it in a cast skillet tho. Too cold to run out to the camper to get it. 

On the neck roasts Dad used to make rolled roasts and use Cajun or other seasoning as he rolled them. Then in a stew pot with a can or two of cream of whatever soup he had. Delish & I don't know why we don't do it anymore. 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by WHX??

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

4 hours ago, WHX?? said:

On the meat I always take the tenderloins out after hanging

I don't age any of mine Jim.     Because I hunt out the back door,   I usually have the deer hanging within an hour after killing.     Then I skin, drop the innards and hose it down.

If the temp is below 40F I may let it hang till the next morning.  Then debone all meat while it is hanging and get it in the fridge or vacpac and right in the freezer.

I do remove all fat and silver skin from everything except the bologna meat.    I get some tough steaks  occasionally , but never the tenderloins or backstraps.

I always leave the tenderloins whole and cut the back straps in 6-8" long pieces.    Then char all around on a 400F grill.   Then slice them in 1" thick and char the raw sides.

Entire time on the grill is 6-7 minutes.   Fork tender and juicy.     Most of the hind steaks we usually crok pot or chunk for stir fry or stew.

Hot and quick or low and slow seems to work best.     I feel the neck roast have some of the best meat If you don't mind pilling it from the bone.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Ed Kennell

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

Better temps here this AM...32F.        So back in the tree to fill a remaining doe tag.     A large doe crossed the field @ 8AM but I didn't shoot as there were some horses in a pasture about 100yds behind her.      Sure was a nice morning watching about 20 squirrels.

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

Beautiful 35F morning.      Perfect day to fill my doe tag.

Snapped this sunrise at 7AM.

 

15 minutes later, a doe showed in the woods to my left.     Dropped her with a neck shot and the 312 dragged her home.       Feeling grateful to be able to continue the tradition.  

[SylvanLakeWH 24,105]

[WHX?? 46,724]

I know your not supposed to Ed but I go for those neck shots too. Wrecks a roast but sure does make for cleaner field dressing. 

Other nice thing about neck sjots is they drop where they stand avoiding chases onto neighbors property who doesn’t hunt. 

On the field dressing Dad always rinsed the body cavity out but I have read that's a no no as it can introduce bacteria. Especially in marginal hanging temps. Our deer almost always hang till the end of camp unless we need camp meat. 

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

10AM,  Shes skinned,  gutted, and hosed down.      I'll let her hang a couple hours to stiffen up, then debone and put her in the fridge till tomorrow

I was actually holding right behind her head as she was facing away from me.   But I pulled the shot down 1-2" and hit her neck scuffing up one neck roast.

 

51 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

 

I know your not supposed to Ed but I go for those neck shots too. Wrecks a roast but sure does make for cleaner field dressing. 

Other nice thing about neck sjots is they drop where they stand avoiding chases onto neighbors property who doesn’t hunt. 

I have tracked my share for hours and even days and butchered a few gut and shoulder shot deer that I had to drag for miles.  No more, after harvesting over 100 deer,  I'm too old and lazy.    If I can't drop them within sight of the , I don't shoot

On the field dressing Dad always rinsed the body cavity out but I have read that's a no no as it can introduce bacteria. Especially in marginal hanging temps. Our deer almost always hang till the end of camp unless we need camp meat. 

If possible, I like to skin, then gut, then hose down ASAP.     If temp is less than 40, I'll let them hang overnight.     Over 40, I debone and refrigerate ASAP.

 

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

Done, cut, vacpaced, and in the freezer.         Now, when does trout season open?      

Edited December 1, 2023 by Ed Kennell

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

How you spend the last day of deer season when you don't have any tags left.

[oliver2-44 8,850]

Well it’s been a slow season.  My nephew shot a fair 8 pt buck opening weekend.  Most of my hunts, the extra corn I put out across the pasture would be cleaned up by their night feeding. I changed Lunar calendar and the new one said today (late afternoon ) and tomorrow are peak days  It was right as I connected with this Doe about 5:10

I have 3 MLD (managed land) tags to fill. (Biologist actually wanted me to take more)  Our farm is just out side of town and 2 years ago they had paid trappers kill 100 doe and most of them were just dumped.  Biologist say shoot ‘em or they will have trappers back in a few years. So I let the younger nephew shoot a buck and I hunt doe. Doe make good sausage.!  

Lots of ducks on the farm water hole about 3 this afternoon. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by oliver2-44

[oliver2-44 8,850]

On 11/29/2023 at 8:38 AM, Ed Kennell said:

Ave deer weight in Pa.

Mature buck     150 -300      The antler restrictions now pretty much assure all bucks are at least 3 year olds.

Mature doe       100-200

I don't have a scale to weigh a hanging deer, but I do weigh all the boned meat.       

 

Interesting chart

Deer Weight Chart (pa.gov)

 

 

 

@Ed Kennell

What are the Pa antler restrictions?

In Texas about 1/2 the counties have a restriction that there must be 13” width between the antlers. Which the day is antlers outside the ears. They say that lets the whitetail be about 3 years old. It’s a good restriction

[WHX?? 46,724]

9 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Doe make good sausage.!  

Got that right!

You taking orders for some of that sausage you sent me?

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

15 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

What are the Pa antler restrictions?

For most of the Pa. a minimum of 3 points on one side are required.  A brow tine can count as one of the three required.

Around 20% of the West end of the state require at least 3 points branching off the main beam.  A brow tine does not count as one of the three required.

A tine must be at least one inch in length to count as a point.

Some hunters are exempt from the restrictions, youth under 16, disabled , and active service ,  are permitted to harvest any buck with a 3" spike or a 2 point antler.

Only one antlered deer / hunter / year.      Antlerless permits are by lottery for a specific management area.    Some areas, mainly around  Pittsburg and Philly, have unlimited doe permits with extended seasons and allow baiting to try to control the overpopulations.   Baiting is not permitted outside these areas.

IMO, the restrictions have improved the quality of the herd by ensuring most bucks live to be at least 2 1/2 years old.

Gary Alt was the biologist responsible for the implementation of very contested antler restrictions in 2002.

I attended several town meetings and supported Garys restrictions with one addition.

There are pockets of a strain of deer that never develop antler points.   I felt these deer should be culled by making them legal if the main beam was a minimum of 12" in length.

My proposal was not passed and unfortunately I still see some of these old deer that are breeding and not legal to harvest.

[oliver2-44 8,850]

29 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Got that right!

You taking orders for some of that sausage you sent me?

Get in line!

Last weekend the grandkids spent the night and got fed store bought sausage because I’m out of deer sausage. They took a few bites and the 7 year old said “ this don’t taste like grandpa’s deer sausage, I’m not eating it.”

[Pullstart 59,635]

Whitetail season in Michigan is officially over, as of dark time on Jan. 1st.  Rylee and I had three days of hunting together.  She didn’t harvest a deer, but about 3:30 PM took a couple shots at 160 yards at a mature doe.  I filmed the deer and Rylee at the same time and she called it, when we never found hair or blood.  She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger both shots.  It’s a huge responsibility to take a life.  Her 350 Legend also has a quite stiff trigger.  I’ll be addressing that with some different springs here soon.  I am thankful for our time in a tree together.  We’ll need to spend more time shooting, more time scouting, more time hunting.  They don’t call it hunting for no reason.  It’s not shooting or killing, it’s work.

 

 

[Pullstart 59,635]

*I also remind her, it took me 11 years of hunting to harvest my first deer.  I had shot two, but never recovered them.  That is a much worse feeling than a clean miss!  Since the 11 year dry spell, I’ve taken 2-4 per year every year.  I have surely added more time to my hunting schedule, through the year.  She’ll get there, I have no doubt.  I’m proud of her for trying.  I’m proud of her for even being willing to take hunter’s safety and progress with learning about animals, safe handling of weapons whether by string or bang.  One step closer to being a strong woman I know she’ll become.

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

47 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

  Rylee and I had three days of hunting together.    Most important part of the hunt.  She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger both shots.  This takes some time and work to correct.

 

 

 

Reminds me of a hunt in Montana about 20 years ago.    I made a  shot at a 5X5 mulie from the bottom of a coulee. He was on top of a ridge about 200 yds away.

I was shooting prone with the bipods at max height.     Yep, I made a perfect shot, but the scope nearly took my eye out cutting a deep hole to the bone above my left eye.

It took me a year to overcome the resulting flinching and closing my eyes during firing.

I went back to a .22 and did a lot of dry firing.    And shooting with unknown dry and hot loads.  It takes some work, but it can be done.  

 

[Pullstart 59,635]

4 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Reminds me of a hunt in Montana about 20 years ago.    I made a  shot at a 5X5 mulie from the bottom of a coulee. He was on top of a ridge about 200 yds away.

I was shooting prone with the bipods at max height.     Yep, I made a perfect shot, but the scope nearly took my eye out cutting a deep hole to the bone above my left eye.

It took me a year to overcome the resulting flinching and closing my eyes during firing.

I went back to a .22 and did a lot of dry firing.    And shooting with unknown dry and hot loads.  It takes some work, but it can be done.  

 

We will spend more time plinking with the BB guns and my .17 HMR this next 9 months.  She liked shooting my 450 Bushmaster because of the light trigger.  Also a reason I enjoy the muzzleloader, it surprises you!  We’ll get her fixed up 

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

48 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I went back to a .22 and did a lot of dry firing. 

Just a reminder Kev.   Use a prefired case to do your dry firing.   Never fire a gun w/o a case in the chamber.

[Pullstart 59,635]

47 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Just a reminder Kev.   Use a prefired case to do your dry firing.   Never fire a gun w/o a case in the chamber.

I’ve always wondered about that.. thanks for the info!  

[Ed Kennell 35,708]

I took a walk to check for tracks before the snow melted this AM.     Actually jumped 4-5 deer about 200 yds from the house.  Too slow with the camera to get a shot.

I did see a lot of activity around me tree stand.      Good sign many deer made it thru the gun season.

 

Even found this big toe dragger off to the side of the main trail.

 

He may be the one I'm looking for next fall.

 

 

.   

Edited January 7 by Ed Kennell