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  1. #126
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    Of course we stumbled into an elk 10 minutes after leaving the truck. Barely shooting light. Pretty sure it was solo. Maybe a young spike? We only saw the ass end as it ran into thick cedars. We tried to follow, but lost it's tracks amid the myriad of other track of varying vintages.

    Walked about 7 miles. I shot a decent 3x3 buck about 1pm. No wall hanger. Quarters/straps/loins are hanging in the garage. You guys ever leave your meat in the games bags to age? I got it in those nice breathable alaska games bags.

  2. #127
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    I don’t as I like to wipe my meat down with water and vinegar mix every other day.

  3. #128
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    Quote Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian View Post
    Of course we stumbled into an elk 10 minutes after leaving the truck. Barely shooting light. Pretty sure it was solo. Maybe a young spike? We only saw the ass end as it ran into thick cedars. We tried to follow, but lost it's tracks amid the myriad of other track of varying vintages.

    Walked about 7 miles. I shot a decent 3x3 buck about 1pm. No wall hanger. Quarters/straps/loins are hanging in the garage. You guys ever leave your meat in the games bags to age? I got it in those nice breathable alaska games bags.
    Congrats on the 3X3!
    I never use the game bags for hanging unless the flies are still out. Hanging in sheltered dry location, with an oscillating fan, preferably under 4C, is all I strive for. Anything that restricts the drying of the outer layer, or could possibly insulate the meat from cooling, unnerves me. But then some oldtimers still prefer to leave the hide on while aging. YMMV.

  4. #129
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    If it’s cold enough when killed I’ll leave the hide on but monitor the internal temp. If not cooling enough I’ll strip the hide and remove the bone.
    Congrats on the 3x3 WRG!

  5. #130
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    Thanks guys. It was about 35 when I shot it. I wanted to skin it asap so it could start cooling. Got it quartered up and into packs for the hour hike back to the truck. As soon as I got to the truck I put the quarters in a big cooler and covered it with snow. Only a 30 minute ride home. Now hanging in my garage at about 36 or 37 degrees.

    Will be getting down to 25ish tomorrow night though. With highs in low 30s all week. Should be ok I hope. Want to age this one out and see how it tastes compared to the one I shot in sept and took to processor the same day. That one hung for 2 days max.

  6. #131
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    Congrats man! Glad you got into some elk too. I agree aging helps tremendously. My processor dude will let it hang in the cooler more than a week if I ask him. Also age it in the fridge a day or two, mixed with a tablespoon of olive oil. Zero gaminess if you do those two things. Oh yeah and shoot lowland deer that feed in ag fields, that helps too lol. Sounds like the temps are in your favor for aging this week.

  7. #132
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    Hmm, actually gonna be as low as 12 it looks like. My garage isn't really insulated. (detached garage building of 8 separate garages for my apartment building).

    That cold will stop aging process entirely and defeat the purpose, no? Anyone ever rig up some kind of space heater to keep it a little warmer? Seems like most space heaters only have thermostats in the 50*-80* range.

    Cooler with ice method? I would much rather dry age though.

  8. #133
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    Getting below -10C is a bit on the cold side. Don’t want the meat to get frost in it. It doesn’t completely stop the aging, but slows it enough to defeat the intent.
    Older block heaters didn’t have thermostats, and can keep that space warm enough for hanging, if you have enough space for your vehicle in there. Or just a little ceramic space heater at the lowest setting would do. Temps above -4C overnight, with daytime temps above freezing, are just fine. If the garage isn’t too draughty, it shouldn’t take much to keep the temp reasonable overnight.

  9. #134
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    Congrats!
    I've never aged a deer - but have aged elk.
    hang in a straw bale, 36-39F. don't use game bags (agree w BCMtn, want it to stay cool and breathe). +/- 9 days. Don't notice a flavor difference, but butchering is sure easier when meat is aged. lose some quantity by trimming the dried layer, a noticeable amount over a big cow. meh, pros and cons.
    I harvest cows and does (hay/alfalfa) so it might not be apples to apples in your situation.
    Let us know how it turns out?

  10. #135
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  11. #136
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    Passed on bunch during Bow...opening day in NYS
    This is our red meat for the year.

  12. #137
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    Nicely done FlimFlam.

    My dad and brother sat for opener in Steuben County today. Haven't heard any reports yet.


    Got my quarters hanging and loins/straps in a cooler with ice. Oddly I found a ceramic space heater that I have owned for a while that has a thermostat that goes as low at 39*. Super random. Have been able to keep it at a steady 35-37 in there. If anyone has a link to a good guide for butchering I am all ears. Been around 15+ years since I have butchered my own deer.
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  13. #138
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    Hell of a weekend.
    Started Saturday with my buddy bailing at 1030pm Friday for our 330a. Departure for ducks. Hooked up my boat, found a spot (15 boats at the ramp by 445). Didn't have a single opportunity until ~820am, and of course I was caught with my waders down. Shot a single drake pintail, but fell in a canal over my waders retrieving him. Its a canal I have crossed many times, but it appears they dredged out the end! Luckily I had enough dry upper body layers to warm up, pack the decoys up, and get the hell out of there before things got bad (~40 degrees out and overcast).

    Turn around and back out Sunday Am, and manage one shy of a 2 man limit on goldeneye, teal, a drake hooded merg, and a bonus canada who was lost. One honk of the call and he came in on a string cupped up.

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    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  14. #139
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    Had a good time at deer camp, shot a muley freezer buck and a doe. Grateful for the harvest, should be some good table fare. Tried to snap a few pics as always:

    Thought Pearl (my buddy's dog) was going to chase these cows out of the pasture when they wandered in through the open gate, and I wanted to get a video of it, but she was having none of it. She's getting up there, about 12 now. Nice pooch.

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    She'd rather sit here lol.

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    Frosty morning, like 2 degrees.

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    Even dragging a doe up out of the coulees is a chore. Bucks we often quarter and pack.

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    This little guy did me a favor and appeared within a few hundred yards of the road my first evening. I was pretty much ready to shoot the first deer I saw after a lot of frustrating close calls this season. Two and a half year old. Sorry bud.

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    Roosters are kind of scarce around here and my friend thinks dropping one is as much a trophy as a deer. Pearl did not get this bird up--she was like a quarter mile away being a dummy--but when the bird ran into the thick stuff and we couldn't get it out Pearl went in there and chased it down. We were psyched.

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    My buddy's buck from last year, nice deer.

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  15. #140
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    Solid work yeahman. Now I don't feel so bad shooting my 3x3 last week. About the same size. When they give you an easy shot after days of hunting it's hard to not put em down.

    Started cutting up loins and stuff today. Gonna do quarters tomorrow. This butchering your own deer stuff is work! Glad to do it though.

  16. #141
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    Yeah, I'm not set up for butchering and I'm happy to take my animals to a local guy who works alone out of his garage. He does a great job, needs the business, and I've never had a bad cut of meat from him. Last year I did take 20 pounds of elk to a bigger outfit and had them make me some smoked German sausage. F'ing great! Only got three packages left, boo hoo. But I still have about 30 pounds of elk burger that I saved in case I didn't get one this year. And if I do get one in the late season, well I know plenty of people I can share extra elk meat with, and I like doing that too when I can.

  17. #142
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    Yeah, if I shoot an elk this year I will basically be giving it away to everyone I know and only keep maybe 25 pounds for myself.

  18. #143
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    Great looking hunt, yeahman!
    I butcher my own game. The only thing I don’t do is specialty meats, summer sausage, jalapeño cheddar smokies etc. I grind my own burger, breakfast sausage Italian sausage. I don’t cut anything into steaks. I keep all the meat in about 1 lb chunks. That way I can do whatever I want with it. Butterfly, steaks, stew/chili meat, fajitas, stir fry. I vacuum seal about half the meat and freezer paper the other half as it’s cheaper and I eat the freezer paper wrapped meat first as the vac sealed meat lasts longer.

  19. #144
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    I butcher too. Rewarding. Cost efficient.
    Steaks from loins/backstrap, maybe save a roast or 2, set aside a few steaks for jerky, grind the rest for whatever.
    I use freezer paper - easy. fast. cheap. we go through meat before it can burn.

    Slice and dehydrate heart/lungs/liver, and cut the big leg bones into marrow bones (for Ms Dingo).
    Tan hide.
    Always wanted to try elk ribs, but haven't yet.

    nice work yeahman!

  20. #145
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    Fall Days Afield 18/19

    The videos of de-boning in under 10min are always inspiring, but from on the rack to wrapped in the freezer for a medium WT is about 3hrs for me. Same as others, concentrate on the loins, make roasts from the larger cuts, then cube the rest for the grinder/sausage. Sausage meat I will wait to grind when I get a deal on whole pork loin so I can grind together. Bones are cut for soup, with the smaller pieces set aside with the trimming for the hound’s packages.
    The cattle and elk have always gone to the professionals.
    Opa got excited when I told him the granddaughter and I would come down next weekend for a little visit; he went into the pasture and now has a 3point hanging waiting for me to come help with the cutting. He said he is saving the 5point for me, but chances are pretty even it will be hanging before I get there as well. The WT are well in the rut around his place, and the colder weather has encouraged them to be a bit more active in the open while there is still shooting light. Lots of grizzly causing issues in his neighbourhood this fall, so its nice to know he has the security of his walk-in cooler for hanging.

  21. #146
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    So I been cutting meat the last couple hours. One more rear quarter to go. Front shoulders went to mostly grind meat. Kept one shoulder roast to try it. The rear I just cut I kept two big roasts and rest to grind meat.

    I feel like there is just quite a bit of waste due to silver skin and drying outer layer from hanging. Don't see how you can avoid when quartering in the field and packing out.

    Just how picky are you guys on silver skin and fat going into the grind? I think I may be too picky, but I want this stuff to taste good, so I put almost zero silver skin or fat in my grind pile so far. That means alot of waste.

  22. #147
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    Fall Days Afield 18/19

    I have a hound that really appreciates the bits of fat and skin from the butchering, so there is really no waste (especially in winter she gets a
    little less of the kibble and more of the offgrade meat).
    Putting deer fat in with the grind is a personal choice; I tend to avoid muley fat especially in the rut, but I don’t mind a bit of the clear/white marble from the WT, or even better use the cavity fat in the belly and next to the kidneys which tends to be a higher grade fat than the stuff under the skin or along the muscles. I mix with pork for sausage so most of the fat comes from there. I also usually mix deer burg with high fat beef burg to combat the leanness of the deer burg for hamburgers and the like.
    Edit to add: I would definitely limit the amount of ‘silver skin’, this is ligament elastin that doesn’t break down (unlike collagen, which get tender and tasty when slow cooked). It used to be saved & dried to become sinew thread in native sewing and fastening. Very chewy, even if ground to fine burger and cooked well.
    Last edited by BCMtnHound; 11-20-2018 at 04:38 PM.

  23. #148
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    Quote Originally Posted by yeahman View Post
    Heh. I'll shoot two does this weekend at deer camp if I get the chance. Does and cows are the best meat man! Are you hunting for meat or ego?
    Was thinking same only not as "harsh". I never got the mounting/taxidermy thing. If it's just about the meat and legal to shoot doe, Why not?

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  24. #149
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    I'm with ya WG. am picky about removing deer/elk fat, as much connective tissue as possible. I know it takes more time, but the result? Worth it for my tastes.
    Some of the animals I've harvested have lived well in alfalfa, so they're plenty fatty. Like others, I'll mix in pork product to get the burger fat where I like.

    Yep, a downside of hanging is trimming the dried layer off. Less for me. But like BCMtn, all that goes into 1/2lb Dingo wraps, so not wasted .. It saves big on kibble throughout the year, it's great for her, and she goes mach-dingo over it.

    I'm glad you're doing it yourself It's rewarding, though I get that it's not possible/practical for a lot of folks.

    Quote Originally Posted by Skidog View Post
    I never got the mounting/taxidermy thing. If it's just about the meat and legal to shoot doe, Why not?
    Some guys I know, with more mouths to feed, hunt males because they can be a lot bigger here, and will maintain the taste difference is negligible.

    I like to tan hides: bedspreads, couch throws, wall hangings, have even made leather - but that's as far as I've gone down the taxidermy road.

    I guess it's all preference, but if you're not doing a brain tan maybe it's a way to make use of the head (which you might otherwise discard).
    Last edited by MiddleOfNight; 11-20-2018 at 05:08 PM. Reason: grammar, sigh.

  25. #150
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    Quote Originally Posted by MiddleOfNight View Post
    I'm with ya WG. am picky about removing deer/elk fat, as much connective tissue as possible. I know it takes more time, but the result? Worth it for my tastes.
    Some of the animals I've harvested have lived well in alfalfa, so they're plenty fatty. Like others, I'll mix in pork product to get the burger fat where I like.

    Yep, a downside of hanging is trimming the dried layer off. Less for me. But like BCMtn, all that goes into 1/2lb Dingo wraps, so not wasted .. It saves big on kibble throughout the year, it's great for her, and she goes mach-dingo over it.

    I'm glad you're doing it yourself It's rewarding, though I get that it's not possible/practical for a lot of folks.



    Some guys I know, with more mouths to feed, hunt males because they can be a lot bigger here, and will maintain the taste difference is negligible.

    I like to tan hides: bedspreads, couch throws, wall hangings, have even made leather - but that's as far as I've gone down the taxidermy road.

    I guess it's all preference, but if you're not doing a brain tan maybe it's a way to make use of the head (which you might otherwise discard).
    I'm not judging as much as wondering and that's as good a reason as any. Long as you are the just hunting for the trophy itself I'm cool with all hunting.

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