A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Watching the deer

When I went out to let Porter out this morning our back field was full of deer, brown with white tails. They usually run when I come out but today they were intent on the chase game they were playing. Porter wanted to chase them but he was so good and minded me when I told him not to go. I stood and watched them, 6-7 of them, bouncing back and forth through the field. It was so sweet.

How cool. It is a breathtaking sight to see wildlife playing in the backyard isn't it?

We haven't seen any deer at all this week.....its deer season now...started on Monday morning. Stephen and his dad have been out all week.

Marks been out forever! I'm like a widow he's gone so much. When I ask when he'll be home he answers---dark thirty.

I've seen MANY deer around here, they are moving big time--I guess it's rutting time or whatever....they are always crossing the roads, you have to really drive slow here...... They are really pretty, but very overpopulated.....seriously this summer mom saw one up on our spare lot! You NEVER see them on my hill.

Very pretty animals I must say.

Ohhhhhhh Sheri I know that was awesome to see,, I know that very moment you wished you had your camera in hand!

The deer are very pretty to see! We have them in our yard all the time!

I know what you mean Loz....James has been hunting since September 15th or so (don't remember the exact date) and it will not end until Dec. 31st. He hunts pretty much every day. It is not very often that he misses a day. Before Thanksgiving he was in Wyoming for a week on a hunting trip.

My ex is a hunter and so is my son in law. My daughters, especially Ginger, like to hunt and my grand daughter went with her dad last week (when I took Colby to the parade) and she got a 10 point, along with the help of her dad I'm sure since she's only 8. I've never shot a deer or even tried too but I think I could. My current husband (he hates when I say that but I tell him he's still on probation) says he couldn't shoot a deer. They're too pretty.

My mom is like that. She could never shoot a deer and she won't eat the meat because she feels bad for them. But...they don't understand that it is good to hunt them because otherwise the population of them would be too high and they would die from other things.

James got a deer opening weekend of hunting. Right now it is muzzleloading season and he went hunting before work this morning and he just called me to tell me that he got another deer. He is pretty excited! Our freezer is going to be so full of meat! Guess I have to start cleaning it out!!!

I'll eat deer meat if it's there but I don't particularly like it. I do like rabbit. Have never eaten squirrel.

Our neighbor just gave us a deer the other day, fried some up for my family on Sunday evening and I could have had double the amount, that's how much they enjoyed it.

I enjoy the meat! I would never eat rabbit or squirrel though! No way no how would you get me to eat that!

I couldn't shoot one, I'd be hopeless---I'm too sensitive when it comes to that stuff.....I went squirrel hunting with Mark one year....not actually hunting, just a tag along, and we saw a deer and I was like AWWWW Mark look it's bambi!!!!!

But the thing is I don't feel bad about it when others do it as long as they are a good hunter and make clean shots--Mark won't take a shot that isn't good and he prefers bow hunting to rifle hunting--he says rifle hunting is too easy...and it gets all eaten, and it's really no different than buying and cooking up ground beef or chicken---they're all animals.....Actually MANY families around here survive thru the winter on deer meat....many hunters donate the meat to less fortunate familes.

Stephen got an 8 point on Monday. They parked the truck and walked in at 6:25.....and the season opened at 6:40am. Stephen shot his deer at 7:22am! He has two doe tags and a bear tag left. They didn't go out today which surprised me....I guess they'll go out later.

I don't mind deer meat. There is alot of meat in the freezer right now, but most of it is caribou...which is OK, but it makes really dry burgers. I'm trying to talk Stephen's dad into going up for some moose because we're low on that and I could eat that ALL the time! Mmmm....moose steaks. We have some snow shoe hare...which is OK, but it is a little too salty for me. I won't eat squirrel. They remind me of rodents and I just couldn't do that.

Technically Squirrels ARE rodents! Years ago a friend of Marks brought him a big pot of Squirrel Dumplings....I looked at her and said thank you! On the inside I was cringing.

I had bear meat once, tricked into it by dad. It was very greasy.

Mark has his MD license and his mom bought him his PA license so he is always out somewhere.

I heard that bear is greasy. Stephen wants the skin so we can get a picture of Maddie nacky on the bearskin rug.

Well, I keep telling Stephen that squirrels are rodents but he doesn't believe me. I told him they have the same type of hands as a rat or mouse does....lol.

I don't like wild meat at all....Mind you I don't like the taste of beef either

Poor squirrels.

are you talking about frying deer burgers? Or something else. I've only had the burgers fried.

Hisgal, where do you live?

Live in PA.....but FIL goes up to Alaska for moose. ...why?

i like watching deer, but i like eating it too. i won't let the men in our house shoot anything we won't eat. i think "sport" hunting (when the meat is wasted) is a sin, but hunting for food, either for yourself or others is good, because it feeds people and keeps animal populations under control.

BUT only legal hunting, following the laws. poachers need shot themselves :mad:

I also like venison. I don't hunt but I don't mind legal hunting at all. But I don't mention it too often because I feel in a minority sometimes.

tina, we are a minority sometimes. and that is the great thing about here, we can agree to disagree! but i do like the meat, and there are more of us than you would think.

i also just like watching them.

I was just wondering when you mentioned bear and moose. We don't bear or moose hunt around here.

Bestofour I cut up my deer meat into small one bit pieces and salt and pepper them with a bit of flour included then fry that in a bit of oil and butter. Tastes great my kids love it.

Like nuggets. Good idea.

I was really afraid to post this but...I got my first deer EVER! last Saturday. My husband has introduced me to Archery and Muzzleloaders. After many years of him going alone I decided to go and just watch. Well two years later...And Im hunting. Its so over populated where he hunts and I see the damage they do. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmI do love backstrap steaks on the grill.

Very exciting. I've never been bow hunting.

you know, i couldn't do it, but my daughter would glad you did and you and your hubby can do something together

Just how Mark makes it, sometimes he makes up 6-7 pans at a time of it like that!

Congrats dhuber!

I couldn't hunt. I'm too afraid of not shooting it right and then just hurting it and having to track it and then shoot it again. So, I'll just let Stephen to all the shooting. He did good this year (as he usually does). One shot and the deer only got 40 yards before it fell.

anymore we get ours all ground into burger, that we have ground pork butt added to because deer is so "greaseless". I use it in any recipe that uses burger. I season it with garlic salt--and no one can ever tell they are not eating beef.

DH brought me home one already on the first season!!! happy happy ME!!!

I do the same thing with moose!....except we don't have anything added to it. I really like breakfast sausage. :)

This is how I cook the backstraps. I add a little bit of garlic salt too. The rest of the meat we get processed and have it made into sausage.

I'll try the garlic salt next time round. Would love to make sausage but my guys aren't hunters, so we're glad for the one deer we get from neighbors.

Rosepetal:

why don't you take 1 or 2 roasts & make your own sausage? MY DH, my dad & BIL made some one time with some of dad's friends. the only problem would be stuffing it in casings--and perhpas you could even have that done for you-- or just freeze it in one pound pkgs and then make paddies out of it when you cook it??/

We get different things made with it Carol. We get summer sausage made, the snack sticks, farmer style sausage and sometimes breakfast sausage links. Since we like to get a variety we take it in to have it processed. The place we bring it to is an award winning meat market so I don't think we could compare.

jessica, I am so sorry for not making myself clear--I was talking to Rosepetal--she said she wished she could have some sausage. With rare exception we get ours processed too.

We don't get sausage made here, we do get a lot of sticks of Deer Bologna....at least 15 huge sticks. I don't like it but Mark gobbles it up! He splits the cost of having it made with his 2 brothers and his dad so it's not too bad.

What is the deer bologna like? I have never heard of that. I know what bologna lunch meat is obviously but I am wondering what deer bologna is like.

Sorry Carol! I thought you were talking to me!!

How about deer jerky??????One fellow gave us that .. It wasnt so bad.
But we dont eat deer meat at all,, being we have beef in the freezer..
b

We only eat deer meat because DH is a hunter. Otherwise we probably wouldn't either! We like it though.