Greenies, Tree Huggers, and Hunters

Something I could never get my hands around is how in today's talk about chemical-free this and that, and organic this and that, healthy foods, etc. - Why are so many people against hunting? I personally can't think of a more organic free roaming source of protein than venison.

Yes, I hunt, I enjoy the kill as much as I enjoy eating the venison. It's my own anti-drug. It's a huge rush when weeks of preparation culminate in 3 seconds of acquiring your target, selecting the animal from the herd that you want to harvest, and in the blink of an eye it's over. Yeah, gutting them is gross, but necessary, and my method of harvest is MUCH more humane than caged animals everyone buys from the grocery store.

I now process my own deer to boot. It has come to my attention that a lot of times the deer you drop off at the processor is not what you get back. I know where i shot my last deer, and the meat I got back didn't match. I know for a fact that some of my meat was given to the next guy down the road because he brought in a yearling doe or button buck that weighed 60 lbs soaking wet and he wanted 30 lbs of bologna. The butchers make a TON of money on the jerky and bologna, and if Johnny Button Buck wants to buy it, buy gum, that meat is gonna come from someplace. This time, it came from me.

Never again though. I processed my first deer 2 days ago, and all you need is a hack saw, a couple sharp knives, some zip locks and some butcher paper. It took us all of 3 hours to process 3 deer with 3 guys. by myself it would probably be about 3-4 hours for one deer.

Benefits? No fat, no sinew, no nasties, all lean meat, all MY meat, no fillers, just lean, clean healthy venison. The original organic fad.

I was asked today why I hunt, how I can kill (and eat) an animal as pretty as a deer. Let's face it, today the Game Commission of nearly every state has "managed" the deer herd to a fine balance between gross prosperity and nearly non-existence. Hunters claim there are no deer. Property and vehicle owners claim there are too many. Trophy hunters are glad that the great state - no wait, Commonwealth of Pennsyltucky is in it's fifth year of Antler Restrictions. We are seeing large numbers of good sized 2.5 and 3.5 year old bucks with 8 or more points, good mass and healthy disposition. We are also managing the herd size by harvesting larger numbers of does. Each doe we take out of the herd, reduces the herd size by 4 deer on average over her average life span. The typical doe makes it to her third year, producing offspring in her second and third years. If we were to stop hunting does right now, the population of deer would explode over the next 2 years. The available mast would not be able to sustain the population and we would see migration to areas of agriculture, impacting our farmers welfare, and as that food supply dwindled we will see a larger number of winter kill animals. This would cause a sharp spike in predators (fox and coyote mainly) resulting in urban encroachment by what the state could call "dangerous" animals. Who wants a coyote in their back yard in Pittsburgh? Certainly not the animal lovers and tree huggers - Coyotes do not belong here, and their existence already speaks of more troubled times to come. It's only a short time before we start to hear about missing pets and random dog tracks in our yards.

Why do I hunt? To protect YOU, the nay-sayer, the anti-hunter. To provide quality sustenance to my family. To eat healthier while still maintaining a budget (when the hell did chicken breast eclipse 2.50/lb? And sirloin @ $4/lb? You gotta be kidding me. The last doe I shot and butchered myself cost me 4 bucks in bullets, 1/2 of my license costs (about $15) and some necessary clothing for this year. I got nearly 55 lbs of meat this time around. Wanna talk real numbers? Equate the cost of the deer meat to comparable cuts of beef and my deer is worth in excess of 200 dollars, edging closer to the $400 mark. Add the second deer I shot earlier in the year and paid to have it processed - another 6 bucks in bullets, and the rest of the licensing, and the cost of processing($60) and we come out to just over 100 bucks in expenses, for 90 lbs of lean, healthy red meat. 90x$4.25 (average cost of beef per lb across all cuts) and you are clearly over the $400 dollar mark.

I make my own jerky and snack sticks (seems this is the easiest way to get the family to partake in eating furry animals at first) saving money at the processor too. Next year with the money I save, I'll buy my own grinder. It's a quality healthy snack, and I KNOW what is going in it, because I MADE it.

So I ask you, Why DON'T YOU hunt? If hormones and chemicals are on your do not eat list, join me in enjoying the outdoors, and consuming some of PA's finest cloven mammals.

Bon Apetit!

Venison Loin Cutlets (Medallions) sauteed with burgundy, butter and onions. No steak sauce needed and those in the know call them "Butter Steaks". Not because you cook them with butter, but because that is the consistency of the meat. They are possibly the most decadent red meat you can eat - I rate it so much higher than Kobe beef...