# Deer Meat



## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I've never hunted for deer before. Used to live where there wasen't many deer and since moving to Texas just haven't had access to good land.

However, our homestead borders a preserve with tons of deer. In a survival situation can someone explain what the best sex and age I should hunt for in terms of quality of meat.


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## marsvoltafan (Dec 8, 2008)

What do the wild deer in your area mostly feed off of?


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## ke4sky (Oct 21, 2008)

*In WV You Can Eat Your Road Kill*

Young does are the best eating. Deer will forage almost anything. In the wild forage they like acorns and any kind of berries and dropped nuts or fruit. They also like corn and most domestic crops, vegetables and flowers and can destroy your victory garden unless you keep it well fenced and add noisemakers and predator scent spots. In some areas farmers and large gardeners can obtain deer damage permits which enable them to kill a certain number of deer based on their tilled acreage.

*Road Kill, It's What's for Dinner In West Virginia*

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia motorists who run down the odd critter can legally take it home for dinner under a new law passed by the Legislature. The bill, which has made West Virginia the butt of jokes nationally, would let drivers keep their road kill provided they report it to conservation or police officers within 12 hours. The measure became law when Gov. Cecil Underwood declined to veto it by a Thursday deadline. Pro-road kill legislators envision people eating deer hit on he road, but the bill allows drivers to take home any wildlife, except protected birds, spotted fawn or bear cubs. Proponents said if drivers can be encouraged to eat their road kill, the state would save money it now pays Division of Highways workers to remove the dead animals. Current law allows people to take possession of road kill only after they've contacted authorities, by then the meat has spoiled, said supporters.

Grab the honey mustard, Elma, and hop in the pickup, let's go for a ride. I'm getting hungry!


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## TimB (Nov 11, 2008)

As ke4sky said, young does are the best. For the best taste it's important to field dress the deer immediately and cool the meat. The best tasting deer I ever had was a young doe we submerged in a fast running creek to keep overnight. The next day when we were ready to leave, the meat was almost white from the water washing all the blood out.

Tim


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## Bearman405 (Oct 9, 2008)

TimB said:


> As ke4sky said, young does are the best. For the best taste it's important to field dress the deer immediately and cool the meat. The best tasting deer I ever had was a young doe we submerged in a fast running creek to keep overnight. The next day when we were ready to leave, the meat was almost white from the water washing all the blood out.
> 
> Tim


A three or four year old "DRY" doe mades good eating..................stay well away from the bucks in rut.........


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## krock (Dec 26, 2008)

younger deer are best,but any deer is good if you cook it long and slow.marinating is good too.


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## Homer_Simpson (Oct 19, 2008)

In a I have to eat or feed my family I'm not really to worried about how old it is, the old slow cooker will work it's magic.

But as stated above if hunting and not under the stress of a survival situation younger deer are much better tasting


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## Dr. Know (Jan 31, 2009)

Dean said:


> I've never hunted for deer before. Used to live where there wasen't many deer and since moving to Texas just haven't had access to good land.
> 
> However, our homestead borders a preserve with tons of deer. In a survival situation can someone explain what the best sex and age I should hunt for in terms of quality of meat.


Dean, remeber one thing. How the deer was killed and handled afterward has a lot to do with the quality of the meat. I've killed hundreds of deer and its kind of like how a cut of beef can very from cow to cow, in tenderness, flavor etc.

Rule of thumb:
1. Quick, clean kill is best. Wounded and long pursued deer will have an impact on the meat, even with that said, I've never been able to turn any deer meat down at the supper table.

2. Processing is a key point! Lots of clean water for washing off hair and blood, keeping skinning tools clean, washing off bone dust from sawing through bones is a must. Cool the meat quickly as possible, a good thing is a few hours in a cool water soak. The hair and other things will float to the top and you can easly float this out and keep the water changed out too!

3. Some people try to age thier meat BUT deer have fat (tallow) that surrounds the meat unlike beef which have marbled fat that runs through the meat. Beef can be aged, deer, well I think its a waste of time but to each his own I guess.

4. Cooking: a) fry the back strap and loin, B) roast the hams and neck, c) grind everything else into sausage (patty and smoked)

Dr.


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## grumpyhillbilly (Jan 31, 2009)

ke4sky said:


> Young does are the best eating. Deer will forage almost anything. In the wild forage they like acorns and any kind of berries and dropped nuts or fruit. They also like corn and most domestic crops, vegetables and flowers and can destroy your victory garden unless you keep it well fenced and add noisemakers and predator scent spots. In some areas farmers and large gardeners can obtain deer damage permits which enable them to kill a certain number of deer based on their tilled acreage.
> 
> *Road Kill, It's What's for Dinner In West Virginia*
> 
> ...


Possum ain't bad!

 our own government makes us look like a bunch of back woods nut cases!


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## Dr. Know (Jan 31, 2009)

grumpyhillbilly said:


> Possum ain't bad!
> 
> our own government makes us look like a bunch of back woods nut cases!


I've had racoon, It wasn't bad at all!


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

every state in which i have ever lived in alows you to take "road kill"....just get ahold of the conservation office in the area and they'll get some questions about the kill....age, sex, if it was bearing, where and how of death.......then they send out a tag to put with the kill when its processed and put up in the freezer. lots of times they're more than happy to help you out with getting road killed animals for consumption. just remember that when an animal is hit by a vehicle, it does a lot more damage to the meat then normal so a thourough inspection of your carcass is a MUST when dressing out. processes more than a dozen or so of these type of kills in the passed 30+ years.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Along those same lines, my neighbor, who has a produce farm, "red tag" kills deer and gives them to the Game Commission, who distributes them to those in need. As an alternative to the road kill, your state's game commission or wildlife office or whatever may be able to hook you up with something like that.


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## kyfarmer (Feb 22, 2009)

Deer is fantastic table fair. I for me do hang my deer for 2-3 day's if the temp's are below 40. The one thing i never do is saw any bone at all. I'll hang mine by the head, makes it easier to keep hair off and i take mine off the bone, when done it's nothing but the skeleton hanging. I trim each cut of the fat and sliver skin as it comes off, go's in the dish pan ready to cut and package. I have been doing this for years, the Ky. dept. fish and game has a video on how to do this method and it's well worth the $15 i think. So far this season i have a goose egg but still have some bow season left yet. I have what i call the critter patroll a few folk's look every morning on the interstate and other road's. They find a fresh road kill i get a call and have fresh neat. I put up 4 this way last year. Our whole family loves deer meat and it don't last long here. Family health issues have kept me outa the wood's so far this season, but i think we'll still have plenty of deer in the freezer. The critter thang has scored some nice pelt's to. Country boy can survive i reckon ol hank is right.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

kyfarmer, interesting. I haven't heard of hanging by the head before. Everyone that I know always hung from the back-legs, head-down, so, that's how I do it as well.

Can you provide a link to that $15 video showing how to dress a deer hanging from its head so that I can snag a copy of it for myself?


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I was taught head down too.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Ditto. I never hung one by the head.


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## kyfarmer (Feb 22, 2009)

I hope this works. https://secure.kentucky.gov/Mall/St...738/Product/2457ec1426cd42e2b5d4cbb53d6d2387/ The video is about working up the deer with out sawing it up. The by the neck thang i read some where, i,ll let ya know if i can remember where i seen it. I used this method the first time and it did help to keep the hair off the meat. That is supposed to be the purpose anyway. Hope that link work's. I still use either end that is handy.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

kyfarmer,

Thanks for that link. I went through the process of ordering, but, when I get to the part about delivery, there are no drop-menus for anything outside of Kentucky so I am wondering if I might not be able to have it delivered to my place here in Canada.

I fired off a message to their "Contact Us" department and I am hoping for a reply early in the new year. If I can order it, I'll get to it right quick.


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## testhop (Dec 20, 2009)

*any deer will do*

DEAN
for survival you take any deer you can .
and most any thing else you can eat .


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## Jarhead0311 (Sep 17, 2010)

Dean said:


> In a survival situation can someone explain what the best sex and age I should hunt for in terms of quality of meat.


In a survival situation I would go for the live ones first, then the ones that hadn't been dead to long next.


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## beanpicker (May 25, 2011)

Ok guestion.. my grand son was deer hunting with his other grand pa , who is a life long hunter.. well the grand pa give my grand son a deer for the weather was getting to warm to keep it , so OK my grand son , not having time to realy cut it up an , froze large portions of the meat,, this was this past winter, so now my gandson ask me what to do with it???? I have had deer meat before not readly likeing the wild taste any more, but I have never cut one up but think I could figure out some of the cuts , but big question, I can't refreeze this can I ??? or at least the experts say not to refreeze food. ( nevermind we all buy chickem that is frozen in the stores, defrosted when we buy it , an take it home an refreeze it ) So come on guys ( an gals ) tell me how to go about saving this... Yes I can meats, so do I just can it all
also he got a wild turkey , he derssed it out an froze it, so what can I do with it? I just can't seem to think a wild turkey would have much meat on it ??


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Beanpicker-I would thaw it and make the cuts you want and then possible put either marinade or spices that you like on it and the (if you have one) vac-pack it and freeze it back down again. The only reason that I can remember about re-freezing meat was that it is more prone to freezer burn on the tips. And that you have to cook it well just in case of any light contamination.
Or you could cook it into chili or stew or even like salsbury steaks and refreeze it like a pre-cooked meal.


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## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

I hang mine head down. I think it makes the meat taste better by bleeding it out that way.

I skin it as soon as possible. Not only is it far easier to skin a warm deer (or ****, or squirrel or rabbit  ) but helps remove gamey flavor. I also keep (and use) a little propane torch to burn off the stubborn hairs that I can't get off the already skinned animals. I also let the skinned (and gutted) animal hang for 3-5 days if possible.

Get all the silver connecting tissue off the meat before you eat it. It will be less gamey and tough.

And be careful when you gut them. Nothing will mess up you lunch more than accidentally cutting open a deers stomach.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I don't know if it works for other meats but for gamey venison and rangy goat you can soak or marinate the meat in vinegar and that removes or nullifies the gaminess/ranginess. If you've never processed a deer then buy a meat goat and process it. 

The father of a friend, who lived on a reservation all his life, also hung the deer by the head. He said there was less chance of the intestines contaminating the meat that way. I don't know, I'm self taught and hang them by the legs.


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## lanahi (Jun 22, 2009)

Dressing it quickly in the field will remove the gamey taste. If it is still gamey, it can be used in ways where it is not as noticeable, such as chili.

A crock pot for cooking the meat makes it very tender, and the meat again tastes better.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Has anyone mentioned to take EXTRA care not to puncture the bladder or scent glands yet?
doing so will taint your meat with a YEECHHH! flavor!


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Would this be a good thread to include deer recipes or would that be a thread jack?
I've got one that would make any tough old buck tasty and edible even to kids who
saw Bambi.


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## millertimedoneright (May 13, 2013)

We fry the backstrap and usually take one or two shoulders for roasts. The rest is made into sausage. For an older buck the best thing to do is hang him for a few days of weather permits or stick him in a ice chest with ice and a small amount of vinegar for about a week. That also works for a rank boer hog. As with any wild game it's always best to bleed them out immediately after the kill. That makes a big difference in quality of meat in my opinion.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

Magus said:


> Would this be a good thread to include deer recipes or would that be a thread jack?
> I've got one that would make any tough old buck tasty and edible even to kids who
> saw Bambi.


The thread started in 2008. Maybe some recipes would keep it going. I know I'd like to have more recipes.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

grumpyhillbilly said:


> Possum ain't bad!
> 
> our own government makes us look like a bunch of back woods nut cases!


OMG possum is the nastiest greasiest meat I have ever eaten and I have tried it more than once. Just cleaning it makes me gag, its like gutting a piss bag. IMHO Possum is a over sized urine soaked rat. I'd eat it if I was starving if there were no grubs (maggots) available. Just occurred to me that may be the best way to prepare possum, wait until it becomes maggot infested than eat the maggots either way it is not Sunday dinner fair. Unlike deer which I'd proudly serve on the finest most elegant dinner table


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

LongRider said:


> ...Just occurred to me that may be the best way to prepare possum, wait until it becomes maggot infested than eat the maggots either way it is not Sunday dinner fair.


My solution:

Place the dead possum in a plastic bucket with a lid and bunch of small holes around the bottom. Place it with the chickens.

The chickens will convert the maggots into yummy eggs and meat. It's one time when I'll gladly let "the middleman" (middlehen?) do the dirty work for me!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

When we shoot a deer we cut the throat to let it bleed out. Then we remove the dark patches on the inner part of the hind legs and the scent glands behind this patches. Next we gut the deer which helps with the gamey taste as well as the two other steps. 

We take the bucks as we want to leave the does for breeding more game in subsequent years. 

If I'm worried about tough meat I will grind my various deer species. I have a grinder that fits my KitchenAid. First I run it through with the coarse plate, then I run it through the second time with the fine plate. If you wish you can get some suet (fat) from the butcher, grind the fat, and mix it in between the first and second grind. This will impart a milder bit of a beef flavor to the meat and the fat will help hold it together for patties or a meatloaf. The fat also makes it less dry. I don't often add fat but ten percent or so might work for some.

I pack my ground meat in quart Ziplock freezer bags being very careful to fill them up and work all the air out of the bag. If I do a good job of this I can get two easy years before any freezer burn shows up. Working the air out of the bottom corners and bleeding the air from the top quarters seems to be the trick as any air can allow the freezer burn to start. Anything I do with beef I do with deer etc. 

Too late to help now but the frozen deer quarters can be cut with a sawsall. Just cut off as much as you want to cook in a short time frame. Once it is cooked the meat can be refrozen. Use a new blade that you designate for meat cutting. A bone saw has a relatively fine blade though not like the finest hacksaw. Sorry, I don't remember the point number. The sawsall works well for breaking down your kill as well.


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