Calling all Hunters/Gatherers

1234579

Replies

  • You know one of the best reasons I love to process my own meat, 'cause "I" can control the quality of it. I can control what goes in it (if I choose to grind deer/hogs to make sausage patties/links) or if just grinding for "ground meat", whether I add any fat to it or not or how much if I choose to add (just ground deer/hog only, no fat added.... grinding for sausage, just a hint added). I get chastised quite often for huntin'/fishin' etc... but there's one thing I can tell you, I know EXACTLY what I'm eatin' and where it came from and how it was processed LOL

    What do most of y'all do, process your own or use a meat locker?

    We had someone process a deer for us. It took two weeks to get it back and the meat looked really dark. Needless to say, we learned how to process our own deer after that. For the same reasons you do.

  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    You know one of the best reasons I love to process my own meat, 'cause "I" can control the quality of it. I can control what goes in it (if I choose to grind deer/hogs to make sausage patties/links) or if just grinding for "ground meat", whether I add any fat to it or not or how much if I choose to add (just ground deer/hog only, no fat added.... grinding for sausage, just a hint added). I get chastised quite often for huntin'/fishin' etc... but there's one thing I can tell you, I know EXACTLY what I'm eatin' and where it came from and how it was processed LOL

    What do most of y'all do, process your own or use a meat locker?

    We butcher, make what we can into steaks, roasts, and chunks for stew. Scraps from everything harvested for the season go into a bag in the freezer. When the season is over it goes to guy who makes summer sausage and pepperoni sticks. It's a few hundred dollars to have done but it's divided between those we hunt with so it's not too bad.
  • JDMac82
    JDMac82 Posts: 3,192 Member
    I process everything from boning to making cuts of meat IE steaks, roasts, chops, stew meat. Front half ground up for jerky.
  • 11Templars
    11Templars Posts: 444 Member
    We process all our own meat as well. The only red meat our family eats is game meat.

    f81104i3vatr.jpg
    0szfkitb9uxu.jpg
    2xi577dtj3iu.jpg
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    1494015_630x354.jpg

    This thread needs more pictures. I live vicariously through hunting pictures. :)
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    1494015_630x354.jpg

    This thread needs more pictures. I live vicariously through hunting pictures. :)

    More hunting pictures...hmmm...When both of my kids got out of college, I bought myself a graduation present B)

    3qig1dootkb8.jpg


    y5l5bqq9757b.jpg
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    You know one of the best reasons I love to process my own meat, 'cause "I" can control the quality of it. I can control what goes in it (if I choose to grind deer/hogs to make sausage patties/links) or if just grinding for "ground meat", whether I add any fat to it or not or how much if I choose to add (just ground deer/hog only, no fat added.... grinding for sausage, just a hint added). I get chastised quite often for huntin'/fishin' etc... but there's one thing I can tell you, I know EXACTLY what I'm eatin' and where it came from and how it was processed LOL

    What do most of y'all do, process your own or use a meat locker?

    I do the same and for the same reason. If I get too busy I have a butcher who I trust, but much prefer to do this myself and get the kids involved for the simple lesson of personal responsibility and self sufficiency.

    I disregard those who chastise as they are always willfully ignorant and uninformed.

    Deer bow season starts Sept. 17th in WI - still have a few weeks to tune it in.
  • camoballerina91
    camoballerina91 Posts: 257 Member
    You know one of the best reasons I love to process my own meat, 'cause "I" can control the quality of it. I can control what goes in it (if I choose to grind deer/hogs to make sausage patties/links) or if just grinding for "ground meat", whether I add any fat to it or not or how much if I choose to add (just ground deer/hog only, no fat added.... grinding for sausage, just a hint added). I get chastised quite often for huntin'/fishin' etc... but there's one thing I can tell you, I know EXACTLY what I'm eatin' and where it came from and how it was processed LOL

    What do most of y'all do, process your own or use a meat locker?

    My husband and I have a friend, more like family, who processes our meat for us. I do my own cuts: steaks and roasts, and he makes our sausages and jerky.
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    You guys must have some huge freezers. Plus a back up power source if the electricity goes down? My apartment building loses power for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. I can't count how many times I've had to throw away the meats in the freezer. Now I don't stock up too far in advance. The money down the drain - I can't stand to think about it.

    Back on topic though, I love the idea of a family eating its red meat only from the game it's hunted. Cool.

    We actually had to get a second freezer last year. We weren't expecting it to be such a good year or for my mom to get such a large deer. So last minute he's running out to get a freezer while everyone is butchering. Currently there's only a bear head and a deer head, With a few summer sausages and 30lbs of bear meat.

    Our power was out for a whole week last year thankfully before the season. We now have a generator.
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    You guys must have some huge freezers. Plus a back up power source if the electricity goes down? My apartment building loses power for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. I can't count how many times I've had to throw away the meats in the freezer. Now I don't stock up too far in advance. The money down the drain - I can't stand to think about it.

    Back on topic though, I love the idea of a family eating its red meat only from the game it's hunted. Cool.

    I've got 2 large upright freezers, 1 smaller chest freezer and a refrigerator freezer.... my folks have 1 large upright freezer, 2 large chest freezers plus 4 refrigerator freezers. o:)

    Generator as back up electrical source :)

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    You guys must have some huge freezers. Plus a back up power source if the electricity goes down? My apartment building loses power for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. I can't count how many times I've had to throw away the meats in the freezer. Now I don't stock up too far in advance. The money down the drain - I can't stand to think about it.

    Back on topic though, I love the idea of a family eating its red meat only from the game it's hunted. Cool.

    1 large chest freezer always full. We're on a priority grid next to a school, so power doesn't go out long, if ever. I do have a back up genny on standby, but never had to use it.
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Rottified wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    You guys must have some huge freezers. Plus a back up power source if the electricity goes down? My apartment building loses power for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. I can't count how many times I've had to throw away the meats in the freezer. Now I don't stock up too far in advance. The money down the drain - I can't stand to think about it.

    Back on topic though, I love the idea of a family eating its red meat only from the game it's hunted. Cool.

    We actually had to get a second freezer last year. We weren't expecting it to be such a good year or for my mom to get such a large deer. So last minute he's running out to get a freezer while everyone is butchering. Currently there's only a bear head and a deer head, With a few summer sausages and 30lbs of bear meat.

    Our power was out for a whole week last year thankfully before the season. We now have a generator.

    Wait a minute. Bear meat? I honestly didn't know people ate bear meat. I thought it was strictly a languish on a bear fur in front of a crackling fireplace thing. I learned something new today!

    LOL. Oh yeah it's pretty good. But you got to get ALL the fat off. It will develop a funky taste if you dont. And you have to cook it all the way through or you could end up with triginoses sp? The reason pork was to be cooked all the way through.
    My dad shared some meat with this guy that hunted all the time. And he was shocked that he enjoyed it. I guess where he was from you didn't eat bear at all. He actually called his brother and told him he was eating bear and his brother was like "wtf is wrong with you?"
  • camoballerina91
    camoballerina91 Posts: 257 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    You guys must have some huge freezers. Plus a back up power source if the electricity goes down? My apartment building loses power for hours at a time on a fairly regular basis. I can't count how many times I've had to throw away the meats in the freezer. Now I don't stock up too far in advance. The money down the drain - I can't stand to think about it.

    Back on topic though, I love the idea of a family eating its red meat only from the game it's hunted. Cool.

    1 chest freezer and 1 refrigerator freezer. Any extra meat we have (that won't fit in the freezers) we usually give to friends and family, or anyone who needs it. My grandmother always keeps a shelf in her deep freezer empty just in case.

    We keep a generator ready in case the power goes. We've only used it once when someone hit a power pole outside our house but it was fixed within a few hours so I'm sure we really didn't have to use it but we didn't want to take any chances.
  • JDMac82
    JDMac82 Posts: 3,192 Member
    Deep freeze and a stand up freezer. Generator as well
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    Any waterfowl hunters here?
  • rmfindleyjr
    rmfindleyjr Posts: 529 Member

    Anyone here hunt gator before? Lol I feel like I may be on my own with that

    I've killed a few...makes a great gumbo.

    cigej8bjog1z.jpg

  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Beginning waterfowler here. I don't have a dog, but have several friends with pointers/retrievers for upland and waterfowl. I used to go without the dogs, but it is so much more fun with the four legged friends.

    Never gone for gators, but we did get an opportunity to hunt crocs with the locals along the Zambezi. That was intense!
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member

    Anyone here hunt gator before? Lol I feel like I may be on my own with that

    I've killed a few...makes a great gumbo.

    cigej8bjog1z.jpg

    That's a great lookin' gator! Bet you were on cloud nine! I would have been for sure LOL

  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.

    I am like your son, I am nuts about it. I grouse and pheasant hunt as well but the majority of my time is spent in the swamps and lakes.
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Beginning waterfowler here. I don't have a dog, but have several friends with pointers/retrievers for upland and waterfowl. I used to go without the dogs, but it is so much more fun with the four legged friends.

    Never gone for gators, but we did get an opportunity to hunt crocs with the locals along the Zambezi. That was intense!

    I definitely is huge having a dog. I winged one last year and my dog chased that bird through the swamp for about 20-30 minutes. She finally won that battle and proudly brought the bird back
  • rmfindleyjr
    rmfindleyjr Posts: 529 Member
    edited September 2016

    Anyone here hunt gator before? Lol I feel like I may be on my own with that

    I've killed a few...makes a great gumbo.


    That's a great lookin' gator! Bet you were on cloud nine! I would have been for sure LOL

    Thanks, that was the smaller of the 2 that night....
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    edited September 2016
    Any waterfowl hunters here?
    I grouse and pheasant hunt as well but the majority of my time is spent in the swamps and lakes.
    My family used to raise pheasant, quail, dove etc....

    What do you think about the taste of pheasant? Both the wild ones I hunted as well as the ones I raised seemed a little greasy.. Still delicious though.. fixed it all kinds of ways and loved it! Even made enchiladas with it LOL
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.

    I am like your son, I am nuts about it. I grouse and pheasant hunt as well but the majority of my time is spent in the swamps and lakes.
    My family used to raise pheasant, quail, dove etc....

    What do you think about the taste of pheasant? Both the wild ones I hunted as well as the ones I raised seemed a little greasy.. Still delicious though.. fixed it all kinds of ways and loved it! Even made enchiladas with it LOL
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.

    I am like your son, I am nuts about it. I grouse and pheasant hunt as well but the majority of my time is spent in the swamps and lakes.
    My family used to raise pheasant, quail, dove etc....

    What do you think about the taste of pheasant? Both the wild ones I hunted as well as the ones I raised seemed a little greasy.. Still delicious though.. fixed it all kinds of ways and loved it! Even made enchiladas with it LOL
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.

    I am like your son, I am nuts about it. I grouse and pheasant hunt as well but the majority of my time is spent in the swamps and lakes.

    Don't know what happened in my previous post LOL.... oh well, I do it again :)

    My family used to raise pheasant, quail, dove etc....

    What do you think about the taste of pheasant? Both the wild ones I hunted as well as the ones I raised seemed a little greasy.. Still delicious though.. fixed it all kinds of ways and loved it! Even made enchiladas with it LOL

  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    And that one posted twice in the same post..... WEIRD! : :o
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    We eat pheasant a lot. I don't find it greasy but it can dry out easily. I have had both farm raised and wild pheasant. We also hunt and eat grouse and woodcock. Both much smaller and again can dry out easy. We have made everything from casseroles, stir fry's, to pot pie with the birds.
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    We eat pheasant a lot. I don't find it greasy but it can dry out easily. I have had both farm raised and wild pheasant. We also hunt and eat grouse and woodcock. Both much smaller and again can dry out easy. We have made everything from casseroles, stir fry's, to pot pie with the birds.
    Maybe that's why I thought it tasted a little greasy... 'cause all the Pheasant that I've eaten was not dry at all, it was quite moist.. maybe greasy was not the right word? Maybe moist, but a little fatty smooth moisture? Now that I'm thinking about it to myself, it's kind of hard to describe LOL. Love the flavor!
  • BackwoodsDarlin
    BackwoodsDarlin Posts: 109 Member
    Any waterfowl hunters here?

    Yup...My oldest son has the black lab and all the gear as he is freaking nuts about it. I go a few times a season for both goose and duck. I need new waders - my old ones leak bad right into my junk.

    One of my labs as well as my bloodhound both passed recently... I miss them SO much! :( I'm sure your son treats his as family, much like I did mine.... They are very precious companions for sure
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    While hunting my dad came across a guy that hunted duck with his lab.
    His dog would flat out ditch him if missed more than 2 or 3 times and go hunt with someone else. When he was done he would go wait at his truck for the other hunters then take his dog home.