..a culinary challenge..

[Zaitsev]

So, we (Ratwhiskers and I) were discussing the merits of various game last weekend and the obligation in the US to pack out your big game whatever age/condition it was in (I think it was in reference to Dall sheep in particular).

 

Anyhow the subject of what the hell to do with a big tough old ram came up and led me to make the statement that 'well, nothing is inedible, it's just a culinary challenge'.

 

So, what innovative solutions have you come up with (aside from dog food) for game that is: old, tough, too high, must be used quickly etc.

 

I'll start with a cautionary tale. Two winters ago we had an unexpected freeze down to minus 16 which froze a muntjac in my shed solid...

 

Two weeks later when it thawed I had a rapidly defrosting muntjac and a problem.

 

So, out with the trusty mincer-referred to as the beast- and ten minutes later I had about 10 lbs of mince and two haunches. I baked the haunches and bunged those in the freezer and the mince went on to make Chili.

 

As New Year was on the way I made two versions. One was less hot for the girls and the other was full bore with smoked chipotles and three other types of Chili.

 

New year was great (ask Finman!!!). Th rest went in the freezer where it seemed to get hotter!

 

It lasted well over a year as it had to be rationed..

[Ratwhiskers]

It's just not true!!

 

Don't listen to thoughs who continually call you a "Beastly Mincer". We all know you are really in posession of a huge manly chopper and capable of some determined grinding when needs be.....

 

I've seen the evidence....

[Andrew]

You must pack it out but you are free to throw it away once you do. An old ram sheep would hit the dumpster. Ditto old bear.

 

You can always try some kind of marinade on some lean, thinly sliced meat. Worst meat I ever ate was Ibex. It was edible alright, but darned hard to get down.~Andrew

[Chris-NZ]

... Worst meat I ever ate was Ibex. It was edible..

 

 

Any Kiwi would say "What else do you expect of a goat?"

 

Actually feral "Pacific goats" are edible long as you choose younger/female ones in top condition and cook them right. Very lean meat. My hunting buddy loves them for curries and is appalled I just feed them to our cats

 

Chris-NZ

[c18rch]

I heard this over the weekend and don't know if it is true or not, but apparently American shot game cannot be sold in American butchers or restaurants but British game that is imported is fine. I can't believe this is true, it sounds like the sort of stupid law we would make up. What is the situation over there with game?

[Andrew]

I heard this over the weekend and don't know if it is true or not, but apparently American shot game cannot be sold in American butchers or restaurants but British game that is imported is fine. I can't believe this is true, it sounds like the sort of stupid law we would make up. What is the situation over there with game?

 

Commercial hunting is illegal, plain an simple. I think it has two roots: one is that there was a severe depletion of wild game at one point so the taking of game was regulated. Second, the USDA (Department of Agriculture) would then get involved, or feel the need to, and I don't think they want it: nor do American hunters. There are commercial deer farms now and they aren't exactly making bank. Frankly, I have met few people who are non-hunters who will suffer even the mention of eating venison.

 

The law requiring game to be taken from the field insures that all game will be accounted for. Many States have "check-in" stations where the specifics of the kill are registered and used for future game surveys. It also prevents "selective" harvest where a person shoots a deer, finds it isn't quite big enough, or they have botched the shot and ruined the meat, and walks away.

 

It sounds confusing but it works. There are always plenty of game animals for the number of licenses issued and hunting remains a sport, not a business endeavor. It is also affordable for residents. I can shoot my two deer for a total cost of about $28 US ~Andrew

[eldon]

Doesn't that make you sick,

 

"I can shoot my two deer for a total cost of about $28 US ~Andrew"

 

Imagine anywhere in the UK where you could get two deer for £28 never mind the exchange rate!

 

No doubt somebody would try to tell us, as they usually do when comparing UK to USA, that by the time you factor in importers charges, transport and taxes then that gives us two deer for around what.... £500

[Offroad Gary]

is that 2 deer per year/season, or every outing?

[Chris-NZ]

...

 

Imagine anywhere in the UK where you could get two deer for £28 never mind the exchange rate!

...

 

 

Well, I guess it comes down to the ratios of game numbers to shooters to available land.

 

Here in New Zealand it's free and permanently open season. The only exception is the controlled wapiti area in Fiordland, other than that you're virtually encouraged to go out and blast as many deer as you can manage. The only formality is to get a (free) permit if you're going into National Parks but this is for data collection purposes only. Can't say I've needed a permit since a kid but they're dead easy to get.

 

The first time I was over in Oklahoma, my mate took me out to his neighbour's little farmlet/holiday house to largely blast some snapping turtles which we don't have in NZ. As we pulled up to the gate on the road, I spotted a rabbit and was reaching for the gun when he said "Don't even think about it, they're not in season". I was dumbfounded with this foreign concept. Likewise when I saw four whitetails running around while out sod poodle shooting, I looked back at him and he wryly smiled and shook his head. That trigger finger was an-itchin...

 

Chris-NZ

[Ratwhiskers]

Any Kiwi would say "What else do you expect of a goat?"

 

Actually feral "Pacific goats" are edible long as you choose younger/female ones in top condition and cook them right. Very lean meat. My hunting buddy loves them for curries and is appalled I just feed them to our cats

 

Chris-NZ

 

I was up over the Border one time shooting goats on an estate. I've never seen a tick infestation like it before or since..... it made me think I was doing them a favour.

 

Andrew.

 

I once studied the gut-less field butchery of large game, and found it a very practicle way of reducing an animal to packable size.

[Andrew]

is that 2 deer per year/season, or every outing?

 

What on earth would I do with two deer per outing? As I said, we don't sell venison. No, two deer on my current tag, per year. There are other specialized hunts I did not apply for such as archery, or some of the wilderness areas; nor am I availing myself of some Land Owner Permits my friends are offering. Instead I'm also hunting rifle and black powder seasons in South Dakota. Should I fill those tags (which in all likelihood I will not) I will have harvested 6 deer in a 6 weeks. That's enough meat for any one. I hunt for meat, not for profit or the killing in itself.

 

It is funny about rabbit seasons. Here they are an edible pest: Shoot them where and whenever. In some eastern States they are a game animal... as are squirrels.~Andrew