2019 Deer Hunt and Processing in the Books!

[tallbm]

I have just wrapped up the processing on my big yearly meat hunting trip! The hunt was a great success and the meat has come out tasting great so far!

Here are some pics and then I will write it all up.

My freezer filled again for the year! (Top is Venison Brats, 2nd from top Pork Franks, 3rd from top is pure 100% ground Venison, Bottom shank and heal meat)

DSC_9433[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

6 of the 9 deer. These are the ones me and my girl took, I had already broke down the other 3 my brother took when it dawned on me to take the full meat cooler picture lol.

DSC_9422[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

Venison Brats. 80% pure ground venison, 20% trimmed pork back fat, LEM's Backwoods Fresh Brat seasoning. 30 pounds of Brats made.

DSC_9427[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

DSC_9428[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

We were itching to get some feral hogs but they know when we are coming and they decide to hide from us hahaha. This is store bought pork ($0.99 pork butts) I turned into pork franks. 28 pounds of pork franks. I am going to try some skinless ones in the smoker this year and they are in the black cellulose casings in the gallon bag waiting to be smoked this week.

DSC_9429[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

DSC_9430[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

DSC_9431[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

Now for some nature pics!!

Big beautiful white Fallow Buck.

DSC_9407[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

Nice Whitetail buck.

DSC_9374[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

Axis doe, white Fallow doe, and little Whitetail buck passing by the feeder.

DSC_9371[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

Some deer running through camp. This pic was taken from the pack porch of the trailer we slept in.

DSC_9425[1]

• tallbm
• Oct 24, 2019

It was a great trip of hunting. We hunted early morning and evenings. We started last Thursday and by Saturday night we had shot out our number of 8 does and 1 little spike for 9 deer total. This was nice since it gave me time to break down the deer on Sunday afternoon and be done in time to watch the evening football game and it was a good one

We process in my garage and we knocked it out in record time of 3 days this year. Normally it takes 5-6 but I had great help and efficiency was fantastic due to the lack of beer for my help to drink while working hahahahhaha!
When all of the processing was done we had 117 pounds of cleaned meat off the bone so 39 pounds a piece (3 hunters).
I make a deal with my brother and he gets UNCLEANED backstrap and tenderloins which saves a huge amount of time. He cleans them up as he opens the packages to cook them. My favorite way to eat venison backstrap is to bread and fry it but I don't do much breading and frying so all other ways of cooking it just can't compare for me. So I started grinding it to make the PRIME venison burger grind
This deal has my brother making the most of it and saves me time in processing it. Don't knock the backstrap grind until you try it. It's is amazing Venison grind!

In all we had:

• 34.4 pounds Backstrap and Tenderloins
• 24 pounds of scraps for Bratwurst sausage grind (add 6 pounds pork fat for 30 pounds of sausage total) - this comes from front shoulders and other odd scraps
• 42.2 pounds of pure 100% Venison burger grind (we add no fat to the pure grind) - this comes from hind leg roasts
• 17.2 pounds of Shank and Heel meat. This will go for braised shank, pot roast, and stew meat dishes.
• 28 pounds of pork franks from $0.99/lb Pork Butts that were on sale this past Tuesday

I took 1 deer using my 300 AAC Blackout with a 110grain Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos (old brass version) bullet via my handloads. I took the other 2 deer with the 30-06 (evening hunts, I don't like tracking in the dark) using 150gr Horadny GMX I also handload.

My girlfriend took all 3 of her deer with my bolt action Savage Axis 300 AAC Blackout (I swapped a .223 barrel with a 300BLK barrel to make this Savage rifle), using the same 110gr Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos handloads of mine.

My brother took his 3 deer with a 7mm Magnum with some loads he gets from one of my fathers retired railroad buddies that reloads. When he shoots a whitetail with his rifle they fly all the way into the walk in cooler back at camp hahahaha.

We do doe/spike meat hunts on Trophy hunting ranches so we can get so many animals and it helps them reduce the population so it's a win-win. These are MLD properties so we use their tags, if you were wondering how I/we legally get to harvest so many deer each year. Texas MLD properties are regulated differently and hunters use the ranch's tags (which they have hundreds of tags) rather than our own.

I tried to put as much info into this post as I thought people would like to know making it waaaaaaaay long. Feel free to ask away about anything regarding the processing, the hunting, the trip in general, or any other questions you may have. Enjoy!

 

[pc farmer]

How many deer are you allowed to take in one season? I want your cooler big time. I want one. Info on it?

Great post as always.


Edit...
I reread your post. Sorry

 

[tallbm]

How many deer are you allowed to take in one season? I want your cooler big time. I want one. Info on it?

Great post as always.


Edit...
I reread your post. Sorry

Well max deer per season depends.
If you hunt on a Texas MLD ranch then there is no restriction BUT you can technically only take as many deer as the ranch has tags for and is welling to let you use. So if a TX MLD ranch has 300 deer tags (bucks, unbranched antlered, & antlerless) then you can legally take 300 deer that match the tags. We paid for 9 doe/unbranched antlered tags so that is what we shot.

Now Texas non-MLD regulations (a majority of the hunting that goes on) the statewide limit is 5 deer total. Deer restrictions are managed by county. Some counties are only doe, some only 1 male, some are 2 buck (1 regular horns and 1 unbranched antler male) and 2 does, etc. etc.
No county I know of allows more than 4 deer but you can hunt in a different county to bag that 5th when doing non-MLD property hunting.

That cooler was awesome. It was a big walk in cooler with a rail system that went out side to gambrels that are on wenches. You wench up the deer to dress and skin it, then pop it on a hook on the rail system and roll it into the cooler! These hunting ranches often have walk in coolers but this is the first time I've seen the railed setup. I've seen a game processing business that had a rail setup for the entire operation so the animal never comes off the hook and rail until it hits the processing table and from there into vac seal bags!

 

[jcam222]

Awesome post. That looks like a lot of work with delicious results.

 

[tallbm]

Awesome post. That looks like a lot of work with delicious results.

Thanks! Yeah it is a lot of work but I had much more efficient help this year hahaha. So far all test fry patties were good to go. I have also been eating the left over meat that couldn't make it through the tube at the end of sausage stuffing today. So it has been brat and frank patties for lunch and dinner hahaha. If it wasn't raining I would grill them but so far the taste is right on!
I plan to do a post with the weight measurements for the LEM seasoning I buy because it can get a bit salty going by volume. This year I had the time to weigh things out and experiment and I think I may have nailed the exact weight of seasoning per pound of sausage grind. This will be helpful info for anyone who uses these seasonings... which seem to be popular ones on the LEM site.

Tomorrow I will dig into it all some more :)

 

[Fueling Around]

...
That cooler was awesome. It was a big walk in cooler with a rail system that went out side to gambrels that are on wenches. ...

Awesome
Best shop (that has a rail system) closed and the closest one is so overwhelmed during hunting season, they do the best as they are able.

 

[tallbm]

Awesome
Best shop (that has a rail system) closed and the closest one is so overwhelmed during hunting season, they do the best as they are able.

Thanks! Yeah that sucks about the processor closing down. We bring back so many deer it would cost an arm and a leg to get them minimally processed ($75 per animal to debone and provide burger grind, roasts, and/or steak cuts).
In the end We produce a FAR FAR superior product than what the processors produce. They are trying to get things in and out so fast they don't take the care we do. Thats life :)

 

[eddiememphis]

That is a great setup. I was going to ask about the time it takes to get the meat cool so that looks awesome.

Are the white Fallows specific to the ranch you were hunting?

 

[pineywoods]

Looks like an awesome hunting trip and nice job on processing. Was that a high fence ranch or is it in an area that has fallow, axis, and white tail in the wild? Seems I remember reading something about a pay to hunt ranch that went out of business and somebody cut the fence and let the animals escape and the fallow deer actually bred in the wild and have established a large enough herd to be regulated and hunted does that sound right or was it just a bs story? Many years ago I looked at property in Texas and found a ranch in an area that had axis, antelope, and white tail that could all be hunted if I remember correctly I know it was 3 types and I think those were the 3. Anyhow looks like you had a great season short but very good and a full freezer is always a good thing.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Great success on the hunt a fine stanch for the winter. Awesome job on the post and write up on the processing.

Warren

 

[Winterrider]

Congratulations on the successful hunt. Glad the processing went well. Full freezer is a good freezer...

 

[chopsaw]

Nice post again . Enjoy when you put it up . Looks like you got some of the cellulose casings . Let us know if you like them .

My favorite way to eat venison backstrap is to bread and fry it but I don't do much breading and frying so all other ways of cooking it just can't compare for me. So I started grinding it to make the PRIME venison burger grind

I agree . I had it breaded and deep fried and loved it . Otherwise I grind mine also , but use it in sausage .

Nice work everything looks great .

 

[SmokinAl]

Awesome write-up!!
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

Wow, That's a lot of those little guys.
Got those Freezers filled up, pretty good!!!
Like. Like.Like.
Question: Are you allowed to shoot Deer at a Feeder, or "over Feed" down there?

Bear

 

[tallbm]

That is a great setup. I was going to ask about the time it takes to get the meat cool so that looks awesome.

Are the white Fallows specific to the ranch you were hunting?

That cooler has a pair or big fans that circulate the cold air very well in the cooler. The cooler is as cold as a fridge. I imagine with the fans the animals drop in temp quite quickly but any actual time I would guess would be pure speculation. It's fast enough though to maintain safe meat practices and keep the meat tasting good hahaha :)

The white Fallow are not specific to the ranch. Many ranches in the Central Texas area have them. I could be wrong but it is my understanding that the colors can change where a while Fallow may birth a chocolate fallow, or a brown spotted fallow so its kind of like a pack of skittles with those guys hahaha.

Central Texas has a ton of "exotic" game running around all the ranches both high fence and low fence as well as general wilderness where they have escaped.
On this hunt I saw chocolate Fallow does and maybe one brown spotted Fallow doe but only the white Fallow male.

Looks like an awesome hunting trip and nice job on processing. Was that a high fence ranch or is it in an area that has fallow, axis, and white tail in the wild? Seems I remember reading something about a pay to hunt ranch that went out of business and somebody cut the fence and let the animals escape and the fallow deer actually bred in the wild and have established a large enough herd to be regulated and hunted does that sound right or was it just a bs story? Many years ago I looked at property in Texas and found a ranch in an area that had axis, antelope, and white tail that could all be hunted if I remember correctly I know it was 3 types and I think those were the 3. Anyhow looks like you had a great season short but very good and a full freezer is always a good thing.

Thanks it was a great hunting trip :)
This property was I think 15,000 acres of high fence.
They had Fallow of all colors, Axis, Whitetail, Elk, blackbuck Antelope, Scimitar Horned Oryx, and 1 Emu hahaha. They might have had other game but this is all I knew about. We didnt see the Oryx in person and only saw the quartered up carcass of an Elk another hunter on the property shot.
In the area all of these game animals both domestic and exotics escape all the time. Almost every ranch this Central Texas regen has some sort of exoctic game whether they want it or not. Trees fall on fences and tear them, some dumb people cut fences hoping game will escape, or the game will walk/run right out of the gate when someone is entering or leaving the property. This happened to us with a Blackbuck Antelope male. One got out somehow when a clicker gate was opened to enter a portion of the ranch from the highway hahaha.

Near my hometown I heard about a guy who has a bunch of Red Stag on his high fence property for hunting but due to some supposedly hard times the story goes that "the fence was cut" by someone and they all escaped and therefore he had to get money from the insurance on the game or ranch or something like that. It sounds like some shady backwoods stuff that would happen near my little home town hahaha. Now those Red Stack run around in certain parts just living it up hahaha.

In TX exoctics are not regulated and can be hunted year round unless they end up on some sort of at risk or endangered list. Then they are off limits.
Those ranches just self regulate and sell hunts based on any animal they want to sell for hunting.

Great success on the hunt a fine stanch for the winter. Awesome job on the post and write up on the processing.

Warren

Thanks Warren! Yeah I'm all set for the year :)

Congratulations on the successful hunt. Glad the processing went well. Full freezer is a good freezer...

Thanks! Yep it was a good hunt and the freezer is full and I'm happy about it :)

Nice post again . Enjoy when you put it up . Looks like you got some of the cellulose casings . Let us know if you like them .


I agree . I had it breaded and deep fried and loved it . Otherwise I grind mine also , but use it in sausage .

Nice work everything looks great .

Thanks! I try to share the hunt and processing every year so others can get kick out of it :)
Yeah I have some cellulose casing franks in the mix this year. I'll hopefully get to them mid week and I'll report back for sure. How long should I apply smoke since these are celluose casings? With sheep casings I apply like 45min to 1hr for my franks to just get a kiss of smoke

Yeah the ground backstrap is super great tasting. I think you and I are on the same page where others would cringe to think of grinding it hahaha.

Awesome write-up!!
Al

Thanks Al, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

Wow, That's a lot of those little guys.
Got those Freezers filled up, pretty good!!!
Like. Like.Like.
Question: Are you allowed to shoot Deer at a Feeder, or "over Feed" down there?

Bear

Yep we try for as much meat as makes sense and fill them freezers lol.

Yeah we are allowed to shoot deer at the feeder and over freed here.
In Texas feeding is treated very simply and to me is very logical when all factors are considered.
Food plots, feeders, throwing feed, tossing out apples (no one does that here), it's all treated as the same thing in Texas. I hunted a 10-15,000 acre ranch so planting feed plots all over with Texas droughts just isn't feasible.
Also Texas is covered with a ton of Oak trees that drop acorns like crazy, many places have lots of Pecan trees, and many areas of Texas have cactus which give prickly pear fruit.
The feeders work more to increase chances that animals will add the area to their grazing patterns rather than becoming a dinner bell.
On these game ranches there will be some "dinner bell" effect but most times its the young dumb and small animals that behave this way. The big, wise, and higher caliber animals let the dumb ones taker all the risk first and even then the big wise ones just graze through, they don't stay around forever.

When hunting non-trophy ranch properties the feeders really lack on the dinner bell affect. It's much more of a grazing pattern establishing mechanism... if you can keep the more intelligent animals like feral pigs from ruining things. They will figure out the dinner bell situation quickly and then work to dig up the legs and knock over the feeder and eat all the corn hahahaha.

Just think of feeders like food plots with less work and watering :D

 

[SmokinGame]

Congrats and NICE!!

 

[tallbm]

Congrats and NICE!!

Thanks! :)

 

[Bearcarver]

That cooler has a pair or big fans that circulate the cold air very well in the cooler. The cooler is as cold as a fridge. I imagine with the fans the animals drop in temp quite quickly but any actual time I would guess would be pure speculation. It's fast enough though to maintain safe meat practices and keep the meat tasting good hahaha :)

The white Fallow are not specific to the ranch. Many ranches in the Central Texas area have them. I could be wrong but it is my understanding that the colors can change where a while Fallow may birth a chocolate fallow, or a brown spotted fallow so its kind of like a pack of skittles with those guys hahaha.

Central Texas has a ton of "exotic" game running around all the ranches both high fence and low fence as well as general wilderness where they have escaped.
On this hunt I saw chocolate Fallow does and maybe one brown spotted Fallow doe but only the white Fallow male.



Thanks it was a great hunting trip :)
This property was I think 15,000 acres of high fence.
They had Fallow of all colors, Axis, Whitetail, Elk, blackbuck Antelope, Scimitar Horned Oryx, and 1 Emu hahaha. They might have had other game but this is all I knew about. We didnt see the Oryx in person and only saw the quartered up carcass of an Elk another hunter on the property shot.
In the area all of these game animals both domestic and exotics escape all the time. Almost every ranch this Central Texas regen has some sort of exoctic game whether they want it or not. Trees fall on fences and tear them, some dumb people cut fences hoping game will escape, or the game will walk/run right out of the gate when someone is entering or leaving the property. This happened to us with a Blackbuck Antelope male. One got out somehow when a clicker gate was opened to enter a portion of the ranch from the highway hahaha.

Near my hometown I heard about a guy who has a bunch of Red Stag on his high fence property for hunting but due to some supposedly hard times the story goes that "the fence was cut" by someone and they all escaped and therefore he had to get money from the insurance on the game or ranch or something like that. It sounds like some shady backwoods stuff that would happen near my little home town hahaha. Now those Red Stack run around in certain parts just living it up hahaha.

In TX exoctics are not regulated and can be hunted year round unless they end up on some sort of at risk or endangered list. Then they are off limits.
Those ranches just self regulate and sell hunts based on any animal they want to sell for hunting.



Thanks Warren! Yeah I'm all set for the year :)



Thanks! Yep it was a good hunt and the freezer is full and I'm happy about it :)


Thanks! I try to share the hunt and processing every year so others can get kick out of it :)
Yeah I have some cellulose casing franks in the mix this year. I'll hopefully get to them mid week and I'll report back for sure. How long should I apply smoke since these are celluose casings? With sheep casings I apply like 45min to 1hr for my franks to just get a kiss of smoke

Yeah the ground backstrap is super great tasting. I think you and I are on the same page where others would cringe to think of grinding it hahaha.



Thanks Al, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)


Yep we try for as much meat as makes sense and fill them freezers lol.

Yeah we are allowed to shoot deer at the feeder and over freed here.
In Texas feeding is treated very simply and to me is very logical when all factors are considered.
Food plots, feeders, throwing feed, tossing out apples (no one does that here), it's all treated as the same thing in Texas. I hunted a 10-15,000 acre ranch so planting feed plots all over with Texas droughts just isn't feasible.
Also Texas is covered with a ton of Oak trees that drop acorns like crazy, many places have lots of Pecan trees, and many areas of Texas have cactus which give prickly pear fruit.
The feeders work more to increase chances that animals will add the area to their grazing patterns rather than becoming a dinner bell.
On these game ranches there will be some "dinner bell" effect but most times its the young dumb and small animals that behave this way. The big, wise, and higher caliber animals let the dumb ones taker all the risk first and even then the big wise ones just graze through, they don't stay around forever.

When hunting non-trophy ranch properties the feeders really lack on the dinner bell affect. It's much more of a grazing pattern establishing mechanism... if you can keep the more intelligent animals like feral pigs from ruining things. They will figure out the dinner bell situation quickly and then work to dig up the legs and knock over the feeder and eat all the corn hahahaha.

Just think of feeders like food plots with less work and watering :D

Unless they changed the rules in PA since I hunted, you aren't allowed to hunt near a food plot or over food (Like a Pile of Apples) for deer or bear. And no running Dogs for Deer or Bear. And no hunting parties over 25 hunters, and if you have a group of more than 4, you need to have a roster.

Bear

 

[tallbm]

Unless they changed the rules in PA since I hunted, you aren't allowed to hunt near a food plot or over food (Like a Pile of Apples) for deer or bear. And no running Dogs for Deer or Bear. And no hunting parties over 25 hunters, and if you have a group of more than 4, you need to have a roster.

Bear

Yeah every state is a bit different. I believe in Minnesota for example they can feed but not during hunting season and all feed must be gone/removed like 10 days before hunting. Yet I believe food plots are perfectly legal for them (guys in MN please correct me if I'm wrong).

I don't know that we can hunt deer with dogs in TX I wanna say no but I need to look. As for hunting parties I think that is another thing that isn't so common here in TX. With like 90% of all the hunting land in TX privately owned you likely are not forming parties to hunt and have to have permission to be on the owners property unless you yourself want to be hunted. It is a SEVERE no-no to be on someone's property in TX ESPECIALLY carrying a firearm. Normally hunters will lease out the property for hunting for the year and each hunter pays a fee to the property owner. There will be general rules the property owner comes up with like only x amount of guests per paying hunter but other than that the land is yours to hunt as you please... barring the property owner being a jackass and getting in the way which happens way too often :(

It's cool to hear how each state differs. I think you guys in PA get to hunt a lot of that state land in the Appalachian.
In TX most public hunting land is around the state parks or man made lakes and they have rules of not feeding and baiting and such but that is their specific rules not statewide mandated rules :)

Feral hogs are considered a pest and not game so as long and as you have your hunting license and you are not on that little bit of public land that has it's own rules, you can hunt AND trap the hogs year round with guns, knifes, spears, arrows, throwing axes, sticks, rocks, bricks, your car bumper, etc. lol

Texas had black bears way way way in day. It is my understanding that basically by the turn of the 1900's and just after that most of the black bear were gone from the state. I've never heard of a black bear living naturally in the state so no hunting them here and no cool wooden bears roaming free very often either

 

[Bearcarver]

Yeah every state is a bit different. I believe in Minnesota for example they can feed but not during hunting season and all feed must be gone/removed like 10 days before hunting. Yet I believe food plots are perfectly legal for them (guys in MN please correct me if I'm wrong).

I don't know that we can hunt deer with dogs in TX I wanna say no but I need to look. As for hunting parties I think that is another thing that isn't so common here in TX. With like 90% of all the hunting land in TX privately owned you likely are not forming parties to hunt and have to have permission to be on the owners property unless you yourself want to be hunted. It is a SEVERE no-no to be on someone's property in TX ESPECIALLY carrying a firearm. Normally hunters will lease out the property for hunting for the year and each hunter pays a fee to the property owner. There will be general rules the property owner comes up with like only x amount of guests per paying hunter but other than that the land is yours to hunt as you please... barring the property owner being a jackass and getting in the way which happens way too often :(

It's cool to hear how each state differs. I think you guys in PA get to hunt a lot of that state land in the Appalachian.
In TX most public hunting land is around the state parks or man made lakes and they have rules of not feeding and baiting and such but that is their specific rules not statewide mandated rules :)

Feral hogs are considered a pest and not game so as long and as you have your hunting license and you are not on that little bit of public land that has it's own rules, you can hunt AND trap the hogs year round with guns, knifes, spears, arrows, throwing axes, sticks, rocks, bricks, your car bumper, etc. lol

Texas had black bears way way way in day. It is my understanding that basically by the turn of the 1900's and just after that most of the black bear were gone from the state. I've never heard of a black bear living naturally in the state so no hunting them here and no cool wooden bears roaming free very often either

LOL---Yup, No open season on Pine Bears in PA !! (Look Out---Another Bear Story!!):
I did however learn about hunting land in Texas. In 1970 I got my orders for Ft Hood, so I took my old British .303 along on the drive to Killeen. Then first chance I got I went and bought a Hunting license. Then I went around looking for places to hunt (Should have done this before buying the license). I went to ranches & Farms, Etc, and I got answers like "I lease my land to some hunters, and I have no say on my land during hunting season". So eventually I gave up & stopped in a bar in Austin, figuring I could get some advice from some of the locals, since I always got along good with other Bar-Flies. So it all came down to "You have to either Own or Lease a part of this Great "Deer-Filled" State to be able to hunt in it. So I got a few comments from the peanut gallery, and the question of "You're from PA, where do you hunt in PA---It's all cities---No Deer up there!!" I told them, In PA we harvest a few hundred thousand deer & a few thousand Bears every year, and when I want to go hunting, I just drive to a part of the Millions of PA State Game Lands or the Millions of PA State Forest, pull over, making sure all 4 wheels are off the road, get out, walk in & hunt. They didn't seem to believe that, but there was another Vietnam Vet there from New Jersey, and he said he hunted in PA every year, and that's the way it is there.
So I ended up with an unused Texas Hunting license for in the Scrap Book, Mrs Bear kept going.

Bear