Finally finished

[klutzyspuds]

I know this is a little different type of thread, but wanted to share.

As some of you are aware, due to my posts, I hunt whitetail deer, and make my own smoked products from them. Well, in 2016, during the WI gun deer hunt, I was successful in harvesting two animals. A nice adult doe and my biggest buck to date. The venison steaks, sausage, bacon, snack sticks, etc..are all gone but the memories now.

After giving it a little thought--darn little mind you (after all very little thought processes going on up there anyway)--I decided to go visit a taxidermist. Now I knew he does decent work, and taxidermy is strictly a secondary job for him so I knew it wouldn't be back very soon. This all said, twenty five months later, I finally got the call that it was done.

Got him put in place last night after dinner. Thought you all might want a look.

Sure was tasty as the venison around here are all fair chase, field raised, corn fed, high speed beef as much as anything.

KS

 

[CombatBarbecue]

Nice looking deer right there. Good job!

 

[klutzyspuds]

Thanks, CB.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Nice. Worth the wait...JJ

 

[timstalltaletav]

Nice! That was a wall hanger for sure!!

 

[Bigtank]

Nice buck! Rifle or shotgun?

 

[klutzyspuds]

Nice. Worth the wait...JJ

Thanks Chef.

Nice! That was a wall hanger for sure!!

Thanks Tim. Looks good where I put it.

Nice buck! Rifle or shotgun?

Thanks tank, this was 2016 gun season.

KS

 

[SonnyE]

Beautiful Mount!

When I lived in Wyoming, we vertually lived off of Game Meat. Mule Deer and Antelope. I was a meat hunter.
Dad finally got to come for his big hunt. I was his guide.
We drew tags for the area where I lived, and we managed to find some solitary big buck Antelope so he could pick a big one.
Elmer, as Dad named him, was only 1/4" shy of being a record sized rack. Dad had the Local Wyoming Taxidermist guy (Jim Gay) mount him, and he hung over Dad's fireplace in two homes.
Dad and Mom are gone now. But Elmer the Antelope still adorns a space in my home.
Dad's Elmer....


Elmer the Antelope.

 

[Winterrider]

Nice looking mounts on both occasions.

 

[klutzyspuds]

That's a nice looking goat there, Sonny.

And thanks Winterrider.

 

[Hawging It]

Good Buck. The Taxidermy guy should make it his primary and not secondary job. Looks like a quality job to me.

 

[SonnyE]

That's a nice looking goat there, Sonny.

And thanks Winterrider.

Thanks, Dad was so thrilled!
After choking down a lot of questionable tasting Game Meat, a Friend gave us a hunk of his Antelope.
It was SO good! I asked him how he handled it.
He quartered his Goat, and put the quarters in a (clean) bath tub. Filled it with Cold water, and a cup of salt.
Drained and changed the brine each 8 hours, for 24 hours. Done. Cut and wrap.
All the blood, and all the gamey taste was gone. It was great meat after that trick.

Antelope have hollow hair, and the hairs have a gas in them that keeps them warm during the freezing and sub-zero winters. But that gas quickly permeates the meat when they die. Some friends told me they got the hide off before they gutted.
The brine trick worked the best for us.
You might like to test it some time. I did all our Game that way after I learned about it.

 

[klutzyspuds]

Good Buck. The Taxidermy guy should make it his primary and not secondary job. Looks like a quality job to me.

Thanks Hawg. I agree, he did do a fantastic job. His true day job is an EMT on the local ambulance service. Guessing you won't be seeing him quit that any time soon. When I originally took it to him, he was being shuffled between shifts and locations and much fewer hours. Since, they moved stations and he is top seniority at the new station right in my little town. Great guy to know.

Thanks, Dad was so thrilled!
After choking down a lot of questionable tasting Game Meat, a Friend gave us a hunk of his Antelope.
It was SO good! I asked him how he handled it.
He quartered his Goat, and put the quarters in a (clean) bath tub. Filled it with Cold water, and a cup of salt.
Drained and changed the brine each 8 hours, for 24 hours. Done. Cut and wrap.
All the blood, and all the gamey taste was gone. It was great meat after that trick.

Antelope have hollow hair, and the hairs have a gas in them that keeps them warm during the freezing and sub-zero winters. But that gas quickly permeates the meat when they die. Some friends told me they got the hide off before they gutted.
The brine trick worked the best for us.
You might like to test it some time. I did all our Game that way after I learned about it.

Interesting info about goats. If I ever get the opportunity to chase one of these wily critters I'll definitely keep that in mind and make sure to brine them soon after. Thanks.

KS

 

[SonnyE]

Tricks of the trade.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Alright Mark..

I'm going to have to dust off my hunting gear and join ya ;) Nice looking one!

I have to go watch some episodes of Meateater again now!

 

[GaryHibbert]

25 months is a long time to wait. But I'd say the finished product was worth it all. Looks great.
Gary

 

[Bearcarver]

Beautiful 8 Pointer, You got there KS!!!
Bigger than any of mine. I only have an 8 & a 7 pointer, but both smaller than yours, however I was always more into "Meat Hunting", and dropped quite a few Doe over the years.
Now my Son, "Bear Jr" has become mostly trophy hunter, and has 4 Head mounts. in his Living Room, in the same size range as the one you have there. I have to practically beg him every year to call off his wait for the Trophy Buck, just long enough to get some meat, and then he can go back to passing everything else up again!!!

Bear

 

[klutzyspuds]

Alright Mark..

I'm going to have to dust off my hunting gear and join ya ;) Nice looking one!

I have to go watch some episodes of Meateater again now!

Thanks Tom.

25 months is a long time to wait. But I'd say the finished product was worth it all. Looks great.
Gary

Thanks Gary. He is pretty darn good, and I feel reasonably priced.

 

[klutzyspuds]

Beautiful 8 Pointer, You got there KS!!!
Bigger than any of mine. I only have an 8 & a 7 pointer, but both smaller than yours, however I was always more into "Meat Hunting", and dropped quite a few Doe over the years.
Now my Son, "Bear Jr" has become mostly trophy hunter, and has 4 Head mounts. in his Living Room, in the same size range as the one you have there. I have to practically beg him every year to call off his wait for the Trophy Buck, just long enough to get some meat, and then he can go back to passing everything else up again!!!

Bear

Thanks Bear. I believe i sent you a pm with a pic of this deer back a few days after I harvested him. I think we were discussing dried venison at the time. It is a great feeling to have a nice one hanging on the wall, but I agree with you. Meat tastes much better than those antlers and definitely better than tag soup. We have lots of deer around us, and most years I take the first decent doe I see. This year I passed on a big doe early in the season, thinking between my son and lots of remaining season there was time. I ended up missing a decent doe with bow on 5 Jan 2019 that was the first decent thing since. Tag soup for me this year. And the freezer is a lot closer to empty than I realized.

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks Bear. I believe i sent you a pm with a pic of this deer back a few days after I harvested him. I think we were discussing dried venison at the time. It is a great feeling to have a nice one hanging on the wall, but I agree with you. Meat tastes much better than those antlers and definitely better than tag soup. We have lots of deer around us, and most years I take the first decent doe I see. This year I passed on a big doe early in the season, thinking between my son and lots of remaining season there was time. I ended up missing a decent doe with bow on 5 Jan 2019 that was the first decent thing since. Tag soup for me this year. And the freezer is a lot closer to empty than I realized.

I can't remember that far back--LOL !!
However Bear Jr is such a Trophy Hunter, we had a couple years without any Venison Dried Beef or Deerburger, because he passed up a mess of easy drops until the last day, and then didn't see anything.
He's always afraid of sticking an arrow in some Venison on the hoof, and then have Mr Big Buck walk out behind it & head for the Hills!!
After coming home from Vietnam, I no longer had the Heart to kill a Deer, and my health wouldn't allow me now anyway, so I have to rely on him for our Venison.

Bear