Processing Week 2025

[indaswamp]

I thought for sure I had started this annual thread already, but I remembered that I had mentioned our take so far in the season on tallbm 's 2024 processing thread. Well....so far we have 7 does down. 6 were taken during bow season. I got a nice sized doe opening weekend of rifle season.... 120#....

Had a deer trimming party at the firehouse friday after thanksgiving....had 5 deer to debone. Brother and I each got does. Here is our meat...40# for grind along with some whole muscles. 70# total.

And my brother harvested a very nice 10 point this evening. Very nice deer for the area we are in. Weighted 192#....I guessed 190# so I was close.

Neat story about that deer.... he had an opportunity to take him with his bow. 15 yard shot. But just at the last second, the deer saw him move and turned and bounded off. Did not smell him, just saw what we call "the blob" up in a skinny pine tree and knew something was not right. He actually showed backup on camera later that same night around 6:30pm so he was not spooked. Brother ended up taking him with a rifle. Used a round that was a custom reload....one of his friend's lost her Dad to cancer. They had him cremated and Her Uncle made some rounds and added a sprinkling of his ashes to the cartridges. Brother took this deer with one of those rounds that was given to him. Made my night when I got the news Brother scored tonight.....

So processing week is shaping up. Will see how many more the season brings....

 

[tallbm]

I thought for sure I had started this annual thread already, but I remembered that I had mentioned our take so far in the season on tallbm 's 2024 processing thread. Well....so far we have 7 does down. 6 were taken during bow season. I got a nice sized doe opening weekend of rifle season.... 120#....
View attachment 708715

Had a deer trimming party at the firehouse friday after thanksgiving....had 5 deer to debone. Brother and I each got does. Here is our meat...40# for grind along with some whole muscles. 70# total.
View attachment 708717
View attachment 708716

And my brother harvested a very nice 10 point this evening. Very nice deer for the area we are in. Weighted 192#....I guessed 190# so I was close.

View attachment 708711View attachment 708713View attachment 708712

Neat story about that deer.... he had an opportunity to take him with his bow. 15 yard shot. But just at the last second, the deer saw him move and turned and bounded off. Did not smell him, just saw what we call "the blob" up in a skinny pine tree and knew something was not right. He actually showed backup on camera later that same night around 6:30pm so he was not spooked. Brother ended up taking him with a rifle. Used a round that was a custom reload....one of his friend's lost her Dad to cancer. They had him cremated and Her Uncle made some rounds and added a sprinkling of his ashes to the cartridges. Brother took this deer with one of those rounds that was given to him. Made my night when I got the news Brother scored tonight.....

So processing week is shaping up. Will see how many more the season brings....

That is all so awesome to hear, especially about the special handloads.
I hope it all keeps going well and if I had the freezer space I'd be trying to take some more or go after about a 220 pound feral hog (preferably a sow). I like them smaller but I also like a little bit bigger so I get 1, process 1, and I am done :D

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

Posts like this sometimes make me wish I didn't live in the city. Even traveling to where I could hunt a deer would be way to expensive to pull off.

 

[kelbro]

Nice haul of some clean protein. We usually age them about a week or so before processing. When you say deer trimming, are you 'filetting' them? We started doing that a while back. Cut out the back strap, liver and tenderloins and filet the rest off the bone. Quick work and no bone meal in my buckets.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Wow what a story and nice haul Keith! I'm so jealous.

 

[crazymoon]

IDS, Nice season for you and yours so far and nice charge of good meat !

 

[indaswamp]

Nice haul of some clean protein. We usually age them about a week or so before processing. When you say deer trimming, are you 'filetting' them? We started doing that a while back. Cut out the back strap, liver and tenderloins and filet the rest off the bone. Quick work and no bone meal in my buckets.

Yes, we debone, defat, and bulk package ready for the grinder. I seriously doubt many commercial deer processors ever do the thorough job we do at extracting 100% lean meat. We save the shanks for stew meat.

 

[crazymoon]

Yes, we debone, defat, and bulk package ready for the grinder. I seriously doubt many commercial deer processors ever do the thorough job we do at extracting 100% lean meat. We save the shanks for stew meat.

IDS, IMHO , the shank meat makes the best stew meat in the world. All day in a crock pot and the meat and it's gelatinous goodness is second to none !

 

[indaswamp]

IDS, IMHO , the shank meat makes the best stew meat in the world. All day in a crock pot and the meat and it's gelatinous goodness is second to none !

Indeed! Makes the best sauce piquant on the planet!!!

 

[Winterrider]

Congrats on the success thus far !

 

[philinnm]

Indeed! Makes the best sauce piquant on the planet!!!

any chance you'd share your sauce piquant recipe? thanks.

 

[civilsmoker]

That’s some nice scores and I’d be ok if you flash freeze that backstrap pack and overnight it to me :-) I would promise to post pics about it……I would pan sear it in beef tallow then butter baste with herbs to finish….. then sliced and dressed with a blackberry, balsamic, red wine reduction and plated with some seared Brussels and roasted whole pearl onions & carrots and garnished with fresh micro greens……. Oh man…..

 

[pineywoods]

Sounds like the start to another great Processing Week. Nice buck and story. Keep up the good work

 

[tallbm]

IDS, IMHO , the shank meat makes the best stew meat in the world. All day in a crock pot and the meat and it's gelatinous goodness is second to none !

Indeed! Makes the best sauce piquant on the planet!!!

Oh yeah! I'm another guy that is all in on the shank and heel meat.
I braise mine WOW the rich amazing tender flavorful dish they make is to die for! I keep it simple with some cheap wine, onions, tomato, garlic, and other seasonings to taste. I prefer eating it with rice but these days I eat it with shirataki rice to avoid the extra carbs :D

 

[indaswamp]

Follow the recipe posted, but use 4 # venison shank chunks. When cooking a venison Sauce Piquant, I do not remove from the pot, just keep adding to it....

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...nd-wild-oyster-mushroom-sauce-piquant.272613/