yep old fashion homemade ladder stand. The land is old GA power planted pine grove, but it's right by the lake so they usually pass through in the morning heading to better food and water and back through in the evenings. I have a feeder set out at 35 yards right in front of me. I consider it more going to an outdoor meat market that may or may not have anything in stock than I would consider it hunting lol
Yea not much meat, I guess around 30-40 lbs. I'll have to weigh out what I got off this guy when I butcher it. It's enough that it's not worth taking it to a processorOK, I will take about 10 pounds is steaks and 10 pounds in chili cuts
ThomasT
backstraps, brisket, front shoulders, rear hind quarters bone in, just weighed 35lbsOK, I will take about 10 pounds is steaks and 10 pounds in chili cuts
ThomasT
there's not much in the way of ribs on an 80lb deer. That plus 0 fat on the ribs so no matter how you cook em they are turn out tough. I do get the skirt (not sure that's the name but the flap part on ribs) off. It will normally get tossed in the crock pot or the grinder. I actually don't gut mine either. I leave the torso intact with the guts inside and just take off the cuts I listed. The only meat I don't get is the meat in between the ribs and the 2 tenderloins inside the pelvis which is about 2 hotdogs worth. After I'm done, my dad makes a hole with the back hoe, we feed the worms and cover it up. It was maybe an hour total from the time the deer walked out to me being on the road back home with it in the cooler. I normally cut steaks and roasts out of the hind quarters, grind the front shoulders, and the back straps get cut into medallions and pan fried. The brisket doesn't smoke like a beef brisket, it doesn't have enough fat so I end up tossing it in the crockpot with broth and veggies till it falls apart.
I know airguns for deer is illegal in my state but had one step out as I was target practicing with my pcp in 22cal. Knock out slugs. My thinking back of head. But I followed the law …… walked into my house and grabbed my crossbow and walked out and dropped it with a Rage at 30 yards. Just got done grinding up a bunch of hamburgers w 20% pork My freezers full …. Back to air guns
Your deer are about the same size as our blacktails. I'm right there with you on the ribs. Once that animal has hung for a few days, the ribs are not fit for the grinder or the table.
Congrats on the successful hunt, but you left the best part in the deer, the heart. Also the liver is good and good for you. Personally for the little extra time I just quickly cut the meat out of the ribs but I gut so it's not a lot of extra effort even though it's not much meat. I also "recycle" the carcass, the dogs get first crack for a day then it gets dumped for the wild scavengers.
I ran out of wall space , 10 pts and one 8 but I just kill for meat now. The other day I had a doe pass me than a few seconds later a high cow spike really a 3pt came 10 ft from me it never knew I was there but I let it pass. 50 yards from my back patio but I was in the woods. I hear there’s a 8 pt in these woods. I want to see him. I may pass also.
If your walls full just start doing the table top Euro mounts or buy bigger walls. Lol. I get it I've passed on a decent 9 pt 5-6 times already this year. I'm trying to let him get fully mature. My goal is to "up my game" each year either by killing a bigger horned or older deer than previous years. My "trophy" hunting is more in line with conservation than being a pure bone collector. It's also more of a challenge to kill an old mossy horned buck than just about anything else in the woods. (Ps I know it's actually antlers but horns just seems to work better and is sort of slang and interchangeable where I'm from.)
