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  • remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    I know you only started 5 yrs ago,but you should think about processing your own deer.Its intimidating at first,but well worth it.
     

    Mack C-85

    R.I.P.
    Jan 22, 2014
    6,522
    Littlestown, PA
    Lol.



    Not a chance. Pretty sure there are only a couple of guys who hunt in the neighborhood plus me. I count >>>20 different deer coming through my property not counting what’s coming through theirs.



    My plan is to try to get one of the bigger bucks I’ve seen. Otherwise the rest of my hunting this year will be public land unless I get in to later December or January and didn’t connect on public land. Or one of my friends/neighbor wants one, but everyone I know who might either has gotten one already or they swear up and down they’ll be hunting this season.



    Well I guess the caveat if my family eats more venison. The boys often love it and one is hitting adolescence. Last couple of years we’ve been so busy I haven’t cooked much compared to normal. My wife will only cook with ground (any further deer I am getting back straps and grind the rest). Got maybe 20lbs from my 5-pt from last year still. I am hoping to eat through it fast now that I have two coming from the game processor soon and I am pretty confident I can get one or two more if I set my mind to it (and I’ve got 3 days of early ML I am for sure hunting on public land. Going to try to de eastern shore for the late gun season. Might try a little late ML season hunting also).



    So this could end up being a year of 4 or 5 deer.



    Anyway, after 3 unless the 3rd is small or we start really hitting the venison hard, I am done hunting unless I find a friend who wants a deer and doesn’t mind paying the butcher.
    Please consider donating vension to:

    Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry

    https://www.fhfh.org/

    Sent from my LG-G710 using Tapatalk
     

    HogCommander

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2013
    411
    Texas Hill Country
    I know you only started 5 yrs ago,but you should think about processing your own deer.Its intimidating at first,but well worth it.

    +1 on processing your own. I paid someone else my first few deer then decided to try it myself...now it's a labor of love! Most of it is simply separating muscles and knife work to get the cuts you want and trim away what you don't. If you make a mistake, just more for the grind pile :)

    Last season I made my first venison summer sausage and jerky (previously only did roasts, steaks and ground)...my family loved the results and started consuming a lot more venison just based on the convenience factor of it being already cooked and ready to eat. I plan to do a lot more of both this season and plan to try some other types of sausage.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I know you only started 5 yrs ago,but you should think about processing your own deer.Its intimidating at first,but well worth it.

    I will be. I don’t have a good space for it yet. Next year I’ll be tearing down my old shed and building a new one. That’ll have space for it and I’ll put an old fridge in it to hang it. Wife’s down with it. Just gotta wait another season (2 at most).
     

    Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    I can’t say I know enough for anything authoritative. That said, my property is 4.4 acres, about 3 of it woods and 2 of it woods in the back with a creek at the bottom of the valley (house is at the top of the valley, maybe 200yds across, 20yds or so deep)

    The said I have a nice meadow on one side of my house and chicken coop at the edge of it. Meadow is about 40yds across and is maybe 20yds from my house for the edge of it. Then I’ve got some front woods and my neighbor’s fenced yard starts at the corner of the meadow. Deer tend to walk down the gully next to her fence in to my front woods and either feed in to her front yard and then loop around back in to her woods or go the other way in to the neighborhood.

    Or they’ll come out of the woods in my other side yard which is open woods and feed out in to the backyard lawns of my neighbors (maybe 5 acres worth of lawn between all of their backyards with no trees in them).

    So far I’ve seen at least 20 different deer and it’s probably more since we moved in, in early May. I’d guess it’s more like 40+ deer. Biggest group I’ve seen was 10 or 11 at once. Usually it is 2-5 at a time.

    For bucks, the meadow side of the house gets a spike buck, but otherwise it is almost all does and fawns. I THINK I’ve seen a fork with them a couple of times.

    The other side yard is a mix. Sometimes does. Sometimes does and fawns. Sometimes bucks. Sometimes all genders. I’ve seen a huge 9 point and a huge 8 point on different days. Plus some 5, 7 and smaller 8 point bucks, a fork and some spikes that have moved through there. I’ve seen them out in my front lawn down by the street 100yds away. No idea if they feed through the side yard with the meadow or the other side yard.

    The area is a feeder from the state park maybe 3/4 a mile away. Whole valley (200yds wide) is woods maybe 600yds long. A LOT of deer move through their filtering in and out of the neighborhood.

    Generally it is about once every 2 weeks I’ll see bucks. Does and fawns I see almost every day and usually several and usually more than once in a day. That doesn’t count all of the ones I am not seeing. I finally put up a trail cam on modal evening. I am going to pull the card in a week or so and then turn it to point in to the meadow. Right now it’s at the edge pointing towards my shed/house. I’d imagine it caught the doe I shot this morning as it walked right by the trail cam and couldn’t have been 10yds away from it when I shot it.

    I have a ground blind right next to the trail cam and of course shot the doe from my garage window instead. I spread a bit of corn in the meadow the last two nights and some of the deer are eating it. Maybe 4lbs of corn each time (I use a laundry detergent container with the bottom cut off as a scoop for the deer corn and also chicken pellets). Also a mineral salt lick in the middle of the field. First time I saw a deer actually use it was last night. They’ve mostly been waking right by it since I or it out last week.

    The side yard where the big bucks have been moving through is off limits to hunting. I’ve only talked to two neighbors about hunting and they are fine with it (one encouraged me to shoot every animal I can find, she hates animals. Other one doesn’t mind hunting and hates the deer eating all her stuff. I have permission to hunt her 4.4 acres, not just retrieve). Fortunately those two are the ones closest to my little meadow.

    The other neighbors over there I’d need to talk to probably 5 neighbors and one of them I am pretty sure wouldn’t be okay with me if a deer dropped dead on their property. It also happens to be the neighbor who’s daughter is good friends with my 7yr old daughter. So I don’t want to mess that up either by having a deer run on to their property or ask permission.

    So I’ll keep all my hunting to the other side or down deep in the woods where it is likely to stay on my property, go on to the property of the neighbors I’ve talked to or at worst manages to make it across the creek to the property where the two neighbors have a deer stand hung right between their property lines...that’ll probably be an easy ask to retrieve (most of the creek bank is 4-7ft high and 30-40ft side. so if the deer doesn’t run to a ford, it probably isn’t jumping back out of the creek after taking an arrow).
    My 3 acres property is a funnel between a natural environmental area and large farm lands, I'm actually surprised that deer bother coming to my feeder since they can walk 500 yards to a corn field. The area is filled with 3-5 acres properties so the deer are used to human sounds and scents. Since you are on 4.4 acres, was scent control an issue because the deer are more alert? I assume that because deer in the area are used to human scent and smell, they are not as alert to it. But is it the opposite? That they are MORE alert because they can tell minor disturbance better?
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    My 3 acres property is a funnel between a natural environmental area and large farm lands, I'm actually surprised that deer bother coming to my feeder since they can walk 500 yards to a corn field. The area is filled with 3-5 acres properties so the deer are used to human sounds and scents. Since you are on 4.4 acres, was scent control an issue because the deer are more alert? I assume that because deer in the area are used to human scent and smell, they are not as alert to it. But is it the opposite? That they are MORE alert because they can tell minor disturbance better?

    Smells don’t seem to alert them at all. Now I can’t say I’ve sat in a blind 5yds away, but for instance the doe I shot walked within 7yds of my garage window before walking away feeding naturally. Plenty of other times they’ll be 10yds from my back slider with the door open and screen closed while the whole family is inside taking and eating.

    When they can hear us they are way more skittish. When I move further from the house they DO seem more skittish with smells. Less than when I go to state lands to hunt, but more so than when they are close to the house. I think it’s largely that as they get close to it, they are smelling all of that stuff anyway and my scent doesn’t stand out. 100yds away from the house though and they scent me 20yds from them and they get nervous.

    I haven’t seen them run when they’ve caught my scent.

    Deer are lazy and it’s also easier to eat a pile of corn than it is to try to naw it off a cob. I’ll start putting out piles again late October probably. I figure they’ll get the news by the time I want to be hunting them again. Even if I get one in early ML I still want to try to get one of those bigger bucks and late October and November when their bachelor groups have all broken up and they are chasing tail seems like my best shot to get one of them to wander in.

    Also WT deer prefer staying near woodland edges. They aren’t as much deep forest or open fields animals. Deep forest has less food for them and open fields leaves them more exposed. Plus deer are always eating. Either it’s putting new food in their stomachs or it’s chewing their ruminant. They typically eat mostly in the morning and evening and they’ll typically eat some mid day also. They chew their ruminant after breakfast until a light lunch, after that lunch and then after dinner.

    Deer can of course change their pattern and what not, but typically they are most active around an hour before dawn till about an hour after dawn and about 2hrs before sunset till about an hour after sunset. Other periods of increased activity are close to midday and sometimes late at night if there is a lot of moonlight or their daytime activities are getting disturbed.

    PS a bad time to leave the stand is for lunch. I see plenty of deer on the hoof between 11 and 1. Admittedly few between 2 and 4 (I am taking about summer and early bow).
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    Processing yourself is rewarding but makes other hobbies also. We built a deer cooler and I have smokehouse and now I want to rebuild the firebox to make a wood fired oven over top of it.

    We should have a wild game recipe thread. I've tried a lot of bologna recipes and found I do not like a lot of them, or wouldn't post them on the internet!
     

    BigCountry14

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    1,669
    Processing yourself is rewarding but makes other hobbies also. We built a deer cooler and I have smokehouse and now I want to rebuild the firebox to make a wood fired oven over top of it.

    We should have a wild game recipe thread. I've tried a lot of bologna recipes and found I do not like a lot of them, or wouldn't post them on the internet!
    I've been experimenting with sausages and snack sticks. I seem to struggle to get consistent flavor in whatever I make. It's good enough that I eat it, but I havent got to the point I'm ready to share it, ha. I just made 4 pounds of elk snack sticks this week, I am hoping the flavor is more consistent in this batch.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     

    Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    Bow season opens Sunday where I hunt. Never got one yet with my compound bow but I think I have the spot picked where I can do it. The hot weather here may delay that though.
     

    Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    Lol.

    Not a chance. Pretty sure there are only a couple of guys who hunt in the neighborhood plus me. I count >>>20 different deer coming through my property not counting what’s coming through theirs.

    My plan is to try to get one of the bigger bucks I’ve seen. Otherwise the rest of my hunting this year will be public land unless I get in to later December or January and didn’t connect on public land. Or one of my friends/neighbor wants one, but everyone I know who might either has gotten one already or they swear up and down they’ll be hunting this season.

    Well I guess the caveat if my family eats more venison. The boys often love it and one is hitting adolescence. Last couple of years we’ve been so busy I haven’t cooked much compared to normal. My wife will only cook with ground (any further deer I am getting back straps and grind the rest). Got maybe 20lbs from my 5-pt from last year still. I am hoping to eat through it fast now that I have two coming from the game processor soon and I am pretty confident I can get one or two more if I set my mind to it (and I’ve got 3 days of early ML I am for sure hunting on public land. Going to try to de eastern shore for the late gun season. Might try a little late ML season hunting also).

    So this could end up being a year of 4 or 5 deer.

    Anyway, after 3 unless the 3rd is small or we start really hitting the venison hard, I am done hunting unless I find a friend who wants a deer and doesn’t mind paying the butcher.

    The lady who cuts my hair (near military cuts) likes the deer steaks I gave her this summer. She said she also makes chili from the other cuts I gave her. I told her to tell her husband that I would show him how to hunt. She said he went on one hunt and it didn't go well.
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    Big country, try this one I found. If you like hot go for the Original. The light was still way too hot for the wife and daughter. Deer Pepperoni

    The problem is most people I find posting recipes online aren't posting very good recipes! I have struggled with bologna and finding good ones. Sausages are pretty easy and good. Trying to improve my hot dogs right now.
     

    BigCountry14

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    1,669
    Big country, try this one I found. If you like hot go for the Original. The light was still way too hot for the wife and daughter. Deer Pepperoni

    The problem is most people I find posting recipes online aren't posting very good recipes! I have struggled with bologna and finding good ones. Sausages are pretty easy and good. Trying to improve my hot dogs right now.
    Thanks man, I'll take a look.

    The first time I made summer sausage, I nailed the consistency of the meat. Perfect feel to it, filled out the casing right, but the flavor was a mess. Half of it tasted great, half of it was awful, like I didnt get the spice mixed. This passed attempt, the flavor was great throughout, but the meat itself dried out a bit, and the sticks shrunk in the casing.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    What are you cooking in and are you using a probe for Internal temperature? I use my smokehouse to cook stuff in and start low and slow and cook all day. I have since changed to only cooking to 145 IT and never getting over 175 in the smokehouse. It takes all day cooking but it stays moist. If you are getting over 180 you can get fatting out the SS and making it dry. I've done that before through lack of patience.
     

    wilcam47

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 4, 2008
    25,976
    Changed zip code
    Maryland they want you to kill as many as you can. Limit is 15 antlerless per weapon season if I remember correctly? It’s at least 10.

    I live in a neighborhood of 1-7 acre properties with most on the medium side of that. Near a state park. A few bigger farms by the state park. By my count I’ve got around 40-50 different deer that are coming by/through my property over the course of a week. I’ve ID’d at least ~20 or so I know are unique.

    At least as far as I am aware it’s me and 2 other guys who hunt in our neighborhood on 5-7 acre properties.

    It’s a little overrun with them.

    But I would have rather taken a bigger one. I also like adding something to the freezer early on. Then I get pickier. I’ll admit, I haven’t been hunting too long (5 season for me) and just move to this property in May. So a little confidence building is good for me. Plus never neck shot a deer and I’ll admit to a little bit of trial and error and didn’t want to try that on a bigger deer first. Not sure I would again unless I had zero other options. Not if it was on the hoof and might string jump or move. At least not with a bow. It was humane enough, but I can also see where it could more easily go wrong.

    Plus tender venison. Can’t complain too much on that. Though I’d prefer a yearling. A lot more meat, still pretty darned tender.
    I was just picking on you...My wife shot a yearling doe...probably just lost its spots. Boy was it tender! Made good stew!

    3bdbdd1883b3e22344dd128667e1e084.jpg

    My son got his first archery harvest last night. Stupid coyote scared two off my stand at 60 yards out. One of them was a nice one.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thats awesome! congrats!

    I mean, doesn’t everyone (except for Outrider. If he can’t put a harness on it to plow his fields it isn’t big enough to be worth shooting)?

    Congrats to your son! A fine deer. My older one was out with me tracking down the fawn on Saturday (not like I didn’t know where it went, but I figured a good exercise for him). Younger two were at friend’s houses. This morning my older one got on the bus right after I shot a doe and the middle one helped me track it (he is REALLY good at it! I am taking him on all my hunts from now on) and the younger one came out to see the deer a little later.

    First time they’ve all seen a dead deer. Especially blood trails and what not. Handled it better then I sort of expected them to. None wanted to stick around for field dressing, but that’s fine. Only my 5th season hunting and the kids are 11, 9 and 7. The middle one is obsessed with deer.

    Doe was further in my meadow out of range, went up in to my front wood and I saw her circle around past my garage and down my hill from a window so I ran back out in to the garage. 23yds from the garage window to where she was hit. A couple inches lower than I thought I was aiming, but perfect heart shot. Still managed about 100yds flat out running in to the woods. Arrow broke ribs and lodged in the muscle of the opposite shoulder. Very slight quartering away angle. Broke the arrow head running. Must have brushed a tree (she also broke the leg she had hunched up running).

    I lost sight of her so I waited 45 minutes and found her right where I had lost sight of her. Must have collapsed instead have stopped and fallen.

    No spots this time even if she isn’t enormous, maybe a yearling or 2 1/2yr old. I’d guess 90-100lbs live weight. Wasn’t the smallest deer in the cooler when I dropped her at the butcher this time :-P
    nice deer prob a 2.5 yr old at 100lbs...They are good eating also.
     

    Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    A friend on my sent me this today while driving in Centreville. The peace it bring to my soul knowing that something this majestic is running around in nature barely outweighs my desire to have it mounted on my wall.....BARELY!!!! Man the rack is nice too.
     
    Last edited:

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678

    Huuman

    Active Member
    Jul 20, 2019
    151
    Sorry. Here it is. He's perfect.
     

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    BigCountry14

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    1,669
    Sorry. Here it is. He's perfect.
    This pictures been out there a while, like two years. Theres been stories it's from the eastern shore, but it's also shown up on every western hunting group I'm in on facebook too.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
     

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