The deer
So by popular request, here’s a picture of the deer. Because dead deer are not so nice to look at as live ones, it’ll be below the fold. Above the fold, I’ll put this picture of the alley where I dropped her.
Now imagine that in ten inches of snow. The brush you see to the left is mostly briar and multiflora rose. The wood stand you see to the right is not mine. Mine is to the left, in the shot, but, of course, you can’t SEE it, which would be the POINT.
Still. Part of my problem earlier was being too preoccupied with other things, and as I have an attention span even shorter than the norm, I was fidgety and tended to get out of the stand and wander off.
This time, I was not preoccupied, and had brought an old friend, to keep me company: Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. This book never fails to involve me, and is what I like to call “artificial patience for the short attention span”. Last year, I read something also very entertaining, a yet unpublished work by Fran Porretto. If you aren’t reading his fiction, or haven’t read it, you should be. It’s very good. It helped me get a deer last year. Anyway, here’s my deer.
The neck fur is a bit ruffed because I was hanging it upright (I usually prefer to hang upside down, but I wanted to make sure I could keep the chest open and clean)the ruffed spot on the back is the entry wound.
A nice fat doe. I’m going to the garage in a few minutes to start to skin it and process it, which I’ve never done before, so wish me luck!
UPDATE: Having finished most of the deer, I’m taking a break while my back heals. I now understand why butcher’s tables are so high- I’m working on a folding banquet table which is too short, and it’s killing me. I may not have gleaned every ounce of meat off the carcase, but I got most of it.And less burger, as even neck meat I’d prefer to make into stews and kebabs than grind into burger. I’ll get better as I go, at least I know what I am up against for next time. Total about three hours with a break to go borrow a meat grinder.
Congratulations on the kill.
Once you’re done, I’m interested in hearing how many pounds of meat you get off the deer. Do you have any plans for the skin?
Your suggestion to read is tempting, but I’ll bet you get as absorbed as I do. It would take a bomb to tear me away. Did you look up to check for deer at the end of every page or 2, or did a noise alert you to the presence of the deer?
Good luck. I’d never have the nerve to butcher a whole deer my first time out.
M
I have this skin rolled and will freeze it to try to tan it in the spring. I still haven’t done the hide from LAST year. I want to make a rifle case from the hide.
I got, I think, about fifty pounds of meat off an approximately 106 lb animal
Good going, Og! As you now know, butchering isn’t really that complicated. I’m with you–I grind as little as possible. The smaller pieces are always good for stew meat or, better yet, what the kids named “Bambi nuggets” (thumb-or-so-sized bits of venison, breaded & deep-fried).
I took mine to a processing plant and made them butcher my Buck for me. Killing and field dressing that bastard was enough!
About half the body weight, then? (takes a note) Thanks.
Nice deer congratulations.
Keep a good work man!