Venison for Christmas Dinner

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Venison for Christmas Dinner
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Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 3:22 pm Post subject: Venison for Christmas Dinner

Thought you would like to see the result of this morning's hunt. Sean got here just as it was getting light. Dropped this 8 point buck with one shot from a black powder rifle. It was his brother's gun, and he died last year so a few tears were shed.

And it is snowing at the moment.

While Sean does deal with smaller deer he's taking this one to a butcher. We'll be given back strap and a roast, all nicely wrapped and flash frozen. Guess what we'll be having for Christmas dinner.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 4:46 pm Post subject:
that will be a nice choice for christmas dinner. I've bought venison a bit lately as there is a local company that manage local herds on the moor, and deliver venison to the door. I reckon one of the more ethical meats to eat - definitely grass fed, no transportation to slaugherhouse etc. and lean and good for you too.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 5:27 pm Post subject:
I should ask our butcher. They quite often have it diced for stewing and sometimes make sausages but I can't remember them having joints in.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 6:04 pm Post subject:

Nicky Color It green, definitely agree that this deer is organic, free range, locavore. However our white tail deer are browsers more than grazers - they eat small branches off shrubs, young trees, ornamentals I used to try and grow - tulips are eaten but not daffodils for example. And bucks in velvet will thrash small trees until the bark is striped as they try to remove the presumably itchy velvet.

It is illegal to sell wild game anywhere in the United States. Perhaps there is someone "ranching" deer for anything other than a canned hunt. I do know of someone ranching buffalo - actually not terribly far from me here in New Jersey. They need to use telephone pole size posts for the fencing. The meat - generally offered as ground - is for sale in local supermarket.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 8:12 pm Post subject:

Jam Lady wrote:

However our white tail deer are browsers more than grazers - they eat small branches off shrubs, young trees, ornamentals I used to try and grow - tulips are eaten but not daffodils for example. And bucks in velvet will thrash small trees until the bark is striped as they try to remove the presumably itchy velvet.

grazing or browsing, the point is not meat raised on soy protein grown via deforestation etc. Better meat for the environment

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 21 10:59 pm Post subject:
Last Christmas I made individual Wellingtons with venison fillet, black pudding and pate, they were jolly good!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46193
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 8:23 am Post subject:
bambi is delicious, i prefer marinaded to hung and eating the "extra" ones is good landscape management in many places sitka buccan jerky, wind and sun dried over a cold smoking fire is rather nice buck cooked like bear is rich and luxurious for a feast

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15951

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 8:41 am Post subject:

I bought some diced venison at the farm shop yesterday. As far as I know it is from culling as there is no problem with selling culled deer in the UK, as long as every one is registered. They sometimes sells venison joints too.

I also had one once that came from the local country park. A dog savaged a deer, and the poor thing was killed, so one of the rangers butchered it and they shared the proceeds. Our son was working there at the time, so that was his share.

An odd point, but did you know that any butcher selling sausages has to have a license to sell game, as any meat can go into sausages, and it is a good way of hiding illegal game?

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 9:21 am Post subject:

Jam Lady wrote:

It is illegal to sell wild game anywhere in the United States.

Why is that JL?

Venison has to be my favourite meat. Unfortunately there is not much to be found around these here parts. I'm guessing it would be a special order from the butchers.

Hello 12Bore, long time no see. Are you well?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46193
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 11:38 am Post subject:

a quick search for game dealers at this time of year might introduce bambi to the world of fine dining

iirc the uk game legalities are rather historic and nuanced, re shop sales a game licence is no great burden on a butcher or fishmonger(due dilgence regarding suppliers is sort of required and bambi with bite marks or an arrow track etc is still naughty under norman law*)

availability from a good butchers is usually down to demand, ask, and they may supply or know who might

*i recon i could get a kind kill with bow and or saluki/s, i think it is the potentials of stealth skills and "i caught it, so it is mine" bit our norman overlords find scary

rather than "tu mange mon bambi" or "protecting the environment"

many "wild" uk deer populations are legacy from the lord's managed game hunting parks
by park i might mean a designated royal hunting estate half the size of new jersey, or a fair chunk of scotland, or an enclosed ornamental park perhaps with some captive "hunts", sometime just ornamental exotic wildlife in the "garden" whose deer might jump out and rather like the call of the wild

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 12:07 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

bambi is delicious, i prefer marinaded to hung and eating the "extra" ones is good landscape management in many places

I initially thought I didn't like venison, but it turns out I don't like over hung meat. The company I use are producing meat as a result of herd management and the meat is delicious.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 5:13 pm Post subject:

From a USDA site: Wild game species that can be legally hunted under federal or state regulatory authority, cannot be sold, but can be harvested for personal consumption."

In the past there was severe hunting pressure on deer and other wildlife. The meat was sold in markets. Passenger pigeons became extinct. Turkeys were practically eliminated in regions, white tail deer likewise. Federal laws were passed to eliminate the selling of wild game.

It is legal to give the meat away, to donate to food pantries. Hunting clubs skirt the law by having wild game dinners, not charging but instead asking for donations at the door.

Dpack, wouldn't deer hunting with saluki be forbidden under the UK hunting with dogs restrictions?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46193
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 9:08 pm Post subject:

yep, and so is bow hunting. i dont but i know how to.
i prefer that they get dropped by a sniper and never notice getting dead

historically deer belonged to the king and the big aristos got to share them if they were in favour

taking a deer was a capital crime until the 19th C and even then you could get jailed/deported to the colonies, shot or mangled in a man trap even for a rabbit let alone a deer

the landowners permission is still required as is a licenced firearm and safety agreements as to what shots can be taken are(usually)quite well done and stuck to

rather than a royal treat and badge of power they are a bit of a pest in some places nowadays and even woodsfolk and farmers can cull them and sell or eat them if it is done inside the basic rules

a few folk have tried farming them, with limited success

the USA's eat what you take and no sales does make sense considering how overhunting is never sensible
you stopped while you still had bears and beavers and many other things, most of our stuff like that had gone before the tudors took power
we had nearly wiped out the seals before they got protected, ditto birds that "look nice"on a hat etc

the uk has a blacker pot than the us kettle when it gets to over hunting and habitat destruction, i spose we are a bit ahead on the timeline and have almost no "natural" landscapes

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 21 10:22 pm Post subject:
There are plenty of game ranches where people can source farmed venison, elk, etc, but I think it's relatively uncommon/specialty.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 21 8:22 am Post subject:
Thanks for posting that JL. I live in my own little world and forget about people's avarice.

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