|
Post by smsmith on Aug 31, 2022 18:04:42 GMT -6
Mowed the trails that I can access with the rider today. Plan to hit the Billy Goat sections tomorrow, then stay the hell out of the woods until either I shoot a buck or firearm season is done. I am going to miss spending time out there. Buckthorn "season" is only a few months away now... I have been staying out for 2-3 weeks. One time I drove outback to check the apple trees back there. I leave the pickup on and the radio blaring when I go there. I suppose ideally a guy should just own acreage and show up to hunt (smart) a few times a year. This place is essentially my hobby. If I can continue to shoot occasional 140" or better bucks and continue to enjoy the place as I do, then I'll be happy.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Aug 31, 2022 18:38:09 GMT -6
I have been staying out for 2-3 weeks. One time I drove outback to check the apple trees back there. I leave the pickup on and the radio blaring when I go there. I suppose ideally a guy should just own acreage and show up to hunt (smart) a few times a year. This place is essentially my hobby. If I can continue to shoot occasional 140" or better bucks and continue to enjoy the place as I do, then I'll be happy. It gets to be a struggle for me to stay out, but this is the time of year when there are apples and garden vegetables to take care of. That keeps me busy, plus going fishing a day or so a week. And repairs on the old buildings on this farm.
|
|
|
Post by smsmith on Aug 31, 2022 18:52:58 GMT -6
I suppose ideally a guy should just own acreage and show up to hunt (smart) a few times a year. This place is essentially my hobby. If I can continue to shoot occasional 140" or better bucks and continue to enjoy the place as I do, then I'll be happy. It gets to be a struggle for me to stay out, but this is the time of year when there are apples and garden vegetables to take care of. That keeps me busy, plus going fishing a day or so a week. And repairs on the old buildings on this farm. I could fool around and make some cider this year. Not sure if I will or not at this point. Since we fished a bunch last week, the wife now thinks we should be fishing around here until freeze up. We went past Long Lake near Burtrum not long ago. It was like glass. It would probably be a fun evening to be out there.
|
|
|
Post by benmnwi on Sept 1, 2022 11:17:44 GMT -6
Mowed the trails that I can access with the rider today. Plan to hit the Billy Goat sections tomorrow, then stay the hell out of the woods until either I shoot a buck or firearm season is done. I am going to miss spending time out there. Buckthorn "season" is only a few months away now... It sounds odd, but I've grown to look forward to the end of deer seasons and the start of buckthorn season. I'm usually tired of deer hunting by that point and it feels good to get the chain saw out. It is debatable if that work makes the deer hunting any better, but the brushpiles definitely improves the small game hunting.
|
|
|
Post by smsmith on Sept 3, 2022 11:38:27 GMT -6
It sure is more pleasant running the billygoat when it's in the upper 60s than when it's in the 80s-90s
|
|
|
Post by smsmith on Sept 6, 2022 14:20:59 GMT -6
Yep, I should have waited a couple more days to start up the billygoat again. Today was much less pleasant than last week when it was in the 60s.
One more stretch of probably an hour - 90 minutes and I'll be done for the year.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Sept 12, 2022 13:51:47 GMT -6
They are starting to get use.
|
|
|
Post by Bwoods11 on Oct 18, 2022 9:03:54 GMT -6
My friends and I went to Missouri in August . Our goal was to hang stands and trim shooting lanes. We investigated a small 3 acre block of timber on his lease, that doesn’t look like much. Until we looked closer at the possibility.
Tall grass, and really brushy ground that borders a neighbor with prime habitat and (Iowa) is across the road … so …we decided to chainsaw an obvious trail from the minimum maintenance road to a stand, and then a fence line which leads to his main bedding area.
Again the plan was encourage them to go back and forth during the rut and maybe even isolate some does here.
We made trails with my friends Bobcat/bush mower. Definitely manicured. Sure enough the bucks are using it .
|
|
|
Post by honker on Oct 18, 2022 10:43:59 GMT -6
My friends and I went to Missouri in August . Our goal was to hang stands and trim shooting lanes. We investigated a small 3 acre block of timber on his lease, that doesn’t look like much. Until we looked closer at the possibility. Tall grass, and really brushy ground that borders a neighbor with prime habitat and (Iowa) is across the road … so …we decided to chainsaw an obvious trail from the minimum maintenance road to a stand, and then a fence line which leads to his main bedding area. Again the plan was encourage them to go back and forth during the rut and maybe even isolate some does here. We made trails with my friends Bobcat/bush mower. Definitely manicured. Sure enough the bucks are using it . Would you want to take a stick or bramble in the eye with every other step? I would think as long as cover is a leap away they would take the path of least resistance. Make it a football field and I’m sure it’s a different story.
|
|
|
Post by smsmith on Oct 20, 2022 14:03:44 GMT -6
Mowed some trails today. I figured since it is drier than a popcorn fart, I may as well mow the leaves into dust now instead of waiting for a dry spell in spring. I also mowed my smaller orchard for the same reason. I figured I'd have to mow around a bunch of dropped apples from a couple trees...nope. Deer had them all cleaned up. I wonder if venison can taste like apples?
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Oct 20, 2022 14:47:55 GMT -6
Mowed some trails today. I figured since it is drier than a popcorn fart, I may as well mow the leaves into dust now instead of waiting for a dry spell in spring. I also mowed my smaller orchard for the same reason. I figured I'd have to mow around a bunch of dropped apples from a couple trees...nope. Deer had them all cleaned up. I wonder if venison can taste like apples? I have about ten apples on the ground by my home orchard. Four days ago there were hundreds. I had stripped three trees, thrown the apples out of the cage, and mowed around the trees. One was eating out there at 10:30 this morning,
|
|
|
Post by Bwoods11 on Oct 20, 2022 18:46:42 GMT -6
I don’t know if you can have apple flavored venison? But I do know the Iowa deer we have shot are more tender and tasty than Minnesota.
Not sure why as both come from corn/soybean and alfalfa areas.. with acorns and some apples.??
|
|
|
Post by smsmith on Oct 20, 2022 18:58:12 GMT -6
I don’t know if you can have apple flavored venison? But I do know the Iowa deer we have shot are more tender and tasty than Minnesota. Not sure why as both come from corn/soybean and alfalfa areas.. with acorns and some apples.?? My understanding is that since venison has no intramuscular fat and the external tallow is removed, the muscles' (meat) flavor is not impacted by a deer's diet. I've read about pigs fattened on acorns developing a "nutty" taste when processed, but that is due to the fat...not the muscle. The backstraps off the buck I shot last year were just as good as a doe's from southern WI. When you start comparing muscle groups that get more exercise, then an old buck would be tougher than a young deer. Everything I've read about "bad" or off tasting venison indicates the fault almost always lies with the hunter/processor/cook.
|
|
|
Post by biglakebass on Oct 20, 2022 19:04:36 GMT -6
1000% agree on the care and handling affecting taste!
I love hearing swamp bucks are awful.... even when shot in an ag area... somehow old raggity bucks become swamp bucks therefore awful.
We have shot deer of all ages and sizes.
1. Sausage is sausage! 2. Never ever had a bad tenderloin or backstrap 3. Roasts in a crock are all the same.
I dont keep any steak cuts on any deer.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Oct 21, 2022 4:31:56 GMT -6
Just some observations on my part.
My family eats lots of venison. It is the majority of the red meat we eat each year. We have not made sausage or had it made in decades, although we gave one adult buck last year to my wife’s uncle who makes great sausage.
We prefer young deer for the table. 1.5 year old died or bucks from here in ag country or up in the woods taste fine. Most of the northwoods venison has been 1.5 year old bucks. Fawns(6months old) are great on the grill and if we have plenty of deer, we try and shoot one every year.
Old bucks during the rut are a crap shoot. Some are fine and a few just stink regardless of the kill, processing, or care.
My wife shot an old doe last fall in farm country that was probably dry for years. I have never seen a doe that fat. We put most of her into hamburger and mixed with other venison. That burger does have a peculiar odor and it is not the rutted up buck smell. I feel that doe was so old that she had a metabolic problem. My wife made a quick clean kill and we handled the meat properly.
All in all, I would say shoot a 1.5 year old for quality venison and a fawn for a real treat. You pick the sex and it doesn’t really matter at that age as far as flavor.
|
|