An annual report on the status of white-tailed deer, the foundation of the hunting industry in North America.  Presented by Remington.

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Field & Stream – October 2009

Rut Myths Debunked

By: Scott Bestful

ONGOING RESEARCH HEADED by Texas A & M University on the state’s legendary King Ranch is kicking some widely held beliefs about the breeding behavior of bucks to the trailside. 

The study, which began in 2000, is designed to assess the percentage of fawns sired by dominant bucks on the 825,000-acre ranch.  Using DNA sampling techniques to match captured bucks and the fawns they sired, biologists were able to trace the paternity (as well as estimated conception dates) of 70 litters of fawns.  The results so far appear to refute several common myths about rutting whitetails.  They may even cause you to alter your hunting tactics this season.

Myth 1  During the rut, monster bucks run willy-nilly across the landscape chasing does.  There is no way to pattern them.

            While this is true of some bucks, it doesn’t hold for all of them.  Yes, some bucks are ruled by their libidos now.  But not all.

            In fact, some truly monstrous bucks are complete no-shows during the rut.  “There’s a big variation in how actively even a mature buck participates in the rut,” says King Ranch biologist Mickey Hellickson.  “We had 7- and 8-year-old bucks that only bred hard for one season, and some bucks didn’t seem to get into breeding at all.  We don’s know if that’s dominance related, a personality thing {some giant whitetails are shy and reclusive}, or what.  But we’ve learned it’s impossible to predict the breeders.”

CONCLUSTION:  Some bucks will range widely looking for hot does, but many big ones (even those that participate in breeding) never leave their home range during the rut.  Killing these homebodies boils down to learning all you can about deer movement where you hunt.

Myth 2  Big bucks are vulnerable only during the peak of the rut.

One of the biggest surprises of the study was that immature bucks (1 ½ and 2 ½ -year-olds) sired 35 percent of the fawns-which blows away the notion that whitetail breeding is totally dominance-based.  Interestingly, mature bucks did monopolize does at some point of the season.  “Tracing conception dates showed that virtually all the fawns sired my immature bucks came from the absolute peak of the rut,”  Hellickson says.  “Conversely, fawns sired by mature bucks were conceived at a variety of dates before, during and beyond the rut peak.” 

“We believe this means mature bucks keep breeding longer than younger deer.  This matches up to a rattling study I did several years back; the weeks following peak rut were the best times to rattle in a big buck.  Immature deer just didn’t respond.  In fact, we see them re-forming bachelor groups within three weeks of the peak rut.”

CONCLUSION:  When the peak of the rut has passed and you haven’t tagged a big one, don’t despair.  If anything, big bucks will be more vulnerable in the days and weeks to come.

Myth 3  Preserving mature bucks will allow them to bread more does and improve the overall genetics of the local deer herd.

            This is highly improbable, according to Hellickson, “It’s true that mature bucks in the study did the majority of breeding, but remember that the King Ranch is intensively managed.  Up to 30 percent of the bucks here are at least 5 ½ years old, and we shoot bunches of does.  Even then, immature bucks did plenty of breeding.  Most wild populations will have fewer mature bucks and be less balanced.”  Hellickson also notes that even the most mature, aggressive breeder can tend only a handful of does each fall.

CONCLUSION:  If you have the luxury of managing property and want to see a certain buck reach another age class, then don’t shoot him.  Just understand that in all likelihood the genetics of the herd won’t be affected one way or the other by your decision.

He grew up in the Sacramento Range on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico.  Daily, he had a view of the Sierra Blanca, the signature 12,000 foot peak of these un-farmed, un-fenced, and un-tamed mountains.  He had 500,000 acres to roam, and eventually to rule.  When he died on Thursday, September 21 2006, he was protecting a harem of eight.  I feel confident that his genetic imprint will have a positive and lasting effect on the Mescalero herd. 

The reason that I was hunting the Mescalero was simple—it was the best place that I knew of to take a big, mature bull elk.  I had hunted elk successfully several times before the fall of 2005, but had never killed a really large bull.  Hunting in Wyoming on a draw permit in 2005, I had seen a monster.  He eluded me, but I caught a bad case of big elk fever during that hunt.  Consequently, when I got home from Wyoming, I did some research and ended up booking at the Mescalero, knowing that it would be the best medicine for that fever.  I was right. 

Wednesday was incredible.  We were into elk from the first moment of the hunt.  We hit the rut just perfectly.  No moon also helped.  The bulls were active in the morning and in the evening, as well.  I passed two very good 6x6, 300 + class bulls in the first hour of the hunt.  One was stepping out of a small pond at 40 yards, bugling and grunting at another bull that was coming to challenge him.  Unbelievable action.  The afternoon saw another, bigger bull come to Christie Lopaz’s cow calls to within 25 yards.  (Christie was my Apache guide.)  As he bugled in our face, I practically begged Christie to let me shoot him.  He insisted that I hold off, it was early and there were even bigger bulls known to live on the Mescalero.  As a side note, when I met Christie on Tuesday night at the Mescalero orientation, he told me that he had one very important rule for his hunters:  Don’t shoot until he gives the OK.  As it turned out, I was glad that he stopped me.  When the day ended, I knew how blessed I was to have this opportunity.  Looking forward to the next morning, I also knew that my arthritic hip was holding up well, and that gave me great confidence.  The hunting was all up and down, in steep and rugged country.  However, the ground was firm and sure, nothing like the other-worldly crags of the Wrangell’s of Alaska, where every slope is made more dangerous by the wretched footing created by the numerous shale slides. 

Thursday morning was not at all like Wednesday.  The wind was blowing at about 30 mph and the bugling had dried up.  Either that, or we just couldn’t hear any because of the wind.  We had not heard the first bugle when Christie decided to go to a new area with some protection from the wind.  When we arrived at 7:45 a.m., we both heard a bull up the canyon to our north.  The wind was still blowing hard, but not the gale force that had greeted the dawn.  We had to hoof it up a pretty steep ridge to get around the bulls (at least two) and be in a position to see into the canyon.  Christie was in a hurry.  Thirty minutes later, soaked in sweat, we saw the first bull at 200 yards and he was a beauty, standing broadside, back shining in the sun, bugling and grunting as fast as he could breathe.  I really wanted to shoot him.  He was a heavy 5x6 with good tines and main beams.  Christie said no, let’s try to get a look at the other bull that was bugling lower in the canyon.  His grunts and groans were as coarse as sandpaper.  It didn’t take long, as it was pretty clear that the two warriors were fixing to fight over the eight cows that were with the still unseen bull below us.  The second bull finally came into view 75 yards away, on our side of the canyon, looking dominant, angry and majestic.  He actually took my breath away when he showed his right side. I instantly knew that he was the bull that drew me to the Mescalero.  The tines were so long that he didn’t look natural. 
 

There was no hesitation.  Christie asked, “Do you want him?”  I said “yes,” and he said “shoot him.”  I already had the gun on Christie’s shoulder (we were both sitting, he slightly in front of me to my left).  The only problem was that at that moment, his vitals were partially obscured by a small fir tree.  In less time than it takes to write this, I decided that the tree was close enough to the bull so as not to alter the flight of the bullet. I pulled the trigger, holding behind the shoulder.  He lunged forward, staggered for 17 yards, and tipped over.  It was a sight that is burned in my memory, those antlers shining and flashing in the sun as he fell to the ground.  He rolled just a bit, as it was a steep hill, and came to his final resting place behind a small pine.  I had the Jarrett on him, but he was done.  As we approached him, he kept looking better and better.  He truly was an extraordinary bull.  Big in the body, old, with points that were so long my immediate reaction was to trace my fingers along the length of each tine, astonished at their length.  To provide some idea, his first four points, starting with the brows, were 17, 21, 23 and 17 inches.  He was heavy, with a base circumference just under 10 inches. His main beams were also excellent.  His fifth points were small, but who cares! Man, what a bull! 

After we gutted him, we were able to slide him down almost to the bottom of the canyon.  I stayed with Long Tines while Christie went to get some help to load the 800 pound dream bull. Sitting next to my lifetime trophy, I thanked the Lord for the gift of this bull and this hunt.  I am truly blessed to live the Hunt Life and I know it.

Texas turkey hunting last spring was actually three different hunts.  Thursday afternoon on the Middleton Ranch near Christoval in Tom Green County was typical, albeit with a better result than most three hour hunts.  Mild weather and responsive birds led to a double on very nice, mature toms, one at 6:20 p.m. and another at 7:00 p.m. Lots of gobbling and strutting. A great start.

The second hunt was at the Finklea Ranch near Sonora in Sutton County.  Friday afternoon was pregnant with storm—you could feel it coming.  The game was shy and reticent.  They knew, and went about preparing for the night.  In the case of the wild turkeys, that meant searching out roosting sites that were lower elevation and protected.  When we woke on Saturday morning, the wind was howling and the rain was falling, temperature 33 degrees and dropping.  By 8 a.m., it was below freezing and the rain had turned to sleet.  By 9 a.m., the wind was steady at 20 + mph and the precipitation was a weird mix of hail and snow.  As I heard the hail bouncing off my rain parka’s hood, I made a rare decision.  I picked up the   decoys, stashed them under a cedar, and began the two mile walk back to camp.  I had not heard or seen a bird, and I was within 200 yards of one of the most reliable roost sites on the ranch, the Windmill Roost in the South Pasture.  They simply weren’t there.  It’s hard to describe the level of discomfort and futility.  Your friction calls are worthless.  Your mouth calls can’t be heard.  You have to periodically remove ice from the end of your muzzle. Your fingers are numb, unprotected by the feeble, warm weather gloves you routinely soak with sweat when you hunt in the Southeast.  So, you concede this one to the red gods and the turkeys and you leave.  Fortunately, I was picked up less than a mile into my walk.  All nine hunters had come in—no one killed a bird.  I can’t remember that ever happening on this ranch.  In the end, only three hunters took birds on the Finklea, an exceptionally poor success rate for this part of Texas, especially considering the experience level represented in camp.

The Saturday afternoon hunt was much the same as the morning hunt—nothing doing.  Waking on Easter Sunday morning, everything was covered with ice—the bump gates, the vehicles, even my decoy bags. It was 31 degrees, but no snow or wind. I decided to go lower into the Wallace Pasture, where some tall oaks could be used for roosting, somewhat less exposed than the Windmill Roost.  That decision was fortuitous.  I heard a bird gobbling up the draw, south and east of me at about 200 yards.  I figured fly down was around 7:20 a.m.  He answered both the Halloran pot call and the Cane Creek mouth call.  Then he got quiet, and my anticipation soared.  As much as you can know these things, I knew he was coming.  I was backed into a cedar, with ice crystals dripping off the branches, well hidden.  At 8 a.m., I heard some muted clucking behind me, to my left.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two hens approaching, staring down my decoys.  He was right behind them.  They were on high alert, expecting some sort of movement from the dekes, I think. Whatever the reason, it appeared to me that they were not going to walk in front of me and into my set, as well as my line of fire.  You just get a sense for these things and these moments.  You hope your sense/instinct is right and you react.  In this case, with the birds in the worst possible position for a shot from my left shoulder (impossible, actually), I decided to slide off my cushion (they could not see me through the cedar) and onto my butt, inching forward until I was laying flat on my back.  Still unseen, and with the cedar for cover, I rolled over onto my belly, poked the 10 gauge through the cedar, and shot Ice Boy at 38 yards, stone dead.  When I walked up to him, he had a sheen of ice on his tail—I had to crack the ice to spread his fan.  Truly an unusual turkey, taken in the most severe weather conditions of a long career spent chasing these noble birds.  With spurs needle sharp and over an inch long, Ice Boy goes down as one of my best turkeys ever, certainly one of the most satisfying. 

The third hunt found me back on the Middleton Ranch, an hour’s drive from the Finklea on Sunday afternoon.  I killed the last gobbler on my license at 6 p.m.  He was the lone strutter among three adult toms.   Those three gobblers were following 20 hens into my set up.  That is not a typo—20 (twenty) hens! My hunting amigos, Major Harding and his son Kyle, finished strong on the Middleton on Monday.  I was fortunate to be with Kyle when he killed his first bird of the season, a real stud with 1.25 inch spurs.  Major also killed a nice bird that morning.  He got a double in the afternoon, and Kyle killed another, as well.  A great end to a very rewarding hunt. 

Elk hunting takes your breath away and jacks up your adrenalin.  You get the chance to hunt these big beauties, scout like a madman, wait for the perfect shot, and drop your elk.  The world stops for a few moments and then the rush of realization pushes you towards your kill. 

You make your way to the glory spot, grinning ‘til your face hurts, and take in this spectacular animal. 

This huge, 600 to 1200 pound, spectacular animal. 

Your grin relaxes and the reality of the task now before you hits home.  You stare back up the steep hill you just scrambled down and even full of adrenalin, you know this is gonna be hard. 

Even when you have a tentative exit plan for you and your kill, the reality of moving an elk of several hundred pounds nearly always exceeds those plans. 

Many hunters have found that the most sensible way to handle moving a large game animal is by quartering the carcass and packing them out in the manageable portions of shoulders, hams, and loins.  Field quartering is less time-consuming than field dressing such a large animal and there is less chance of contaminating the meat.  Quartering also allows the meat to begin cooling off more quickly than if the carcass is brought out whole. 

The following steps show how to use this technique in the field. 

1. You can quarter your elk with the hide on if you will be able to get your meat processed quickly and the air temperature is under 40°, such as it might be during the winter hunting season.  If the weather is unseasonably warm, as it can be during some fall seasons, the hide should be removed before quartering.  The hide and the fat under it insulate the meat and slow the cooling process, which heightens the chances for meat spoilage.  Elk are too large to have the cooling effect of bags of ice in the chest cavity reach the hindquarters.
2. To skin the elk, lay it on one side and make a cut down the spine from the tail to the head.  Next, cut the hide from the muscle across and down the side until you reach the second joint on the legs.  Have one person pull the hide and another cut the connective tissues.  This takes skilful knife work – you don’t want to slice your helper.
3. Cut around each fore and hind leg, just below the joint.  Remove the hide.
4. Using a bone saw, cut through the bone below the second joint, leaving the major tendon intact on the rear leg.  Cut a slit between this tendon and the leg bone.  You will hang the rear quarter from this opening.
5. Next, lift the front leg away from the body and cut under the leg cutting close to the ribcage.  The shoulder is not attached by any joint, so once you cut up to the spine – carefully!  you don’t want to cut into the back loins – the shoulder will come off, ready to go in a game bag.
6. You are now ready to remove the back loin.  This is done just like when you dress out a deer.  The back loins lay on either side of the spine and look like long tubular muscles.  Cut across this muscle at the base of the neck.  Slide your knife blade next to the spine, cutting parallel to it down the spine.  Next, cut the loin from the ribcage and finally cut across the bottom of the loin to remove it.  The connective tissue on loins is easily stripped away, so you may want to test it with your fingers first to see if it will pull away with a minimum of cutting.  Drop the loin into a game bag for transport.
7. Removing the hindquarters is best done with a saw, going through the pelvic bone between the hindquarters first, and then sawing across the spine where the back loin meets the hindquarter.  The carcass is now split in half.  Your last cut will be to split the spine from the tail and back to where you first cut across the spine.  Using a saw is preferable so the meat can be moved more quickly.
8. Remove the rib and neck meat and pack in a separate game bag.
9. Flip the carcass over and repeat the steps until all the meat is removed and bagged.

Each time you quarter your elk, it will become easier.  And, you will keep your grin intact all the way to your truck.

Looking forward to the hunting season?  Love camping?  Hate what camping chow does to your guts after days of canned chili, canned pork 'n' beans, and mystery meat hot dogs?

Take a tip from a long-time hunting camp cook: Make your chow before you hit the road.  It's actually easy to do and more than worth the effort. 

The key is to plan ahead; then back your plan with solid prep work and foolproof storage.  

Your first step is to check with your hunting buddies to make sure what they won’t eat, can’t eat, or if they even care what there is to eat. Once you have a thumbs-up list of chow, you can start putting together your plan of attack. 

For a week-long hunting trip, figure on five meals. That's right, five.  

Tell your hunting buddies that one of them is responsible for the first night’s chow and another one has to cover the last night’s meal.  You’ll cover the rest of the evening meals.  Give them a few meal options, because if you’ve been doing the cooking most of the time, no one else is likely able to think of any meal beyond canned chili, pork ‘n’ beans, and mystery meat hot dogs.  If there is a decent eatery on the way out of the area you hunt, then head there for the last meal of the hunt, and let the “loser” of the week can pick up the tab.  Your group might be the type that makes the guy who bagged the “big one” spring for this last meal – it really doesn’t matter who does it, as long as there is an agreement that it will happen. 

Here’s a list of some quick and easy meals that can be pre-cooked and warmed up at the end of each day.  Use some combo-meals you already know how to cook to make this list easier.  Just be sure your meals include meat (protein) and potatoes, pasta, or beans (simple carbs).  

• spaghetti and meatballs
• chicken and noodles
• ham and navy beans
• boneless pork chops and scalloped potatoes
• meatloaf and home fries
• barbecued chicken and baked potatoes
• beef/pork sausage chili with red beans
• polish sausage with red beans and rice
• chicken/cheese enchilada casserole

Cook up enough for the bunch of you, plus one extra serving to make sure everyone’s outdoor appetite is satisfied. Undercook your food just a bit; that way, when you do the slow warm-up over a fire, everything will be perfectly cooked. 

Once your meals are cooked, they need to be cooled – FAST!  This helps retain moisture and stops the cooking process so you aren’t warming up mush later on.  Take the food out of the cooking pot or pan, transfer it to a chilled air-tight container, and throw it in the freezer.  Have everything ready: chilled container, space in the freezer, etc., so you can make the move from hot to chillin’ super fast.

Once the foods are thoroughly chilled – cold to the core, but not freezing yet – you parcel it into clean half-gallon milk cartons.  This is part of the planning process, cleaning and saving milk cartons. Open the carton tops all the way (one side should already be open - the milk-pouring side).  Fill with one meal to within 2 inches of the carton’s top.  Close the carton tightly, slap a piece of duct tape on the outside, write the name of the food on the tape with a Sharpie, and stick it back in the freezer.  Freeze each carton solid.

Identifying your food cartons is not mandatory.  Anonymous cartons of food can add some mystery to your camp meals. 

The frozen meal milk cartons pack tightly in a cooler and need almost no ice to be kept food-safe for 5 days.  For best results though, set the cooler in the shade with wool blankets over it. 

Pull out a frozen dinner at the end of each day, extracting the goodies from the cartons is simple (you do have a knife, don’t you?), drop the frozen food block into a cast iron Dutch oven or large aluminum stockpot, set it over the campfire, and wait for noses to start twitching. 

It takes about an hour for your meal to thaw and thoroughly warm up, but that’s usually just about enough time for everyone to get back to camp, gather around the fire, and share stories of the day.   

And if you want to be stuck with the job of camp cook forever, just add some biscuits or coffee can applesauce cake to each meal!

Whether you are an old hand at hunting or this is your first season in the woods, you should be as proud of your safety knowledge as you are of the 12-point buck hanging on your wall. 

Safety in hunting can be put in perfect perspective if you always remember that you are the hunter with the deadly force weapon.  The gun you carry into the field exists solely to kill game – big game. 

Basic hunting safety rules should fall into the mental realm of knowing not to stick your finger in a flame.  Common sense should be the guiding force at all times. 

Firearm safety rules are easy: 

• Every time you pick up a firearm – check to see if it is loaded.
• Always point your firearm in a safe direction – this will be the ground directly in front of you.  Do not rest the muzzle on your toe or foot.
• Do not put your finger in the trigger guard until you are ready to fire and keep the safety on until you are ready to fire.
• Unload your firearm when it not being used.  Store and transport your firearm and ammo separately.
• Use a 2-handed carry to control your muzzle position.
• Do not ride in a vehicle or on an ATV with a loaded firearm.
• Know your safe zone-of-fire – if in doubt, do not take the shot.
• Properly identify your target – use binoculars.  Never guess about a target.
• Know your gun – and its range (a .22 rimfire can travel over two ½ miles).
• Never climb a fence, tree, or ladder with a loaded firearm.  Never cross rough terrain (jumping creeks/ditches, etc.) with a loaded firearm.
• If your gun is dropped, or you fall, stop and disassemble your gun to check the barrel for obstructions from the breech end.  Do not look down the barrel from the muzzle end.

General hunting safety rules cover anything and everything that can happen in the woods while hunting, but basics include: 

• Wear hunter orange – always – no excuses.
• Control your emotions.  Learn restraint when you make a successful shot.  Give yourself enough time to remember and apply firearm safety rules before leaving your hunting spot to check your kill.
• Stop hunting when legal daylight ends.
• Check your gear for unwanted “extras” - like rattle snakes.
• Carry a flashlight, compass, and map.  Pack a first aid kit.
• Check weather conditions – dress accordingly.

Finally, one rule that, if not followed, can blow all the other rules away: 

• DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL or TAKE DRUGS THAT INHIBIT YOUR MOTOR SKILLS OR DECISION-MAKING ABILITIES WHILE USING A FIREARM.

Observing hunting safety ensures that you and your fellow hunters will continue to enjoy the hunting life for years to come. 

My first “bonding” with my new father-in-law happened one frigid February morning with a poke in my snoring ribs and a whispered “invite” to go scouting.  Not being born and bred in the South, I had to wonder if this was something like being taught to hunt the legendary skink.  The male members of my spouse’s family had proven to have a thigh-slapping sense of humor that thrived on goofing and spoofing. 

I got up, threw thermals on under winter clothes, and trudged out to the faded blue Bronco that rumbled like a snoring coonhound.  That would be my father-in-law’s description anyway.   

I had heard a lot about scouting in the past six months so had grabbed a small notepad with a little pencil in it, shoved my night-vision monocular in a jacket sleeve pocket, and reminded myself that my cell phone had a decent camera.  My father-in-law had a huge thermos of coffee and a topo map that looked like it had been used to, well, clean something.  We took off in the pre-dawn dark and sometime later came to a lurching stop at the edge of a stand of hardwoods. At a nod of my father-in-laws head, we rolled out of the Bronco and stood in the hard chill air.  The silence made my ears strain for sound – and then there was the spritz-wheeze of scent blocker.  I was handed a pair each of rubber boots and gloves. 

Then, my father-in-law tapped his map, pointed to the woods, and quietly headed towards them. 

My scouting lesson had started. 

As we moved through the woods, I was told that winter scouting told the story of deer movement from the past season and that, being creatures of habit and browsing feeders, they would likely follow the same trails used last Fall and would likely feed on the same growth in the same areas.  Apparently, the farmers in the area rotated crops, but deer seemed just as partial to corn as soybeans, so they used the same trails year after year to navigate to and from these fields. 

We noted scrapes, found bedding areas, and then walked to one of the family tree stands.  Climbing up, I used my nite-monoc to scan the area and could clearly see the shooting lanes that had been cut through the surrounding trees.  They had been skilfully done so that from my height, they were obvious, but from the ground, they weren’t.   

Continuing through the woods, we crossed the same stream twice, noting any deer signs, now that dawn had brought some light.  I asked, finally, why we located deer trails, but didn’t follow them.  My father-in-law’s grin warned me that my inexperience was hanging out.  I was told that we wanted to know how the deer were moving, most of the time, but that no matter how “unstunk” we were, we might still leave scent that could disrupt their patterns.  I nodded and fought through blackberry brambles, again.  My father-in-law chuckled and explained that the deer loved blackberries, and pointing to a stand of old oaks nearby, added that there would be acorns this year.   

His message was that we were in the middle of deer central and the family tree stands were stationed around the perimeter at strategic points. 

I asked why scouting was necessary when there seemed to be no mystery about where the deer were going to be next season.  My father-in-law laughed out loud and turned to walk back to the Bronco, saying that nothing ever stayed the same, nothing was for sure, and that the deer could always wise up and move out – and then there the family would be – sitting in the trees, like a bunch of nuts. 

Scouting – the way you make sure your game will be where you’re going to be when hunting season rolls around.

Venison is a straight up delicious red meat.  Saturated with proteins and nutrients, it can rival liver for healthy goodness.  Combine it with any kind of pork fat and your taste buds will swear they’ve died and gone to heaven.  You can broil, sauté, roast, barbeque, and smoke venison.  As long as you follow a few rules and trim your venison like the premier meat it really is, you’ll have plenty of compliments and no leftovers. 

Approach cooking venison as you would any prime cut of meat, especially the tender cuts.  These would be the back and portions of the leg muscles, known generally as the loins – backstrap, tenderloin, and sirloin.   

The tender cuts of venison have little connective tissue and essentially no fat.  They cook quickly and need the same attention as beef filet mignon to avoid cooking out their precious moisture and ruining the meat.  You can get delicious results if you broil, sauté, barbeque/grill, or roast tender cuts.   

A common technique is to wrap loin cuts in bacon.  The venison readily takes on the pork flavor, while the bacon fat helps brown the meat surface and seals in moisture.  Internal temperatures should be 130°-140° F for medium-rare, fork-tender results.  Another approach is preparing tenderloin as you would a double-dipped southern fried steak.  The smothered loins are roasted and delectable gravy is made from the pan drippings.   

You can substitute venison in any of your favorite prime meat recipes with complete success.  Just bump up the fat content in the cooking process with a small amount of bacon, butter, or vegetable oil. 

The majority of venison falls under the working cuts category.  These are the muscles that were heavily used by the deer.  They contain a higher amount of connective tissue, will be more flavorful than the tender cuts, and include shoulder and chuck roasts, ribs, and the hams.  The working cuts need to cook low and slow – and long enough break down the connective tissue for meat that is fall-apart delicious. 

Venison readily accepts herb flavors in rubs or marinates on larger cuts, in zesty groupings in stews and chili, and in the chewy favorite, deer jerky. 

Rubs usually include rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano as base herbs with garlic, dried onion, dried red peppers for added zest.  A rub is prepared by combining herbs by crushing or bruising them and then rubbing the mixture into the venison.  The meat is then smoked, using low heat (200° - 240° F) for 4 to 24 hours. 

Marinades, in the simplest sense, are rubs that are combined with liquids, such as, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, liquid smoke, or hot sauces.  The herbs and liquids are combined and the venison is immersed in this savoury brew.  Many cooks put the meat and marinade in a large, locking plastic bag instead of a covered bowl for convenience sake.  The meat can stay in the marinade for an hour or much longer, depending on how strongly you want the marinade flavoring the meat. 

Stews, gumbos, and chilli are all made more robust with the addition of venison.  Simply substitute a portion of the meat your recipe usually calls for with venison that is either diced or ground.  Ground venison with pork sausage in chilli takes rib-sticking to a whole new level. 

Deer jerky is a food group all its own.  Spicy, chewy, and mouth watering, it would keep forever, but is always gone before any expiration date could ever be determined.  The recipe below can be a foundation for any hunter’s “special” brand of deer jerky – just experiment with seasonings for the taste you like best. 

• Cut 1 pound of venison across the grain into ¼ inch thick strips.
• Prepare a marinade of ½ teaspoon each ground pepper, salt, onion & garlic powders, and crushed red pepper with 1 tablespoon each A-1 sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Louisiana hot sauce or Tabasco plus ½ cup of soy sauce and ¼ cup of brown sugar.
• Put your venison strips and the marinade in a covered bowl or zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Take venison from the marinade and place on dehydrator racks, without touching, for 24-30 hours – or until the jerky bends, but is not brittle.
• If you use an oven, preheat to 150° and lay your venison strips on baking sheets or sheets of heavy aluminium foil without touching and cook for 8-10 hours, or until the jerky bends, but is not brittle.

Let your jerky cool, then store it in an air tight container or plastic bag and refrigerate.  Your jerky can keep for weeks if kept refrigerated.  

Enjoy your spicy treat and be prepared to have nosey neighbors dropping by – jerky is notoriously “fragrant” – and losing a lot of your jerky to “taste tests.”