rely on hunting

[kruzer1]

Anybody rely on muzzleloaders for food?

With the high cost of meat and the added health value of venison my family is used to and expects deer meet year round for almost all our red meat

Admittedly I do a combination of "modern" and "traditional" hunting to keep the freezer stocked.

South Dakota next year is drastically reducing it's tags for modern season (over 50%) but have left muzzleloader tags intact. This is due to reduced herds from disease and hard winters.

I figured with applicants in my area and reduction I only have about a 20% chance of getting a rifle tag next year where in year's past it was about 100% to at least do anterless...

Smokepole anterless tags are still automatic so it looks like it might be my only option (well besides archery) for keeping Venison on the table for next year. Another reason to spend more time with my smokepole on the range :wink:

 

[BrownBear]

Our kids were in their teens before they were served beef at home. That was a year when I traveled all the time and simply couldn't get to the hunting. They "beefed" the whole time until the venison returned, and I never made that mistake again. Even today with the kids grown and gone and grandkids on the scene, hunting and fishing account for something over 90% of the meat on our table. Funny thing, but when we travel and don't have the fish and game, we go darned near vegan. Just don't like the other stuff.

 

[Patocazador]

I have never relied on a smokepole for venison, birds, or squirrels but used one where possible. A hot dove shoot is cooled considerably by using a muzzleloader. :haha:

I gave up deer hunting for a couple of years because it ceased to be a challenge but my love of venison called me back. Now I hunt much more with a black powder gun but don't trophy hunt any longer .. strictly meat.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

:bow:

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

I've been a traditional bow hunter for over 35 years and traditional muzzleloader shooter for 15. I have never found any reason or had any problems keep plenty of deer meat in the freezer for me and my family. Never seen a need to pick up a modern rifle for deer and never used one for them around here but I'm not against them either. Eastern Kansas is heavily wooded and the shots can be just about as close as you want if your a decent hunter so longbows and long guns is good enough for me.

Tracy

 

[Spikebuck]

"Rely" wouldn't be accurate, but there was a time when I was taking 4-5 whitetails a year with bow and we ate a LOT of venison. We also had a large garden and many of our meals were all from our own hands. My kids grew up on venison and still love it to this day. With our herd and bag limits being much lower now in the areas I hunt and now that I only hunt my home state, I generally only take two deer per season and share with my now grown kids and their kids. So "reliance" is much less than before.

 

[hanshi]

Up until a few years ago I kept freezers full of venison, mine and several friends, with my trusty .45 flintlock. Decades earlier I did it mostly with, and I apologize for this, cf rifles and handguns. No longer in any kind of shape to do that now.

 

[stinkyfeet]

I wouldnt say I rely on it but it sure is tasty. I can afford meat without issue but I havent bought beef in about 8 years now. Between trapping, fishing, and hunting I keep the chest freezers full. Add that to the garden in the backyard it sure lower the grocery store bill especially with 4 kids. Now I have feed a great many neighbors with wild game and fish over the past few years, and always willing to give away meat to help feed a family.

 

[nchawkeye]

I eat what I kill...

 

[jackpine54]

We haven't bought meat in over 10 years.We usually eat 3-5 deer every year. The ones I shoot close to home have mostly been with a .54 flintlock. The ones out of state have been taken with "other" :idunno: .

This year I'll be taking a flintlock with me so maybe all my venison will be BP kills.

I have used all flintlock for the squirrels and rabbits I've shot for the past 3 years as well.

 

[Vaino]

Have heard many say that a couple of deer in the freezer and my meat supply for the year is secured......that's not been my experience.

The average sized deer yields approx. 30 lbs of edible meat...so times 2 equals 60 lbs. That never did fill my and my family's yearly requiremnents for meat. Even w/ squirrels, grouse, rabbits and fish thrown in, wild game couldn't satisfy the protein needs of my family of 7. Most of the protein we ate was from the super market.

Learned at a very early age how little meat is on an average size deer.....afterall, they don't in any way approach bio-engineered steers which yield maximum amounts of meat. Deer are "skinny" animals built for survival and not for meat.

Elk and moose are different animals....much larger than deer and by the way, IMO, taste better than venison. More "beefy", although I do greatly enjoy venison. These 2 animals could supply a family's need for protein if more than one elk is killed....perhaps one moose would be sufficient.

My son and his family had a "frezzer full of meat"....from a large cow elk and a side of beef and this meat supply was gone in a few months and then super markets buys supplied the protein for the remainder of the year.....Fred

 

[stuartg]

Venison is part of my family's diet on a regular basis or until it's gone. Down here in Bama, we are able to shoot two does per day and/or 3 bucks per year...very liberal limits, which is good because the deer are rather small in comparison to what you Northerners get. Typically, we don't "rely" on the meat, but the last couple of years we've been VERY thankful to have it.

 

[Tracy A. Potter]

You must be shooting some pretty small deer if your only getting 30lbs of meat from them. Maybe it's a area thing but the deer around here are much bigger I guess. Yes, I know your talking about boned out meat and we have been processing our on deer for 30 years.

Tracy

 

[Brokennock]

Fred, I was thinking the same thing as K.S.Trapper. Are you processing the deer yourself. Around here I've noticed a big difference in how much meat a hunter gets back depending on who processed it. Some processers are just wasteful, some just aren't that talented, and some are plain old dishonest.

 

[Patocazador]

I process my own deer and hunt mainly in Florida where the average buck killed is ~125 lb. live weight. It takes at least 4 deer/ year for my wife and I to have it year-round. However, we eat beef too.
Last year I killed 7 and was able to give 2 to my kids. I would guess the amount of boneless meat averaged between 30-40 lbs/deer. However, it may have been less. It certainly wasn't more.

 

[jackpine54]

I butcher my own deer and usually get at least 30-40 lbs. of burger plus backstraps, tenderloin and a few roasts. So probably at least 50-70lbs. average, no bones.(unless I shoot a bambi or a monster buck).
To be fair I raise 2 hogs up to 300 lbs. or so every year as well, otherwise I would need more venison.
I don't think I could survive long without side-pork and lard.

 

[Vaino]

I usually shoot medium to large does, do my own butchering and cut out the backstraps and the hindquarters for meat. Forgot to mention that the front quarters and other useable trimmings are made into link sausage to which 30% fatty pork is added.

The trimmed, boneless backstraps and deboned meat off the hindquarters usually weighs approx. 30 lbs. Of course, I'm a pretty "fussy" butcher who doesn't tolerate any fat. Wisconsin deer are fairly large and a full grown live doe in the area I hunt weighs approx. 140 lbs but that same doe would weigh 150-160 in nothern Wisconsin.

I still think the amount of venison from a deer is exagerated a mite as is the "live weight"......Fred

 

[Idaho Ron]

I would agree. I butcher my own and have done some for friends. I learned a long time ago if I cut up a friends deer they are there to help. Then when they see a large doe yields about 25 to 30 pounds of boned meat they know I didn't keep some.
I have a 1 hp grinder from Cabelas that chews right through deer and elk. That thing has saved me a lot of money doing my own deer,elk, and beef. Ron

 

[Stumpkiller]

Anybody rely on muzzleloaders for food?

Yes and no. Our bow season is six weeks and I hunt with traditional bows (wood arrows of course) and if I haven't got one in the freezer I switch to muzzleloaders for regular firearm season and our embarrassing m/l weekend in this part of NY.

We raise sheep, turkey and chickens. All self-propagate so I'm not relying on a grocery store for much meat. Except pepperoni. :haha:

 

[Curt]

I would have to agree with Fred and Id Ron on this .a good scale will put an end to guess work.Curt