« December 2006 | Main | February 2007 »

January 31, 2007 06:48 PM

How Your Tips Helped Me

Hello, this is Matthew.

This will be my second year hunting at the age of 14.

I have killed 2 deer with the help of my father who has been hunting for 30 years. And I also got a turkey last year on my second try with a 30-06 rifle.

I just wanted to thank you for your help. These tips really helped me and I am pretty sure they will help me in the future.

The first deer I got was with a bow. It was a buck and my dad says it took him 20 years to get a buck with a bow. And it is thanks to your tips that I got him.

Thanks again for all your help. It is very appreciated.

I am going to send your tips to multiple hunters I know and get them started.

Thanks again.

Matthew

Matthew,

Thanks for the email and congratulations on your deer hunting success.

To take any deer with archery equipment is a real challenge. To take a buck with a bow is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations again.

I am glad to hear the Free Deer Hunting Tips Newsletters have helped with your hunting success. I am always glad to share the knowledge I have gained from years of deer hunting, and love to connect deer hunters, like you, who can share your experiences, knowledge and success.

Thanks for sharing the Free Deer Hunting Tips with your fellow hunters. Let your hunting buddies know they can get their Free Deer Hunting Tips Newsletter by going to www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

I am sure our hunting community would love to hear your deer hunting story. Your story could help other hunters tag deer like you have.

If you would like and your parents approve, you can send a picture of your deer and a short story about your hunts. If your mom or dad says it is okay, I will put your photo and picture on the www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com blog.

If you have any deer hunting questions, advice or comments, you can post them here at the blog or email me, and I will post them to the blog and/or put them out to our community.

Again, thanks for taking the time to connect and send in your story. Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 6:48 PM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2007 01:03 PM

I Jumped a Deer on the Way to My Stand

Marty,

One morning during deer hunting season, as it was just getting day light, I jumped a deer. I proceeded to walk to my tree which was 10 minutes away. Was I supposed to stay right there or take a chance the deer would come by my treestand?

Marcel

Marcel,

Thanks for the great question.

I’ve had similar experiences on my way out to my deer hunting tree stand.

Deer like to think they are invisible in low light. I have walked as close as 20 feet away from a deer when it was near dark, and it stood still like I did not see it.

Here is what I do in similar situations.

First decide whether or not the deer has winded you, has seen you or is running from some other noise it heard.

If a deer catches your scent, nine times out of ten, it will run for the hills. You may not see that deer again that day.

Always try to have the wind blowing in your face when you are walking to your stand. This will keep your scent away from deer ahead of you.

Watch what the deer does. If the deer bolts out and slows down to look behind it, chances are you were not seen, and the deer will go about its business. In this case, wait until the deer walks out of sight and proceed to your deer hunting tree stand slowly and quietly.

If the deer bolts and keeps running without looking back, the deer either saw you or winded you. Rarely will you see that particular deer again that day. Regardless, wait until the deer is out of your sight and proceed to your deer hunting tree stand.

Here’s an interesting deer hunting tip on what to do when you are winded by a deer.

This past deer hunting season, when I was winded by deer and they ran, I had great successes in stopping the deer in by using a fawn bleat call.

But, remember this point. I have tested this call on mature does and younger bucks that winded, heard or saw me and were running away and have had them stop immediately when I called. But it did not work in stopping large bucks.

Overall, I think your choice to keep moving towards your deer hunting tree stand was the best option.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2007 06:35 PM

Does the Buck Growler Really Work?

In a recent blog post from Moses, he asked if the Buck Growler by Madd really worked?

I shared with Moses that I had not had the chance to use the Buck Growler yet.

Here is your chance to help your fellow deer hunters.

If you or any of your hunting partners has had success using the Madd Buck Growler let us know.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the questions and comments link.

As soon as I receive your post I will put it up on the blog for our deer hunting community to read.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 6:35 PM | Comments (1)

January 18, 2007 07:31 PM

Bad Tasting Venison

Below is a great comment and question I received from Troy in Indiana.

Troy talks about how his ground venison tastes bad. Read Troy's comment then look below for my solutions to solve this issue.

Wow, this was a great one (newsletter) Marty. Shot my first deer this season, and had actually been wondering on this exact subject since I'm a 3rd generation Rib bbq'r and lover (beef & pork). My family (wife-4 kids) and I have been enjoying the steaks and stew's and chili with the roast meat. Next year though, not having ANY ground. That's all I have left is pounds and pounds of not very good tasting burger. I've been thinking about buying a jerky gun and using the wrest of the ground for jerky sticks. I wonder if it’s for the same reason, the processor didn't clean it properly and just threw fat and all in when grinding?

Troy
Native Californian now happily in Crawfordsville, IN and loving it.

Troy,

Congratulations on harvesting your first deer. If you would like to share your hunting story and a photo of your deer, send it to me. I will place it on the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Blog.

I am glad you found the tip on venison ribs helpful. In my experience I have found barbequed venison ribs can turn off even the most die-hard barbeque lovers.

I am sorry to hear your ground venison does not taste good.

Here are three common causes of bad tasting ground venison…or venison that just doesn’t excite your spouse and kids.

I have not met a kid yet (barring a committed vegetarian) who doesn’t finish off a plate of ground venison when it is processed correctly. This includes even the pickiest of eaters. Often ground venison is the only meat parents could get them to eat.

I’ve processed over 7,807 deer, so I helped parents feed a lot of kids.

Hopefully these three deer processing tips will help you and your family.

I would be delighted to see your family really love the ground venison you provide for them. As a fellow deer hunter, I know and understand what it takes to provide good, natural food for loved ones.

Three Reasons Your Deer Meat Tastes Bad…And Two Great Solutions

Deer Meat Reason #1

When a deer is processed properly, with all the deer fat, bruised meat, glands, tendons and gristle removed, ground venison tastes great. (Yes, even from “swamp bucks.” If you don’t believe me, read on…)

If a deer processor did not remove venison fat, bruised meat, glands, tendons and gristle from your venison trimmings before the meat was ground, this will definitely produce bad tasting venison burger.

If the deer was cut bone-in, the fine bone-dust and bone marrow will be spread across the meat. This is tedious and time-consuming to remove. If bone-dust and bone marrow are left on the meat and it is ground, your ground venison will taste bad.

Meat from big bucks and swamp bucks must be very well cleaned. The actual meat tastes decent. This year I harvested a big swamp buck and it tasted better than doe meat. Here’s the secret.

The wild or swampy taste is in the bone marrow, fat, bruises from the harvest, glands, tendons and gristle.

Trimming all this excess from your deer meat takes more time. Very few processors take the extra time to remove it all before the meat is ground, because time is money in a meat shop.

You may consider processing your own deer. Many people are doing this, because they want their venison to taste better. They want to avoid the very real and common problem of a freezer full of pounds and pounds of not very good tasting venison burger. In just a few minutes, I’ll talk more about making this a viable option.

Dear Meat Reason #2

Your deer might taste bad because, at the meat shop, your meat may have been put in the grinder with deer meat from those who did not take care of their deer like you did. Very few meat shops keep the deer trimmings separate.

Most meat shops have big mixer/grinders that can grind and mix 300 pounds of meat and more per batch.

Again, in most meat shops, time is money. So they can really save time by mixing 20 people’s venison at once rather than doing 20 separate batches.

Deer Meat Reason #3

And, even if they did keep your meat separate, your meat would have been ground with a grinder that was used all day.

So if the meat before yours was bad, remnants of that bad meat could have still been in the grinder when yours was put in. Bacteria could have been ground into your good meat and may explain why it now tastes bad.

Two Great Solutions

Great Tasting Venison Solution #1

If you want someone else to process your next deer, have the processor NOT grind your trimmings. Have them package your trimmings and give them back to you.

When you get your deer meat home take a look at how clean the trimmings are.

Remove as much of the fat, bruised meat, glands, tendons and gristle as you can. Keep cleaning until the venison trimmings are clean like beef stew meat.

Once the meat is trimmed correctly then grind some into burger. You can use a food processor or pick up a home grinder. The burger will taste great.

Great Tasting Venison Solution #2

If you want to make sure your venison always tastes great, and your venison is from your deer then learn to process your own deer. The reason I learned to process my own deer is because, years ago, I had a problem with the taste of my first deer like you are having with yours.

Since then, I’ve processed over 7,807 deer producing great tasting meat and burger, been to outdoor stores to give “How to Process Your Deer” seminars and have taught many, many people how to process deer successfully, mostly non-meatcutters.

There is just something so rewarding about processing your own deer.

Now, I used to make my living processing thousands of deer for deer hunters. If you choose to continue to have someone else process your deer, I totally understand. Just make sure to see solution #1 above.

Plus, processing your own deer is not for everyone. It’s really for those who want the experience and pride of providing for their families with their own abilities from field to table.

It is also for the people who want to make sure their deer stays their deer. After all, you have spent money to go deer hunting.

When your family can’t or doesn’t want to eat what you have brought home, it produces a “this wasn’t such a good idea” feeling in the pit of the stomach. I hate that feeling. It verges on feeling like a “loser.”

I really like for my family to be happy with what I am able to do for them. So the extra hour or two I invest to process my own deer is totally rewarding when I see the smiling faces of even the pickiest eaters in my family as they ask for second helpings.

And because of this, my wife tells me to go deer hunting. It’s actually on my “Honey Do List.” She even helps juggle our family schedule, so I can go deer hunting more. You’ve got to love that. It’s totally worth it.

I am just finishing up a really affordable “How to Process Your Own Deer” training program, which includes videos and support. I take you by the hand and walk you through step-by-step.

I’ll keep you updated on the “How to Process Your Own Deer” training program as it becomes available, because it could be a great option for you.

Let’s Talk Deer Jerky

You mentioned buying a jerky gun. I think jerky guns are great tools. There are quite a few different brands out there today. I have tested many different kinds.

The one I use is a more heavy-duty model. The cylinder is made of heavy gauge aluminum and holds 1½ pounds of seasoned meat. It has different attachments that allow me to make a single jerky strip, a double jerky strip, a single snack stick or a double snack stick.

The better jerky gun kits will also have cleaning brushes included. These brushes are essential to make sure you are able to clean your jerky gun properly.

Keep one thing in mind when you go to make jerky from your current ground venison. Although you will be able to mask the taste of the burger by adding seasonings, you may not totally get rid of the bad taste of your burger completely. The reason being the venison fat and other things are already mixed into the burger.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 7:31 PM | Comments (1)

January 12, 2007 01:07 PM

Scoring Antlers

In a previous blog post, Marcel asked me about a 200-inch deer rack I referred to.

I shared that I had a big buck on my deer hunting land that I guessed would measure 200-inches.

To answer the great question Marcel asked, my reference to “200-inches” is from the Boone and Crockett (firearm) or Pope and Young (archery) measuring guidelines.

200-inches is a huge rack; the big buck I am referring to is truly “Mr.Big.”

I saw him at ten yards.

The base of his main beam is as big around as a large soup can. The inside spread is about 23 inches. I counted 16 points on the main frame of his rack.

Each point was very long. I estimated his G-1’s to be 10 inches each, his G-2’s about 14 inches each, his G-3’s at 15 inches each.

Just adding the inside spread, the G-1’s, G-2’s and G-3’s come to about 101-inches, and there are still many more measurements to take.

You might wonder why, when I was out deer hunting and saw him, I didn’t shoot this particular buck.

Although a tough decision, I chose to let this deer walk so he could pass on his genes to help improve the quality of the whitetail deer on my deer hunting land.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 1:07 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2007 03:23 PM

How to Tell an Active Deer Scrape

Here is a great suggestion and question Marcel posted to the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog:

Hi Marty,

When I see a scrape on the ground I break a small branch and put it across the scrape and put a bit of deer scent in it.

That way if the deer goes there again to scrape, I know because the branch would be removed or pushed away. Is that a good thing?

Some questions I think I asked you about before, but I am just going through my note book that I was writing in when I was in my tree stand. So this time I check them off as I go through it. I hope you don’t mind.

What do you mean when you say 200-inches?

Marcel

Hi Marcel,

Thanks again for the great comment and question.

Let’s discuss the scrape question.

Yes, I think placing some leaves or a twig in the scrape and adding a little scent to the area is a good thing.

Here’s what I’ve found.

I’ve placed twigs and leaves in a scrape and used scent in and around the scrape site.

After putting the twigs or leaves in the scrape, I either hang a scent wick saturated with deer scent over the scrape or I drop doe-in-heat scent directly onto the scrape.

If a buck is still using that scrape, the twigs and leaves will be moved.

I’ll answer the scoring question in tomorrow’s blog post.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 3:23 PM | Comments (3)

January 4, 2007 12:12 PM

Processing a Deer

No matter how a deer is processed, whether bone-in or boneless, make sure to remove all the fat and the “fell,” which is a thin, skin-like membrane covering the meat. The fat and fell on a deer does not taste very good at all.

In a prior post, William talked about hunters who prefer their deer meat cut bone-in.

In my 24-plus-years of processing wild game, I had only a handful of deer hunters who requested bone-in processing.

When I asked these deer hunters why they wanted the bones left in, they usually replied, “That’s how I’ve always had it done.”

When I asked, “Do you and your family like the taste of your deer meat when it is cut with the bone-in?”

The usual reply was, “Not really. It is really gamey tasting. In fact, my wife doesn’t even like to cook it because of the smell.”

I offered to cut their deer boneless and they agreed. I asked them to report back to me on how their families liked the boneless deer.

When the following deer hunting season arrived, these hunters were back in my meat shop telling me they had never had such great tasting venison. They said their wives even asked them to go hunting MORE, because the venison looked, smelled and tasted so much better.

Needless to say, they wanted their deer cut boneless from then on.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)

Building Plans for an Elevated Deer Hunting Blind

From: Gene Odell
Looking for Building Plans
Hello Marty.

I would like to get info on how to make a homemade box blind or shooting house.
Specifically, plans on how to make it etc.

Yours Truly .
Gene

Hello Gene,

Thanks for the email.

I will be building an 8x10 foot elevated deer blind/shooting house this spring.

I will be filming and photographing the steps to build it.

I will also have a detailed construction materials list and plans available on www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

One of our hunters in the www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com community has also sent in his instructions for the stand/blind he built.

I am going through them now and will post them shortly.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

Posted by Marty Prokop at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)

January 2, 2007 11:08 AM

Aging a Deer

I have seen some hunters try to age a deer in their garages at home. I do not suggest deer hunters try to age a deer this way. A garage does not have the proper temperature or humidity control needed to age a deer safely. Bacteria could grow rapidly, causing the deer meat to spoil. Or if the garage is too cold, the deer could freeze.

Without proper humidity while hanging, the meat will dry out quickly creating a jerky-like surface. This dried out meat must be cut away and discarded. It will not reconstitute. This leaves the deer hunter with less meat to put into the freezer.

In a prior post, William talked about the importance of learning to skin a deer carefully. I agree the tarsal glands, if extremely wet, could drip down onto the deer rounds or steak meat and produce bad taste in the meat.

It is also important to field dress a deer properly. Take special care to leave the bladder, stomach and intestines intact.

If the bladder is punctured during the field dressing process, urine will run directly into the steak meat and soak into the tenderloins.

If the stomach or intestines are punctured, the contents of either will come in contact with the rounds, tenderloins and, of course, the rib meat.

The solids, like undigested food, can be wiped away. But the liquids, such as urine and stomach acids, will soak into the meat. Once these liquids have soaked in, it is impossible to get them out. I recommend throwing away any meat that comes in contact with urine or stomach acids, but I have known people who eat it for reasons I can’t explain.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)