Spellfeller
Clueless but careful
Wow, Ray. That's a nice deer anywhere, but I'd say it's getting close to "slobbering pig" status for Florida!
Way to go!
Way to go!
Hunting 2015
- Thread starter Tucker943
- Start date
- Replies 350
- Views 35K
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
I tried to get some pictures of some antelope for Tucker today, but I never got close enough.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Thanks Cory, I'm trying. My wife has been crying for venison so I had to do something! He's a pretty good one for here Jeff, too nice to pass. Jim, in Wyoming antelope were literally everywhere. Are they good to eat? I promise you, with the rednecks around here, they wouldn't be just laying beside the highway chewing their cud!Btw, a while back, "tasteful" photos of game animals collected was discussed, this photo here is highly respectful and photogenic, imo.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Antelope is my favorite wild meat. I am in the extreme minority on that though.
It can be ruined very easily though. You must not let any hair touch the meat when skinning.
An antelope has great eyesight and has a larger heart for its size than a deer. They can start running and not stop. They call them speed goats over here for a reason.
The old way of hunting them was called the V8 sneak, basically you get in yer pickup and run them down to get a shot.
This causes a massive lactic acid and adrenaline dump and ruins the taste plus makes them tough. Me and my hunting partner never shot at even a trotting antelope. Walking was okay, standing still was better.
The difference in the taste of the meat between a run to death and a stationary goat is unbelievable. We would often build a fire right next to the gut pile and start cooking back straps before the blood coagulated. We carried salt and pepper with us and would skewer the meat on green willow switches. Those were good times.
It can be ruined very easily though. You must not let any hair touch the meat when skinning.
An antelope has great eyesight and has a larger heart for its size than a deer. They can start running and not stop. They call them speed goats over here for a reason.
The old way of hunting them was called the V8 sneak, basically you get in yer pickup and run them down to get a shot.
This causes a massive lactic acid and adrenaline dump and ruins the taste plus makes them tough. Me and my hunting partner never shot at even a trotting antelope. Walking was okay, standing still was better.
The difference in the taste of the meat between a run to death and a stationary goat is unbelievable. We would often build a fire right next to the gut pile and start cooking back straps before the blood coagulated. We carried salt and pepper with us and would skewer the meat on green willow switches. Those were good times.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Good info Jim. If I ever get a chance to hunt them, I'll definitely avoid the "V8 sneak"!
I'm sure it would be a blast to try an "Indian sneak" with archery gear. They seem to live in pretty wide open country with very little cover but I saw cattle all around them, I wonder if you could make an Angus cardboard cutout and walk behind it to get close.
I'm sure it would be a blast to try an "Indian sneak" with archery gear. They seem to live in pretty wide open country with very little cover but I saw cattle all around them, I wonder if you could make an Angus cardboard cutout and walk behind it to get close. That's cool. My kind of guys
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Up here antelope archery season is during the rut. People can use decoys and usually set them up near waterholes. Water is scarce up here so you dont need a lot of luck finding where they water.
For all their running and seeing prowess, antelope are dumb during the rut (imagine that) and hunters have good success usually. We used to eat supper in the field during harvest time and you could get an antelope to come within 50 yards or so just by waving your hat over your head. They are curious beasts, but after the first couple of days of rifle season they learn pretty quick that a pickup could equal death and they are very prone to run away.
The saying goes that if a person wants to fill a tag for deer, birds or antelope they should put a shift in on a combine or farming tractor. Amazing all the game you see from the cab of a piece of equipment.
For all their running and seeing prowess, antelope are dumb during the rut (imagine that) and hunters have good success usually. We used to eat supper in the field during harvest time and you could get an antelope to come within 50 yards or so just by waving your hat over your head. They are curious beasts, but after the first couple of days of rifle season they learn pretty quick that a pickup could equal death and they are very prone to run away.
The saying goes that if a person wants to fill a tag for deer, birds or antelope they should put a shift in on a combine or farming tractor. Amazing all the game you see from the cab of a piece of equipment.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Funny that you mention the farm equipment. I watched whitetails in a standing cornfield in Illinois as the corn was being combined and they simply moved over a couple of rows each time that noise making monstrosity thundered past. Then when it got down to the last rows, they calmly walked out of the corn up to the edge of the woods and watched the last of their summer habitat get gobbled up.
Jim, excuse a vegetarian for butting in here, but you have the same difference in meat quality when cattle are shot dead in the field and then butchered instead of being stressed out from the trip to the slaughterhouse, waiting in the holding pen, smelling the blood from the other ones that are killed and finally driven by electric shocks to the bolt pistol.
Just ask any of the people who bought meat from me.
We had a butcher truck come out, set up like a slaughterhouse with refridgeratin unit in the front and everything.
Killed the whole bunch of young bulls in the field by tossing them some apples and shooting them point blank in the head.
They are so stupid that even the last one to go down is still munching on apples and wondering why all the others are too tired to participate. Try doing that with pigs.
The dogs would sit around the butcher truck, and get thrown all the stuff that was cut off.
A great day in their lives.
Then the EU outlawed mobile butcher shops and I stopped having calves.
Just ask any of the people who bought meat from me.
We had a butcher truck come out, set up like a slaughterhouse with refridgeratin unit in the front and everything.
Killed the whole bunch of young bulls in the field by tossing them some apples and shooting them point blank in the head.
They are so stupid that even the last one to go down is still munching on apples and wondering why all the others are too tired to participate. Try doing that with pigs.
The dogs would sit around the butcher truck, and get thrown all the stuff that was cut off.
A great day in their lives.
Then the EU outlawed mobile butcher shops and I stopped having calves.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I once ate a ribeye from a fresh slaughter and it was the best steak I ever ate!
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
For sure. Stress makes the meat tougher and more gamey.
I watched a show about back yard slaughter in the EU. The old ways of slaughtering a pig in the back yard with the help of your friends and family were coming to an end.
It was cool to watch the animal broken down and all the parts being used. Blood sausage, stews made out of the offal, canned stuff, meat being prepared for curing and so on.
The the EU swooped in and made it illegal. The peasants were too dumb to keep doing the things their ancestors had been doing for hundreds of years.
Shitty thing was that all the animals had to be shipped to slaughter houses in France and other places. Probably owned by big campaign donaters.
I watched a show about back yard slaughter in the EU. The old ways of slaughtering a pig in the back yard with the help of your friends and family were coming to an end.
It was cool to watch the animal broken down and all the parts being used. Blood sausage, stews made out of the offal, canned stuff, meat being prepared for curing and so on.
The the EU swooped in and made it illegal. The peasants were too dumb to keep doing the things their ancestors had been doing for hundreds of years.
Shitty thing was that all the animals had to be shipped to slaughter houses in France and other places. Probably owned by big campaign donaters.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Dont blame you a bit.
Didn't these countries know that they were going to lose their heritage and identity?
I read where the Soviet Union did a great job of obliterating the culture of the countries they took over. I guess there has been a big effort to try to find the old recipes that people used before the Soviets came along. The cafeterias did not serve the local favorites I guess.
Same thing could happen again. Or maybe has already.
Didn't these countries know that they were going to lose their heritage and identity?
I read where the Soviet Union did a great job of obliterating the culture of the countries they took over. I guess there has been a big effort to try to find the old recipes that people used before the Soviets came along. The cafeterias did not serve the local favorites I guess.
Same thing could happen again. Or maybe has already.
Mick!
TreeHouser
I'm pro EU by the way. The whole loss of identity/heritage thing is overblown IMO.
Peter
Treehouser
That's not entirely true. Home slaughter is completely legal, I had two pigs killed here on my small holding this year. What you can't do is sell the meat, if you want to sell the meat they have to go to an abbatoir, our nearest is about 30 miles away. 30 miles too far as far as I'm concerned, but I wouldn't have to send them to France......
Edit, it's pretty much impossible to buy fresh blood here, but I kept all the blood from our pigs for making black pudding, in fact I've still got a couple of litres in the freezer.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Just curious Peter, do you scald and scrape your hogs or skin them?
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Thats cool Peter. I mean, not the black pudding thing, but the rest is cool.
It always pissed me off that these countries were going to be forced to change. Glad to hear that did not happen.
It always pissed me off that these countries were going to be forced to change. Glad to hear that did not happen.
Peter
Treehouser
Scald and scrape. Skinning would be a criminal waste imo.
Those two were the first I ever did, so I had an old school slaughterman/butcher in to direct operations and do the technical stuff while I did the heavy lifting.
Peter
Treehouser
Black pudding is delicious, if your ever over this way I'll hook you up. I serve it hot with a poached duck egg on top.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
We did the same on the farm, but I skin all the wild ones I kill. If you're not set up for it and know what you're doing, scalding can be a real pain in the pork butt. How did you process it, did you cure and/or smoke any of it, make sausage, etc? Just wondering how it's done on your side of the pond.
Peter
Treehouser
My butcher had the equipment for it, I boiled up about 20 gallons of water in a 45 gallon drum, then scalded the pigs in a big plastic tub.
We made a load of sausages, I brine cured some bacon and a big gammon joint, and made black pudding of course. All the spare skin was turned into pork scratchings.
Our malamute got the heads, and I cut up and froze all the lungs and odds and ends for dog treats.
The only bit that went on the fire was the guts
We made a load of sausages, I brine cured some bacon and a big gammon joint, and made black pudding of course. All the spare skin was turned into pork scratchings.
Our malamute got the heads, and I cut up and froze all the lungs and odds and ends for dog treats.
The only bit that went on the fire was the guts
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
My father in law boils all the offal before freezing it and feeding it.
Apparently a parasite lives in the bits and is killed by boiling.
Apparently a parasite lives in the bits and is killed by boiling.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
I thought that parasites are adequately killed by freezing, like with fish consumed when raw after thawing. Fil must have a thing about parasites.
