Opening Day of Muzzleloader Season

Today was opening day of muzzle loader season here in TN.  Jamie took another buck!!!!

Jamie & Hailey with a 3pt TN buck

Jamie went out this morning and didn't see anything.  He came in and had some lunch and went back out at 2:00pm.  The kids and I were just getting home from soccer and food shopping when at 3:00pm we heard a shot.  I tried calling Jamie's cell but he had no service.  We waited and waited and finally he called at 3:45pm, letting us know that he had gotten one and would be up out of the woods soon.



Jamie got the deer hung and it weighed in at 75lbs dressed which is a good weight for a TN year old buck.

The nights are cooler now here so the deer will hang overnight and then Jamie will butcher some of it tomorrow.  Of course he will cut up the good parts into steaks and roasts but he will take all the tough meat and extra left over meat and can it.

TN buck hanging

Jamie's friend's Tim and Tina from NY introduced Jamie to canned venison a few years back.  Canned venison is jokingly in this house considered gold.  Jamie rations it and only shares it will few people.  Hailey and Jamie both love canned venison.  They are both very happy that their stock supply will be replenished as they are down to 6 jars left from last year.

If you would like to try to can some venison it is very easy.

Take your venison meat and cut into 1 inch cubes, pack raw meat into hot jars and then add 1 beef bouillon cube to pint jars and 2 cubes to quart jars. Make sure you leave 1/2 head space at the top.  You can also add cut up onions and peppers if you would like too. Do not add any liquid.  Process in a pressure canner.  Pint jars at 10lbs pressure for 75 minutes. Quart jars at 10lbs pressure for 90 minutes.  Once done, let jars cool overnight.

The meat is now fully cooked and extremely tender.  Jamie and Hailey's favorite ways to enjoy canned venison it to make Venison stew with potatoes, carrots and other veggies we have on hand in the crock pot.  They also heat it up in a frying pan with peppers and onions and have it as a sub or over egg noodles.

Jamie still has 1 more buck tag left. Hopefully he will get the large 7 pt we have seen on our property with the trail cameras.  We also need to get one more deer because Hailey and I really want to be able to make some Italian venison sausage.