Second Deer of the Season

We got another deer a few weekends back.

 

Buck

 

I am so thankful that we got this buck.  It has helped fill our freezer.  We got about 8 big packages of steaks.  All the other meat was canned.  We were able to get 18 wide mouth pint jars of canned venison.  Jamie & Hailey love it.  They make venison stew or just heat it up with some onions and peppers and eat it with egg noodles. They are both happy that we have some stored up for the next year.

Hailey likes to pose with the deer

 

I am still out hunting here and there, hoping to get a big buck.  Not sure if the tall 6 is still around but I would love to get him and mount him on the wall.  That way Jamie & I both have a deer hanging on the wall.



First Deer of the Season

Jamie finally got his first deer of the season during muzzle loader.

 

Jamie & his deer

 

Jamie had taken some time off of work for hunting. He had gone out every morning and evening for 4 days straight.  Finally he got this beautiful buck on the 5th morning.

 

There is an interesting story that goes along with this deer.  We had seen him numerous times on the trail camera pictures and had named him Scar.  He had a very long scar on the side of his body, probably from fighting with another buck.  Archery is the first type of hunting you can do when deer season opens.  Jamie actually shot this very deer with his bow.  The deer had run away and was never found.  Jamie was feeling awful thinking he had wounded a deer and it was just going to lie down somewhere and die.  Thankfully a few weeks later we saw him again on the trail camera doing just fine.  Scar ended up showing up at the right time for Jamie to shoot him during muzzle loader.

 

Jamie's deer -9 point

 

Jamie with Scar

 

This deer came just at the right time.  We had finished our last package of venison in the freezer just a few weeks ago.

 

Jamie got the deer skinned out and it hung for a few days for the meat to age.  Then he went to work cutting it up.

 

We ended up with 12 packages of deer steaks.  Each package will feed us for one meal.

 

Venison Steaks

 

With the rest of the deer meat, Hailey and Jamie ground it into burger.

 

 Hailey grinding venison meat

 

We ended up with 13 1lb packages of ground venison.

 

Ground Venison burger

 

 Jamie liked this deer so much he decided to mount it.  Jamie decided he wanted to try to do an European mount himself.  He researched how to do it quite a bit and got it done.  It came out great.

 

European Mount that Jamie did himself.

 

It's nice to have some venison in the freezer now but I'm still hoping that Jamie will get a few more deer this season for our family.

 

 

 

 



First Year Hunting

Jamie has been hunting for years now.  With the kids getting older they are becoming more interested in hunting also.

 

Last season, Hailey sat out with Jamie while he was hunting.  This year she wanted to actually hunt.  Drew thought he would like to also.  So we decided to invest in a gun that both the kids and I could handle and shoot.

 

We bought a 243 Rifle with a scope.  This gun is super light weight.  It is only 1 shot so very easy to load.  I was excited to actually have a gun that I could take out of the gun safe and know how to handle, load and unload and actually shoot without it hurting my shoulder.

 

The kids and I started practicing shooting right away when we got the gun back in August.

 

This is us all shooting for the first time.

 

Me shooting

Drew shooting the target, the little white mark downhill

Hailey shooting, even is a dress, that's my girl :)

 

The kids and I practiced shooting a few other times on the weekends up until hunting season started.  Want to know something?  Hailey is the best shot out of all of us.

 

The weekend of October 27th was youth weekend here.  Which means that only youths can hunt on the weekend.  Hailey was the first to go out Saturday morning.  She did a great job getting up and ready with Jamie.  They did see some deer but not close enough to shoot.

 

Hailey ready for hunting

 

Drew went out with Jamie Saturday afternoon.  They didn't see anything but then Drew went out with Jamie on Sunday morning.  They did end up seeing a deer, but it appeared so quickly then walked off that Drew didn't have enough time to shoot.

 

Drew ready for hunting

 

Both kids had a great time.  I know that Jamie loves spending time with the kids and teaching them about hunting which is one of his passions.

 

Rifle season should be starting soon and there will also be one more youth weekend before hunting season is over.  The kids are excited about going out hunting again.

 

I'm patiently waiting for rifle season to start also so I can go hunting for my first time too.

 

 



Jamie Got His First Turkey!!!

Jamie, Brad & Turkey

It is turkey season right now here in TN.  Jamie has only gone out a few times but hasn't gotten anything until this weekend. 

Jamie's friend Brad came visiting for the weekend.  He is also a hunter and likes to turkey hunt.  Jamie & Brad went out Saturday on our property.  They heard a few turkey's but none close enough to get.

Our friend Jeff was nice enough to let Jamie & Brad come hunt on his land and they headed over around 4:30am to get settled in the spot that they had picked out the evening before.

From what I know, Brad was doing the calling and Jamie was prepared to do the shooting.  Brad spent over an hour and half calling this tom (boy turkey) in and finally Jamie was able to shoot and kill it.

I was doing chores when Jamie sent a picture of him and the turkey to my email.  I was so excited for him to get his first turkey.

The turkey is a wild Eastern turkey.  It weighed in at approximately 20lbs.  The beard is 9 inches long and the spurs measured almost 1 inch long. 

Jamie & his first turkey

Jamie and Brad headed home and since Brad has gotten turkeys before he showed Jamie how to butcher it.  The turkey is obviously a wild turkey, therefore most hunters only take the breasts from a wild turkey as any other meat is just too tough to eat.

Brad & Jamie butchering the turkey

Brad & Jamie butchering the turkey

Below is a picture of the two turkey breasts.  As you can see the meat is much darker than what you would see in the grocery store.  Brad suggested marinating it in Italian dressing and cooking it on the grill.  Jamie trimmed the excess fat of the turkey breasts and sealed them up with the vacuum sealer.  We have the breasts in the freezer to try some night for dinner.

Wild Turkey Breasts

After taking the breasts off the turkey, Jamie cut off the beard, tail fan and feet and also a part of a wing.  Brad showed Jamie what he needed to do to dry everything out to make a mount to display the turkey parts on the wall. 

Turkey parts drying out

Hailey & I also took some feathers that we may try to make some earrings with.

Jamie and Brad did go out hunting the following day hoping to get one for Brad, but no such luck.

I'm sure Brad will come back to hunt for turkey's again, he is already hoping to schedule a trip here for deer hunting later in the year.

I know Jamie had a great time having Brad here.  He is such a great guy.  The kids loved having him here.  We also all went fishing together.  I'll be posting about that later.

Brad was also very nice and got a gift for us.

present from Brad

I've been waiting to find something perfect to put on the wall that you see when you walk directly into our home.  The sign Brad bought was perfect in size and also in what is says. Thanks again Brad. I love it!!!

I want to say thank you to Brad for coming to our home and having a great time with us and helping Jamie get his first turkey and thanks to Jeff for letting the guys hunt over at your land.



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.

Hunting Season has Begun!!!

Today was opening day for Archery Season here in TN.

Jamie with his 1st TN buck, gotten with his bow

Jamie got up nice and early, 4AM to get ready and be in his tree stand before the sun comes up.  I was down at the barn doing chores when he comes walking up telling me he got a buck.  He said he saw which way it ran off but needed to give it some time to lay down somewhere and hopefully die.

We finished up chores and went to the house and called Bob.  Bob is Jamie's friend's father in law who is in town visiting for a few days.  Bob and his wife Eileen are RVing to Arizona. Jamie has been hunting with Bob for over 20 years now.  Bob came right over and all of us, including the kids went off to find the buck.

Thankfully the buck, which was a 4 point did not go far and left a pretty good trail of blood.  Bob spotted the buck after a few minutes of following the blood trail.  Bob was nice enough to help Jamie gut the deer.  

Bob & Jamie starting to gut the buck

After the deer was gutted we needed to pull it up out of the woods.  Jamie was able to bring the 4 wheeler down to get it out but we tied a rope onto the deer's rack and had the kids pull for a bit just to see what it was like.

Drew, Hailey & Jamie dragging the buck

Once Jamie got the buck up to the house, Bob continued to help Jamie hang it, skin it and quarter it up into pieces.

Buck hanging before skinning

All the deer meat is in the fridge for now and Jamie will go ahead and cut it up and package for freezing tomorrow.  Jamie and I appreciate all the help Bob gave us today with the deer.  I know that we all enjoyed experiencing this together and Bob's presence just made it all the better.

Bob & Jamie with Jamie's 1st TN buck