Venison goes well with a smoking jacket

My family used to always say that venison tasted wild, venison tastes gamey; venison is a little too wild for me.  They were mostly correct based upon their past experiences with deer meat.  Truth is I have made some pretty rank preparations of venison before, however with time I have learned how to care for and prepare venison and not only I, but my family and friends will vouch as well, venison prepared correctly will give the best beef a run for its money.

What we need

3-5 lbs trimmed lean venison (blackstrap or roasts)

Kosher or Sea Salt

Buttermilk

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Unseasoned Tenderizer

Your favorite dry rub seasoning

Butter

Heavy duty Reynolds Wrap

Wood of choice, I use pecan and hickory

Apple cider vinegar

Tin pan

Preparation actually begins way before I even contemplate starting the fire in the smoker; proper preparation begins when the animal is taken in the field.  One should take care to field dress and cool the meat as soon as possible.  The entire process of caring for the meat from field to the freezer will actually take up a full post itself.  Suffice it to say, the faster you get the meat cleaned and cooled properly, the better the meat will taste.

Fast forward a few weeks when I am preparing to smoke some of that properly prepared venison, my process begins a few days before I put a match to the wood.  Mix brine out of water and salt (kosher or sea) and soak the venison in this mixture, I do not actually measure specific amounts of salt, I just make some good salt water.  I actually soak or brine my venison 3 times, the first brining takes about 12-24 hours, after soaking in the brine the brine will have turned red, I pour this red water off and dispose of it and make some new salt water for brining #2.  The second brining lasts between 6-12 hours.  I then pour off this pink water and repeat the process a third time usually allowing the 3rd brine to soak overnight.  The following morning I will remove the meat from the brine and soak it covered in buttermilk until ready for dry rub.

While the meat is coming to room temperature soaked in buttermilk, I get the fire going in the smoker and get it going good enough so that I can maintain the smoker at between 225 and 275 degrees by adding a piece of wood every 45 minutes or so.  Usually this entails firing the smoker enough to thoroughly heat the metal cooker, once the metal is heated to temperature the smoker usually maintains temperature really well.

Once the meat has reached room temperature I strain it out of the buttermilk bath and coat it generously with any handy dry rub.  I really rub the seasoning into each piece working it in well and place the seasoned meat on a tray.  Immediately before placing the meat on the fire I also place a tin pan in the smoker just outside the area where the firebox empties into the smoke box.  I fill this with apple cider vinegar, which as it warms and steams, keeps the meat nice and tender.  I then place the meat on the smoker and close the lid.  I will smoke venison approximately 1.5 hours per pound.  I usually divide larger pieces of meat into one pound portions so that I can keep the smoking time pretty standard.  I usually turn the meat every 20 minutes or so.

Once the meat has smoke an appropriate amount of time, I will pull it off the smoker and wrap each piece along with 1/2 stick of butter per pound of meat in double thick heavy duty Reynolds Wrap and place back in the smoker for mellowing, I usually keep the fire going at about the same rate and let the wrapped portions mellow for several hours, the last batch I prepared mellowed for approximately 4 hours before being removed from the smoker, unwrapped and eaten prior to hitting the table.

Serve with your desired beverage of choice, some smoked asparagus or some smoked corn on the cob and some roasted potatoes for a wonderful dining experience.

Not bad for a redneck.... Much Thanks and Credit go to my Brother Troxell for teaching me all I know about smoking venison...which ain't much.

Pheasant and White Bean Soup

• 2 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
• 10-12 ounces skinless, boneless pheasant breast (2-3) or thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces.  may also be able to use Quail?  If you do let me know how it turns out.
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup chopped plum tomato (or more if you like)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic white beans, rinsed and drained (Cannellini or Great Northern Beans)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• 1. Cook bacon in a dutch oven or stock pan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside.
• 2. Add pheasant to drippings in pan; sauté until browned. Remove pheasant from pan. 
• 3. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook until tender. 
• 4. Add tomato, oregano, and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
• 5. Return bacon and pheasant to pan. 
• 6. Stir in 2 cups water and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. 
• 7. Bring to a boil. Add orzo, and cook until al dente. 
• 8. Add beans; cook until heated. Remove from heat. 
• 9. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and salt.
• 10. Enjoy!

Motoring...What's Your Price for Flight

Bad Boy Buggies, Mules, Ranchers...all great, helpful tools that make deer hunting so much easier, in many cases, than it would be otherwise.  However, based upon some observations made this year while hunting, over-reliance on these tools can also have a cost: they can cost you your hunt.

Our land is situated where we can see some awesome wheat fields that usually, all things being equal, are loaded with deer every morning and every evening.  It is amazing to me that the hunters that neighbor us and have excellent stand sites on the edge of the wheat, consistently run every deer out of that location every morning by driving their Bad Boy Buggy to the stand. Not to mention the 30 minutes they spend parked at the end of the field with lights on, clanging metal and unloading the buggy.  I think to myself, what a waste of time. During what would be a very quiet and uneventful 30 minute walk to their stands, they spend 10 minutes on the buggy running every deer off the wheat over into our lease in the process.

Sitting in our stands we have witnessed the event time after time after time after time. So many times that now the deer immediately begin fleeing the wheat as soon as the "neighbors" pull their trucks into the gate at the end of the field.

Not that I am complaining, but I just find it comical that they  probably go home every morning and say, "Well, went hunting and didn't see a thing." During three days of morning hunts this year, I am sure they both went away saying just that while our group tagged three nice bucks and an awesome mature doe. Some of which were run to us by the buggy boys.

I wonder sometimes what lessons we may learn if we could watch ourselves from afar as we approach our stands in the morning.  Secondly the walk to the stand I find to be magical, it is usually during a wonderful time of the morning when there is an ultimate stillness in the air and the world seems at peace.  It is similar to the feeling of having a nice cup of coffee after the duck decoys have been spread and waiting for shooting light.  These times make me feel at one with nature, makes me feel like I am really listening both to the world and myself.  Maybe I should run too, if I ever consider breaching the peace of that time to save a few minutes by riding into the stand.

To answer my original question, "Motorin, what's the price for flight?" The price is the difference between connecting with our quarry and not seeing a bleeping thing.

A Blast from the Past - The Buddy Buck Chapter 2

Great Memories

I love being able to look back and see our hunts from the past.  Each one is special and each has great meaning...every picture tells a story and I believe that every deer is a Trophy!

Send your hunting and fishing pictures and stories to Antlerstack today....
..............................
From 2002 - The Buddy Buck, Continued...Chapter 2

It was early and cold, around 5:45am, with temperatures below freezing and feeling significantly colder due to the gusting winds. After gearing up I began my half-mile trail to the 10-foot strongbuilt tripod stand. Situated behind a thick shinnery oak thicket, this stand provides a prime vantage point over a well-traveled fence line. Although there is a good trail through the rough CRP, it is difficult to see my way with only the moon to illuminate the way. Taking my time and making as little noise as possible I still busted a deer out of the fence line thicket about a quarter of the way in. After about 30 minutes I arrived at my destination and placed scent about the stand area. Shortly thereafter, I climbed in for the morning's hunt.

Before first light I was glassing my surroundings and taking range readings from landmarks to ensure my bearings. Just after first light, 3 does, 1 large & 2 yearlings stepped from behind the cover and continued to travel East down the fence line. The does were 30 yards directly to my South and eventually entered the dense Shinnery Oak thicket 80 yards to the East. As the temperature remained hovered just below freezing, the wind increased and deer movement ground to a halt. Around 10:45am I got down and made my way back up the fence line to the road. Where my long time friend and hunting partner Craig picked me up. After shooting his buck a couple days before, he was staying warm.

Around 2:00pm we arrived back at the staging area of our lease. Geared up and ready to go we set out walking down the road to the South, approximately 3/4-mile. At that point we crossed the fence and made our way to the ridge where Craig had taken his buck. This ridge is approximately 400 yards off the road through thick CRP grass laced with dense plum thickets. Dragging Tink's #69 and Tink's Buck Lure I was concerned that we keep an eye on our back trail after getting set up as the rut was in full swing and when the wind was not at a gale bucks were searching for does.

Making it to the crest of the ridge, we set up just off a well-used trail that winds its way lengthwise down the East Side of the ridge. Set up there we glassed the surrounding cover for approximately an hour. At that time Craig made his way North to a smaller saddle in the ridge. Upon his arrival he radioed and suggested that I may want to make my way to the tripod situated in the Northeast corner of the property. I agreed and set out to carefully make my way to the corner. Crossing the bowl directly east of the ridge I had just topped the secondary ridge boundary when I busted two mature does that were bedded in the thickets about 10 yards to my North, they were beautiful. The largest while making her escape, also got quite a surprise when she came upon Craig hidden up in the smaller saddle.

Crossing the valley floor I made my way quickly and quietly to the tripod. After sitting briefly, Craig mentioned that I might want to go check out the wheat field to the Northeast for activity, by now it was approximately 5pm. Making it to the fence line I could see 3 deer feeding on the wheat about 400 yards away. I believed they were all does, Craig radioed that he thought there were more than 3 deer, moving to my left a bit I could also see another, a six point buck. The buck was quartering the does a bit, but they were not paying him much attention. When his advances got to be an annoyance, the largest doe ran him off. As the does returned to feeding the small buck actually looked disappointed and, after a few moments, wandered off towards the island (a rounded section of timber located in the middle of the wheat.) Another small doe was also making her way from the East towards the wheat; she was cruising at a leisurely trot.

At the time I was on the cell phone and said that I did not think that today was the day that I was going to have a crack at a buck. I had just hung up the phone when I noticed the 6 pointer coming out of the island and moving towards the crossing leading directly down into the valley. Craig also radioed that deer were coming into one of our feeders. This feeder is situated in the valley directly West of the Northeast tripod. Since I had the wind in my favor and was covered by a ridgeline, I began a hurried run back to the tripod, time was running out.

I approached staying as far East as possible, making my way through the thick cover trying to stay on the tips of my toes and on dirt patches here and there to keep sound at a minimum. Making it to the stand site I was reminded that it is littered with dry twigs, trying to step through quickly, the two does at the end of the procession were alerted to my presence. The does scampered off about 40 yards to the North, at the same time the 6 point buck walked right past them towards the feeder. Since the does had spooked and I noted that both bucks were still walking toward the feeder I gritted my teeth and crashed through the noisy cover to the stand. One of the does that had made me was making her way steadily up the hillside in my direction, she would take a couple of steps, then stop, snort and stamp her feet then repeat the process. With her trying to figure out what I was I could not risk climbing into the stand, so leaning against the ladder I began to examine the Bucks.

Although there was still more than enough shooting time left, it was pretty dim down in the valley. I was cursing myself for not spending some money on quality optics; my $30 binoculars were just not doing the job. Putting down the binoculars, I made sure my rifle was on safety and cranked up the power on my scope. The deer to the North was the "shooter," his rack wasn't tall, but man was it wide. I radioed to Craig that the deer was wide as he had been calling asking what was up. I pocketed the radio, shouldered my rifle and took a last look to verify that this buck was the "shooter."

He was! Dropping the cross hairs to just behind the shoulder, I clicked off the safety and squeezed the trigger. I do not even remember hearing the gun fire, however at 117 yards shooting off-hand, I heard the distinct "WHUMP" of the 155 grain bullet as it impacted. The deer jumped and turned completely around in the air, hit the ground running and headed North. Watching I saw him stumble twice then go down approximately 50 yards from where he was standing.

Given the way he jumped I figured the bullet had struck him a little far back, but upon locating the deer, I found that the Winchester Silvertip had hit it's mark, just where I had aimed. Although the shot had passed through the heart and broken the buck's outside shoulder, he still made it 50 yards. The 8 pointer was wide, really wide, although not trophy tall and not bulging with mass, this was a good deer….a great buck, and again for this season we were successful in taking a "buddy buck."

A Blast from the Past - The Buddy Buck

Great Memories

I love being able to look back and see our hunts from the past.  Each one is special and each has great meaning...every picture tells a story and I believe that every deer is a Trophy!

Send your hunting and fishing pictures and stories to Antlerstack today....
..............................
From 2002

It was the second morning of the nine-day Oklahoma rifle season. All of the long awaited anticipation of opening day had ended the previous evening, with several buck sightings. Most of the bucks were trailing non-interested does, but none were "shooters."

As the alarms went off, we arose with new excitement. My long time hunting buddy Mark and I, showered, got dressed, and headed to the field. We arrived at 5:30 a.m. to the Far Western, Oklahoma landscape and took to our stands, getting settled in long before daylight.

As the darkness faded and the sun began to light the eastern sky, the wilderness came to life. My stand location had been the spot of several sightings of different trophy bucks, but today the action is very slow with only a few does and one spike buck.

Almost a mile away from my stand, Mark was seeing bucks, some very small, and some pretty good ones. One buck caught his eye relatively early and stayed within viewing range most of the morning. This buck was working a small ridgeline covered with shinnery oaks, that does tend to migrate to.

Around 9:00 a.m., a cold front slammed into Oklahoma with wind gusts reaching 30 miles per hour. With the inclimate weather, the deer movement screeched to a halt. Mark kept radioing me on and off all morning, telling me about the buck and how impressive his antlers were. The brawny buck would get up and walk around for a little bit and then lay back down. He did this several times, but stayed within the same general vicinity.

With the deer movement stalled out, Mark and I began to talk about a possible stalk. Mark was set up Northeast of the ridge, so a stalk from his viewpoint was almost impossible. My stand was straight west of the ridge, so we decided for a stalk from my location. From his Strongbuilt, tripod stand, Mark had a great view of the entire valley. His vantage point was going to assist me greatly with my bearings. Finally after about an hour of talking back and forth, I was in position for the final approach.

The last one hundred and fifty yards was obviously going to be the most difficult because of the heavy CRP grass and plumb thickets that covered the landscape. It seemed like every piece of grass or stem that I would step on, sounded like a 2x4 breaking. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally was at the base of the small ridge. Once I caught my breath, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled about thirty feet to the crest. At the top, I peeked over into a small bowl where Mark had been glassing the deer. He told me that he had not seen the bucks in the previous fifteen minutes because he thought that they were lying down. As I looked into the small depression, I immediately saw a decent seven pointer just thirty yards from me. That was a great feeling of accomplishment, just getting that close to a buck that didn't walk under my stand! Mark instantaneously called me on the radio and told me that he thought I was about two hundred and fifty yards to far south of the "shooter" buck. I then eased back down the small ridge and began to make my way down a well-traveled trail to the north.

About a hundred yards down the path was a small saddle in the ridge, so I once again crawled up to the crest for a quick look. To my amazement, the bigger buck was just ninety yards northeast of me, lying in the bowl. Due to the very tall grass, all that I could see was his neck and head. Almost on cue, the heavy racked nine pointer got up off his bed and started to walk off. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, this deer met our pre-set criteria for a "shooter" buck. I then centered the crosshairs of my Ruger Mark II 7 magnum on the only part of the buck that was clearly visible. One shot was squeezed off and hit the buck squarely in the neck. The deer went directly down and soon expired. The Hornady 154-grain bullet was just the ticket and performed outstanding.

As I walked up on the brute, I realized immediately that this was my best and most fulfilling deer ever. I also knew that without the help of my "buddy" Mark, I could have never harvested this animal. The 2002 Oklahoma rifle season will always be burned into my memory as one of the best ever!

Rifle Season Teaser

Although weather has been a struggle with high temperatures and major winds, this rifle season is shaping up to be good for our group, some pictures below will give you an idea of how the season has developed.  Stay tuned for stories to come.

Sometimes the Deck is Stacked Against You.

Although we were fortunate enough to get drawn into the McAlester Ammunition Depot Draw Hunt and fortunate enough to be drawn into one of the best weeks and fortunate enough to be drawn into one of our favorite areas, Hominy; it just wasn't meant to be.

It started off simple enough, great drive with great friends to McAlester, set up in some decent lodging and checked in easily enough, we could see trouble brewing during the afternoon scouting and stand set up session.  It was warm, very warm.  We also knew the moon was working against us, we were still hopeful.

Primed and ready we settled in for a great dinner at Chili's and some early shut eye.  Morning rolls around early and we knew there was trouble as the temperatures were already in the high fifties to low sixties.  Temperatures rose upwards that first day into the high eighties.  With a full moon and temperatures approaching the nineties, needless to say deer movement was almost nil.  Although there was limited to no deer movement during shooting hours, the experience was awesome and spending time with great friends was priceless.

Next time we get drawn it will be hammer time.

Special thanks to Jeff Steele at Arrowhead Archery who stepped up and let me borrow his recurve when I had a problem with mine.  They are great folks with excellent gear, go by and see them if you are needing a bow or archery supplies.