In a letter to this magazine a few years back, a reader lamented that few articles on deer hunting grace these pages. Though I have personally written more about bird and duck hunting, conservation and fishing, deer hunting has always been one of my first loves. So, why haven’t I written much about it? Probably because it is the one sport I’ve managed to keep out of my television business. I chose not to add deer hunting to our TV show because no matter how you do it, all TV deer hunts look alike. They follow the same script: hunter climbs tree stand, deer approaches. Music builds, though none of us hear it in the outdoors, except for a former South Dakota State University head football coach I knew who often played his transistor radio while in his stand. Last I heard, he has yet to bag his first archery deer.
Meanwhile, our television hunter looks at the deer, then turns to camera the camera to whisper to the audience. We can’t hear or understand him, though the whisper is loud enough to spook any deer within a hundred yards or so. The animal approaches and finally passes within range. It is always a heavily antlered buck, the kind few of us ever see. The hunter raises his gun or bow, and never misses. There is the obligatory shot of the hunter, who remains silent now that he no longer has a need to, and instead, he gives us “thumbs up.” The deer bounds off and the hunter climbs down out of the stand. He follows the blood trail and comes upon the dead deer. The camera focuses on the antlers, then cuts to the hunter who thanks the good Lord and his sponsors, not necessarily in that order and mumbles “O golly, O Gee, what a buck.” Then it cuts to a commercial about the gun or bow he used. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt a twinge of sadness when I come upon the dead animal. I don’t think that’s a time to thump your chest and tell the world what a great hunter you are. Rather, it’s time to show respect for the creature.
In his own way, Ted Nugent comes closer to capturing what you should feel at such times than most. He at least talks about how the deer will nourish he and his family. And though the Motor City Madman nearly always shoots an animal with big horns, I know him well enough to know that he is attuned to the spiritual side of the hunt.
I haven’t kept track of the number of deer I’ve tagged but it’s quite possibly pushing a hundred, and nearly half were archery deer. That doesn’t make me an expert, though it puts me in a very small group and many of the writers and TV hosts who are doing these things have probably not had as much experience. With that kind of history, I’ve learned a bit about whitetails, a specie I much prefer to their western cousins, the mule deer. My wife prefers hunting mule deer but we’d both rather eat whitetails.
Though I’ve bagged a few trophy bucks, I confess to not being a horn hunter, though I admire the creature capable of growing them to the extent of entry into Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young. But here’s my admission and perhaps another reason I don’t hunt deer on television.
I am a meat hunter.
Yes, I love to eat deer meat. It’s sweet, flavorful and as is the case with elk, when properly cared for and prepared, equals or surpasses the best beef. And since the eating of venison is as important as the hunt for yours truly, I prefer and usually shoot…a doe. And it’s difficult to relate killing a doe to some deer hunters who equate manhood with the size of the rack on the buck. Sure, I hunt deer for sport but I want meat I can enjoy without having to turn it into sausage or jerky and the truth is, does taste better than bucks taken in November. That’s another reason I prefer whitetails to mulies. They taste clean and sweet, not of sage or whatever it is that mule deer eat that contributes to their gamy taste.
I will say the following without reservation of any kind. If you kill a doe that hasn’t been spooked, she drops quickly and doesn’t go far after the shot, you’ve made a good start. If you field dress cleanly and get the carcass cooled quickly, then age your venison for a couple weeks at a steady temperature of about 34 degrees, you’ve taken the necessary second step. Finally, do the butchering yourself, and do it all with a knife. Don’t cut through any bones, remove all silverskin and fat. Then cut the meat into serving size portions and freeze. Follow these three steps and you’ll know why I feel so strongly about venison…and why I am a doe hunter.
And that’s why I am writing about deer hunting…in January. I am going deer hunting, and by the time you read this, I will hopefully have my trophy doe cut, wrapped and in the freezer, at least that which I haven’t already eaten. I’m hunting in January because I have decided to become a pawn of management. That’s how the SD Game, Fish & Parks Department views those who tote muzzleloaders. We are a “management tool,” a group who will help keep the growing deer herd in check by our willingness to shoot a doe.
Let’s talk trophies. Too many hunters measure a trophy only by size. I have my own criteria. Taste! Give me a two to three-year-old whitetail doe…on the table or in the woods. I have so much respect for this animal that I wonder why you never see a doe mount grace a wall or fireplace. As a longtime archery hunter, I’ll let you in on something. In the whitetail world, she is more attuned, and much harder to fool than any buck. Remember, starting around early November, the buck makes all of his decisions with one organ. He closes his eyes, plugs his ears, pays no attention to what his nose tells him, and acts much like a teenage boy at a drive-in movie date, a scenario in which you have to be nearly 60 to understand. Anyway, the actions of either the buck or teenage boy make you wonder how either managed to live into adulthood.
I’m not alone. My late friend, Jim Wagner of Mitchell, was one of South Dakota’s archery pioneers. Jim harvested nearly 40 deer off Farm Island State Park alone. And not a single one of them was a buck. Why?
“I never could figure out how to prepare horns,” Jim told me while we were preparing to dine on 2-inch thick chunks of loin that were about to go on the grill outside his camper at Farm Island.
Jim and I agreed on most things.
Why do I give so much credit to the older doe?
Observation!
I’ve watched hundreds, maybe thousands of deer from a tree stand and the mature doe is more careful than any buck. She strains and cocks her ears toward any sound, her nose always testing the air. It might add to the story to talk about the smart old buck, but compared to the average doe, he’s a village idiot. Yet, macho hunters have a hangup when it comes to shooting does. Fortunately, muzzleloading seasons give some respectability to those of us who prefer does. Even those who wouldn’t normally shoot a doe can now do so without their hunting buddies making fun of them.
I will be using a 50 caliber Austin Halleck in-line rifle that resembles and functions much like any centerfire rifle. Since you can use only open or peep sights when using a muzzleloader in the Dakotas, I’d normally be at a handicap. However, Austin Halleck has installed fiber-optic sights that even these old eyes can clearly see. I’d hardly call the inlines such as mine, “primitive weapons,” but let’s be honest. This isn’t about tradition as much as it is about reducing the size of a herd and putting some of the very best deer meat in the freezer.
I still remember the late Clint Nagel of Pierre. He spent his later adult life serving as an attorney for the SD Game, Fish & Parks Department, assigned to the Attorney General’s office. Clint was also a superb game cook and often advised me on the care and preparation of game ranging from mallards to antelope.
I hunted deer twice with Clint, both times on Farm Island east of Pierre where the department bureaucrats no longer allow gun hunting. Clint knew what he wanted and always bagged it. He’d drag his yearling fawn with one hand and proudly announce he was going to dine on the equivalent of young lamb or veal. I thought of him earlier this year when I bagged an animal of similar size. My younger brother joked about stuffing a green pepper with it but he was there for seconds when we did the backstrap over hot coals.
No, I’m not into heads.
Though I haven’t bow-hunted the last few years, I have about 30 years of experience and I think every deer hunter should spend some time bow-hunting because it makes you a better gun hunter. You are required to learn more about the animal and its habits, because to be successful, you must consistently put yourself in such a position that a long shot is 20 yards. Contrast that with the rifle hunter who does none of this and blasts away at 400 plus yards, doesn’t see the deer fall and therefore concludes he didn’t hit it. I know that represents only a small portion of rifle hunters, but they are out there.
Rule #1 – Take close shots only. You’re better off scoring a hit in a vital place with a rifle of modest power such as a 30-30 than a poor hit at long range with a 375 Magnum. The deer that dies quickly tastes better. Besides, a hunter has an obligation to kill quickly…and humanely. Don’t shoot at running deer.
Rule #2 – Whether you shoot a rifle or bow, practice, practice, practice. Don’t blow the shot because you aren’t skilled enough to make it.
Rule #3 – Dress the animal out cleanly and cool the carcass quickly. Learn to become proficient at this. Sloppy gutting with body fluids going everywhere results in tainted meat.
Rule #4 – Cool and age the carcass at 36 to 40 degrees for a week or even two. Then butcher it. It’s easy to do and remember this: cut off all fat, remove all shot-up bloody parts, and avoid cutting through the bone. Venison fat and marrow, unlike that of beef, turns rancid quickly.
Rule #5 – Package your cuts in meal-sized portions. Double wrap the cuts. If you have access to a vacuum sealer, use it. Vacuum packed meat keeps longer. Label and date all packages.
Venison is lean, red meat with the tender cuts lending themselves well to high heat and fast cooking. Like all red meats, venison should be served medium to rare, no more. Overcooking makes it taste tough and livery, and imparts the “wild” taste some, including me, find so objectionable. The liver is one cut that needs no aging and you either like it or you don’t. You can have mine.
My favorite cuts are the tenderloin and backstrap. The tenderloin is those two little strips of meat on the inside of the carcass, that measure about 8 to 10 inches in length. These strips of loin are exceedingly tender and delicious. Don’t do anything fancy with them, just toss’em on a hot grill and cook very quickly to medium rare. I will fix those two pieces when my wife goes on a shopping trip, because there’s no sense in sharing, knowing that she’d do the same for me.
The backstraps are the loin cuts on either side of the backbone. They’re easy to remove and I like to cut them into invididual steaks about 2-inches thick and wrap them in bacon. I sprinkle them with Montreal Steak Seasoning and rest them at room temperature for about 45 minutes. When the grill is as hot as I can get it, I douse the steaks with extra virgin olive oil and toss them on the grill. About 2 minutes a side is a great plenty. Remember, don’t overcook. Serve them with a Ceaser salad, garden green beans and a good red wine such as a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. Red wines are a perfect compliment to venison.
I prepare my best cuts of steak on a grill and the rest in a saute` pan. The latter also enables you to create a great tasting sauce. Begin by seasoning the meat, (freshly cracked black pepper and salt), then heat the pan very hot and just before placing the steaks in it, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the steaks quickly. About two minutes per side is usually all it will require, depending on thickness. When the steaks are done, remove them from the pan, then deglaze it with some red wine or brandy, add a couple tablespoons of cold butter and finally, a couple spoonfuls of red preserves such as cherry; rasberry or plum. Scrape all the bits of encrusted venison off the pan as you stir because this is the source of flavor. Stir and reduce by half, then pour the sauce over the venison. You’ll never prepare steaks another way.
I essentially follow the same cooking rules with roasts. Do them fast with high heat and cook to medium rare. Remember that venison is lean and to keep it moist, you have to add moisture. You might want to try this recipe from Chef Mark Mancuso of La Minestra restaurant in Pierre, SD.
Marks trusses a 1 ½ pound venison roast much like you see a rolled rump roast in the supermarket. He then rubs it with Canadian or Montreal Steak seasoning, a coating of a commercial product available at any supermarket called Kitchen Bouquet, then puts it in a hot oven (450-475 degrees) for about 20 minutes. The goal should be to cook it to medium rare and it’s best to use a meat thermometer and remove the roast from the oven when it reads 130 degrees. Put the roast aside while you prepare the sauce.
The sauce is made in the pan you cooked the roast in. That crusty stuff on the bottom is the heart of the sauce and you heat it on the stove. Add a half-cup of port wine, stir constantly, then add a tablespoon or so of preserves. Finally, at a tablespoon of cold butter and stir over high heat until the sauce is reduced by half. Pour this wonderful sauce over the venison roast. Remember, venison always goes good with red fruit preserves, especially plums, cherries, juniper berries, blackberries or lingonberries. Slice the roast and pour any remaining sauce over the slices. Serve it up with oven-browned potatoes, steamed aspargus and a glass of good Merlot. After dinner, choose between a snifter of good cognac or a glass of the same port you used for the sauce and then sit back and savor while the buckhunters in your crowd look at their antlers.
In the end, there’s a simple bottom line. Once you taste properly prepared venison, especially the meat of a doe, you’ll have a hard time shooting bucks in the future. You might even consider a doe mount for the wall.
Editor's Note: I'm glad I bagged a deer in Marshall County late in the season, even a small doe, because I was not successful in my muzzleloader hunt. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, all of the time. And that's why it's called hunting and not killing.
