Friday Posbang + Happy MgoDeer Hunting

Submitted by XM - Mt 1822 on

Mates,

It is a great Friday with a nice covering of snow, and for a very large segment of the state's population up here, the eve of a virtual holy day - Rifle season for deer hunting starts tomorrow at 0-dark-hundred.   I am a bow hunter, but I am glad that people do love to rifle hunt.  For those that have never been, the fun and fellowship of deer camp are a treat, many a memory across generations of family and friends has been created this time of year. 

Would love to have any MgoDeer Hunters share their plans for this year or favorite stories from past years.  Since our beloved Wolverines have a 'bye' this weekend, no excuse to get out of the woods tomorrow.

Hunt safely and have a great weekend.  Go blue!

jmdblue

November 14th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

at some loin chops from a deer killed by someone you know is interested in cooking (and therefore was more interested in taking care of the meat than showing off the dead deer), do this:.  Dry them overnight on a baker's cooling rack with paper towel and plate beneath and paper towel on top.  You'll lose some mass from evaporation, but it intensifies the flavor.  Rub them with salt and pepper.  Fry them in a dry pan (not non-stick) on med-high heat.  Don't worry about a little smoke.  Add some sliced shallots mid-way through to soften.  Sear both sides and cook till rare-med rare.  remove from heat and let rest for about 10 minutes... they'll finish at med rare.  While the meat rests, deglaze your pan (with shallots still in there) with some chix stock, and red wine.  Add salt, pepper, rosemary, dijon mustard, and a little jam.  reduce till something thinner than maple syrup.  Finish the sauce with some butter and serve.  You'll like this.

XM - Mt 1822

November 14th, 2014 at 6:14 AM ^

i oughta know.  last year at the end of bow season (12/31) i missed a beautiful buck one evening when my arrow deflected off of a branch.  dejected i walked to the old truck to drive around to the front of the farm.  i wasn't going 20 or maybe 25 mph when a large doe came out of nowhere and ran into the bumper of said 1-ton diesel crew cab.  despite umpteen close calls, it was my first deer collision.

truck -1 (no marks), deer -0 (deader than a door nail). 

so i put a tag on her and took her into the barn.   me and the 4 oldest boys cleaned and skinned her.  it was 15 below without windchill that night.  suffice it to say, there was no problem preserving the meat until it was time to butcher. 

truck season is 12 months a year and sometimes it's not so bad. 

ijohnb

November 14th, 2014 at 8:06 AM ^

about waiting in a blind to shoot an animal makes me uncomfortable.  I guess tracking a deer involves some skill and is sport-ish, but sitting in a blind and waiting to just blast a deer seems the equivalent of hiding around the corner from your dog's food bowl and kicking him in the nuts when he bends down to take a bite.  Surprise!!! BAM.

readyourguard

November 14th, 2014 at 8:18 AM ^

Cattle are dangled upside down and get a bolt of electricity behind the ear. Then their throats are slit and the blood is drained.

I can see how some would consider that so much more acceptable.

Enjoy that burger.

readyourguard

November 14th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^

The end result is the same for both the cattle and the deer. They die. The big difference is, the deer lived a natural life by sleeping, eating, and breeding in the wilderness. It's a fair chase: their ridiculously crafty senses vs mine. Cattle? They have ZERO chance of survival.

XM - Mt 1822

November 14th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^

1.  it's not like deer pass into valhalla painlessly upon death if they aren't shot.  they willl freeze to death, starve to death, die of disease or maybe get ripped to pieces while still alive by coyotes or a bear.   a well-placed arrow or bullet is quite humane.

2.  come bow hunting with one of us.  you'll see that it is quite the challenge.  i hunt with a completely stripped bow - no pins, sights, weights, nada.   it's just me and the deer and the arrow. 

kdhoffma

November 14th, 2014 at 6:05 AM ^

Dad still goes every year despite not bagging a buck since the late 70's. I went with him a few years and found out why... Get up at 4am go sit in the woods waiting until dawn, fall asleep until lunch, have a few beers, fall asleep until dusk. Deer hunting is nothing more than a few days away from the wife and kids for him... Now that i'm also a husband and dad, I understand and approve.

MGoblu8

November 14th, 2014 at 6:24 AM ^

Good luck to all the MGoHunters!
I haven't really gotten into deer hunting here in Florida, only fishing and gator hunting. I'm hoping to do some bow hunting when I go up to to my parents' farm in Ohio around Christmas. We'll see. Until then, enjoy the snow and the hunting. I'll just have to live vicariously through you guys. Go get some MGoBucks!

LSAClassOf2000

November 14th, 2014 at 6:40 AM ^

First and foremost, to all those who shall be out there in the fields and woods on Saturday, good luck to all of you. 

What it means to me, of course, is that today shall be a very quiet day at work due to the skeleton crew we'll be fielding. Tons of people this week were talking about their blinds / favorite places to hunt / etc..., and as of yesterday evening, a fair number of those same people will be heading to those places. 

If nothing else, we have this second bye week were people can watch football / hunt / do whatever with relatively low stress and a relatively clear mind. I'll take it given how our season has gone. 

ilah17

November 14th, 2014 at 6:51 AM ^

Road-tripping to NC. Just left Athens, home of THE Ohio University. Haha One of my favorite headlines this year.



Ready to enjoy this bye week and hope our team gets healthy!