What R you doing today?

[arcticsid]

True that OP. Hunters and even non hunters forget how much work is involved after the "hunt"

I have butchered a few Moose, and obviously, they are quite larger than a deer. My buddy got one, a real nice one, a few years ago. We cut, skinned, cleaned, washed, packaged, ground, smoked, and smoked some more LOL. Our other buddy was with us. This was AFTER, he had it hanging in his yard. But between the three of us, we worked on that Moose for no less than 24 hours.

Yeah, you're right. Pulling the trigger is the first step. The work begins when you have to "process" it.

As you can imagine, I know what subsistence means. Sometimes I think this whole philosophy is over exagerated. I believe in taking what you need and what you can share. But I respectably disagree with your statement about making the difference between beans and starving to death. "Man can not live by steaks alone".

I have always had a difficult time trying to be convinced, that if you don't eat meat you will surely die. Sorry brother, I have heard our Native Alaskans argue this for a long time. If you don't eat meat, it is likely that you won't die.

There are lots of things out there to eat besides meat.

It's a funny thought to imagine how people who live from the land must think of vegetarians!!!! No wonder they all have names to call us 'white folks"! LOL

Troy

 

[Old Philosopher]

As you can imagine, I know what subsistence means. Sometimes I think this whole philosophy is over exagerated. I believe in taking what you need and what you can share. But I respectably disagree with your statement about making the difference between beans and starving to death. "Man can not live by steaks alone".

Hold on, Bro! Re-read my post. I said "eating beans, or eating meat", not starving!

I have always had a difficult time trying to be convinced, that if you don't eat meat you will surely die. Sorry brother, I have heard our Native Alaskans argue this for a long time. If you don't eat meat, it is likely that you won't die.

There are lots of things out there to eat besides meat.

Humans are "hunter/gatherers", with an emphasis on the hunter part. But we started out as gatherers. Civilization really started when we learned how to stay in one place and raise crops. Believe me, in a "survival" situation, meat on the run is far down my list of food stuffs. The inner bark of many trees will keep you alive, and the tree won't run away from you. Roots, leaves, berries...blah, blah... I hear exactly what you're saying.
While I don't believe that a strict vegetarian diet is 100% healthy, you certainly don't need meat to survive.
But I will add that I wonder if some folks aren't right about one thing. It's possible that when we stopped eating fruits and nuts, and started eating animal protein, something was triggered in our metabolism that kick-started in our "evolution".

It's a funny thought to imagine how people who live from the land must think of vegetarians!!!! No wonder they all have names to call us 'white folks"! LOL

Troy

 

[arcticsid]

Point taken.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

sid>you need to come out to MO and see how we butcher our deer. man we can completey cut it down in less than an hour. did 12 last year in 5 hrs. although my dad is an ex- farmer, army cook and professional chef. we also have a meat grinder that's 4 hp rated (cousins are tinkerer's and hooked up a lawn mower motor to it).

moose could be a ~4-5 hr ordeal though (takes 3 to run the setup right>butcher, packager, grinder).

my sister is an ex-hippie type. no meat for over 10 yrs. no eggs or fish either. it does takes it's toll if you don't eat enough protein as she was very thin and not very strong. ok for a girl not doing physical labor, but i need my meats!!!! love me some refried and baked beans though too. nobody else likes it when i eat em though. lol

 

[Runningwolf]

Meat and potatoes for me! Dislike most vegetables and I know thats not good but thats the way it is. I am not a hunter any more but not opposed to it. I would much rather be in the woods with my camera now a days.

 

[arcticsid]

Vinter, I seen someone "accidentally" take a Moose out of season a few years ago. They had that Moose on the ground, gutted, skinned and outta hear in like 1 hour!!! No kidding. I was quite impressed! Of course they let it hang before the actual butchering. Don't forget, these Moose are running about 1000 pounds, quite a bit different from a deeer that weighs maybe 200 or so. Someone in here was just talking about Black Tail deer, we have those here. They are so small you feel bad about shooting one. But they damn sure are good eating.LOL
Troy

 

[Old Philosopher]

... Someone in here was just talking about Black Tail deer, we have those here. They are so small you feel bad about shooting one. But they damn sure are good eating.LOL
Troy

I've heard that the Sitka Blacktails on Kodiak could push 200 pounds. That's near Muley size. Ever run across any of them?

 

[arcticsid]

OP, I was on a boat in Kodiak for almost 5 months, been to a zillion, well, half a zillion little bays, never seen one or any of the Giant bears down there. But our Sitka Black Tails here are real small. Like 100 pounds or so. I do remeber a while ago, someone got one(ungutted) and it weighed like 150# and that was considered large.

 

[Old Philosopher]

OP, I was on a boat in Kodiak for almost 5 months, been to a zillion, well, half a zillion little bays, never seen one or any of the Giant bears down there. But our Sitka Black Tails here are real small. Like 100 pounds or so. I do remeber a while ago, someone got one(ungutted) and it weighed like 150# and that was considered large.

I never made it to Kodiak. Couldn't afford the trip. I know my old high school buddy in Southeast (Sitka) hunts them, and they run about 120-150 pounds down there.
The biggest Whitetail doe we've taken here is the one my youngest got this year, at about 130 pounds. The biggest buck was my 4x5 at 190.
The only time size matters is if you're trophy hunting. The younger the better when they get to the table. It has cracked me up for years that hunters will go out looking just for horns, shoot a 200 pound, 15 year old buck in full rut, and then complain, "My wife doesn't like venison!" Well...duh.

 

[Leanne]

Had to work today. I love my job but it does get in the way of my winemaking.

 

[Old Philosopher]

It's strange, but I seemed to be better able to manage my off-time when I was working. Now, I find too many distractions. (Like visiting forums..hehehe)

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Vinter, I seen someone "accidentally" take a Moose out of season a few years ago. They had that Moose on the ground, gutted, skinned and outta hear in like 1 hour!!! No kidding. I was quite impressed! Of course they let it hang before the actual butchering. Don't forget, these Moose are running about 1000 pounds, quite a bit different from a deeer that weighs maybe 200 or so. Someone in here was just talking about Black Tail deer, we have those here. They are so small you feel bad about shooting one. But they damn sure are good eating.LOL
Troy

to move such an animal has gotta be tough. a 200 lb buck isn't easy to move and you gotta watch out for the head falling, as a friend had an antler go through his boot, foot and into the ground. not only did he need medical attention, but a new set of boots!

i've always wondered about the black tails. are the bucks only just over 100 lbs or is that doe's?

oh, and how's moose taste?? is it like deer? or chicken? lol

 

[arcticsid]

Moose tastes nothing like venison. In fact it isn't "gamey" at all. You would be hard pressed to guess what it is next to beef. Quite frankly, (don't tell my fellow Alaskans), but I would rather have venison before Moose! Don't get me wrong, I love my Moose but sure like that Venison.

I have eaten alot of "weird" thing here. Dall Sheep, Mountain Goat, Smoked Seal, Walrus, Snowshoe Hare(hundreds of them), Red Squirell, MukTuk, Wahle meat, Beaver, Muskrat, every type of grouse here, even tried Lynx, it wasn't bad, but a little strange.

Caribou is one of my favorite meats. It is extremely lean, but it is quie good. My favorite way to cook it is to marinate in Italian dressing and than cook it any way you prefer.

I've eaten lots of other things, but those are the ones off the top of my head, and that doesn't even include Seafood. been to Siberia and back and have tried just about everything that ghas ever showed up on the deck.

Troy

 

[Old Philosopher]

The caribou I had was not prepared well, so moose is still at the top of my list. From your list, I might be one up on you: Pine Martin. I'd describe it as somewhere between Douglas Squirrel and wharf rat, with distinctive evergreen over-tones.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

sid> you sound like my dad. always eating anything that some1 has, but maybe not so many. he's told me he's had chicken feet, pig feet/brains, rocky mountain oyesters, cow tongue, etc. he grew up on a farm and right after the depression. they ate anything they could. i think i would've gone hungry

any kind of rat sounds terrible to me. i couldn't eat a seal or a walrus either. rabbits, squirrels and large game are good (bison, deer, etc..).

 

[Old Philosopher]

MV, apparently you've never really been hungry. Congratulations.

 

[Sacalait]

Troy you mentioned eating beaver. I tried that once and ended up throwing it out. It may have been an old bore??? Also, that thing was a booger to skin, is there a secret to it? Young nutria rat is good eating but smothered down squirrel remains my favorite. I'm thawing venison roast today and plan on slicing steaks from it and chicken frying them.

 

[arcticsid]

I too have eaten Marten, don't really care for that. Beaver reminds me of black bear, and nutria rat, I am guessing is a Muskrat. But like OP said, depends how hungry you are. Just because you can't buy it in the supermarket, doesn't mean it isn't good, edible, or both.

Alot of people, for a long time, have been eating things, that may sound strange. It doesn't mean it tastes bad, or you may cringe at the thought, it just means you are not one of the "alot of people".

Troy

 

[arcticsid]

just remembered something about beaver. It has been a long time, but I do remember some sort of gland or something, that if it is damaged in the buturing that can "spoil" the meat almost instantly. Other than that, I like beaver, but it isn't for everyone. Wanna try something "different"? Try Dall Sheep. Always worked good for me. Sorry to all my Eskimo friends but that whale meat is a little "rough". though I really like muk-tuk, even though they all laugh at me because I like it with a little salt.

Guess it proves I am a "Taniq" (white man). At least they only call me that, I wonder what the word is in Inupiatt for Pollack!!!!!! LMAO.
Troy

 

[Sacalait]

Nutria originated outside the country, South America I think, and some escaped from here many years ago and have spread throughout So. Louisiana. They are vegeterian animals.