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Venison For A Hungry Drop Bear


Drop Bear

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Ok I know this is a fishing forum but I have been encouraged to put up a hunting report from yesterday. Many AFO members enjoyed some Venison at the Christmas party at lake moogerah last weekend. 

This is a bit of a report and a bit of a blog. If hunting is not your thing perhaps don't read this. I am more than happy to have a respectful debate about the ethics of hunting so if you are opposed to it please feel free to express your concerns. I couldn't get many photos as my mate doesn't understand and I don't do it for trophies but there are a couple of photos below. 

Anyway onto the report thingy.

With Christmas fast approaching I was really keen to put some venison in the fridge. I enjoy eating it more than any other meat. The steaks are tasty and good and stews hearty and delicious. Great in a curry and great as a roast. The kings and queens cant be wrong and I am not surprised at all that they used to hunt down poachers.

I phoned my mate in Kilcoy and he said there were a few around. There are quite a few Red dear up that way and when the weather is really dry they come down to the flats to get water and a feed. We had had a few storms lately so it was no sure thing that we would get one as they can be way back up in the mountains and national park. It takes about and hour and a half to get there from my house so an easy drive but the Gateway is always a pain. oh well.

We headed off from my mates place at about 5pm as it was a hot day and didn't want to get out earlier and drove to a farm he knows. A few bumpy tracks and we made it to the first hill and there they were. A mob of about 12 boldly standing in the open about 350m away. I don't like to take speculative shots so we creeped closer to about 200m where we felt comfortable. Unfortunately our approach spooked them some what and they wondered off down into the gully. Stunning country here with a massive rock escarpment fringing the grassy paddocks. We got out of the car and headed off on foot shouldering the 7mm 08.

The wind was not ideal. It was at our sides and a bit varied so we took the long route up the hill to the south of them. They had not gone far but were again about 300m away but not as aware of us now. we made it behind a hill and got about 100m on them and found a great rest on a tree. They were in some scrub now. I don't shoot for antlers and only for meat. Unfortunately there were no spotty ones in the open but a 2 year old velvet buck gave me a good front 3/4 shot. It was still 200m and it was a bit windy so I didn't feel confident in a clean head shot.  I aimed for the front leg and took the shot. It took off. We had a deep forested gully in the way and followed the Buck and saw it slowing up as it went over the next hill. I took some bearings on where we last saw it and we picked our way through the heavy scrub and lantana up the other side. There was a blood trial and we followed it down into the next steep gully where the deer was lying. It was a clean kill.

I had to drag it out up this gully for about 50m to get to where we could drag it down hill. This took me ages as the country was so tight I had to do it on my own and  I could only skootch it about 2m at a time before having a break but finally made it to where we could field dress it.

He was a very handsome 2 year old velvet buck. A good size and very heavy to drag. We field dressed it and dragged it down the hill to the ute. It was a long way and very dirty tracks so sadly the neck and tender loins got dirt and sticks on them and had to go to the dogs. 

We drove back to my mates place. He is a master butcher and had it skinned and broken down in under 20 mins. I placed the pieces on an old sheet... (perhaps not too old but don't tell mrs DB) in the back of the ute and headed home. It stayed on the sheet over night and into the fridge at 4.30am this morning. 

A fantastic day. 

I had some Venison for lunch today gladly picking the back strap. Delicious. A tinge of game but really yummy and tender.

Angus ordered the Liver so I have this for him in the fridge.

It really is about as good as it gets for ethical meat. Free range, organic and these are feral animals. 

Thanks

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Had a bambie pie in Tasmania once Drop Bear , pretty good too, looks like you got your wish , Venison for Xmas, thanks for the post, on another note, I was fishing Ningi Creek this morning opposite the piss poor excuse for a boat ramp, when I guy with a flat top truck with a front mounted crane and aluminium oyster boat, turned up and proceeded to unload the oyster boat into the creek, not long after , lady from the ABC turned up in her car ( I knew she was from the ABC because thats what the sign on her car said ) pretty shortly after she arrived , she was picked up at the ramp by a man in a nice side console tinny, purple wraps I think about 5mtrs long and a nice 4 stroke suzie to push it along , anyway he took her down to one of the old oyster leases down towards the mouth of the creek, where the man with the oyster boat was working his guts out , an hour or so later the man with the nice purple wrapped tinny with the suzie on ,brought the lady from the ABC back to the ramp and she jumped in her car (after going to the ladies of course) and she was gonski. My question to you Drop Bear, is do you know if this little affair has anything to do with the oyster reef restoration project in pumicestone  passage.

Just as well the lady from the ABC turned up, only action all morning, fishing was less then ordinary, neap tides and slight ENE.

MSB

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mate that is awesome.  great condition on the animal, it shows in the quality of the meat you got off it.  also really appreciate your "harvest" methodology as opposed to the "trophy hunt".  i think too many guys get caught up trying to get the trophy - which on an aside will be far from the best eating.  a young buck, spiker or doe will provide much better quality meat.

did you nail the "engine room" sweet spot just behind the shoulder thus losing minimal meat?

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On 30/11/2018 at 1:40 PM, MSB said:

Had a bambie pie in Tasmania once Drop Bear , pretty good too, looks like you got your wish , Venison for Xmas, thanks for the post, on another note, I was fishing Ningi Creek this morning opposite the piss poor excuse for a boat ramp, when I guy with a flat top truck with a front mounted crane and aluminium oyster boat, turned up and proceeded to unload the oyster boat into the creek, not long after , lady from the ABC turned up in her car ( I knew she was from the ABC because thats what the sign on her car said ) pretty shortly after she arrived , she was picked up at the ramp by a man in a nice side console tinny, purple wraps I think about 5mtrs long and a nice 4 stroke suzie to push it along , anyway he took her down to one of the old oyster leases down towards the mouth of the creek, where the man with the oyster boat was working his guts out , an hour or so later the man with the nice purple wrapped tinny with the suzie on ,brought the lady from the ABC back to the ramp and she jumped in her car (after going to the ladies of course) and she was gonski. My question to you Drop Bear, is do you know if this little affair has anything to do with the oyster reef restoration project in pumicestone  passage.

Just as well the lady from the ABC turned up, only action all morning, fishing was less then ordinary, neap tides and slight ENE.

MSB

Hey mate,

Yes that is Ben Diggles and his boat. They are extending the shellfish reefs this week. It was postponed until tomorrow due to all the winds. 

I am going to be up there tomorrow. There is a spot on the boat if you wanted to come for a luncheon cruse and information day? Starts at about 10.30 untill about 2. PM me if you can make it. 

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On 30/11/2018 at 2:23 PM, benno573 said:

mate that is awesome.  great condition on the animal, it shows in the quality of the meat you got off it.  also really appreciate your "harvest" methodology as opposed to the "trophy hunt".  i think too many guys get caught up trying to get the trophy - which on an aside will be far from the best eating.  a young buck, spiker or doe will provide much better quality meat.

did you nail the "engine room" sweet spot just behind the shoulder thus losing minimal meat?

Yes hit it there but the angle was a bit off and we lost one of the fore quarters. I cooked up the back straps last night for a group of friends. Fantastic. Such good eating. 

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7 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Hey mate,

Yes that is Ben Diggles and his boat. They are extending the shellfish reefs this week. It was postponed until tomorrow due to all the winds. 

I am going to be up there tomorrow. There is a spot on the boat if you wanted to come for a luncheon cruse and information day? Starts at about 10.30 untill about 2. PM me if you can make it. 

Thanks for offer Drop Bear, unfortunately can't do, have a physio appt for my knee, offer much appreciated though

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Awesome read Drop Bear and I've eaten crocodile, alligator, Ostrich, Emu, Boar and Kangaroo but not Venison. I love Kangaroo mince in shepherds pie instead of beef and I love small slithers of Kangaroo medium rare on crackers with camembert! I'm interested in learning the hunting thing....... Need to wait til fund can allow me to get rifle license..... Looks goods though! I've heard Venison sausages are amazing! 

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On 03/12/2018 at 7:39 PM, natang said:

Awesome read Drop Bear and I've eaten crocodile, alligator, Ostrich, Emu, Boar and Kangaroo but not Venison. I love Kangaroo mince in shepherds pie instead of beef and I love small slithers of Kangaroo medium rare on crackers with camembert! I'm interested in learning the hunting thing....... Need to wait til fund can allow me to get rifle license..... Looks goods though! I've heard Venison sausages are amazing! 

Venison is a fantastic lean meat. It ranges in flavour from light lamb type flavour to a strong Horse piss game flavour. 

I love it as a steak and it is very hard to go past a Venison stew or curry. I find the trick when slow cooking it is to put some vegetables like sweet potato or pumpkin in with it as it makes it a lot moister. It can go dry if cooked too long... I did a pie for a OzFish meeting and it went very dry. 

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30 minutes ago, Fishaman said:

When I lived in Utah my mate hunted deer and elk among other things. They make awesome jerky, have you ever tried to make it? We had Elk roast. A little metalic tasting but very nice otherwise (Heaps of gravy and old boots taste good)

I would love to make some. I don't know how? 

I have a stack of meat ready to go. 

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