By Glen Wunderlich

The final three weeks of deer hunting seasons are under way and some hunters actually prefer the late seasons of muzzleloading and antlerless deer hunting to get those freezers filled.  Although less deer are certainly present and that fact may offer fewer opportunities, less hunting pressure and the probability of snow on the ground and colder temperatures can be good or bad depending on how hunters are prepared.  Good table fare begins with good preparation – both afield and at home.

I am one of those hunters that looks forward to our generous late seasons, because a return to normalcy is a return to predictability.  Colder weather means that deer must consume more food to fight the elements; find food and find the deer.  Being prepared, however, means more than dressing with warm clothes and includes a plan after the shot. 

Late-season doe

Failure to care for the meat from field to freezer can spell the difference between good and bad meat.  As is typical for this time of year in Michigan, night temperatures are below 32 degrees or freezing.  Therefore, hunters not only want to recover deer before they have a chance to freeze, they also do not have the luxury of hanging deer to cool them without freezing or to age the meat.  We do not want an unprocessed deer to freeze before the butchering operation, because it will have to be thawed before packaging and freezing, once more.  Done improperly, the meat can not only have an offensive taste, it can be downright spoiled with bacteria and that can cause illness.

Says Tina Hanes, a registered dietitian with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Any raw or cooked food that has been thawed can be refrozen as long as it was thawed properly — in the refrigerator, not on the counter — and hasn’t spoiled.  “Thawed properly” does not include the use of any heaters or placing the meat in room temperature.  Bacteria likes the warmer temperatures and that’s where it may become unsafe.

“You can refreeze anything as long as it’s been handled properly,” Ms. Hanes said, adding that it is safe to thaw and then refreeze frozen fruit, vegetables, breads, cakes, processed foods and other items. The process, however, may affect their texture, taste and color, making them mushy or dried out and less appetizing, depending on the item.  Refreezing, therefore, should be avoided even if it is safe.

Venison is one of those items that becomes less appetizing, even if refreezing was done “properly.”  Freezing food is a convenient method of preservation, yet it can cause the quality of the food to deteriorate.  To ensure that your meat is free from trichina and other parasites, always cook meat thoroughly.

Whether fresh, previously frozen or cooked, meat stored at zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower is safe provided it was safe when frozen. At freezing temperature, mold, bacteria and yeast molecules slow down and microbes become dormant. Preventing the microbes from growing preserves food, as they are the cause of spoiled food and resulting illnesses. Freezing meat won’t significantly change its nutritional content. Freeze it as quickly as possible to prevent the formation of ice crystals.

Wrap meat well to prevent freezer burn.  Spread packages to freeze in a single layer on the freezer’s shelves and stack them after frozen.

While we cannot control the weather, we can arrange to get our prized venison into a walk-in cooler in advance.  It will make all the difference later.

Safari Club International, Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris and Craig Boddington have teamed-up to offer an unequaled leopard hunting opportunity.

Slated to be sold at the dinner auction on Saturday night at the upcoming Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada, Jan. 9-12, 2019, this spectacular safari is certain to be one of the most competitive auction items at the event.

The safari will take place in Namibia, either on the Waterberg Plateau or in Kaokoland, with the exact location to be determined by the results of extensive scouting. Both hunting areas have elegant safari camps, a professional chef and a full staff that will attend to every need. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Regular firearms deer season has ended but the remaining seasons of archery, muzzleloading, and late antlerless seasons still offer plenty of opportunities for those hunters hoping for venison.  And, no matter the method of take, hunters are now faced with even greater challenges to properly identify adult does and to distinguish them from other antlerless deer.  Before touching on a few tips for filling that freezer, a recent encounter with an injured whitetail is worth noting.

With only two days remaining in regular firearms deer season, my pal, Joe, wanted to venture out for one more hunt.  He’d already taken a fine buck during archery season, and with our self-imposed rule of taking only one buck each, he wasn’t looking for antlers.  On the other hand, I had not seen any of the better bucks the game cameras had indicated were in the neighborhood.  As the seasons wear on, without confirmation of new game camera evidence or personal in-field knowledge, the best way to learn anything is to get outdoors and hunt.  That’s what we did.

I was toting a Ruger American rifle in .450 Bushmaster caliber topped with a quality low-power variable scope.  Its consistent accuracy with the most common factory load available – Hornady 250-grain Flex-Tip bullets – provided all the confidence needed.  I had noted all the practical yardages of various trees within a 150-yard radius of my position with a rangefinder and watched from within a portable blind overlooking a mix of clover fields and a small brassica plot of ½ acre.

With about an hour of daylight remaining, a lone deer approached the openness and demanded a better look.  With a slight tug on my Burris binocular, the optical aid was released from the harness and slowly brought to my eyes.  To my surprise, it was not only a buck, but it had at least four antler points on a side and that meant it met our personal guidelines for consideration.  As the buck moved forward, a noticeable limp in a front leg was apparent.  That fact changed everything.

No longer do we consider if it’s a good buck or even a mature doe for that matter.  Ethical considerations to take such an animal far outweigh any desire for any other specifics.  We must assume the animal is suffering and that it will eventually succumb to its malady whatever it may be.  We could be wrong:  The deer could live a productive life with a questionable injury but our personal, ethical rules make it incumbent to dispatch such an animal.

The unmistakable sound of an audible thump after the rifle barked told me in no uncertain terms that my 139-yard shot had hit its mark; any suffering the whitetail buck had endured was over.  Upon inspection, a front leg was damaged by an unknown hunter that had taken a bad shot; I knew I had done the right thing for the sake of the animal.  Assuming a hunter has the proper license, it’s worth strong consideration for any ethical hunter to do the same regardless of what would typically be valued as worthy.

Injured 8-point buck taken by Glen

With the final month of various deer seasons, things get a bit more complicated than merely identifying deer by antler size.  Many of us hunters will be attempting to fill their antlerless tags and it behooves us to take a close look at the heads of deer to determine if that “doe” is actually a doe and not a buck that has already shed its antlers or a buck fawn that has yet to sprout headgear.  The best way to do so certainly is not on any deer drives.  Rather, it can be done calmly from the confines of a blind where opportunities tend to develop more slowly and good glass can be lifted into position with minimal chances of a hunter being picked off by movement.  In addition, a heated blind can make the usual late-season, colder weather downright enjoyable, as deer tend to return to more predictable routines from the lessened hunting pressure.  And, ethical hunters will be given more time to think.

Field dress a big-game animal faster, safer and more effectively with the new, patented GutDaddy field-dressing kit. Unlike anything else on the market, the GutDaddy is a game changer, solving the common problems hunters encounter when cleaning a game animal in the field.

Thoughtfully designed, this compact, all-in-one kit features everything from well-placed posts to secure the animal’s legs in an ideal gutting position, to rib hooks and a set of knives, all secured in a durable scabbard.

Bowhunters, rifle hunters, Western spot-and-stalk hunters, Midwestern treestand sitters and every hunter in between will appreciate the GutDaddy’s useful design.

Pat Palmer, inventor of the GutDaddy and CEO of Dark Moon Hunting, has a passion for hunting and the outdoors and a desire to share that with others.

Palmer designed the GutDaddy out of a desire to make the old field-dressing process safer, faster and cleaner for himself and others.

“I was tired of trying to cut on an animal that was flopping around and not stable,” Palmer said. “I knew there had to be an easier way, and so I began the process of designing the GutDaddy.”

During creation of the GutDaddy, Palmer focused on making a strong and durable all-in-one case that encompassed everything a hunter would need to get the job done.

The GutDaddy Case cradles the animal securely in place, the uprights with leg restraints secure the front legs and the one-of-a-kind rib spreaders allow easy access to the animal’s chest cavity. The GutDaddy knife collection includes a high-quality, stainless-steel gutting knife with gut hook, a knife for caping and skinning and a handy folding bone saw, all conveniently stored in a custom heavy nylon scabbard.

“In addition to making the field-dressing process easier, safer and faster, the GutDaddy provides a safe way to teach new hunters how to field dress a large animal,” Palmer said. “It also creates independence for physically challenged hunters. Without a doubt, this tool will assist hunters of all ages, all levels of experience and those with physical challenges.”

Each GutDaddy field dressing case comes with a step-by-step guide for ease of use.

For more info, visit GutDaddy.com.

In October, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that a large beef herd in Alcona County is infected with bovine tuberculosis, the 18th herd infection in this county since cattle testing began in the late 1990s.

“We also observed an increase in the apparent prevalence of the disease in free-ranging deer last year,” Emily Sewell, Department of Natural Resources wildlife health specialist for the northern Lower Peninsula, said. This increase occurred in both Deer Management Unit 452, the core area for the disease, and in the surrounding Deer Management Unit 487. Read more