So... You know everything?

[idnative1948]

As far as hunting and taking care of wild game. Any old wives tales, myths, which apply to care of game meat? Has your edumucation come from a mentor, or book learning?

Couple I always think about-

Don't shoot a running animal unless it is your only option.

Always remove scent glands.

Bleed, bleed, bleed. Try to get as much out of the carcass as possible BEFORE you start hacking and slashing.

The three mentioned all have to do with the taste of game meat when it comes time to cook it.

 

[tarheel]

Upland game and ducks should be hung inverted and intact until they begin to get gamey. Maybe that worked when there was no refrigeration, but you won't catch me doing it. I do recall seeing chickens and ducks hanging in the markets in S.E. Asia which had been picked but not cleaned. Don't know how long they had hung there.

 

[idnative1948]

SE Asia? Oh ya, the chickens, ducks, cooked rice, cooked eggs in the window (if they had them) of the little markets and a sewage ditch on the other side of the street?

Upland game and ducks should be hung inverted and intact until they begin to get gamey. Maybe that worked when there was no refrigeration, but you won't catch me doing it. I do recall seeing chickens and ducks hanging in the markets in S.E. Asia which had been picked but not cleaned. Don't know how long they had hung there.

 

[nmtaxi]

Here's a taxidermist's favorite - "I had to slit the neck to bleed it out. You can fix that right?". I would think in most cases the animal is fairly well "bled out" by the giant hole in it's vitals.

 

[Ben Lamb]

1.) Get the danged thing cooled down ASAP
2.) Hang for a min of 5 days if possible to age the meat. 8 days is better.
3.) Leave the skin on to keep it moist
4.) Cook on high heat and keep it to medium or med. rare if not rare
5.) Rubs are better than marinades for steaks
6.) Pork suet rather than beef fat for burger and sausage
7.) Leave some meat on the bones and make stock

I'm sure there's more, but that's what springs to mind.

 

[tarheel]

SE Asia? Oh ya, the chickens, ducks, cooked rice, cooked eggs in the window (if they had them) of the little markets and a sewage ditch on the other side of the street?

Yes, how the memories of those smells seems to stick in the nose and the brain forever. Thank goodness for the gamma globulin injections and tetracycline. Otherwise we would have left lots more over there, but these would be non-combat casualties.

Sorry, back to the thread; got lost down memory lane and didn't mean to hijack it.

 

[idnative1948]

Go for the gut-shot then? Seriously, I can understand where you would be coming from. Guess is you have seen some serious messes which you are somehow expected to fix.
Point well taken. That is why I posted the questions up.

Here's a taxidermist's favorite - "I had to slit the neck to bleed it out. You can fix that right?". I would think in most cases the animal is fairly well "bled out" by the giant hole in it's vitals.

 

[nmtaxi]

Go for the gut-shot then? Seriously, I can understand where you would be coming from. Guess is you have seen some serious messes which you are somehow expected to fix.

???? I was just laughing at the guys that feel the need to take a knife to a dead animal and slit its neck from ear to ear to "bleed it out". I really don't think it accomplishes anything, and if it's an animal you want mounted, it can ruin a cape.

Ben Lamb - isn't #1 and #3 contradictory? I thought the quickest way to get an animal cooled down was to skin it?

 

[JohnCushman]

When I first moved to Colorado I was told repeatedly that antelope meat was gross and only good for jerkey or sausage..... Boy am I glad I didn't listen to them

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ben Lamb - isn't #1 and #3 contradictory? I thought the quickest way to get an animal cooled down was to skin it?

It all depends on what the ambient temperature is. If it's warm, then I skin and trim away the dried stuff when processing to be sure.

 

[nmtaxi]

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

When I first moved to Colorado I was told repeatedly that antelope meat was gross and only good for jerkey or sausage..... Boy am I glad I didn't listen to them

Agree 1,000,000% with this post. Break them down and on ice ASAP. Taste amazing.