(A note to readers, there are pictures in this post of a dead deer, and skinned…)
My first two deer hunting posts I had not shot a deer in 4.5 days. I saw five deer, passing on three young bucks. The fifth morning, Saturday the 12th, around 7am I saw two doe walking along the wetland in the far distance of the following picture, right to left (west to east) about 50yds out, broadside to me. Just as the lead doe was in the center of this picture, she walked behind that clump of trees just left of center and was hidden from me. She was directly downwind.
Then I saw her walking away from me toward the wetland just to the right of that clump into the center of the picture. Had she made it to the tall grass I would no longer have a likely shot. She was facing away from me, I could only see her head and the back of her neck. I fired, but I did not see her drop, and then I thought I saw two deer running away. I could see no deer on the ground. Did I miss? That didn’t seem likely. Did I wound her? No point in looking right away, let her lay down and stay there, wherever she is.
I could see a deer in the wetland, among the willows, running about, seeming uncertain what to do or where to go. I never had a shot at that one. (I scared it up later, it having laid down in the tall grass not far from the deer I shot.) I sat in the stand until 9:30.
I shot her through the neck, precisely where I was aiming. I did not see her run because she did not run, she lay where I shot her. She did not suffer.
Some hunters skin and quarter the deer in the field. I prefer to do that at home, because otherwise you leave a considerable amount of meat in the field. There is about 50lbs of meat from this doe, trim, steaks, backstraps and roasts. I smoked the leg bones for my dog. My dad feeds the suet to wild birds.
I hiked the half mile to the kill site, hauling the carcass behind me.
She died just to the left of the sled. There is nothing left of her organs except the contents of her stomach and her bowel.
I forgot to bring tobacco, as I have not been smoking since I shot this deer. I offered tobacco when I first found her body, before I dressed her. I blew some cannabis smoke over her carcass, told her and the woods of my gratitude and what and who her flesh would serve.
I showed all of this to you because this is life, and this is death. This is older than beef, far older. This is just a primal, original, more pure and honest version of modern meat consumption. The meat we eat does not come from a grocery store or a restaurant. Somebody killed the animal. Someone cut it up. Typically an immigrant, doing truly brutal work. I have family who did that industrial work and it ruined them.
I have especial gratitude because I do not know if I will ever harvest a deer again, what with the forces in this world demonizing meat consumption. It is said the future is digital currency, with limits on how much fossil energy you can burn, how much meat you can purchase. Will I be allowed to purchase bullets, a license, the waxed paper to wrap meat?
This past week I smoked the tenderloin I removed from the doe on-site when I dressed her. My father had never had smoked venison and he was pleasantly surprised. The past ten days we have eaten only a little beef (a summer sausage I bought for deer hunting), a little pork (split pea soup) and no chicken. We have had venison at least four times four different ways, we had fish my father caught, twice. We had duck and goose my father harvested legally, recently. What say you, World Economic Forum, internationalist transhumans? Is this unhealthy for the planet? (We will eat a store bought industrial turkey for Thanksgiving. Not my choice. I am grateful regardless.)
Of course the internationalists do not want us to eat meat because it can make people big and strong and harder to control.
I suppose I could imagine deer becoming scarce again, if beef is essentially outlawed, hunted illegally to extinction. Or maybe not. Can you imagine globalist wilderness para-military assuring no one (of the poors, the useless eaters) is harvesting deer, fish, pheasant, duck, geese, grouse, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, elk, caribou? Sort of like a ring fencing of the commons 2.0, global version? I can, should woke transhumans take over the world. Let the peasants eat insects and fake beef, eh?
It was a successful hunt. I hope to have many more as long as I am able.
I hope you have a fine Thanksgiving holiday. I am grateful for you. Blessings.
I enjoyed reading about your hunt. Do hunters prefer to go after stags or doe? I know some treasure the antlers to hang on a wall but I am wondering about from a conservation point of view? My grandfather whom I never knew was a forrester in Elchniedrung, East Prussia. Lots of hunting parties for Elks my mother told me. I did not ask her if she had tasted it and now she's passed so too late. Hunting to eat natural foods for ones needs to live is ok for me. I don't care much for the hooray henry's who seem to enjoy the kill and improving their score cards more. What time is dinner? :-)
Thank you for this post William.
This example of loving respect for this planet and sentient beings on it brought tears to my eyes. There is no (imho) any finer way to show awareness and gratitude. Perhaps you will come across a wild Turkey to complete your next family feast!