Venison Cheesesteak

by almost_rosey // 9Jun2022 // No Comments

It’s rare for us to eat steak in our house. I certainly would never buy it to make cheesesteaks. Not that we cannot afford it (although the price has gone up), but I honestly find it’s so tender and delicious with venison steak instead. We are fortunate enough to have harvested deer and to be able to go outside to our freezer and pull out some venison steaks to make dishes such as this.

Venison Cheesesteak (serves 2)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper thinly sliced (color of your choice)
2 venison steaks
worcestershire sauce
jalapeno salsa
Mrs Dash Table Blend seasoning
salt
1/2 cup plus more to taste shredded gouda cheese (or cheddar) (I used a combo of both)
choice of bread (I used hotdog buns in my pantry), toasted
whole grain mustard
horseradish sauce
horseradish (optional on the side for extra zing)

Directions

Thinly slice the steak into thin strips. Place in a medium bowl and sprinkle generously with salt and seasoning. Add the oil, numerous dashes of worcestershire sauce, and 1-2 tbsp on salsa and mix well. Let sit for 60 minutes.
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft and caramelized. Remove from pan. Add the meat and cook over medium high to high heat for 1-2 minutes each side. Add the peppers and cheese on top and cover to allow cheese to melt
Coat the toasted bread with mustard and horseradish sauce. Place meat over bread and serve with side of your choice

Venison Helper

by almost_rosey // 20Jan2018 // No Comments

One of the many benefits of deer hunting is getting to eat your harvested animal until the next deer hunting season. We always process our deer so that we have steaks & roasts on hand. We’ve learned through trial and error though that we are not fans of certain cuts of meat. I turn my front quarters into jerky and this year my guy turned his deer’s front quarters into brats. He got jalapeño cheddar brats as well as kielbasa brats. The kielbasa ones are fine but the jalapeño cheddar brats are amazing!! There was some extra filling that wasn’t enough to make a pack of brats so the guys at the meat market just wrapped it up for us. I figured it would be good for some skillet dishes.

Many of us grew up eating hamburger helper but it is so easy & much better for you to just make it on your own. You can use any ground meat you like or even make it meatless if that’s your thing. I’ve made this dish before with regular ground venison as well as a ground venison/ground bacon blend and it is delicious. The jalapeño cheddar gives it a nice depth of flavor though so I imagine I’ll be making this again in the future. Bonus…it’s super quick & easy to make with ingredients you already have in your pantry and you can doctor it up any way you desire.

Venison Helper (serves 2)

1/2 lb ground venison (I used the filling from jalapeño cheddar brats)
1.5 cups dry shell pasta
1.25 cups beef broth
1 cup milk
salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder, paprika to taste (I just sprinkle a bit of each over the skillet)
1/2 cup drained whole kernel canned corn
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 tbsp flour mixed with small amount of water.

Brown the ground venison until cooked through in a large skillet. Add the pasta, broth, milk, seasonings, and corn. Stir gently. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 10-20 minutes depending on size of noodles until most of the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are al dente. Depending on how much liquid is left in skillet add small amount of flour mixed with water to the skillet and stir until sauce is thickened. Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

My First Bow Season

by almost_rosey // 5Nov2017 // No Comments

A few years ago I bought what I call a “baby bow.” It’s meant to just target shoot & not actually use to go hunting. I really enjoyed playing with it in the yard and thought maybe I could actually get a real bow to go hunting. If anything it would open up my hunting season with more opportunities. Considering we hunt public land it would also mean I could potentially be able to tag out before all the idiots go out just for rifle opener.

I looked into a few options and went to an archery store and I bought a Mission II by Matthews. It’s meant for youth or small statured adults. It’s lightweight and is a good starter bow since the bow itself isn’t too expensive. I practiced all summer with it. I had 3 pins set to 15, 25, and 35 yards. I figured I wouldn’t need anything beyond that with where we hunt.

I went out a few times on the public land and didn’t see too much but it was also pretty early in the season. Deer don’t really start to move until the last half of October and early November.

My guy’s buddy said I could hunt his private property and thought I might get a chance at a deer since he had seen quite a few. I was actually very conflicted about it. I’m proud to hunt public land. My guy and I put in a lot of time to find good hunting land and we succeeded. Well he really succeeded. He did almost all the work. I was just lucky enough to have a good guide. We’ve taken 6 big game animals on public land in 3 years. I decided to try hunting the private land though cause I thought it couldn’t hurt to have more places to hunt. I also was hoping to just pull on a deer. I assumed I’d end up scaring them away. It’s hard to be stealthy with a bow. It’s a lot easier to bring up a gun discreetly on a deer. I knew I’d be hunting out of a ground blind on his land so thought I might be able to draw my bow more easily as well.

I hunted there a couple times and saw a few deer. Way more than I saw in our other spot. I never had an opportunity to draw my bow though. I was able to adjust my work schedule to work 6-2 so I could go out after work if I thought the weather would be good.

I ended up going on Friday the 13th. My lucky day. I’ve always thought Friday the 13th was lucky. The weather was about perfect. It was going to be dropping in temperature and the moon was waning from the full harvest moon the week prior. I felt good about it. I thought I’d see a lot of deer. Maybe get a chance to draw my bow.

I was staring off at one part of the property and when I turned back to look straight ahead there was a doe. She was too far away for me to shoot but I was still excited. She started to walk back into the woods. I could see the trail she was going to head own and there was another doe walking towards her. I sat watching. In my head I was thinking turn around…come back. I lifted up my bow out of my lap in case she turned around. To my amazement she did. If that doe hadn’t been in her way I think she would have gone back in the woods. She started to walk down a trail and I realized that if she kept walking in the direction she was going she would end up right by a tree I had ranged at 35 yards.

I brought up my bow and pulled back. I yelled at her and she looked but kept walking. I yelled again. She stopped. I adjusted my aim instantly and released my arrow. I thought I had hit maybe too low. She ran away with the arrow sticking out of her and I watched until I couldn’t see anymore. I grabbed my phone and texted my guy. I said I just shot a doe. I think it was low. I’m not sure why I thought that. I think I was just so worried about having a bad shot that I just assumed it would be bad. That was my worst fear with bow hunting. I was afraid I wouldn’t have a good kill shot and I’d have to go up to the deer with my bow to finish it off. He told me to sit still. He would come out to me. A moment later I heard a crash. I knew it was her. I just didn’t know if she had actually crashed for good. I sat there and waited for my guy to arrive. I was telling myself it was a good shot. I heard her crash. Then I saw birds circling right above where I heard the crash.

He got there and I told him where I shot. He said, “No. You didn’t shoot that far.” I said yes I did and then we walked to where I shot her and there was blood. He said in disbelief, “You shot this far?” I responded “Yes. It’s 35 yards.” We started to follow the trail and eventually came across my arrow. She had shaken it out. We kept walking and there she was laying on her side. I asked her if she was dead. She didn’t flinch. I walked up to her with my bow ready just in case but it wasn’t necessary. It was a perfect shot. It was just like my doe last year. I had double lunged her and nicked her heart.

I am so grateful to my guy for teaching me everything and that I was able to hunt his friend’s land. I am proud to hunt public land but I’m not ashamed to have taken an opportunity. Like I said, I didn’t think I’d actually seal the deal. I am still amazed that the first time I brought up my bow on a deer ended in success. Friday the 13th wasn’t that doe’s lucky day but it was lucky for me. She had so many other paths she could have taken but she went down the one that ended up in my first bow season being a successful harvest.

Venison Fajitas

by almost_rosey // 7Sep2017 // No Comments

Last year we counted 13 deer in our front yard. We both had a feeling that our garden was going to be in trouble. Surprisingly it wasn’t really in trouble from the deer too badly. It wasn’t doing as well as we hoped but the deer seemed to leave it alone.

Until they found it. I’m not sure where they were all season but they destroyed our garden once it was getting close to harvest. They dug up the beets. We got 2 beets! 2! That’s it.

They dug up the carrots. We had about 10 total. They ate all my grape tomatoes, early girls, and romas. It’s super frustrating. I love fresh produce and we had a minuscule harvest. Next year we will have to beef up our garden protection. Until then I will keep practicing with my bow and hopefully harvest one of them this year.

I’ve been fortunate enough to harvest a deer the last 2 years of hunting. This year with a bow opportunity and rifle season being hunter’s choice I am hoping the streak will continue. If it does I will enjoy all the benefits that come from hunting which includes putting meat on the table.

One of my new favorite ways to cook venison is venison fajitas. It is so easy & of course you don’t get that gamey flavor. The venison steak is also way more tender than breakfast steak which is what I normally use for fajitas. Give this a try & it might convert you to actually loving venison.

Venison Fajitas

8oz venison steak
1 oz lime juice
worcestshire sauce
olive oil
salt & pepper
taco seasoning, salt free (note I just add roughly these amounts in a dish & keep on hand. Amounts are estimates. Sometimes more or less of each depending on my mood)
- 2-3 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or cayenne
- 1/4 tsp oregano

Brine 8 oz venison steak in 3 cups of water & 1 tbsp table salt for about 6 hrs
Rinse off the brine & cut into thin strips
Marinade the venison for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hrs in oil, lime juice, worcestershire, taco seasoning, salt, & pepper (note I am not sure how much of everything I added. I drizzled the steak with oil, gave a few splashes of worcestshire sauce, smidge salt & pepper, and 2-3 tsp salt free taco seasoning
Cook over medium high heat for about 30 seconds per side

Serve with tortillas, sautéed peppers & onions, lettuce, cheese, salsa, & sour cream

Korean Venison & Broccoli

by almost_rosey // 23May2017 // No Comments

I’m embarrassed to say that my guy has done the majority of cooking with our venison. He has made chicken fried venison, various steaks, and every roast we have had in the past two years. It’s not that I can’t try cooking the roasts, that’s just how it has worked out. He perfected the roast recipe so I have just let him cook all of them. I have made a few dishes with the venison. Most of which I have yet to post.

One of the very first meals I made with my first deer was Asian Venison & Broccoli (which I did actually blog about). That deer is long gone but I was fortunate enough to harvest another deer last season. When I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner I figured I would try something similar. One of the only vegetables I can easily get in my grocery store is broccoli.

I also always have the other ingredients for the marinade in my pantry so figured it would be quick and easy.

The marinade I found was from bon appetite. It’s called bulgogi which is Korean. I’ve used in on chicken and am absolutely in love with the flavors (I do cut out a few of the ingredients for convenience but I like the way it turns out my way). Normally when you cook it you grill it or pan fry it without adding additional sauce to it so that it has a nice char on the outside. I wanted a sauce for the rice & broccoli though.

Korean Venison & Broccoli (serves 2)

small amount of sesame & olive oil
8 oz venison steak*sliced into thin strips
1/2 to 3/4 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched or lightly steamed.
1/2 cup white rice, cook according to package directions

*I did also brine my steaks (before slicing them) in 4 cups water and 2 tsp salt which is a very mild brine but so much salt is being added in the marinade & sauce I didn’t want the salt to be over powering. Rinse the brine off and pat dry before slicing.

Marinade

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
few dashes ground ginger
1 tsp corn starch
few dashes salt

Sauce

1 tbsp each hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, and water
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
dash or two ground ginger & garlic powder

Add marinade to venison (except for corn starch & salt) and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.

Heat a small amount of sesame oil or sesame & olive oil in a skillet (I find too much sesame oil is overwhelming so usually do a blend for stir-fries). Add the corn starch & salt to the venison and stir. Add the marinaded venison and cook briefly over medium to medium high heat (about 30 seconds per side). Add the broccoli and the sauce and allow to come to a boil. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Add a smidge more corn starch if needed to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

Another Good Year for Hunting

by almost_rosey // 3Dec2016 // No Comments

I was excited once again to go deer hunting this year. Last year (my 2nd year of deer hunting) I harvested my first deer which was an 8 point buck. Not big enough to go on the wall but a great trophy for me. A good deer any year. An amazing deer for my first deer.

I was excited to go back out since last year had been such a good year for me with getting a turkey & a deer. I was also excited to go out cause my guy had gotten pulled for a bear tag. He sat 2 times and that second sit he harvested a bear. His first ever. And with a bow no less. He told me bears were in bow hunting distance so he thought he would give it a try & he succeeded.

Seeing as how he was successful with his bear he ended up going bow hunting for a deer once October hit. His first sit he harvested a doe. He sat 3 times and harvested 2 big game animals. I thought to myself this year is another great year for hunting. Maybe I’ll be lucky two years in a row. Plus, I got a doe tag this year. That is when I remembered the idiots who hunted the same area we hunted. I was hoping that they would be discouraged & not show up this year but I wasn’t so lucky. Walking to my stand opening morning a vehicle drives up on the trail behind me & it’s them. Great. Opening weekend reached a high of 70 degrees which is terrible but now I’m not going to see anything cause of these guys who drive down the trail & smoke in their stands.

They stop & ask if I’m the one in the ladder stand. I say yes. They tell me they are the ones who are hunting in the other stands just like last year. When asked how they do they say the got a couple deer last year & in my head I say bullshit. They were only there opening weekend. There is no way they got a deer. They ask me. I respond that I got a deer & the guy’s eyes widen. I could tell he was surprised. I think, Why would you be surprised if you had gotten deer?

I did see some does opening day but that was it. I ended up leaving at 10AM both days cause it was too warm. At least those guys will be gone. They only hunt opening weekend which means I’ll have the place all to myself. I’m lucky enough that I can alter my work schedule and go hunting before or after work. I went three times that first week and saw some deer but didn’t have shots at any of them. How is that possible you ask? Well I’ll tell you.

I hunt public land. Don’t laugh. I’m proud of it. I’m not just sitting in a box stand overlooking a field & being able to take pretty much any shot. I have to work for it. You have to scout & find land & find signs of deer. It’s also bow hunting distances so you have to take scent control seriously, pay attention to the wind, & be extra quiet. It’s fairly thick woods so I only have about 4 shots I can take. The deer have to walk down these certain trails to be able to take a shot. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. It’s actually pretty great. It feels more like hunting. As I said before, I also get to hunt before or after work so I’m not relying just on weekends. So when you think oh poor her for hunting public land let me ask how many animals you’ve taken in the past two years. Between me & my guy (guide) we’ve harvested 5 big game animals in two years. Which brings me to my announcement that I did harvest a deer this year. A doe. Which is what I wanted since I was lucky enough to get a doe tag (you only get them every 3-4 years where I hunt).

It was the second weekend. We went out Saturday afternoon and it was so close. There were two does but I didn’t have good shots at them. My guy trained me to wait for a perfect shot. We went out Sunday morning and it was so windy. It’s hard to hear the deer when it’s windy. I have to rely on sound to hear them coming since my visibility is not over an open field. The wind was in the wrong direction to make it even worse. In the morning they tend to come from one direction & in the afternoon the other. The wind was going right into the direction they come form in the morning so I was thinking it was pointless.

That’s when my guy said to me, there is a doe. Get ready. I could not see a deer for the life of me. There were too many trees in my view compared to my guys. All of a sudden there she was. I couldn’t believe it. She had completely snuck up on us cause it was so windy but she came from the wrong direction. She came from the direction that they normally come in the afternoon so the wind actually worked in my favor.

I started to position my rifle into my shoulder & rested it on the shooting rest. She started to turn away but then went down the perfect trail. My guy yelled & she stopped & looked. I shot & she ran away. I’ve never had an animal run away. My first deer last year hit the ground like a sack of bricks cause it was more in his spine & I had to go up to him & do one more shot. My doe ran but it sounded weird. Very noisy like she was running into everything & her tail was down. I heard a crash & then nothing. We waited a bit and then went to try & find her. I’ve never had to track an animal but it was easy. It was day time & there was a trail of blood. It looked like the trail ended & I was confused but then I looked to my right & saw the trail had taken a turn & there she was lying against a tree. I went up to her & she was dead. One shot. Thank goodness. I can’t stand having animals suffer & it should be a one shot kill at all times if possible.

My guy then proceeded to teach me how to field dress a deer. I put on gloves and started the process. I did a decent chunk but then he came in to show me how to pull everything out. It all comes out in a nice little bag if you do it properly & had a god shot. We were able to see that I had just nicked her heart & double lunged her & it passed out the other side. It was about as perfect of a shot as you can get. He dragged her back to our stand & then I dragged her out of the woods by myself. You want a tough workout try dragging a deer out of the woods. I don’t know what I’d do if it was a monster buck.

We hung her in the garage for a week cause it was cool enough and the following weekend my guy taught me how to remove the hide, quarter her, & deal with the meat. He helped with the hide & quartering cause it’s pretty tough, but I cut up all the meat, cleaned it, and vacuum sealed it. It took a few hours both days that weekend. I’m sure the next time will go a bit more quickly.

I have been extremely lucky with my hunting experiences thus far. I’ve had the opportunity to see deer, take the shots, & have made the shots. I’ve learned how to track & how to harvest the meat which is very important to me. I feel it is very important to be self-sufficient & the skills I have learned are priceless. I can’t thank my guide enough for helping me. I know I still have a lot to learn. I also know I won’t always be successful but I will always have these memories.

Asian Venison & Broccoli

by almost_rosey // 6Jan2016 // No Comments

I harvested my first deer this last deer season. My guide cooked the tenderloin & made chicken fried venison steaks thus far, but one of the reasons I wanted to harvest a deer was to learn how to cook with venison. It’s hard for me to justify hunting unless you have good reasons, i.e. putting food on the table, conservation, using the hide, gaining skills & perspective on life, etc. I don’t understand people who hunt for antlers. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t turn down a nice buck to put on the wall, but that cannot be my only reason to hunt.

One of the times my guide and I went to check out my hunting grounds I brought my shotgun with me to see if I could get some grouse or other small game. My guide said, “There is a squirrel, shoot him.” This is what he saw…

I, however, saw this…

Needless to say I didn’t shoot him. I saw a squirrel and he was eating something. He was small. There was not enough meat on him to feed one, let alone two. I looked back at my guide and I said, “He’s eating breakfast.” I kid you not. Hunting happens in split seconds and in that moment I didn’t see something worth shooting. I saw an animal enjoying the morning like my guide and I were doing.

Maybe that is part of the reason why I was able to harvest a deer. Maybe the world smiled upon me for making a good hunting choice on when to shoot. My deer was not so lucky in that aspect. I decided to pull the trigger. Now I have provided my guide and myself with a freezer full of venison.

I decided to cook with one of the choice cuts of meat for my first attempt at cooking venison. It actually turned out really good. I will definitely be making this again in the future.

Asian Venison & Broccoli (serves 2)

small amount of sesame & olive oil
1 lb deer steak sliced into thin bite-sized strips or pieces
heaping tsp minced garlic
12 oz bag broccoli florets, blanched or lightly steamed.
1/2 cup white rice cooked according to package directions

Marinade

1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp each onion & garlic powder
pinch each salt & pepper

Sauce

1.5 tbsp each hoisin, oyster, & soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp each chili sauce & honey
1/4 tsp ground mustard
dash or two ground ginger

Add marinade to venison and allow to stand for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.

Heat a small amount of sesame oil or sesame & olive oil in a skillet (I find too much sesame oil is overwhelming so usually do a blend for stir-fries). Add the marinaded venison and garlic and cook briefly (about 1-2 minutes depending on how thin your pieces are). Add the sauce and allow to come to a boil. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Stir in the broccoli and serve over rice with additional soy sauce.

Wild Turkey Chowder

by almost_rosey // 27Dec2015 // No Comments

This year I shot my first turkey. I made thai turkey noodles for my first dish and have kept the rest in the freezer. As I am participating in a thing called the 12 Soups of Christmas I decided to use up my turkey breasts and make a chowder. Delicious.

Wild Turkey Chowder (serves 3)

1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 potatoes, diced
1/8 tsp each garlic & onion powder
1/4tsp salt plus more to taste
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
black pepper to taste
12 oz vegetable broth
12 oz milk
2 tbsp flour
8oz wild turkey breast, silver skin removed, cut into 1in pieces seasoned with small amount of salt, pepper, onion, & garlic powder
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp shaky parmesan

Heat butter in large stock pot. Brown turkey on all sides, remove, & set aside. Add onion, potatoes, & carrots and cook until potatoes begin to become softened, about 10 minutes. Add turkey back to pot. Add vegetable stock & seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, & simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add the milk to the flour to create a slurry & then add to the pot. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency. Serve with bread & enjoy.

A Good Year for Hunting

by almost_rosey // 21Dec2015 // 1 Comment

I had a lot of hope going into this deer season. I had gotten pulled for a turkey tag and harvested my first turkey in the spring, maybe I would get to harvest a deer this fall. Perhaps this was my hunting year. Unfortunately I didn’t get a doe tag, but my hunting guide and I found a new hunting spot and there was plenty of deer sign. It was close quarters, pretty much bow hunting distances, with my possible shots being anywhere from 40-70 yards at most. I was a little worried about this at first, but when you don’t own land those 100+ yard shots in open fields just don’t exist. My hunting guide put in a lot of work finding this spot for me and it was starting to feel right.

On deer opener I saw the northern lights. I know it sounds crazy but this too gave me hope for a good hunting season. I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s because I rarely actually see them. Maybe I was just looking for any sort of hopeful sign. I needed something to hope for after last deer season, my first deer season. Last year was a terrible year for deer. It was cold. Brutally cold. It was windy. You wouldn’t have been able to hear a deer if it sat down right next to you. I barely saw any deer. I really just wanted to see some deer this year even if I couldn’t take a shot.

Walking to my stand I saw a shooting star. I thought, this is it. This is my year. I’m going to harvest a deer. I was sitting in my stand and it was about 15 minutes before shooting light and what do I hear? Not a deer. It’s some bozo that was walking through the woods waving a flashlight. He was literally stumbling and charging his way through the trees. I’m sure he lost his path but what concerned me most was where he was going. He walked by and I found out he was hunting about 50 yards away from me. I couldn’t believe it. He then had the audacity to say, “good luck” to me. I was horribly discouraged. This isn’t the cities where people hunt on top of each other. How could this be? I tried to tell myself it would be OK. Then I saw another shooting star. Maybe it would be OK.

At about 8:30AM a spike buck was walking towards where I would actually be able to take a shot. I’m watching him come down the trail that leads to a perfect shooting lane for me. I couldn’t believe it. Was I going to tag out my first morning? My heart was beating through my chest. Then he stopped, turned, and took off in the other direction. Of course. He wasn’t downwind from me but he was directly downwind from the bozo 50 yards off of me. I didn’t see any more deer that day or the next. I also found out that the guy who was hunting off of me had built a permanent stand on state land and was driving down a 4-wheeler trail to get to our hunting area. Not only that, he was smoking in his stand because there were cigarette butts all underneath it. No wonder we weren’t seeing deer. I was just hoping he wasn’t a local or that he was just a weekend hunter.

I’m lucky enough that I can hunt during the week. One of the benefits about where I live is that I can hunt in the morning or afternoon and adjust my work schedule accordingly. I went out Monday morning and about 15 minutes before shooting light I heard a good sound. Instead of some guy crashing through the woods it was a deer. I don’t know if it was a doe or a buck because I couldn’t see anything, but I it walked by me by probably only 30 yards. I was once again hopeful.

Tuesday afternoon we went out to see if there was more activity during that time. I saw two deer. One was a doe for sure and I think one was a buck but it was too far away to be sure. I was so relieved to actually be seeing deer. The weather looked like it was about to change on Thursday. The temperature was dropping and it looked like snow was possible. My guide said that Wednesday afternoon might be a really good day to hunt due to the weather moving through.

Walking to my stand on Wednesday afternoon I could smell a doe. It smelled like the drag we had been using but obviously more fresh and a bit more skunky in my opinion. I was hoping that a buck would also be in the area. I got to my stand and felt really hopeful. It was November 11th. Eleven eleven, make a wish. As I was sitting there I kept thinking that this was it, this would be the day. I could hear a deer all over the place. It was over here and then it was over there. I thought I was going crazy. Was this one deer or a few deer?

My guide then whispered to me that there was a deer. I looked straight ahead and saw a doe at the edge of the thick woods. I looked at him and said, “It’s just a doe.” He then looked at me and said there was a buck behind her. I looked back at where she was standing and she was still staring at me. Assessing the situation, so I thought. She then darted out and I saw a buck coming out after her. Initially I tried to bring my gun up quietly because I’m thinking I don’t want him to hear me and turn back. So silly. I could have had bells on and he wouldn’t have cared. He just wanted one thing. I was shaking like a leaf as I tried to bring my gun up to look through my scope. At first I couldn’t see through it but I shifted, I got my sight on him, and found what I like to call the deer square. I call it that cause we have a deer target for shooting our bows at in the yard and there is a square where you aim at. I locked in on his deer square and moved my rifle along with him as he walked. My guide said he was going to try and stop him. I didn’t respond. I just stayed locked on his square. My guide yelled at the buck but he kept moving. There was a moment where I thought about taking a shot when he was still walking but I didn’t. My guide then yelled again. The buck stopped dead in his tracks, he looked right at me, and I pulled the trigger.

What happened next was almost like a cartoon. I swear it looked like his legs got kicked out from underneath him and he hit the ground hard. I quickly ejected my shell and put in another round thinking he was going to get up and run. I took a breath and exhaled. I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it. It all happened so fast. It was a matter of 2 minutes at most that all this happened in. It was like the hunting shows on TV. My buck didn’t get up. He tried, but I had essentially spined him and he couldn’t get up. I went over to him after a few minutes. He looked at me as I stood by him and then he layed his head down. I think he knew what was about to happen. I fired the finishing shot and then he stopped moving. My guide went to grab some things so we could field dress him and I thanked my deer. I thanked him for his life, for this experience, & for the food that I would get from him. I felt terrible. I felt exhilarated. It’s a very weird feeling to take another life. Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up hunting. I never got desensitized to it. Maybe you never do get used to it.

This year has been a good year for many things. It has especially been a good year for hunting.

My First Turkey Hunt

by almost_rosey // 27May2015 // 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that I did not grow up hunting, so the fact that I started when I was 30 is quite surprising. It started with deer hunting. I did not harvest a deer but I ended up with some grouse which was fantastic. After that experience I knew I could at least hunt birds (I am still unsure about the furry critters), so my guy/guide and I decided to apply for turkeys in the spring.

We applied as a group for the ‘A’ season for turkeys in an area he knew well and we got pulled! The first step was a success. Now we just had to hope we would see some turkeys and get them close enough to ‘shoot em in the lips’ as my guide says. He set up a ground blind the night before so we could arrive bright and early and wait for the turkeys.

We walked in on the first morning and got situated. We waited a little bit for the woods to quiet back down after we disturbed it and then he started calling.

Can I just say that he is so good to me! He was willing to sit with me and call for the turkeys as I had never done it before and couldn’t work the mouth call for the life of me.

Anyhow, he called out for a turkey and one gobbled right back! It sounded like he was right on top of us. It turned out that he basically was. I looked out the blind and saw a tom sitting in a tree about 30 yards away.

I couldn’t believe it. My first morning out, the first call out, and there is a trophy tom right there. My guy kept calling and he kept gobbling back. He was fluffing out his feathers looking like he was doing some morning stretches.

He evemtually jumped down from the tree and started walking right towards our decoys. I was struck in awe. This was not happening. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. I tried to quietly and slowly maneuver myself in the ground blind to take aim. I shot and the turkey just stood there. I kept waiting for him to fall over but he then turned around and ran. I tried to get off another shot but it was awkward leaning out of the blind. I tried to get out of the blind as quickly as I could, but by the time I did the turkey was gone.

I was dumbfounded. I hit him! I knew I did. We tried looking for him and found blood & feathers but no turkey. I felt terrible. Was he nicked or was he dying somewhere. I had no idea. I felt bad for the turkey and bad for me. I was super grumpy. I knew it was all my fault that I had not sealed the deal. He was handed over on a silver platter and I screwed it up. A trophy tom no less.

I knew exactly what I did wrong. I didn’t have a very good angle to take the shot with how I had maneuvered in the blind. I didn’t take enough breaths to calm myself. I’m not sure I took a breath at all. I definitely didn’t breathe with my shot. My inexperience showed when I didn’t try to take another shot immediately when he just stood there. We went back to the blind and tried to call in some more turkeys.

We saw lots of turkeys that day. We saw another trophy tom. We saw some jakes and some hens. It was incredible seeing all of these birds but none were close enough to take aim at.

The next day we tried moving the blind to where they seemed to be walking but they didn’t come near us. After looking at the blind and the woods it was painfully obvious why. Our blind was bright green and the woods were still very brown.

All I could think about was how I had screwed up my turkey hunt. My guide was a bit frustrated with me.

‘This is what hunting is dear. Most of the time you don’t see anything. Then when you do they have to be close enough to shoot. Then you have a chance of missing. You have to take away the good things.”

He was right. I needed to take away the good things. We had seen lots of birds. Even though I messed up and the turkey ran away, how cool was it that we walked right under him and he jumped down right in front of us. The weather was amazing: sunny, 50-70 degrees. You couldn’t have asked for a better hunting season. Plus, there was this squirrel that was running all over the place. He dug in the ground and looked like he discovered the jackpot because he quickly covered the hole back up and patted it in with his paws while looking around to make sure no one was watching him. Too funny.

I had finally come to terms with this experience and had told myself it would be OK if we didn’t get on any more turkeys.

We decided that for the last day we would hunt off of the ground with our backs to the trees, which is how I always envisioned turkey hunting in the first place, since our blind stood out like a sore thumb.

We were covered from head to toe in camo. We walked into the woods. We sat about 20 feet apart so he could call in the turkeys and we waited. We heard some far away so decided to move.

We set up against some different trees and started calling again. We were in a clearing at the top of a hill. I was sitting there & enjoying the great outdoors when a turkey walked up over the hill. My heart jumped into my throat and my stomach turned upside down.

Was I really going to get another shot? The turkey walked towards our decoy. I couldn’t tell if it was a jake or hen. I looked to my hunting guide and he shook his head signifying he couldn’t tell either.

The turkey started chirping at the decoy. I sat still. At the very least this turkey might call in some toms and act as a real live decoy for us. I kept looking for the beard but the angles were terrible as it stayed behind my decoy while walking around.

It looked like it was going to walk away and then it turned around. I saw the beard and I knew I had a jake. I looked to my guide and he was nodding at me.

The turkey puffed up his chest and started walking towards the decoy. Apparently the sweet talking hadn’t worked so now he was going to show her how big & manly he was. I slowly started to raise my gun. I positioned myself so that my gun was resting on my knee. My heart was beating fast & hard. I paused and looked to my guide and he nodded. His expression was telling me I could do this. I took aim. I breathed a couple times. I gripped my gun firmly, pulled the trigger, and he fell down instantly.

My guide yelled out a hunter’s cry of success. He came over to me and I was staring wide-eyed at the turkey who had stopped twitching almost as instantly as it had fallen down. It was a great shot. He asked me how it felt. I don’t even remember what I said. I’m assuming something like, that was crazy, that was amazing. My first big game kill.

I carried my turkey out of the woods. I registered it. The guy asked if it was my first. I’m sure it was painfully obvious I was a novice hunter by my facial expressions. Once we got back to where we were staying, my guide showed me how to clean up the turkey and we vacuum sealed it up. Now I get to cook with the wild game that I had provided. Bonus…I had barely ruined any of the meat! Hardly any of it had to be cut away so the shot really was as perfect as it could have been.

This hunting experience was incredible on so many levels. Yes, I could have had a mountable turkey, but I ended up with so much more. Hunting is more than the harvest. It’s about taking away the little things. It’s learning new skills. I gained a lot of valuable hunting experiences. I gained life insight. I left the woods that day with more than a bird.

Feeling Almost Rosey

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