Best buck bait ever

Share your deer hunting knowledge, give tips on how to hunt deer. Ask any questions you may have about deer hunting.
Forum rules
Please stick to deer hunting tips and tactics in this forum.
Message
Author
User avatar
Ole Dave
Posts: 525
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:22 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#31 Post by Ole Dave »

I keep forgetting one key factor in this ongoing discussion we're having among us: DIET!

I've eaten great tasting grouse and some that were hideous...mostly if they were eating juniper berries as their staple.

Out West in MT when I was hunting mule deer and antelope, one officer in the F&W took me under wing...you drew for permits on many animals based on area...each area has a management quota...what he showed me were 2 things...

1) find areas where it was irrigated for hay and not left to high plains sage brush

2) pick areas that met criteria 1 but also had low # of permits...

His reasoning was documented...those areas with fewer permits got waaaay fewer applications, so your % of draw chances went way up compared to areas with high permit #'s and outrageous #'s of applicants!

My hay fed antelope stank when I cleaned it like a speed goat would...but hanging in cool temps for 3 days, it just smelled like venison... ate wonderfully.

So diet seems to have a huge factor...

I've also read, that a lot depends on the animals stress levels when killed...if it' had the crap spooked outa it right before you shot it, and had run hard, there is lactic acid build up in meat that makes it taste bad... I dunno if that has merit or not... But "we are what we eat" and I'd think diet might impact flavor of critters...

The first trad deer was a very young doe I killed. but I Had her cut up before rigor was outa the meat and frozen... she was a tough SOGun to eat... all deer since aged 3 days has been excellent, but I shot a lot more doe then bucks over the years but still had a good sampling of bucks...

One lucky year, I shot a buck and a doe same day and processed side by side... doe was way better to my taste and that of friends who had both on the plate for an experiment...
All we have and call our own, once belonged to someone else, and will again. Our purpose here is not to serve ourselves.

Bigfoot SAS LB (47# LB limbs 38# Semi Static RC limbs)

Couple of old Bear bows

Mohawk
Posts: 403
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 7:24 pm

Re: Best buck bait ever

#32 Post by Mohawk »

Dang Dave! I didn't read this thread before I posted on James's thread, or I'd have shut up. You're right though about the aging. I just got into it from a guy I taught hunter Ed with. He's the one who lets it go 14 days. He has a setup for doing that though. I always felt like I was pushing it with 10 days and may very well try 3 when I get going on it again.
Also, solid point on the adrenaline and lactic acid. A deer shot at ease won't have the excess of those compounds and will be much better. They ain't blue rock, you're not supposed to launch em before you shoot. :roll:

User avatar
Ole Dave
Posts: 525
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:22 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#33 Post by Ole Dave »

Jim,

No apology...99% of our postings are purely personal anecdotal...

In Montana, guys would let beef and venison age 14 days... butchers told me there was a 1/4" crust of green mold on the carcass by then... :shock:

Nah... I know just enough science to be my own worst enemy...I know those rhizomes (roots) of mold go down deep and some are carcinogenic... 3 days is good enough if I can control temps... I actually DID once take all the food out of my fridge, used the frozen stuff in freezer compartment to keep it cool, , then set it on the 3rd floor back porch, took out the shelves... and put 2 smaller doe cross wise in fridge with shelves out.

TIP: Crisco is veggie fat so it doesn't go rancid in freezer... once deer is skinned & wiped with edge of knife to get any errant hair off and cut away any blood shot meat, rub a light layer of Crisco shortening all over the carcass...INSIDE and outside!

It eliminates that hard, dried out "crust" on the animal that I hate... 3 days or a week later, it looks freshly skinned and the meat isn't drying out the whole time...

When I flop the carcass on the butcher table on it's "cut off at the knees" stumps, out come the tenderloins, then off with the hip joints / rear hams, then front shoulders and start trimming for burger meat.

I use flat side of knife to scrape off some of the Crisco just to make it easier to handle... then chill boned out sections in freezer to stiffen to cut nice steaks...

That Crisco trick came to me via my old boss in MT on his wife's elk...It was so pink a week after season closed, i thought he poached it and was leaving when he told me to grab hold of a part... yuk...but it sure has made a believer out of me!
All we have and call our own, once belonged to someone else, and will again. Our purpose here is not to serve ourselves.

Bigfoot SAS LB (47# LB limbs 38# Semi Static RC limbs)

Couple of old Bear bows

Captainkirk
Site Admin
Posts: 12787
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: Best buck bait ever

#34 Post by Captainkirk »

Nice tip on the Crisco, Dave. I'll file that away for future reference.
Aim small, miss small!

User avatar
Ole Dave
Posts: 525
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:22 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#35 Post by Ole Dave »

Captainkirk wrote:Nice tip on the Crisco, Dave. I'll file that away for future reference.
Flat our works...

I scrape carcass with flat edge of knife and wipe on paper towel after skinning and cutting away blood-shot meat (there is a bit more blood shot with single bevel I find)

Then I rub Crisco on two clean hands and smear Crisco all over inside and outside of body... Yea, I do wash hands after skinning and cleaning up meat... :)

I always hated that hard crust on the meat... seemed such a waste to cut off when preparing meat... and a chore at times...

Now, none of that...

Doesn't matter how thick you put it on...

When I'm done "greasing the carcass", I slip one of those cheesecloth deer bags on it...

Makes it easier to handle, if I have to move it and keeps flies or whatever dirt/dust off the meat... I reuse after washing them and use double rinse to be sure soap is out... Up in PA, I stumbled into a friend with a small walk in cooler he let me put my deer for a couple days... it was perfect!!!

I wipe some off when I got to butcher just to make handling the meat easier
All we have and call our own, once belonged to someone else, and will again. Our purpose here is not to serve ourselves.

Bigfoot SAS LB (47# LB limbs 38# Semi Static RC limbs)

Couple of old Bear bows

Mohawk
Posts: 403
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 7:24 pm

Re: Best buck bait ever

#36 Post by Mohawk »

Man! Am I learning a ton! I like that crisco idea! I hate that crust too, but just considered it a necessary evil. I didn't trim it off, and through the freezing and thawing process, seemed to rehydrate. Far better IMO not to have to deal with it altogether though. Thanks for the tip Dave!

Gamestalker
Posts: 413
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:03 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#37 Post by Gamestalker »

When I quarter mine, put them in a Rubbermaid tote with a lid on it & put them into a fridge I can let them age for w week or two & they don't get that crust. I think the exposure to air is the problem & the lid on the tote is enough to protect the surface of the meat from drying out too much.

Carpdaddy
Site Admin
Posts: 9469
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:36 pm

Re: Best buck bait ever

#38 Post by Carpdaddy »

For some reason I thought that the crust was a necessary evil. I have seen some recommend placing a small battery operated fan inside to aid in the process, now I'm seeing that the dry crusty surface is not necessary for aging. I'm learning.

User avatar
Ole Dave
Posts: 525
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:22 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#39 Post by Ole Dave »

Gamestaker,

Question: Do you put the 1/4'rd meat into a food grade plastic bag first????

I read several health articles that said protein on plastic leaches out some bad juju..rubber made totes are great and I use them for lots, but not direct meat contact...

Interesting that with a lid on you never got a skin of dried meat...

So many ways to skin a cat (or age it?) :)
All we have and call our own, once belonged to someone else, and will again. Our purpose here is not to serve ourselves.

Bigfoot SAS LB (47# LB limbs 38# Semi Static RC limbs)

Couple of old Bear bows

Gamestalker
Posts: 413
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:03 am

Re: Best buck bait ever

#40 Post by Gamestalker »

Don't take this the wrong way Dave, but I think that reading too many health reports is the major contributor to health issues. :roll: It seems like you can find a report to tell you that you will get sick from about anything in life anymore! I'm waiting to see the report that says you'll get cancer if you drink a glass of water. ;)

Anyway, to answer your question....
We've been using the Rubbermaid totes for a bunch of years now & had no problems from them. We just make sure that we wash them out good once before using them. We don't use food grade bags in them either. From what I understand, the outgassing issue is more of a problem when you heat things up (like microwaving things) in the plastic. I have thought about putting some kind of rack in the totes to keep the meat up out of any blood, but have never done that yet. There's really not that much blood in the tote by the time we get the meat processed anyway.

Post Reply

Return to “Deer hunting tips and tactics”