Lickbranchfarm's 2018 Garden thread

[Nyboy]

 

[6884]

Lol....Its called patience. Here in NC we can harvest 6 deer each, in our county its 4 does and 2 bucks. we try to harvest our does early in the season, before they bred, but they're so many deer here we utilize black powder and the weeks of rifle season before thanksgiving to fill the doe tags. The girls usually shoot several does during this time, before it starts getting really cold. My daughter has taken several bucks, my wife has not harvested a buck yet, nor does she care to, I'd personally rather eat a 80lb. doe versus a 150lb. buck but that's just me.
My son and I run trail cameras most of the year, and try to target one specific buck we will try and harvest. After November usually we are down to our last buck tag and have to wait out the season hoping to get a shot at the bucks we took inventory on early in the season,It usually works out in the bucks favor, but every once and a while we get lucky. Its a cat and mouse game, whitetail bucks over 4 years old are very, very intelligent animals and very hard to fool. My living room is covered in deer heads ranging from 120" class to 150". My wife has put the stop on any more going In the house, Lol so we have loaded up the barn wall.

 

[flowerbug]

a lot of the hunters around here are mostly now interested in trophies. neighbor down the road said he could have his limit of does last season but he let them go hoping for a buck.

i don't know about eating them much but figure a 2-3yr doe would be much better than some older buck.

 

[6884]

a lot of the hunters around here are mostly now interested in trophies. neighbor down the road said he could have his limit of does last season but he let them go hoping for a buck.

i don't know about eating them much but figure a 2-3yr doe would be much better than some older buck.

And its the same here, some guys are just in it for the trophy, but others for the meat. We have adopted the idea to get the meat out the way, Once the freezers satisfied, then we try and take any deer we consider 4 years old or better. The doe in my daughters picture, 5 years old @ 149 lbs. that was one of the biggest does I had ever seen around here. There's a huge difference in a 1.5 year old deer and a mature deer, 2 completely different animals.

 

[baymule]

An old buck can positively stink when you clean it. The meat is strong but with seasoning and spices, makes good sausage. I agree, a young doe is much better eating!

 

[flowerbug]

And its the same here, some guys are just in it for the trophy, but others for the meat. We have adopted the idea to get the meat out the way, Once the freezers satisfied, then we try and take any deer we consider 4 years old or better. The doe in my daughters picture, 5 years old @ 149 lbs. that was one of the biggest does I had ever seen around here. There's a huge difference in a 1.5 year old deer and a mature deer, 2 completely different animals.

i've never hunted them here, but i observe them all the time. only time i harvest is with the car... a very expensive method. heh...

good luck this season

 

[6884]

I know a lot of people cannot think of eating them, but I cant imagine a cleaner animal to harvest, and the meat, if processed and handled correctly is much better for you than anything you get in a grocery store, this is what came off of 1 small deer, I add beef fat to the ground burger, we got a roast, tenderloin chops, stew meat, cube steak, enough meat for a month off 1 deer.

 

[flowerbug]

i love venison sausage with pork fat or beef fat added and spices, but i'm not much into the meat by itself unless it is super well trimmed. just a bit too gamy for me. which is funny, because i can eat lamb ok. i have no objection to hunting and eating them, i just wish there were wolves around to eat more of them. they have it too easy...

 

[6884]

O.K. back to gardening....Lol

Got all the 1st planting of squash and Zucchini pulled due to vine borers. 2nd planting of each is up. Also put in a new row of cucumbers, the first planting is about done, but boy did they produce.
Also got my first cantaloupe, and man was it worth the wait....MMMMM.
Butternut squash is loaded, I bet there's 6 squash on each bush.
Blue lakes have made it to the bloom stage, got one deer trying to be brave, we'll see.
Okra is kicking butt right now, got a good shower last Friday, and it went into overdrive!

 

[Nyboy]

100 % organic antibiotic free, lived a good and natural life. What meat could be better ?