It was a busy morning around here. As soon as we were back from our walk, we got ready to process the deer Heather shot for us. Last week I bought a $100 meat grinder from Walmart, and today we put it to the test. We were over halfway done with the job when Cliff said, "You know what? You haven't taken any pictures."
I held up my gloved hands and said, "Taking pictures would be a little messy after handling ground deer meat; but I could take my gloves off and get a couple of pictures."
My camera was still in my coat pocket from this morning's walk.
Cliff did most of the work. I manned the grinder and plastic-wrapped the meat; he butcher-paper wrapped it. He also did most of the cleanup.
Heather shot a very young doe for us; as he dressed it, Cliff kept remarking on how tender the meat was.
We ground all of it except for the backstrap, which we had for dinner at noon. I looked up how to cook it on the Internet and did it just according to instructions. It was tasty and tender with not a hint of "gamey" taste. It yielded twenty-three one-pound-plus packages of meat. I would not have wanted more than that. Conditions were perfect: temperatures dipped below freezing overnight, so the deer cooled off nicely hanging in front of Cliff's shop until this morning. Two days earlier the flies would have been a problem and the meat would have to have been iced down to get it cooled.
It was a fun little project, and thanks to Heather, our beef supply will hold out longer.
This morning I awoke to the gentle pitter-patter of rain. Around six A.M. the grandson and Heather arrived to deer hunt. It wasn't raining too hard, they said, and they were going ahead with their plans. They left their Great Dane, Titan, with me. Less than an hour later the rain was really coming down hard. It wasn't long before the hunters, soaked to the skin and freezing, were at the door. They changed clothes, and Heather threw their soggy hunter-wear in the dryer.
They looked so pitiful, I decided they needed a nice, hot breakfast. Bacon and pancakes sounded like just the thing, and of course when I suggested that, Cliff jumped right on the bandwagon.
Later on Cliff went to the shop, leaving me with the would-be hunters:
What a close-knit family they are! Maybe I overfed them.
I assumed my chances of having a doe for our freezer were pretty much gone, at least until next weekend. However, around 2:30 the rain diminished to a sprinkle and they trekked to the woods again. They had only been gone a short time when I got a call on the cell phone from Arick: "Heather got a doe!"
On Facebook, I saw this picture already posted:
Now that's a happy hunter!
Cliff and I will get it worked up and in the freezer tomorrow.
