DOE, A DEER, A FEMALE DEER...

Well, the Wisconsin regular gun season has closed for another year and it's time for the Buck Report. We have one buck to report. After seven days of the nine-day season passing, with Mark only seeing a couple does, he finally got his buck on Saturday morning. A really nice nine-point. We were all pretty happy, but none more so than Mark, as he'd been getting a little discouraged.

He'd gone out alone that morning, as Taylie wanted to sleep (those 5AM revelies were catching up to her) and Ramsey had to work. It was about 14* below zero (yup!) and Mark said by the time he walked in 400-500 yards he had to stop to catch his wind. Sucking in that cold air while trying to hurry to beat the sunrise was making him feel an asthma attack coming on. As he rested, he surveyed his surroundings in the filtered early morning light and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw, to his left, a picture-perfect buck at about 80 yards. It was standing facing away from him, but looking back over its shoulder at him. As Mark put his rifle up the deer turned its head to look at the doe it was following, giving him only the back of the neck to shoot at. And that's where he hit it, with the shot coming out the buck's cheek. He dropped in his tracks. Nice shot.

Then came the drag back out to the road (puff, puff). As he struggled to load that big guy in the back of the truck by himself a vehicle stuffed with Blaze Orange clad hunters went by honking and giving him the thumbs-up. Thanks, guys.

Taylie's first deer hunt was a bit of a disappointment to her as she never got an opportunity for a shot. But she learned a lot and had some quality time with her Dad. And there's always next year!

Ramsey hung two deer on the "buck pole"; both does, a smaller one taken during the regular season, and one really big doe taken today during the Blackpowder season. Yeah, he's not done yet. Blackpowder goes for ten days, Michigan gun season goes til the end of the month, and late bow season goes until the end of the year. With the six-point buck he took earlier this month during bow season his count is three and he has a few tags to fill yet. He's only slightly obsessed. We've nicknamed him Mini Ted "Whack 'em and Stack ''em" Nugent.

For those who may wonder at all this "slaughter", it is not just done for sport. It is the mainstay of our diet. I buy very little meat from the store; a little pork and chicken once in awhile for variety. We clean and butcher our deer ourselves. Mark de-bones it all, we wrap and freeze the tenderloins, steaks, and a few roasts. We grind a lot of the meat for burger and also make jerky and sausage. We always give my folks a completely processed (cut, wrapped, ground) deer for their Christmas present. None of it goes to waste. We are very thankful for God's provision.

Many people say they don't like venison but I'm convinced they tried meat that was not handled properly: if it hangs too long in warmer weather, if the tallow is not all removed, and if it's butchered with the bones in; all these can give venison that "gamey" taste that turns many people off. Our meat has no such taste. We've had people eat it, not knowing it was venison, and give sincere compliments specifically on the meat. They're shocked when they learn it's venison because they didn't know it could taste so good. And it is very healthy; very little fat and no cholestrol.

We've raised our family on venison, grouse, duck, and fish. The kids get to choose what they want for their birthday dinner and it's almost always venison or fish. Many years ago, when Ramsey was about a year and a half old, we were visiting one of my sisters over the holidays. My sister, Tara, prepared a wonderful pork roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and all the extras. It was a delicious meal. I fixed a plate for little Ramsey and set it on the highchair tray in front of him. He looked at it and said, "Where's the venison?"

That's my boy.