Deer Hunting, The Earliest Memories

The best memories of deer hunting are the earliest ones. You knew nothing about it from experience - you were 12 or 15 and hunted with a 12 or 20 gauge slug, or a 30-30.

You'd mostly heard stories from your Dad and your uncles and great uncles. About them and their hunts and Grandpa, too, who'd learned to hunt deer from the Indians who still lived on the homestead when he was young. Before they were called to the reservation. The Indians had no problem getting the deer they needed - my impression was that it was more outsmarting them, than hunting. Which just might be be defined as hunting.

The Indians knew where and what the deer ate, and where and when they slept and since that's about all that deer they do, it was simple. Get there a little ahead of time and watch and wait and then shoot.

Cousin( great uncle) Clifford taught me that deer feed downwind, thus utilizing the great sense advantage they have over us - sound and smell, primarily - smelling upwind, looking downwind and hearing all directions as they fed downwind.

Which helps us to get them and then eat them, which is the original reason for all this hunting. Our advantage is eyesight and reason. Theirs the nose and ears. The deer win most of the time.

Little bucks and Ducks

A friend just arrowed a little buck. I'm thinking of tenderloins on toast - sliced medallions done rare to med rare( seasoned w/ salt,pepper, garlic) with sautee`d onions and mushrooms( this is our 2nd and greatest mushroom season - perfect this yr w/plenty of rain, you can see them from your car), with fresh sage and the pan deglazed w/ brandy or cognac or red wine.
For an appetizer do them rare on little crostini's( toasts) and serve cold w/ wasabi.
Duck opener this wk end - I have not hunted ducks for some years now, but they remain my favorite game food. I'll do some recipes over the next wk or so.