There's are no way to avoid the responsibilities of being a father and husband, at least not in my mind. I'm not talking about painting the house, changing diapers, etc...I'm talking about the fact that if I walk out to the garage and lift the lid I will see straight down to the bottom of our freezer.
The packets of 'training birds' outnumber the "food". That's never good math.
There are still a few packs of venison, but only roasts and maybe a couple packs of ground. Not the cuts that I get all tingly over. Tenderloin? That's been gone for a few months now. (Nealy always via my famous "Buchanan's Spicy Dry Rub", super hot cast iron pan sear in garlic and olive oil, followed by low-slow in the oven That being said, I am looking forward to try this recipe: Venison with juniper and blackberry-honey sauce)
I was influenced deeply by my grandparents. A generation who grew up in the country but moved to the "big city"; never completely leaving their roots behind. They had experienced the privation of both share cropping and the great depression. Their experiences shaped me in ways I still don't fully understand. Subsequently, I have a deep seated desire to provide for my family, coupled with a gnawing fear of not having anything 'put up' for the winter.
TEOTWAWKI aside, we don't have any real danger of going hungry-there are two grocery stores within 2 miles of the house. But is there the same satisfaction in 'bringing home the bacon' that comes wrapped in cellophane, on a Styrofoam platter, floating on a maxi-pad to control the blood? I don't think so. It's not blood-lust, or some nihilistic perversion of masculinity. I think it's just un-natural. It's a disservice to both my family and to the animal. It feels like cheating on so many levels.
Industrial agriculture isn't Satan, and I know not everyone can do what I do. I recognize that I have the means, the ability, and so in my estimation a responsibility to provide for my family in the manner I feel is best. That it's damn tasty is a bonus! Last week I was blessed to get one "for the freezer"- a phrase that is incredibly derogatory to the deer although I admit I use the phrase when describing hunts to my hunting partners. They do not regard the deer with the same values I and my family do.
However, nearly everything we hunt and kill should be "for the freezer".
I have friends who would rather eat 'tag soup' than come home with something less than a wall-hanger. Not me. Personally, I've never eaten an antler although I've noticed them the other day being offered as dog chews. Maybe I'm missing out. I picked up a few and wondered if I could find one to make a good shooting stick:
When it came down to it I hesitated taking the shot. Although the deer was a buck he didn't have a "RACK" (and I am still only human). I had a brief conversation with myself about why I was 20' up a pine in the first place and reminded myself that I was a meat hunter first, and antlers were(should be) a second tier consideration.
I await the call from the processor. Now I can focus more on training the devilish beast that is the puppy, Carson.
The packets of 'training birds' outnumber the "food". That's never good math.
There are still a few packs of venison, but only roasts and maybe a couple packs of ground. Not the cuts that I get all tingly over. Tenderloin? That's been gone for a few months now. (Nealy always via my famous "Buchanan's Spicy Dry Rub", super hot cast iron pan sear in garlic and olive oil, followed by low-slow in the oven That being said, I am looking forward to try this recipe: Venison with juniper and blackberry-honey sauce)
I was influenced deeply by my grandparents. A generation who grew up in the country but moved to the "big city"; never completely leaving their roots behind. They had experienced the privation of both share cropping and the great depression. Their experiences shaped me in ways I still don't fully understand. Subsequently, I have a deep seated desire to provide for my family, coupled with a gnawing fear of not having anything 'put up' for the winter.
TEOTWAWKI aside, we don't have any real danger of going hungry-there are two grocery stores within 2 miles of the house. But is there the same satisfaction in 'bringing home the bacon' that comes wrapped in cellophane, on a Styrofoam platter, floating on a maxi-pad to control the blood? I don't think so. It's not blood-lust, or some nihilistic perversion of masculinity. I think it's just un-natural. It's a disservice to both my family and to the animal. It feels like cheating on so many levels.
Industrial agriculture isn't Satan, and I know not everyone can do what I do. I recognize that I have the means, the ability, and so in my estimation a responsibility to provide for my family in the manner I feel is best. That it's damn tasty is a bonus! Last week I was blessed to get one "for the freezer"- a phrase that is incredibly derogatory to the deer although I admit I use the phrase when describing hunts to my hunting partners. They do not regard the deer with the same values I and my family do.
However, nearly everything we hunt and kill should be "for the freezer".
I have friends who would rather eat 'tag soup' than come home with something less than a wall-hanger. Not me. Personally, I've never eaten an antler although I've noticed them the other day being offered as dog chews. Maybe I'm missing out. I picked up a few and wondered if I could find one to make a good shooting stick:
When it came down to it I hesitated taking the shot. Although the deer was a buck he didn't have a "RACK" (and I am still only human). I had a brief conversation with myself about why I was 20' up a pine in the first place and reminded myself that I was a meat hunter first, and antlers were(should be) a second tier consideration.
I await the call from the processor. Now I can focus more on training the devilish beast that is the puppy, Carson.
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