Hunting 2017

The yearly hunt on the farm

This year was a strange year for hunting; we had zero snow, warmer than usual days and I shot the largest buck I have ever hunted on the farm.

Hunting spot 2017

Same hunting spot 2016

Fall and hunting season are without a doubt my favorite time of the year. Spending hours outside in the quiet can be extremely effectuating; it is the equivalent of stepping into another state of being, one that offers a different perspective on life.  The stress of life is silently being lifted from you as you peer into the trees or landscape. “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” – Aldo Leopold.  The color of the trees, grasses and your surroundings are constantly changing as the light from the fading sun moves across the horizon.   It’s as if nature is choreographing action to see if you are really paying attention.  The sounds you hear, can be a distant gun shot, or a squirrel scrunching through the dry leaves to see if you are paying attention.  You may look up into the sky to witness geese flying towards a pond or leaving the pond for another adventure; the geese fly in formation as they ascend into the horizon leaving you with wonder as they find their path in line with the other geese.

It is often wistful thinking on the last day of the gun season as you walk back to the house. Despite having a successful harvest you still fill like you could spend more time hunting; but the reality is, it is not the hunting but instead it is the time outdoors sitting for hours. At least with hunting you had a good excuse!

This year was indeed a successful harvest; I managed to take a 10 point buck! That was the largest buck I have ever harvested on the farm.

Our dog, Buck, meeting the 10 point buck!

The temperatures varied each day we entered into the fields, on one day we reached a high of 63 degrees and yet on another day we were in the mid 20’s! It is crazy to prepare for the cold when you are not sure of what the temperature is going to be for the day! Opening day we experienced, sleet, snow, rain, wind and finally sunny skies! It didn’t matter, the weather could have been heavy snow and we still would have been out hunting. To counter the constant change in the weather I now hunt with a full back pack; inside the pack I keep extra layers of items to keep moisture away, or to store some of the layers I may need to shed as the day warms up.  Along with extra layers I carry ammo, first aid kit, a thermos of hot coffee (it has never impacted my ability to have deer around) and extra gloves.  I have a set of binoculars in the pack and a solar panel to charge my phone battery.  I know the later seems to be a bit crazy to bring into the woods but when you are hunting with others, communication is a safe way to hunt.  We text our locations or if we are moving, and we cannot always see each other.   

 This year I decided to forgo turkey for our thanksgiving and instead serve the back straps from the buck. First I marinated the straps overnight in a Dijon vinaigrette. Next I sous vide the straps for 3 hours at 125 degrees, seared them in a very hot cast iron pan, rubbed them with fresh horseradish and Dijon mustard and finally rolled them in a pesto rubbed panko crumb.  The sauce for the venison was a mulberry demi, the mulberries came from one of the many mulberry trees on the farm.  

Now comes winter and hopefully some snow!