Meat in the Freezer

Despite early cold weather, which is usually a benefit for hunting, success has been slow to come this year. Thankfully, Blaine came to visit last weekend, and counted the first deer of the season. He and Grant went ot to a friend's place near Fort Benton, and Blaine shot this nice, big bodied, two-point muley buck.

I guess they saw quite a few, but didn't have a good shot. Blaine took a couple of cat naps while waiting until the deer started moving again in the late afternoon. He had the sights set on another buck roughly 150 yards away when Grant noticed this one walking up behind them. Blaine turned, readjusted his sight because it was half the distance, and pulled the trigger. One shot is all he needed, which is pretty common for this boy. He's steady and accurate.

Grant is cutting up the deer right now. He is very particular on how the steaks are butchered and wrapped (I'm only allowed to write the deer and date on the package) so he handles the entire process. I'm planning on canning some of the venison later – when he can be home to watch the kids since it takes a good hunk of the day. Canning meat is a long process, but it certainly is handy having it on hand. When I forget to thaw something for dinner, I can grab a can of venison and make a quick "pot pie" or stew. Can't beat it for convenience.