Spring deer meat?

[dutchhunter]

eating deer in the spring is no ifferent then eating anyother meat in the spring as long as itis healthy and in good shape .thy do find a fair bit of food here in southern ont n th spring as the snow is goe off the feilds and th can pick up the corn and beans left over .most deer that i have cleaned or people in the spring will bleed out in the abdomen very quiqly so as ong as thy are opened up and washed out thy should be fine DUTCH

 

[blargon]

Take a few steaks off it....if the quality is OK. Good to go.

Even if it is tough...lots of burger there...or sausage..YUMMM

X2 on this. Even if you don't want steaks off it, you can make burger, sausage, pepperettes, etc. Free meat = good.

I'd try marinating a few steaks/roasts and throw them on the Q...

 

[John Y Cannuck]

OK, enough with the speculation already.
I've eaten roadkill deer many times from spring kills. Other than the fact that the hair is falling out, and that makes skinning more of a chore, it's just fine.
You must get it skinned and gutted quickly after the accident, so it can cool, as the temps are not so great right now for keeping meat.

It tastes just like any other deer, provided it's handled properly, and on a "head shot" you should be able to use all parts of the deer, even the fawns, if you are so inclined.

I'm called occasionally by the local police to pick up kills, quite often the damage is minimal, but even a fairly heavy hit makes decent burger, if you get there in time to get it cooled.

One more thing, you are supposed to report road kills you posses to the MNR in Ontario, and they'll send you a possession piece of paper. You don't have to wait for it, just call it in, and get the butchering done.
If it's a weekend, get it done, and call it in in office hours. No big deal to them, they just want it for stats.

 

[major519]

Work for the roads dept this winter. Guys at the shop have picked up plenty of roadkills.

Recently I was dispatched to pick one up; rear damage, great shape. A doe, maybe 130lbs or so. Plenty of fat for this time of year. Was only on the road for minutes so we grabbed it, field dressed and hung.

Let's just say it made some mighty fine burgers and sausage, no gamey taste at all. Handled properly its as good as it gets.

 

[starpuss]

yumm... road kill... i think i would pass , seeing i still have lots of meat left (3deer i got this year)

now if i hit it , well then i would take it , or if i seen it get hit..

 

[Buck45]

A QUOTE---Most native people I know wouldn't hunt a tough, gamy spring deer even if it wasn't pregnant.

Have I got news for you!!!
The bush natives of BC, and I am told, of all of northern Canada, consider a pregnant moose as being the best of winter meat!
On shooting winter, or late winter moose, they choose a pregnant cow if they can, because it has superior meat quality.

Yup x2 I can even give you the Cree Trappers name from Cochrane area that has done it and I've hunted with in the fall.
The unborn animal is considered like veal. There is a butchers term for it but I can not remember it at present.

In the great depresion of the 30's some families relied on the unborn caves from cows that were put down for meat. The calf was cheap meat. I know as my grand parents talked about it .

We use to hunt Spring bear and eat spring bear.

 

[farmer47]

unborn calves in our area are called slink veal. i have heard my father use this term.

 

[tikka270]

Starpuss is that the Whiteshell where that picture was taken

 

[starpuss]

Starpuss is that the Whiteshell where that picture was taken

no that was out my back door at my" cabin"/ hunting shack in the middel of no where . (make on crown land) out side richer

 

[beretta boy]

Below the shield winter/early spring deer aren't bad at all ... especially those that have access to enough good quality browse.

Above the shield, things can get pretty tough in the yards - food wise. Deer that have been subsisting on white cedar for the past month or so ... "pass".