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How many of you actually depend on Wild Game Meat? The Wife and I eat a LOT of wild game meat. We eat 3 to 4 deer a year and a bunch of wild pigs. At least 5 or 6 pigs. We ate wild pig tonight... We could probably survive without wild game meat, if I did not have to pay for a deer lease, but we do eat a lot of it and a lot of small game as well. However, I have met several people, on some hunts I have done, that lived in the "toolies' that depended on near 90% of the game meat they shot... I will discuss 2 different people one in NW Montana, one in below the panhandle Idaho, that live 100% of the time in a remote Cabin, No electricity, No city water... The first one I met was the guy in Montana. The wife and I backpack hunted 10 years in a row for black bear, we met him the first year. We saw and visited with him every year. He was a little spooky at first, but once we got to know each other, he was salt of the earth, but he very seldom went to town. In one store, in the small town nearby, they did know him. Another was a guy in Idaho. Again he lived in a cabin he built himself, no electricity, no running water. He lived on what he shot, or what others shot and gave him. I saw him over several years, many times twice a year... Both of these guys were fine fellows, smart in conversation, and once they got to know you, were very friendly, and I never felt like they thought anything about taking advantage of me. In fact they were overly helpful in giving me locations of bears they had seen... [I was always hunting bears in both locations]. The fact is they both lived nearly totally off the land, and both did not want much contact with the outside world. Local people were suprised, in both areas, that these "mountain men", would come to my camp and hang out/eat/and give me game locations, especially since I was a "city boy from out of state". It might be scary for me to say, but these 2 guys seemed nearly perfectly normal to me...  DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | ||
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We are about 95% all wild game on the table. Moose, caribou, ox, sitka blacktail, you name it. Plus, a ton of salmon and halibut. We just had moose meatloaf for dinner. My wife is not a huntress but quite the carnivore. She prefers wild game over store bought meats. Plus, beef is crazy expensive in the bush - we really have little choice. Just one more reason to get out there! | |||
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I must apologise as I did not mention all of the Alaska people I know and have met. My thoughts were "Everybody knows that a LOT of people in Alaska are wild game dependent". The fact that you guys have salmon and halibut... I just wish I had them in my pond... We do have catfish and black bass and crappie, and bream, in our pond. Just this week the wife cought us a mess of catfish and black bass for dinner... I cought several catfish, but mine were not big enough,  and the wife made me throw them back...  I cannot really complain, as she cleaned all of them, and fried them up as well. All I had to do was chew them.  We have been married for 30 years, and we have cought a lot of fish in that time, I have only cleaned fish one time, and I have never cleaned a catfish. Basically I do not touch them after they are off the hook.  Except to eat them of course.  DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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We usually count on an elk, a bear and a deer to get by here in CO. Don't eat a lot of beef but we don't have many wild hogs here so have to buy pork. Wish I didn't have to. I haven't tried the wild version of pork but have the opportunity to go to TX and get my own. Maybe I should try that too. | |||
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pago I was a Butcher in high school and college. I can say that wild pork is a lot more tasty than store bought pork. Even 275 to 300+ Wild Bores have always tasted great. I prefer wild pig to deer, elk, bear, caribou, and moose. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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Lora and I don't "depend" on game meat, but we use a bunch of it every year. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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Not at the moment, but when I retire I plan on living mostly on fish, game and garden produce. Too busy now. | |||
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About 60% wild game, 40% domestic. | |||
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I buy a rib eye steak maybe once a year. All other meat eaten in our house is wild meat. Wife can make just about anything better with venison, pork, bison, and turkey. Birmingham, Al | |||
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I found out a few years back that I can eat a good bit of game meat, but at a certain point, my body gets to craving fat, so I have to get some chicken/domestic pork or beef, something with some fat in it. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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Great stories, 450, fun to read & makes me smile with the thought that perhaps someday I might live like that too! Probably won't be for a while, though...  friar Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain. | |||
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myself also. | |||
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When I was a poor student 20+ years ago and lived at the coast of Norway I depended rather much on what I could hunt and fish for my daily food. That was not a problem as the fishing was great and the hunting was good. The hunting and fishing in the area I live now is far from being good enough to rely on it to put food on the table  At least once a week I am thinking about moving somewhere else.... | |||
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Never had Store bought meat until I was 11 years old.I try to eat as much wild game as possible.Not because that is all I can afford,but I think it is healthier for you than something that has been fed feed with antibiotics and growth hormones in it. | |||
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80 to 20 in my house I have eaten a lot of deer, bear, elk, moose. wild hog, all sorts of game birds and small game. | |||
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We are about 50/50, but with the prices lately, that is about to change. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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50/50. deer and elk in the freezer along with half a beef. my sister raises hogs and chickens, so occasionally we trade some venison for pork/chicken. NRA Life Member Gun Control - A theory espoused by some monumentally stupid people; who claim to believe, against all logic and common sense, that a violent predator who ignores the laws prohibiting them from robbing, raping, kidnapping, torturing and killing their fellow human beings will obey a law telling them that they cannot own a gun. | |||
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Depends on how many deer I take. If I fill both tags, that meat usually lasts us through the year. Last 2 years I have been lucky so we only buy beef or pork for an occasional change of pace. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Combined my wife and I kill deer etc. in double digits every year and we almost never run out. Feeding teenagers was different even then 4 antelope and 8 deer and an elk and a bear would generally make it to next season, but just. I put away 1/2 pound of my home-made venison with bear fat sausage every morning for breakfast, so at least 150lbs of that a year. Corned venison once a week, each about 3 lbs or so, 150 lbs of that. Plus meat loaf, roasts. Haven't bought any beef in 20+ years. Do buy a rack of lamb for Xmas or Easter though, that's all. We get chickens and a few turkeys from the Hutterites to break things up along with duck, geese, grouse and the occational pheasant. Breaks things up a bit. What I learned over the years: Game animals are NOT skinny versions of beef and lamb. They must be cut and prepared differently to really be good eating. | |||
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I wouldn't say my wife & I depend on wild game but it's about all we eat. We will go to the store for pork, etc. but otherwise, it's moose & caribou. There are 4 of us that moose hunt together. Usually we get 2 moose and that's the season for us. We aren't game hogs & we don't shoot cows or calves either. People doing that aren't welcome in our camp. In our area it's any bull and I think you can get a cow permit. That would make it 1 bull OR 1 cow. Some years, we try to get at least 1 caribou and I do that with one of my moose hunting partners. We do all of our moose butchering ourselves including grinding burger. BTW, out burger is mixed with a 20% pork shoulder or pork butt mix. NO beef suet at all. More expensive but lots better. Burger holds together very well. We also mix our own Italian sausage and get the spice mix here in town. Our caribou is usually sent out to have pepperoni sticks, summer sausage, etc. made. Splitting 1 caribou between 2 people is not quite enough but it will work out. Since my wife isn't a big salmon fan, we don't eat much of that. It's also not worth the cost of going after halibut, etc. due to the cost so we don't do that. We'll buy what sea food we'll eat. In short, I don't think that we actually save any money by eating wild game but I do know that our moose & the burger we make is much better than what can be purchased at the store. The cost of a caribou hunted, butchered and processed for sure isn't cost effective but the summer sausage & hot links are worth it. Goos luck to everybody. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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I don't think I have bought any beef or pork in 10 years Mike Never under estimate the internet community to use any opportunity to reply to a post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence problem.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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We do not depend on wild game but we prefer it. We eat about 60% wild game and 40% other. We eat a lot of fish and seafood. | |||
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Tony I can get you all the salmon you could ever eat. We catch plenty and are always looking for people to give it to. Smoked or fresh, your choice. | |||
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Most of my meat and fish is wild or home raised. I also eat and preserve a fair amount of wild plants and mushrooms. ~Ann   | |||
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Not that I'm a creature of habit, but Friday night I have pizza and Wednesday night is my range night...rifle, pistol, skeet, and maybe some trap. Several of us eat at The Oasis, a local steakhouse after shooting. Just about every other night I eat wild game. Its been that way since about 1980. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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The Oasis in Manhattan...yummy Mike Never under estimate the internet community to use any opportunity to reply to a post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence problem. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I eat a little better than half wild meat I suppose. | |||
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It's funny, my wife and I were eating some tacos with ground venison when the whole "pink slime" story broke. Made me glad I was a hunter and had a freezer full of venison. | |||
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LOL, was having venison chili when that came out. I butcher and process all of my meats cuz there is no way to know what 'they' are putting in it. ~Ann | |||
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I kill, butcher and eat 2 deer per year. | |||
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Well, my wife hardly ever eats meat, but I practically breathe it...so with just me eating it I got 2 doe antelope and a spike elk(really a big ole boy gave me 225 lbs of boneless meat). The antelope were shot in september, and I ate the last roast in december, and the elk was in november and I am down to about 50lbs. For me to get through from season to season, I need an elk, two antelope(at least, tasty buggers), and a few deer if I can...or else I need to buy up some pork(haven't made it to texas for hogs since I was 16). Throw in a smattering of pheasants, grouse, and ducks and the total ends up with me eating about 90% wild 10% domestic. | |||
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You guys all got me thinking, maybe this fall time to go back to my old ways and take several does and settle for a cow, instead of putting all my eggs in one basket and hopeing for a bull and or buck antelope tag. I think I have ate six doe/fawn antelope tags the last three years. I always buy them in the event I don't get an elk. When all of my sons were home we ate at least two elk, two to four antelope and a couple of deer every year. | |||
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No, I don't depend on wild game meat. BUT, I sure do enjoy it. | |||
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My whole family eat Elk and Mule Deer when we cook chili, or spagetti with meat sauce, which is often. My son and I Elk hunt yearly and every year or so will bring back a Mule Deer. We have eaten it so long beef does not taste right anymore. We have also eaten Caribou and Moose when in Alaska on hunts, but do not bring any meat home. My son also got a huge Kentucky Bull that oddly enough taste different from the Colorado Elk, both being excellent fare Good shooting. phurley | |||
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I kill 5 deer a year most years and catch over 200 lbs of fish. In years past add in a cow elk (2), antelope and hogs (4) But to be honest the $$$$$ I spend killing 5 deer and catching fish makes it more expensive than store bought meat by far. ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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My son and I rely alot more on wild game than my wife. She still likes a good beef steak once in a while. We eat several deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit, and squirrel every year not to mention all the trout, salmon, suckers, flounder, spanish, etc. Combine that with a good sized garden and we eat real good. Ted, The costs offsets itself when you consider how much healthier venison is! It's great exercise huntin, dragging and packing out game too. God Bless, Louis | |||
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It's my life long hobby...hunting and fishing Take them away and there would be no reason for living. I look forward to my weekends ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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One other point should be mentioned here .Some require a real 'organic 'diet , free from contaminents .The only way to do that is to raise it yourself or hunt and fish. And to all those who over the years asked about the deer I hunted ,"what do you do with it ?" I respond "I eat it " | |||
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We don't depend on wild game at all but that doesn't mean we don't eat it. I consider it a treat. I generally get more than we consume and I usually end up giving a lot to friends. . | |||
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I do not know if depend is the word, If we did not have it we would be fine. With that being said, our freezer is full of antelope, deer, elk, hog, turkey, duck, goose, walleye, salmon right now. We do supplement with occasional beef, usually steaks on sale, or hamburger. Typically I buy 80% lean burger and mix with 50:50 with ground venison. I have never figured out the cost per pound, as the financial gurus will tell me that it is cheaper to buy at the grocery store. But hunting and fishing is what I do, and who I am. With two boys age 10 and 13 our protein needs have been increasing. Fortunately so has their contribution to the freezer. We currently have 9 turkey tags for this spring. Fully expect to fill 3/4 of them. We can utilize roughly the equivalent of 8-10 deer per year. Actually the goal for this year is to get the freezer empty enough to defrost before fall hunting seasons begin. If we would ever run low, we have the benefit of living smack dab in the midddle of buffalo country. We personally know two buffalo ranchers. Pretty sure I could buy a nice two year old cow and procede to butchering. It has not happened yet, as the freezer is typically full. That would not be considered "wild" game, but health benefits would be there and similarity is undeniable. | |||
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