Assuming I went on a hunt in the UK, specifically Scotland. I cannot bring the meat back to the US.(Unless the laws have changed very recently) Since I must pay a fee, or so I've read, for each animal taken, can the meat be sold locally? Maybe to offset the cost of the trip? It's not that I'm a cheapskate, I'm just not rich.

Tombo - if you go on a guided hunt, you would usually pay for the outings as well as the trophy (antlers) ONLY. The carcass is not usually part of the deal offered by an outfitter - unless you specifically wish to purchase the meat.

Yes, here in the UK we can sell the venison direct to a licensed game dealer. Many UK stalkers use this as a source of income to defray hunting costs, replace rifles etc..... Sorry, but not an really an option for a visiting hunter.

Rgds Ian

Tombo - The meat is not worth a great deal anyway. Last time I checked red deer venison was fetching around 75c per pound.

I still reckon Scotland offers better value than the US for the visiting hunter. See the Texas Red Deer Thread over on the Big Game Hunting Forum.

Regards

Last year Boar here was gettng about �6/Kilo, We only get about 60p/lb for our fallow venison though.

FB

Roe for export currently �1/kg body shot and �1.20/kg neck shot. Pluck has to be bagged with carcass for vetinary inspection (so why did I bother with level 2 then )

20-25 roe per buffalo trophy fee

SJ,

Almost all our roe goes to Germany.

The domestic venison market is all red and fallow raised on deer farms like cattle.

Tombo21,

You may want to check the law pertaining to bringing your trophy back to the States if you decide to stalk in Scotland or any where else in the UK for that matter. With the recent problems associated with Foot and Mouth plus BSE, you may find the US has tighter regulations in place...

Sauenj�ger1,

With reference to the Roe being exported, the explaination I have been given is that a Roe is just too small for a butuch to deal with and its supply is often not consistant. Fallow and Red on the other hand give them a decent size carcass to work with and as noted a lot is either "farmed" or comes from deer parks of one sort or another. The wild Red deer venison industry in Scotland is quite significant, but again a hell of a lot goes to Germany, especially the stinky, run Red stags taken during or just after the rut!

If you want to raise an eyebrow or two in the UK, walk into a resteraunt or pub selling venison dishes and ask them what sort of venison it is...in a lot of cases most of the staff just won't know...

Regards,

Pete

1894,

quote:

---

I think the reason the market for venison is so poor in this country is precisely due to the old fashioned hung till half rotten stinky red/fallow that used to be served up.

---

I think you are spot on there! I have talked to so many "laypeople" who have tried venison but said it was "too stong"...and I can imagine a run fallow buck or red stag hanging in a warm larder with the fly's buzzing around...

It not just stalkers who are to blame but gamedealers too. I remember turning up at one at 9pm one evening with a stag and 3 or 4 roe. We had taken great pains gralloch the carcasses & make them as presentable and proffesional looking as possible; they had been hung in a fly proof larder and the various bits of red gralloch had been seperated, tagged and were accompanying the carcasses as per regulations. When I pullled up the guy helped me unload and weighed the beasts on a large set of floor mount scales. As it was late, he then tossed the roe onto the red in a heap in the corner and did not even shut the door properly..the room was not chilled niether was
it vermin or fly proof...I am glad they were not destine for my table!

I have eaten Fallow that had been hung in a chiller for two weeks and it was really mouth watering. But it was a pricket shot outside the rut and the carcass had been cared for properly..

I know I am preaching to the converted here, but as you say, the way some venison is presented to the consumer its no wonder it puts people off....

Regards,

Pete

"pricket" I found in the dictionary, but "gralloch"?

Pricket=spike buck
Gralloch=to field-dress the animal

Tombo21/Stonecreek,

Sorry for the confusion gents! I sometimes forget we don't speak the same language!

Boghossian is correct; a pricket is a spike buck usually a young Fallow buck..and gralloch is the term used for both the action of gutting the animal plus it also used to refer to the contents removed.. The red gralloch is the heart,lungs, liver and kidneys and depending upon the intended destination of the carcass may need to be retained for inspection, while the "green" gralloch is the stomache and intestines ect and is usually desposed of in the field (but for how much longer?) This is also refered to as the "pluck" too...A couple of other terms you may hear over here are:
beast = the animal, the deer ie "that looks like a nice beast...." while a deer rack is a track/trail made/used by deer, and a slot is the actual foot print left by a deer.

Some of these are the rementents and adaptaions of what could be described as an old "hunting language" known as "Venery" which I believe has its origins in the late 1000's ie following the Norman Invasion in 1066...

Regards,

Pete

[ 07-31-2003, 11:52: Message edited by: Pete E ]

1894,

With regards the term "pluck" now you have me wondering! Thinking back I would agree with you, but these days I have noticed people (FC Rangers in this instance)qualifing it with the terms "green" and "red"; I guess such a distinction was not so important previously or perhaps the usage is evolving to deal with the changing circumsatnces?

I will get back to you after about the other point, but lets say I have a bad "gut" feeling about it, excuse the terrible pun!

Regards,

Pete

[ 07-31-2003, 15:40: Message edited by: Pete E ]

1894,

With regards the desposel of the gralloch, I forsee this maybe tighened up for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the Government have recently prohibited the on farm burial of fallen stock. I have no idea if these changes apply to, or impact on, deer farms or parks where the deer are culled "in the field" so to speak..Are they allowed to bury or burn the gralloch onsite or are they now required (at least on paper) to dispose of it another way?

With the way our Government and the EEC love red tape, it really would not surprise me there were not moves a foot to try to regulate the desposal of the gralloch (along with the head and legs) in a similar manner to what has been brought in for farmers....

The other aspect is with regards landowners..The area I stalk in Thetford is managed over all by the FC and we have gradually seen a tighening up on the methods used for the disposel of gralloch. Part of this is down to the high level of public access but also as part of a new marketing stratergy for wild venison in the UK, where the FC is striving to improve every aspect of is deer managemnt operations so that it can be seen as a clear leader in such matters. We have been told other things with regards this, but I don't want to discuss anything which could be commercially sensitive for them. However the upshot is that last time I went stalking there I was told that if the beasts were gralloched in the field, the stomach bag was to be split open and the contents emptied out and buried and the empty "sack" along with the rest of the gralloch was to be brought back to the larder for eventual incineration.

Another deerpark owner I know of was warned by the EA with regards potential for groundwater contaimation after he dug a small "stink pit" to get take the gralloches...as a result the onus is now on the stalker to remove all gralloch from the park and despose of it himself...

I am not saying I agree with any of this or want it to happen, but I am saying that the way we are over regulated, I could easily see us not being able to bury the gralloch at some time in the not too distant future...

Regards,

Pete

[ 07-31-2003, 15:42: Message edited by: Pete E ]

Fellas

Here is a couple of stags taken for meat just this last week. A couple of culls for venison.



You guys really live in too a crowded place if you have to worry about disposal of the gut on a working farm

Seems the "separation by a common language" extends to even citizens from the same parts of "Ol' Blighty"...............

Sounds ugly what our UK friends are telling.

Here we can bury the gut in the wood (or field) if there is no disease found at the animal. It is a part of the training to get the licence of hunting to inspect about diseases when gut.

On some areas with epidemic (like we have at boar at some areas) there are some strict rules to bring it to special places.

Also to treat the venison so bad, results in the bad reputation of venison.
Here nearly each forrest office has cold storage chambers and also a lot of private hunters do have this, or at least a big refrigerator for one or two boar or some more roe.

Best regards

Sauenj�ger1,

Its not too bad yet, but with all the ECC generated crap along with things like Health and Safety, Insurrance and training issue, there is potential for much more red tape...

1894,

Apparently landowners get upset when their lab finds and then eats a gralloch only to vomit it up on the farm house kitchen floor...please don't ask me how I know this...

regards,

Pete