I call it Deer Fever. Every October the epidemic spreads. Crisp, cool days and clear, cold, starry nights send the leaves spiraling from the trees. Suddenly my husband is infected. The fever is highly contagious, spreading quickly through our family and infecting all the boys. They are skillful hunters, taught well by their father. Soon our freezers are filled with meat. In just one season, they can kill, process, and grind over 500 pounds of venison for our family to be used in the coming year. My boys call me the “Hunter’s Wife,” and it is my job to cook their provisions! I’ve written a cookbook by the same title—it includes delicious recipes for cooking venison, sure to please any family. (The Hunter’s Wife, by Mrs. Roger Greene, is available from www.MarmeeDear.com.)

My husband has been providing our family with a red meat supply for the last 20 years. Starting when they are young, he teaches our boys weapon safety and tips for being successful hunters. We have a family full of avid fishermen and hunters. All of our boys, from the oldest to the youngest, have been with their dad on dove hunts, duck hunts, turkey hunts, rabbit hunts, squirrel hunts, and deer hunts. To fill your freezer with a bounty of meat, you will need to hunt larger animals like deer.

Our family doesn’t travel far; they prefer local areas, mostly land opened for hunting to any licensed hunter by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of South Carolina. Each state has its own hunting seasons and bag limits for each animal. Information following your state’s guidelines must be obtained and followed.

The DNR usually sponsors special youth hunts. Our boys visit or call there Photo by Christie Par-Due a few times a year to request information on programs available for youth in our state. South Carolina requires a hunter’s safety course and exam, which are offered at a variety of locations at special times throughout the year. Hunter’s safety courses are usually offered free. Local gun clubs and the NRA also sponsor free gun safety courses for children. We are blessed with a long season and generous bag limit for deer in our state. Last year all the boys, along with my husband, harvested 30 deer. The boys have learned to clean and process all the meat they harvest by themselves.

We own an electric meat grinder attachment to our BOSCH kitchen mixer (available at www.MarmeeDear.com) and use it to grind our venison. We have also tried our hand at grinding some turkey. Last year we met a neighbor who raises pigs and butchers them each week for sausage. He allows us to come to his house on his butchering day once a week and use his heavy-duty commercial grinder to process our venison. This has been a great help with the large quantity of deer the boys harvest. Until last year we continued to grind using just our grinder attachment. It works very well and held up well for 19 deer the year before!

Fat Facts!
Did you know that venison has onefourth the fat content of beef? We do not add any extra fat (as in beef fat) to our venison when we process it. I brown the ground meat with either a cup of water or a few tablespoons of olive oil.

• First and foremost, you must locate an area with both fresh and old deer droppings scattered around. This means the deer have been there and are still coming back. Walk and scout until you find an area like this. No droppings? No deer! Do not hunt that area—you are wasting your time.
• Determine the travel route of the deer and hunt downwind from that trail.
• Always hunt from a tree stand. If you are not hunting from a tree stand you will greatly reduce your chances of shooting a deer. It should be at least 15-25 feet high.
• Make NO noise and limit your movements as much as possible while in your tree stand.
• Hunt until the last minute your state allows—many hunters leave their stands too early. For instance, if it gets dark at 6 PM do not leave your tree stand at 5:40. That is a BIG mistake! Many deer will begin to move when it is around dark, and you will still be able to see well enough to make the kill. Hunting hours are from sunrise to sunset— make sure the sun is completely set before leaving the tree to avoid spooking the deer when you leave the hunting area. (Important note: Many states have specific time limits for how many minutes after sunset you are legally allowed to hunt. If you do not follow these guidelines and are caught by a game warden, you can be fined and your license revoked.)

• Gut the deer within 2-3 hours after the kill or as soon as possible.
• Hose out the cavity with clear water.
• Hang on a gambrel (we built our own) overnight in suitable weather (chilly or cold).
• Skin the deer the next morning with a sharp knife or skinner blade.
• Hose down the skinned deer with water, using a bristled brush to clean the debris and hair from the meat.
• Cut off the shoulders.
• Cut off the hams.
• Cut out the backstrap and tenderloin.
• Strip rib cage of remaining meat.
• Cut meat into roasts, cubes, and steaks. Trim tenderloin into small 1” strips and use for jerky or tender stir fry. Strip remaining meat off bones and cut into 2” cubes or strips.
• Remove any tendons or gristle. Line a large bucket with a clean bag and fill it with these cubes and strips. Grind these pieces in a meat grinder. Put through the grinder two times
• for an extra fine grind. Package meat in small bags for meal-size portions. Remove all air from bag. Wrap bag in heavy freezer paper. Tape closed and label package. Freeze and keep frozen until ready to thaw for cooking.
• • Bury the carcass.

• If you have “bloody” meat, you may soak it in a large stainless steel or glass crock in cold water with 1 cup of white vinegar. Soak the meat for 3 hours, then rinse. Continue with the process of cutting or grinding the meat. This soaked meat is best to use for ground meat only. This also aids in tenderizing the meat and removing some of the “wild” or “game” flavor.
• When placing packages of freshly packed meat in the freezer, always place it in a single layer in the freezer. If you pack the meat all in one area in the freezer, the middle packages might not freeze or remain cold enough, and the meat will spoil if not frozen.

My husband and boys are proficient with bows, muzzleloaders, and rifles. Learning to use each of these weapons allows them to enjoy a longer season of hunting. This is because many states, South Carolina included, offer seasons open to only bow hunting or only muzzleloading, and during that time (usually just a few weeks) rifles are not allowed. During rifle season, a hunter may use any of the three hunting methods.

We enjoy making salami and jerky from some of our venison. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy these treats, knowing they are free of the additives and nitrates that are present in most store-bought jerky and salami.

Mix together and refrigerate in an airtight container (NOT aluminum!) for 48 hours. After 24 hours, take out and knead meat to combine spice and flavor throughout the mixture. Place back in refrigerator. After 48 hours, take out meat and form into a large roll. Wrap roll tightly in heavy wax paper and then aluminum foil. Bake for 6-7 hours (check the last few hours to see if it is ready) at 250 degrees. Cool and slice. Keep slices refrigerated. Freeze extra portions.

Add ingredients to a sealable plastic bag or container with a snap lid:

Cut backstrap into thin strips (1" × 3" × . "). Marinate strips in the mixture for at least 12 hours. Shake around in bag at least once to distribute meat into seasoning mix. Cover oven racks with heavy aluminum foil. Remove strips from marinade and lay on the upper oven rack. Use a fork to poke small holes in the upper covered rack. Leave bottom rack covered with no holes in foil to catch drips and keep the juices from dripping on the oven floor and smoking or burning. Bake at 200 degrees for 4-6 hours. Check hourly. Jerky should be dry but not hard or brittle.

This jerky has no preservatives or nitrites. We keep ours refrigerated in small sealed bags. The boys take it out on short hikes with them, but I would not recommend keeping it at room temperature for extended periods of time. This also freezes well.

The Young Man’s Handybook by Mrs. Gail Kappenman and Mrs. Martha Greene includes a chapter on hunting, gun safety, fishing, and more about hunting weapons and animal calls.

www.Cabelas.com for hunting gear.

Martha Greene has been married to her deerslayer for 29 years. They live and roam on 130 wild acres. They are blessed with eight boys and three girls and are multiplying with grandchildren. The Hunter’s Wife is only one of the publications by Martha offered at www.MarmeeDear.com. Come visit soon, where MarmeeDear offers “All Thing Precious & Pleasant for the Home Circle.”