All things venison

Originally posted by furpod BTW.. the absolute biggest problem with cooking almost all game, and especially venison, is it's near complete lack of "marbling" or fat of any kind. Most people overcook it. By a lot. You HAVE to aim for rare.

That is almost exactly what I was going to post until I read your post. Yes, most wild game tastes too "dry" for lack of a better word. This is mainly due to the fact that most wild game, regardless of species, does not have very much fat.

One of the best turkeys I've ever tasted was a couple years ago. A neighbor had shot a wild turkey on his property, and his partner fixed it by wrapping the dressed bird in bacon. Oh wow, was that good.

Yes, in most of the midwest and eastern states, deer were wiped out. Thankfully due to extreme regulation and management, populations are back to sustainable levels. One of the guys I hunt with.. a direct decedent of D. Boone, says that when he was a kid 60-70 years ago, there was no deer season, and to see one was something very special..

Elk were exterminated here in Kentucky in the 1800's. But.. 20 years ago, just about when I got out of the army, they started to reintroduce them.. This article is a decade old now.. But the population has done so well that many B&C bulls have been taken here. I put in every year for tags..

Linky to the story..

I don't know what is done in other States but, Indiana has program to help the less fortunate (kind of cool IMHO):

https://www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/3987.htm

The story of deer, in Indiana, is a curious one. While I need to refresh my memory on the published dates, I’ll talk “generally”.

Roughly at the turn of the 20th century, there was a day when a shot rang out in the woods and the last deer fell. Or, perhaps it was a fierce growling and showing of fangs. We can’t know for certain. Deer were no more. Between hunting for sport and food, along with their natural predators (like wolves) the last one was taken.

In roughly the same time period, predators like the wolf, were being extinguished in earnest. They killed our farm animals and livestock, even threatening humans at times. They had to go!

Between the need for food and the desire for sport, it was decided to re-introduce deer in the State. Deer also helped to keep some vegetation in check with what they ate. An important part of the ecosystem had been disturbed and needed fixing.

With their natural predators gone, deer flourished in a big way. The ecosystem can only support “so many”, especially with ever shrinking habitat, due to construction growth. We have to hunt them to keep their numbers in check. Otherwise, many would die a cruel death of starvation.

Though not a hunter myself, I have a certain reverence/respect (I’m not sure how to say it) for those that do hunt. They carry on a tradition of our not too distant ancestors and play a vital roll in keeping the ecosystem balanced, in “harvesting” excessive game populations.
Here in Indiana, “hunting” has been trending downward for several decades, as evidenced by the number of licenses sold. Personally, I would find it sad if this activity were to go away.

I do like a good pheasant pie!   

Originally posted by Leo B As long as they are cooked right, bear and moose are as good if not better that venison, IMHO.

I don't know about moose, or bear.. but if I ever get the chance, I will invite them into the truck too.. We do have elk here, and I have had it. I would say the same about it as far as taste..

But one thing to note, lots of people who cook deer, have no clue what they are doing, so there are many people who have had the opportunity to "try it" and don't like it.. Never happened at my house or camp.

My late FIL got a deer in Kansas or Colorado years before I met them, he couldn't cook canned soup, IME, but he cooked that deer.. his whole, extended family, hated deer... Then I came along. Took a few years to get them all to try it again.. Now they all can't wait for deer season..

And my wife is a mighty huntress in her own right.