Hypothetical Excercise - Only meat from hunting

[Tytalus]

As the topic title says, I was curious what would it take to eat meat all year round from your hunting activities? It doesn't have to be fresh all year round, frozen is reasonable.

Reason: My wife is turning into a health nut and I haven't started hunting yet. I'm not sure how feasible it is as a city dweller from Abbotsford.

[Tytalus]

Well, I do get 18 vacation days a year. That's good to know. I'm just wondering how many weekend trips would be necessary. My wife was wondering about eating birds too, and I've done no research on shotguns at all, just deer, elk, moose & black bear hunting.

[Gateholio]

If there is just the 2 of you, one good sized northern moose should last the year. We only eat meat that we raise or hunt, so we have chicken, pork and lamb as well as moose, deer bear. Seems like the waterfowl guys do pretty good on geese, but you would have to be really dedicated to fill your freezer with grouse! :)

As a new hunter you might need some extra time, but it's feasible if you target moose or elk, as they have much more meat than deer. Apply for easy odds LEH with antlerless, you might get some easy meat.



Get your wife involved too.

[rocksteady]

For me, my wife and 21 year old stepson, to kkep my freezer full for the year, I like to put 1 elk (350 to 450 lbs on the hook), and 2 deer (100 lbs each on the hook)..

We supplement that with some chicken and pork occassionally.

We are heavy duty carnivores, large portions of wild meat 4 nights a week..

[st99]

At home me and my wife eat mostly wild game year round. We need 1 moose or elk + 1 deer or bear, or 2 deer + 2 bear, or 3 deer + 1 bear. Add a few grouse on top of that and we're good. Rare are the year that I kill all I need, but I got friends that don't like wild game as much, so some of it is given to us.

[rocksteady]

ST99, I am in the opposite boat, have friends who love wild meat but don't hunt, so share with them.

Its also a great way to recruit new Hunters, invite them over for perfectly done, tasty elk steak, then startgiving them the details of how they can start working towards being able to fill their own freezers..... I have inspired my share of non Hunters to take up the sport, just for the tasty groceries..

[Slinky Pickle]

My wife and I have not bought beef since Sept of 2011! We still buy chicken and some fish but all of our red meat has been from hunting since that time.

[kennyj]

A couple of nice fat deer do a good job in the freezer. And don't forget salmon. Very good for you.
kenny

[adriaticum]

As the topic title says, I was curious what would it take to eat meat all year round from your hunting activities? It doesn't have to be fresh all year round, frozen is reasonable.

Reason: My wife is turning into a health nut and I haven't started hunting yet. I'm not sure how feasible it is as a city dweller from Abbotsford.


Health nut is ok. Would she rather eat products she knows nothing about or eat meat that came straight from nature.
Wild game is as organic as they come.
Unless she is turning into a veggie nut, than the battle might be a bit steeper.

[r106]

Well, I do get 18 vacation days a year. That's good to know. I'm just wondering how many weekend trips would be necessary. My wife was wondering about eating birds too, and I've done no research on shotguns at all, just deer, elk, moose & black bear hunting.

there is no guaranties in hunting. The first 2 years of hunting I got nothing except a few grouse. This year almost every 3-4 day trip my hunting partner and I went on was successful

[Hunt-4-Life]

Duck hunting close to you is world class! Get in touch with some farmers in the agazzi area, a fat mallard is a good meal!

[steel_ram]

A 4x4 Truck, a Quad . . . . the list goes on when your "competing with modern hunters, and there's no guarantee of success. In fact as a newbie, odds are against you. Hunt because you enjoy it, the meat is a bonus, otherwise save yourself some funds and buy organic meat.

[Tytalus]

Thanks for teh advice guys. I'm already seeking mentor-ship from some guys who already have big trucks, equipment and know how.

[Scuba_Dave]

My wife and I have not bought beef since Sept of 2011! We still buy chicken and some fish but all of our red meat has been from hunting since that time.


Last time I bought beef it got recalled...I dont buy beef anymore lol

[Night Hawk 3]

As the topic title says, I was curious what would it take to eat meat all year round from your hunting activities? It doesn't have to be fresh all year round, frozen is reasonable.

Reason: My wife is turning into a health nut and I haven't started hunting yet. I'm not sure how feasible it is as a city dweller from Abbotsford.

Probably one of the key factors here is that you're a new hunter, and unless you live in an area with abundant game or travel to an area with abundant game, it can be a challenge filling the freezer for the first few years.

For myself, as I have gotten better at locating animals and learning the areas that I go to well my success has gone up a lot. I have also been fortunate to have had some good mentoring from a local guy a few years ago who should be nicknamed "killer," and then also from my hunting group - lots of good discussions and pointers. My game killing success has gone up enormously since my early years in the late 80s, and especially after I took up bow hunting a number of years ago - it improved patience, did lots of reading, spent a lot time on the ground, hung up a few game cams etc. My first number of years of hunting yielded very little meat from ungulates... but I learned a lot, shot a couple of coastal bears (the meat is okay, not all that great). For the last 3 or 4 years I have had more game meat than I can consume in a year and I share fairly generously with my family.

Over the past few years our group (we share meat evenly with everyone who's on any given hunt) has sone quite well, but there are always trips that just don't yield any game at all. In 2011 - one trip (2 + 2 people) yielded one moose divided by 4, and then an elk cow, an elk calf and a mule deer divided by 2. There was also a small bear shot at my place in Alberta in that mix too, the grain-fed bear meat was really quite good. The next hunting trip about 6 weeks later yielded another moose divided by 2, and we passed up on the deer we could have shot - there was a lot of meat for everyone that year. Last year it was a cow and calf elk, a mule deer - divided by 4, and then the second trip yielded 4 whitetails divided by 2 - which is plenty of meat once again. My hunting buddies on their own trips also got more animals - deer, grouse, geese etc. I just don't keep track of what everyone else get all the time.

4 white tail (2 does, 2 bucks) typically have dressed-out about the same as what one moose dresses-out at - around 450 - 470 lbs give or take. That is a lot of meat, and it's a good idea to wrap some of it in freezer paper for use during the next few months, and some of it in vacuum bags for the periods after that to minimize drying out in the freezer.

If you spread your hunting out both geographically and throughout the calendar, you can hunt for almost the entire year, especially if you go after birds as well as land animals, and then add fishing in to the mix.

~NH3

[Night Hawk 3]

Last time I bought beef it got recalled...I dont buy beef anymore lol
Scuba_Steve has a good point: Beef gets to be pretty bland tasting and questionable after you've been eating well cared for game meat. I'm pretty much in this camp now, don't eat beef if I can at all help it... but will try to get some chicken and fish in to the mix, and the odd turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

NH3

[rides bike to work]

You shouldn't have a problem filling the freezer if your wife's on board.

some of the easier hunts not far from lowermainland would be

white tail doe region 3
white tail doe region 8
any buck region 3 or 8

thats your three deer for the year all in october
Apply for good odds elk draws rock creek or kootneys
You can apply for moose draws as well
catch a ton of sockey on the Fraser if it ever opens
catch hatchery coho on the vvedder
hunt ducks with permission on a farm in sumas fflats .
shoot all the grouse you see on the other hunts

just don't get addicted to antlers like most guys here doesn't fill the freezer to well

[Scuba_Dave]

Scuba_Steve has a good point: Beef gets to be pretty bland tasting and questionable after you've been eating well cared for game meat. I'm pretty much in this camp now, don't eat beef if I can at all help it... but will try to get some chicken and fish in to the mix, and the odd turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

NH3

NH3 has the right of it as well....Once you start eating moose and deer...Probably not going to WANT to go back to buying beef hahaha. Bland as hell, its mass produced and more often than not now it is tainted. Your wife may be the health nut, but turning to game meat and hunting...She just gave you an awesome hobby thats for certain!! My wife loves game meat, her father is a hunter as well so she grew up on it. Might be a few guys on here who have wives on the opposite side of the coin that can vouch their wives probably dislike hunting and game meat and all that. Im lucky and so are you!!

[rocksteady]

If you are trying to fill the freezer on limited time, go for the areas of biggest bang for your buck..... 2 blacktails will yield you not much over a couple weekends, but a week long adventure to the hitherlands that will produce a bull moose or elk will cost less $/pound and fill the freezer better...

Going to an area that is a long drive, but with liberal seasons, will yield more meat in the larder....

[Cub Driver]

Looking for healthy meat-check info re moose meat on this link
http://www.all-about-moose.com/moose-meat.html

[tuffteddyb]

We try to raise our meat every year and like to get a deer or two every year,last moose we got was three years ago and still.got some left.
After eating our home raised chickens and turkeys,I couldnt be bothered anymore to shoot a wild chicken,same goes for rabbits,lol.
But we try to go on ten day hunt every year and if we get something ,great, if not it always a adventure.
But when we lived up north it seemed we lived mostlly on wild game,when i was growing up.Still love canned moose meat

[MOUNTAIN MICKEY]

Pretty much survived on wild meat I have shot for the last 41 years. Nice to live in Elkford. I do buy pork,chickens, etc every once in a while. Mickey oh ya roadkill aint bad if you can get it.

[M.Dean]

We normally still have a few Deer and or Moose steaks and a roast or two left by the time hunting season roll's around again. If we can get down to the Son's place for a little Salmon fishing, 8 or 10 Sockeye taste real good in the middle of winter too! If a guy gets a Mule Deer, a White Tail Deer and half a Moose, that's if only 2 of you go on the Moose Hunting trip,if there's 3 or 4 guys your portion gets a little smaller yet! Then add the odd pack of Pork chops, some Beef steaks and a few good roasts and you'll be eating good all year!But, I know lots of guys that have hunted pretty much all there lives, and very few of them manage to fill there Mulie Buck and White Tail Buck and White Tail Doe tag in the same season, never mind bagging a Bull or Cow Moose or a nice Elk! Your going to want a real good Hunting Partner and you'll want to get very very lucky with your LEH Draws! Good Luck, and let us know how you make out!

[Hunt-4-Life]

You've probably figured out by now that the days of hunting for "cheap meat" are long gone. Hunt for the joy of hunting. You could probably buy a side of beef for less than the cost of fuel you would go through on some of the trips described here. But once you start eating good moose meat, you won't want to go back to beef. You'll be hooked like the rest of us! So cheers and welcome to the club!

[pappy]

Lots of good advise here, just remember to not get discouraged and go home if your not seeing game. I find myself not paying attention sometimes and all of a sudden there's an elk or a moose. Then its a panic cause you've been day dreaming. Its funny to see your friends do this when its their turn to shoot. I shoot the first legal moose or elk I see, then I get picky about the size of the horns on a deer.

[Tytalus]

Wow! Lots of guys chiming in here, good to know about what regions to try for what. I'd like to be smart about the $ I do outlaw, but yes, realize that unless I own 100 acres in an area with lots of game AND live on the land hunting is pricey. It's more about the quality of the meat. I've been getting my ducks in a row on this for a while for personal reasons, but my wife just added ANOTHER reason., which is super great.

[andrewscag]

And have her get her hunting and fishing licenses too. Great way to spend time together and more tags to fill. Beats a trip to the mall any day!

[shotgunjohn]

This is impossible to do as wild game does not produce bacon.

[Foxton Gundogs]

As stated 1 big ol moose will do it. My recipe when living 100% wild meat(sacreligious to eat your own beef lol) was 1/2 a moose, a good size mule deer, the choice cuts cured from a med black bear. random ducks, geese and upland birds and a goodly amount of trout and salmon. Sorry I cant give you numbers on the birds and fish but we always had some meat left over come the next fall

[Foxton Gundogs]

SJ Bearcon and Bam is pretty amazing stuff :mrgreen:

[Livewire322]

It can be done, I am trying to be as self reliant as possible. The only meat that I buy from the store is chicken and it seems to me that it's quality is going down.

if you have a spot to garden, know how to fish, and how to hunt, it's possible. But as others have said there are no guarantees when it comes to hunting.

[Everett]

Wife and I pretty much only eat wild meat this year we harvested 1 elk, 1 goat and 3 Whiteails plus 50 or so trout and 15 to 20 grouse we usualy give away about 20 to 30 lbs to friends as well.