Nasty Outfitters

[Coon]

I will never take another deer from an outfitter again in my life.   >:( smiley_beady_eyes smiley_bull_stomp


Anyways,  what has happened to me in the past couple of days is as follows.

1.     My wife gets a call from a local woman askin if we would like a couple of deer to cut up.  She gets a number for one of the local whitetail outfitters.

2.     I get home and call a couple of friends to see if they would like to come and help cut some of these deer and take home some venison in return.

3.     I call the outfitters up and see how many deer they have and want to give away.  The woman that answered the phone, tells me that I could have three or four.  I said that I could come the next day and pick them up if they weren't to stinky from being in the rut.  She claims that no they weren't.

4.     Next day comes.   A friend comes along with me to pick up these deer.   We get there after we get out of the ditch from sliding off the icy road.

5.     We look at the deer and they seem to be well looked after and bled out after they were shot, skinned out and, hung to cure in a unheated garage.  They didn't smell stinky and they never hit the sent glands when they skinned em out.  Overall well slaughtered.

6.     We end up taking all six of the whitetails they had hanging.  We loaded them up in my old 4 wheel drive dodge 1/2 ton and proceed for home.

7.      Get home with these deer and proceed to hang them in my unheated garage until we could cut and wrap them and put them in our freezer (or who ever else's freezer that came to help ) the next day.  We cut up some meat for supper and proceeded into the house to cook.

8.     The deer were very tasty and couldn't wait to get the meat cut up the next day, let alone some venison jerky made.

9.     Waited impatiently the next morning for my help to arrive.  No one showed up except the guy that came along with me.  Had to phone around and try for some more people to come and help.

10.    Late that evening one of the guys shows up after he finishes moving another friend to a new location.  He comes and give the two of us a hand.

11.     We worked until all hours of the night cutting, sawing and, grinding up the meat.  Still not finished we left some to cut yesterday.

12.     Yesterday comes along,and the two friends show up to help, after having morning coffee in the house.  We go out to the garage to finish up.

13.     Being the first one through the door, I could smell something like sour meat.  Went up to some of the meat yet to be cut and....  YOU GUESSED IT.... it was gone sour already.  From what we figure .....  The carcasses had been previously frozen and once they thawed completely and the temperarue of the meat came up , it went sour. >:( >:( >:(

14.     Tried phoning the outfitter all pithed off.....  NO ANSWER..... Go figure!!!  They knew it was coming.....  Grrrrrr.   They knew that it had been previously frozen and that they never told me about it.   Grrrrrr.  Now I am going to put an anonymous column in the local newspaper  Stating--  Warning to whom it may concern.  Watch all local outfitters who are giving away free deer carcasses.  They may be going wrotten.  Frozen carcass meat must be cut and prepped immediately and be refrozen ASAP.  Check all meat for sour smell.  If sour smelling discard Immediately.

Brad.

[Kirk_Allen]

Have you been able to confirm that the meat was frozen before? 

Is it safe to assume that had your help arrived and you could have cut it all up right away there would not have been a problem?

Since it was free, other than the trip over to get it is there any real harm done?  Sure its a shame to see good venizon go to waste but the Outfitter may not have realized there would be a problem with it.  Now if they knew it was frozen and then thawed then they should have given you a heads up but wihout all the facts its hard to pass judjment.

Enjoy the meat you got and next time you will know to ask them if the meat has thawed from being frozen already. 

[beenthere]

I would venture to say that it wasn't the outfitter at fault here, but when they got to your garage, they needed to be skinned, and then quartered (or chunked out) and refrigeratored without delay. Sounds like what happened to me once when I let it hang too long in my 'unheated' garage, however while the hanging carcass had some sour smell, it wasn't the meat, but the bone and fat that was a bit rancid smelling. Going ahead and trimming the meat (boned and all fat removed) still made some fine-tasting venison. Being frozen and then thawed in of itself won't ruin the meat, IMO.

Don't mean to point fingers, but look at it as an experience and what not to do next time.  Sounds like you were stood up by your helpers and left with a lot of work to do on your own. Sorry that happened.

[Jeff]

Sure seems like a nasty thing to do if the meat was free. You did get some venison by the sounds of it, and unless there is something that we dont know, like a huge fee for disposal of the meat, and this was all a ploy just to get you sucked in to the disposal fees, I cant see why a public blasting of the outfitter is called for.

[moosehunter]

I don't understand who would want to harvest an animal if they don't want the meat ???
When we shoot a deer it is for the wonderfull meat under the hide. A big rack is nice, but you can't eat it!
I think I have to agree with the others, the meat was probably ok when you got it, it just needed to be refridgerated sooner. As for the frozen-thawed-frozen thery... every year we freeze our canning and grinding meat as chunks, thaw it out in January or Feb. to process it then re-freeze it (grinding) or can it with out any ill-effects.
Always sorry to hear of good food going to waste.
just my 1.5 cents
mh

[Murf]

Up aroiund my place a few of the local butcher shops have a deal with the outfitters and the gubermint.

Any unwanted carcasses are butchered and given to homeless shelters, or those in need of some help, and the butcher shop gets a tax receipt in return.

Meat goes to good use, the butchers get a little tax break for their efforts.......  8)

All in all, everybody but the deer wins ....  :D

[asy]

OK.. This is yet another question in the "asy learnin' about the US way 'o' life" set of questions...

Why would anyone want to shoot a deer if they had no intention of eating the meat?

Is there a market for deer hide?  What is it used for?

asy :D

[Murf]

Asy, not all unwanted deer carcasses were shot, many are killed when they are struck by a vehicle.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of "sportsmen" who think it sporting to spend a bunch of money to shoot a deer (or other animal) merely for the experience, and to get their picture taken posing with a dead animal.

In some cases they offer the carcass to the guide as a 'tip' for their efforts, but they can only eat so many.

In other cases neither they nor their family or friends like venison meat, so they give away the carcass.

[asy]

Asy, not all unwanted deer carcasses were shot, many are killed when they are struck by a vehicle.

Uh huh..  So...  Pre-tenderised???  :D

I still don't understand killing for 'sport'. I have no problem with killing for meat, or killing coz they're problem animals, etc, but sport...  Beyond my understanding, I'm afraid.

asy :D

[Coon]

Is it safe ta assume dat der had your help arrived and youse guys could have cut it all up right away der would not have been a problem?

"Yes da help would have helped.  But..... the least they could a told us Yoopers dat da deer was frozen and needed processing right away.  Without knowing da deer were frozen us Yoopers had all assumed dat deer was just curing.  Had dey bin just curing we would have been fine.  Da temperature I had stored da venison at was just above freezing and normally would have been for days.

All dem der deer had dems skins removed when first hung.  Its da easiest way to cool em down.

Dat der food bank only takes processed venison.  

Da reason why de deer are given away is dat dey was shooted by American hunters.  Dey don't take em homee cuz da gooberment has to check m for da CWD and dey don wanna have da probs at da border.

As for da outfitters upin dis DanG Yooperland dey finnally admitted dat dose Yooperdeer were Yooperized (frozen) prior to us getting dem.  Dey didn't even say sorry. Dat dam Yooper was also being ignorant wif me.  

I ain't goona put dat column in da Yooperville News eder.  Dis Yooper was just fumin at da gills at da time.

[Jeff]

Coon, man, yer Canadian accent is ALL messed up tonight... ;D

[beenthere]

I still don't understand killing for 'sport'. I have no problem with killing for meat, or killing coz dey're problem animals, etc, but sport... Beyond dis yooper understanding, I'm afraid.
.........

In Europe, deer hunting (as well as other hunting) is usually ONLY or sport. The hunter does not get the meat as that goes to the manager and is sold on the market. Here, we cannot sell wild game.  I can see where guide's in Canada would end up with the meat, rather than the hunter shipping it into the States.

Here, we have the CWD and they want as many deer shot as possible, and one can get the meat tested and keep or donate the meat to a food pantry.

[crtreedude]

Asy,

Them pre-tendrized ones can be pretty good! I don't hunt for sport - but I sure will for food! Of course, I am convinced deer have it in for me. I moved down here where there wasn't supposed to be any dear - they are nearly extinct.

I actually have one of the varmints eating a few trees we just planted! (not that many trees) I just can't believe I have deer problems where they are nearly extinct.

I bet they can down from New Jersey just to bother me.

[asy]

Asy,

Them pre-tendrized ones can be pretty good! I don't hunt for sport - but I sure will for food! Of course, I am convinced deer have it in for me. I moved down here where there wasn't supposed to be any dear - they are nearly extinct.

I actually have one of the varmints eating a few trees we just planted! (not that many trees) I just can't believe I have deer problems where they are nearly extinct.

I bet they can down from New Jersey just to bother me.

If'n ya go down to NJ, and hunt deep in the woods, there's little posters, on the backs of big leaves, in Deer-ese, that say..
"Hey, you know the guy that plants the tasty trees...  Follow us...  we're makin' a pilgramage... " hehe

hehehe

asy :D