Killing animals

[hightechredneck]

I thought that was why you shoved a chicken head first into a traffic cone and THEN cut off his head

That works if you have a traffic cone. theres as many different ways as there are people who do it. my neighbor who is 1 mile away would set on the porch and shoot them in the head w/ a 22 as they ran by.

End result the head comes off and they bleed out with alot of flopping and mess.

 

[old_anorak]

The cone is to keep them from beating the wings and bruising the meat... and to keep them in one spot. I broomstick, hang them by the feet, remove the head if it's still attached and try to stay out of the way of blood spray. Then they get tossed over to the kids for plucking or skinning and the rest of the fun stuff.

 

[hightechredneck]

The cone is to keep them from beating the wings and bruising the meat... and to keep them in one spot. I broomstick, hang them by the feet, remove the head if it's still attached and try to stay out of the way of blood spray. Then they get tossed over to the kids for plucking or skinning and the rest of the fun stuff.

I understand the purpose of the cone. serve much the same purpose when castrating hogs. Just if you don't have one you have to make do. You can hold both wings and feet with one hand and chop with the other when you get proficient at it. like you said you gotta watch out for the blood after that.

 

[Mightypugs]

I think I'm traumatized and I know I'll have a nightmare or 10 but, I did it. Killed/gutted my first animal, apologized profusely, thanked God 10 million times and I now feel absolutely nauseous. The second time has to be better than the first. Right?

 

[old_anorak]

Yeah, I'd say it'll get better for you. It's good to always remember that your food gave it's life to be on your plate. You learn to appreciate your meal much more. Give it a few days or freeze it to cook later.

 

[old_anorak]

And just remember this. If God hadn't wanted us to eat the animals, he wouldn't have made them so darn tasty with a side of potatoes and some gravy!

 

[WILD MAN]

This is by far the best way to clean a squirel and the best way to eat them is fried with biscuts and gravy

 

[Mightypugs]

I cooked it up yesterday. It smelled gamey but it really didn't taste like anything. I probably should have baked it like a chicken but it being my first time I didn't really know. Seasonings are everything so the garlic, salt and pepper did the squirrel good! My dogs definitely loved the treat with dinner. LOL

 

[WILD MAN]

There are a few ways to get the gamey smell and taste out of wild meat, soaking it in salt water,buttermilk, or coca cola are the best ways I've found

 

[Kenny Lee]

Just a question, does anyone enjoy the taste of gaminess? Not sure, I don't eat that much wild venison, but each time I did I like the wild taste to it. Also I am not offended by the taste of old mutton and love goat butter which most of my friends can't stand. I enjoy the grassy barnyard taste to it

 

[WILD MAN]

Just a question, does anyone enjoy the taste of gaminess? Not sure, I don't eat that much wild venison, but each time I did I like the wild taste to it. Also I am not offended by the taste of old mutton and love goat butter which most of my friends can't stand. I enjoy the grassy barnyard taste to it

Nope not even a little bit that's why one of the most important things I've got in my SHTF stash is spices not only do they make food taste better I think they will be valuable for bartering.

 

[old_anorak]

It's all in what you are used to. When I'm hunting deer, I try to bag does instead of bucks, I think the meat is a little less 'deer' with a doe. It doesn't bother me, but my husband can be a little weird about things.

 

[Lone Ranger]

when the time comes that your big belly is eating you small belly you will be able to kill for sure, and without hesitation my friend...

 

[Remi Snow]

I threw up the first time I had to gut a deer. But at least I handled it better than my brother, he laughed when I puked. He fainted when he had to gut his own.

 

[Dart]

There's nothing like the first time you open up a deer, I've never felt too bad about gutting. What gets me is if I have a bad shot and the animals have to suffer. My first turkey I ever got when I was about 13 I hit it in the legs and rolled it. Took two more shots to put it out of its misery and I almost cried. But I figure once its dead it doesn't feel anything and I've already said a prayer and a blessing for it, it's just like trimming fat off a steak from the grocery store.

My wife refuses to know when we eat wild game though as she doesn't like the thought of eating an animal. Bare in my mind she has no qualms of eating "regular" meat because it doesn't look like an animal. Told her thats part of this country's problem now, no one has respect for animals or how the real world works.

 

[old_anorak]

When I was 5 I kept pestering the menfolk of the family to take me hunting, begged and begged to go. Finally my grandfather told me that if I could field dress the deer my Dad had just shot and not cry, then I could go with them.

That was the COOLEST thing EVER!!! My Dad was right there with me, making sure I wasn't cutting myself or messing up the meat, but I really got into it. I had innards strewn all over the back of the truck and the porch and making everyone tell me what everything did and if we could eat it. My Mom near had a fit of the vapors when she came out and found me literally covered in blood and gore from head to toe.

Grandpa woke me up the next morning to go hunting with him, I'd proved my mettle to him. I might have been a girl, but I wasn't no Nellie Olsen.

 

[Chicknladee]

When my kids were small, we lived ALMOST in town. I looked up the regs and found I could have a quantity of chickens...so we bought chicks, built a makeshift coop and fenced in yard and raised those chicks. They were broilers and the kids were told up front not to get attached to them...they never named them (thankfully). When it came time to butcher the kids were right there with me. That was our first experience at killing and butchering animals (mine too!) The kids LOVED it all...they were soooo interested in all the internal workings I couldn't keep them away...they were enamored of the intestines but they didn't cringe or puke or cry. I think my daughter was 6 and my son was 8. Great first exposure. Then when they were in school...they jumped at the opportunity to dissect animals in class...I barely passed that class at that age...I wanted NOTHING to do with cutting open animals. Now, it is no problem!

 

[old_anorak]

When the girls were younger, they liked the days we butchered chickens. They had small hands and could really get in the body cavity and pull the lungs and crap out and for this job, they made .25 per bird. And we won't talk about chicken heads on sticks that were used as puppets....

 

[jayjay1]

I love animals too - especially on a bbq or in a stew.

 

[Bravery]

About a month ago I tried to kill and gut a squirrel and I failed miserably. I just have this connection with animals where I totally lose it if I have to put it down or kill it. It didn't help that what I had to kill/gut looked just like my Miss Lily. I can admit that I cried like a baby and walked away. My hubs wasn't very pleased and I get why.

Tonight, I'm going to try at it again. A person is far different than an animal (in my eyes) and I really hope that I can get past that moment of connection.

Wish me luck and I'll keep ya'll posted. :/

Hey Mightypugs... you can't think of it as a squirrel... when you are trying to skin it just picture a cat instead. It will make it much easier ... but envisioning it as a cat will probably lead to a compulsion to repeated hand washing!!!

 

[kcdevildog]

When me and the family go fishing I am always left by my lonesome to clean em. Don't mind it one bit got used to it quick. Kinda grosses the wife out if she has to watch me skin catfish.

 

[Bravery]

Just a question, does anyone enjoy the taste of gaminess? Not sure, I don't eat that much wild venison, but each time I did I like the wild taste to it. Also I am not offended by the taste of old mutton and love goat butter which most of my friends can't stand. I enjoy the grassy barnyard taste to it

Hey Kenny,
Do you like the taste of sour milk too? LOL...

On a serious note... I really have enjoyed this thread. The life experiences of all of you is really incredible. I wish I could have experienced some of them growing up... or even now. I have handled game but never skinned it (I would... just never really happened). I've never been hunting... though on second thought I have shot and killed squirrels before... that was more of a nuisance killing (the squirrels were getting up into the roof and making nest). And I have to believe that killing a squirrel is much easier than killing a deer. Even the experience of killing a chicken is something I haven't experienced yet.

 

[Dart]

Hey Kenny,
Do you like the taste of sour milk too? LOL...

On a serious note... I really have enjoyed this thread. The life experiences of all of you is really incredible. I wish I could have experienced some of them growing up... or even now. I have handled game but never skinned it (I would... just never really happened). I've never been hunting... though on second thought I have shot and killed squirrels before... that was more of a nuisancekilling (the squirrels were getting up into the roof and making nest). And I have to believe that killing a squirrel is much easier than killing a deer. Even the experience of killing a chicken is something I haven't done.

Deer is easier, bigger target area seriously if you're religious, I just always say a prayer of thanks after I kill something and then I can kind if get it out of my head that it was a living thing and just set about doing the job.

 

[jimLE]

im a animal lover my self.(but) when ever i see a cow,pig,chicken or a squirrel or some other animal.i not only see it as a part of nature and all.but i see it as food as well.if i dont need the meat,i leave well enough alone.but then if i do need the meat for food.i'll by all means shoot it.cause it's either it or me.i prefer it..i dont get pleasure from shooting it.but isure enough get pleasure from cooking n eating it..putting food on the table has mre importance

 

[old_anorak]

Some friends of ours trapped a raccoon that was killing their birds and brought it to me yesterday. After skinning, dressing and trimming as much fat as I could off of him, he's weighing in at about 8 pounds or so. Going to be having him Sunday. Yum!

 

[Bravery]

Some friends of ours trapped a raccoon that was killing their birds and brought it to me yesterday. After skinning, dressing and trimming as much fat as I could off of him, he's weighing in at about 8 pounds or so. Going to be having him Sunday. Yum!

Oh I wish you had video taped that!!! I really would like to learn how to do it. I've seen rabbit skinned but never raccoon. BTW, what did you do with the skin?

 

[old_anorak]

Sorry, I didn't even think about having Fries grab the video camera. I'm sure there will be more following this one though. As for the hide, it went down over the hill and I think something's carried it off by now, the innards and fat went to the chickens.

 

[Dart]

Oh I wish you had video taped that!!! I really would like to learn how to do it. I've seen rabbit skinned but never raccoon. BTW, what did you do with the skin?

It's all really the same both have four legs and a head when it comes to skinning

 

[old_anorak]

The only bad thing about squirrel is if you get hair on the meat, it NEVER comes off! I have the kidlet skin those, it's good practice for her.

 

[Dart]

The only bad thing about squirrel is if you get hair on the meat, it NEVER comes off! I have the kidlet skin those, it's good practice for her.

Tell me about it, if you get enough to make squirrel pie there's one thats bound to have hair on it