There are pictures of several harvested animals at the end of this post. But you non-hunters can safely read the first two-thirds of this post.
Anyone that is a hunter will probably know what the above picture represents. Those are the date notches from my hunting license you are required to notch out when you harvest a deer! But, this post is not a tale of one deer, it is a tale of two deer and a buffalo!
A buffalo, you say......Custer State Park has about 1,500 buffalo in the fall of the year. Each fall, they auction off enough to get them down to the carrying capacity they are looking for within the park. This year, they auctioned off about 500 animals to other ranches and processers. They also have 25 or so tags for a hunt draw. After 5 years of applying, Kevin finally pulled a buffalo hunt tag!
But first, sister Carol. She has come and gone, it is always good to see her, catch up and just talk. At 72, she is 12 years older than me. She is the oldest sibling, and I am 6th out of the 7 our parents had. What is interesting is when she talks about growing up in our household. Her memories are nothing like mine at all. Her memories of mom were that she was always pregnant. I never saw her pregnant. She and my other sisters were our primary care givers when my younger brother and I were babies and toddlers, I of course, was so young I have no memories of that at all.
By the time I was 6, she was out of the house in college, so in many of my memories she is already out of the house. I do remember bits and pieces with her in the house, but many of those are aided by the movies my dad took. Silent movies of Christmases or birthdays.
Even though we were basically raised in two different time periods, our life thoughts and political leanings are almost identical. I was always a little mischievous growing up and she was always the responsible one.
One afternoon we were sitting on the couch, and she asked me "Does Dino really drink that much and does Harry really hate dogs?" I tell her "If you read it on the internet, it must be true". I would never, never exaggerate or make something entirely up, would I?
Talking to her got me thinking of all the things that have changed since we were kids. There are thousands, with technology being the biggest. But there are a few things that still surprise me. Like malls. Shopping malls were such a big thing for me growing up. Our primary malls were HarMar Mall and Rosedale Mall. As kids, my brother and I would bike to them and walk around the shops. As a young adult I worked security at J.C. Penney's catching shoplifters. I remember how busy the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas were. Elbow to elbow people hustling and bustling around. The mall was so full of life. Today, it is just sad to see how slow the malls are.
Both Barb and I were big roller-skaters. Her, competitively, me to meet girls. Her in Oregon, me in Minnesota. We both spent hours skating. Those are now a thing of the past, who would have thought?
Then there were the paper routes. My dad had a paper route, I had a paper route. Is that even a thing anymore? I honestly do not know if there is home paper delivery anymore. So many things have changed.
Sunday, Carol, Barb and I drove up to Spearfish to watch the Vikings along with my niece Alana and her husband Ryan. Zoey came along to play with Sophie and Loki. But mostly, she just terrorized the cats.
The best part of the visit was seeing Ryan and Sophie decked out in Viking gear. Ryan made a bet with Alana when the Vikings played the 49'ers. Alana is a diehard Vikings fan and Ryan's team is the 49'ers. Ryan now has to wear a Vikings jersey every Sunday for the rest of the season! You ever seen a 42-year-old man pout? Well, you are about to!
The first 20 minutes were pure chaos while everyone chased each other around. I tried videoing it but there was no way.
After a bit, they all settled down. Sophie crashed on the floor, Loki on the couch and Zoey continued to terrorize the cats, but from a resting position.
I can also unveil our latest project. We have a spot in our bedroom where we were going to install a built-in bookcase. We have been working on this for a couple of weeks and we just finished it.
First, I want to thank my friend, and fellow blogger, Jim for his help. He was a cabinet maker in a previous life, and I could not have done it without his help.
Jim suggested that I rabbet the sides, top and bottom into the back. I have never rabbeted before but I did have a rabbet blade so I was willing to give it a try. After a couple of test pieces, I was able to get the rabbets done.
Next up came gluing and screwing. I either had the start of a bookcase or a coffin, at this point, it could go either way.
Next up where the shelves. After cutting them out I put iron on birch edging to hide the veneer from the plywood.
Next up was the trim and Barbie to stain and varnish it. With everything else going on, it took us a little over two weeks from start to finish, but now we have a finished bookcase in the bedroom! Well, almost finished, I still need to put on the bottom trim piece.
Now for the most exciting part of my week! Don't worry non-hunters you are still safe for a few more paragraphs. One of the commentors from last week said that I was pretty brave to post about deer hunting. If I were to guess, I would say 80% of the readers are probably non-hunters. My response was that I am either brave or stupid, but I am who I am and assume that those who do not care for hunting just don't read it. This is my 10th year blogging and each year I have posted hunting pictures. The comments from readers have actually restored my faith in humanity. Even non-hunters talk about how my posts brought back memories of growing up with their dad or other relatives as they hunted. Thank you!
The rut really started to pick up this week with new bucks showing up every day. Bucks will travel for miles looking for does that are in estrous. I will start with the smallest buck I have seen all year. All of these bucks are different bucks than I showed last week. This guy has a few more years until he is grown up.
Deer do several things to attract each other during this time of the season. Bucks will make scrapes where they scrape the ground and pee in it. They do this under a low hanging branch, so they rub their antlers or orbital scent glands onto the branches. Smell is the main way they attract each other. It is so interesting to watch. Here is a video and a couple of pictures of bucks rubbing their antlers and orbital glands on a branch.
I saw lots of bucks again this week, mostly small ones, a couple of nice ones.
Those are some nice deer, but not the one. Then, through the trees I see what looks like a nice one rubbing his antlers on a tree in the distance.
As I zoom in with my camera, I can see that he is nice but cannot tell how nice. I continue to watch him through my camera as he walked closer and closer. He jumps the fence onto our property and keeps on coming. The closer he gets the nicer he looks, and he keeps on a coming as I am clicking away with my camera.
As he gets to about this point, I decided he is "The One" and slowly take my bow down from the hanger and wait. This deer keeps on a coming and coming, and coming, to 12 yards!
I made a good shot and harvested my biggest buck in 60 years!
Harvested animal pictures below....
Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Forrest got a really nice one with his bow as well. Jessica helped him get it out of the woods. While they were doing that, they talked about tracking deer and deer hunting with Barb and I while they were younger. To me, them having that experience of them talking about those memories, all these years later, is better than any deer I will ever get. We both got our deer on the same day!
But wait, we are not done!
Buffalo hunting has been a dream of Kevin's for years. He has been applying for a Custer State Park buffalo hunt for 5 years and this year he got a tag! He let me tag along to video and photograph. It was a very interesting hunt, a lot more challenging than I thought. These things that you see tourists practically pet, become very elusive when you are trying to get close to them with a bow! It took about 4 hours from start to finish.
So with that, our hunting season is done for the year. We have plenty of food to get us through the winter, bring on the snow!
Okay, that is a first! I know many people understand it, some tolerate it, but you are the first person who said they admire those who hunt. You just made my day!
I've never hunted but it's a great skill to have and the culling aspects of it have to help out the general population, especially over the winter. Filling the freezer is a super nice bonus. Great looking bookcase too.
You are right about the culling. There are many examples where animals have not been managed and overrun their carrying capacity. This is most evident with deer in suburban areas where they eventually have to be reduced.
I'm one of those who has fond memories of my father hunting. In fact, I lived in a rural area and hunting was just a way of life. Now, I live in an area where hunting is considered evil. Anyway, in his later years, my father mostly bow hunted. He enjoyed the challenge of it and was mostly successful. Your bookcase looks great. I'll share your project with my husband who is realizing his dream of becoming a woodworker after his retirement.
We love woodworking. The key is to take your time, ask a lot of questions, and watch YouTube videos. It seems as though rural people are becoming fewer and fewer. I am glad I am as old as I am so I will not be around when ruralness disappears altogether.
There are many things that I don't understand, and I don't have to. We're all products of our times and our environments and personal sensibilities, of course.
There are many things I don't understand about other peoples' lives. Depending on the subject matter and how busy my mind is at a given time, I will sometimes try to see their point of view, other times I do not. What I try not to do is judge them. For the most part, I am successful. I think people should be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all exactly alike?
Congratulations on the big one…. I can hear Fred Sanford….”it’s the big one”, ringing in my ears when I read that line. Lol. Congratulations also to Forrest and Kevin on their expert shooting as well. In terms of size though I think your big one was the smallest of the three. Lol. Beautiful bookcase! It would have made a pretty skinny coffin!
If you think mine is the smallest, I think I need to talk to Riley about getting you a new pair of glasses for Christmas. Maybe some magnifying glasses to make my buck look even bigger!
What a great deer to harvest. You will definitely have enough meat for the winter and I'm sure Kevin will share some bison with you. Nice bookcase for all your hunting and fishing books. You guys are amazing with what you can create.
Nice rack!! I have to laugh at "harvested" versus killed. You are being so politically correct!! Yeah I really like seeing them alive versus dead, but if they weren't "harvested", there would be way too many causing way more problems. As for the buffalo ... WOW! How do you get THAT back to the ranch!!!
You're right. I thought it was better than saying "murdered". I didn't write about it but, they loaded the buffalo into the back of our truck, we took it back to our house and cut it up. Now, that was a chore!
My oldest brother has so many more memories of our dad than the rest of us and it is interesting to hear his stories. I can imagine that you and your older sister had way different experiences and memories from your youth. Congrats on the kill...I thought you used a gun? The bow is cool. I know of a bow hunter here in Ohio. He was actually on a reality show about bow hunting? He travels all over North America with his bow. Or at least he did. Your bookcase looks so nice- how wonderful to have the time and know how to do neat projects. My husband is super handy and talented; alas, he works so much that relaxing on his down time is more appealing (which I understand) to him though every once in a while he´ll embark on a project.
I had the time, not the know how on making the bookcase. My friend Jim really helped me a lot. I only wished he was here so he could have shown me in person! I get your husband working and not having enough time, I was there once too.
I appreciate the warnings! We name our deer, and I get a bit sentimental. I grew up in downtown Toronto, and there just isn't a hunting culture here. I am squeemish. There are many hunters around us. We hear guns a lot. I am thankful they didn't let the gun range go in out our backyard. Even hunters were against it.
We name come of our deer as well. We have Gimpy, how has an injured back leg. Red, who is a lot redder than the other deer. But for the most part, the does and fawns are hard to tell apart.
Congrats to both you and Kevin! Your buck will make for a great center piece on your wall. I admire anyone that hunts with a bow because you have to be so close which really reduces your odds. Us hunters realize that harvested wildlife have led a natural life and hopefully a quick death when harvested, unlike most domestic farm animals raised in an unnatural industrial environment and have a horrible death. Great job on that bookshelf!
Most of the deaths that take place in nature are horrible. Animals dying of old age, starvation or other predators are usually slow and painful deaths. At least with a bow or rifle it is quick. A lot of us choose to ignore that part of nature, myself, one of them but when you do see it, it is a reminder of how cruel nature can be.
We could start a YouTube channel “Cabinetmaking via Facebook Messenger”! Every good teacher owes their props to students who are willing to learn. You did an amazing job. That was a really fun project!
Nobody ever taught me to deer hunt with a bow or gun, so I hunt deer with my F-350. Luckily, I am a lousy hunter.
Thanks for all your help, it turned out much better than it otherwise would have! You may need to go off road with that 350 if you want meat to survive the winter!
Like you, all our family hunted and most our friends. Most still do. I’m glad our kids still do. I think it’s important to pass down those skills. We were far from the only ones with a dead deer hanging in the garage each Fall! I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about hunting, strange. I love the bookcase.
I have several friends who are non-hunters but they understand it, it is just not for them. I've said it before, but I believe that hunters are closer and understand nature better than almost everyone else out there. They understand what it takes to get meat and where it comes from.
Well that is a very impressive deer! Looks to be about three times the body mass of even a "high fence" white-tail from Texas! And with a bow! Was it from one of your ladder stands? Did it take a forklift to load the bison? Thats got to be days of butcher work ahead of you guys! Congrats from a poor soul with no venison in his freezer (:
Those ranches want all the deer's energy to go into antler growth and not body size. I got this one from a ground blind up close and personal. It was actually the only deer that has come that close to my ground blind all season. I guess it was meant to be!
Congrats on the deer, I'm sure you will enjoy your venison steaks, burgers and sausage. The bookcase looks great, you are both so talented, but I think you might be running out of projects for the house, that was one of the few unfinished items you mentioned when we visited last summer. I guess the rest of your winter will have to be working on the perfect brew!
Yes, I totally agree that it would be not just boring but horrible if we were all the same. Congratulations on the buck and the buffalo. Your book case is perfect ! And I really enjoyed the memories you shared...lots to ponder there ! I always want a large family...
One rarely thinks about what it was like for their sibling growing up. You just assume it was similar to your upbringing, but with the age difference, it was totally different!
you are 60...i always wondered. my siblings and i all have very different memories of growing up, i think we grew up in different homes!! i enjoyed the video of the bucks, alive...i skimmed to the comments. i know you did not kill one, or two!!
No, I would never do that! Most of my memories involve my brothers and next oldest sister. My three older sisters were all out of the house by the time I was 6 or 7.
Hunting with a bow....that's impressive. Congratulations to all of you. My dad didn't hunt but my mother came from a family of hunters. One year my grandmother made her tamales with venison. All the pictures and the video are great.
It's funny about siblings. You can be so alike in ways you never realize until you're older. That's what is happening to my brother and myself. And our memories aren't always the same even though we're only 3 years apart. Nice bookcase. And I love Custer State Park. Even though I feel bad for the buffalo, I also know herds need to be culled for the good of the herd. Have a great week ahead. Erika
Custer State Park is one of a kind. We live within minutes of it, drive it several times a year but have just scratched the surface when it comes to exploring it. Believe it or not, most hunters feel bad for the animals too. It is a bittersweet experience.
Congratulations to you, your son, and your friend on a successful hunt. People that think hunting is wrong also think that meat comes from the grocery store and no cows are killed in the process. Beautiful bookshelf.
Congratulations on you "Harvesting" the "One". See how I toned that down? LOL. There was not that much success at the SSUVL. Maybe because we have too many Coyotes. May just have to take care of that in the future. There is a large pack that roams around. Nice job on the book case. Never pictured you as a reader though. I didn't notice. Were there a lot of picture books in there? Quit feeding your sister false information about me. The information about Harry, aka HTDH was spot on. Love the blog.
I do more reading when we are on the road. When I am home, I tend to be working on a project or watching videos. No fake news around here, everything I write rings of the truth!
WOW! That is a very nice deer that you got...then I saw Forest's deer and WOW, that looks HUGE! Maybe it is just the angle of the camera and how his deer is sitting, but there is no doubt you got the best looking one with that rack on that deer!
Interesting about your family. As 4th in a family of 13 kids, my experience was very like your sister's. I am 72, and malls were a brand new thing, the first coming when I was 18, already married and with a child, lol--and a second on the way before I was 19. So no hanging out for me! Kudos on the successful hunt. I hope my guys get something during season next week.
Looking good the hunting. Plenty of meat in the freezer for the winter, and well done on the deer. Never been hunting in my life but it must be a satisfying thing to do so you all can eat. Living off the land, I believe is good. Enjoy.
I have never eaten buffalo or deer.. does it taste gamely like lamb or more like beef? My father is number 8 or 9 and by the time he came around a few of his eldest sibling were already married with kids. So he has nieces and nephews older than he.
That would be weird to have nieces and nephews older than you! Venison has a unique flavor I would like to lamb. Buffalo is more beef-like, but milder, almost tasteless to us
Your comments about the carrying capacity of the land make a lot of sense, but a lot of the "green" lobby in the UK don't seem to understand the concept at all. Trying to get measures in place to control deer numbers is very much an uphill struggle, and meanwhile farmers suffer the consequences.
There are so many examples of where the population of some critter is not controlled and becomes overpopulated only to eat all their food source and end up dying a slow painful death of starvation bringing things back into balance. Up in North Dakota, an overabundance of geese can cut the yield of a crop field significantly. Many of those farmers rely on a good harvest to make it through the year.
So much to unpack in this post! And I always have lengthy comments, hahaa! First, no one in my family hunts. BUT we are all for it as long as the animals, both before and after death, are treated with respect as I can see that you and yours do. Also my TG points out, there is zero wrong with killing an animal that you intend to eat. I think deer are magnificent animals (and I like buffs too, those huge eyes) but I know there are way too many of them and they pose dangers to people, and the herds need to be culled. So anyway, roller skating. My Uncle Sherrill, who died in 2012, was a handsome man whose life's work was as a mechanic, but in his youth he was an incredible roller skater. He could dance on skates with a partner and was so graceful. My sister and I, when we were barely teenagers (in the very late sixties) and lived in Fort Lauderdale, used to walk about a mile on Tuesday nights (Ladies' Night) to the roller rink and skate for hours. My favorite song to skate to was The Vogues' "Special Angel." The smells and sounds of a roller rink are conjured every time I hear that song! Such wonderful memories. Also malls ... ugh what a subject. I love to shop and have spent my share of time in malls, but during the year between college graduation and marriage ('78-'79) when TG and I were engaged, I worked at Southlake Mall in Crown Point, Indiana. That was a brutal winter and my arrangement was, I neither drove nor owned a car (obviously). I lived with a girlfriend and her family (I was from Georgia and she was engaged to a boy from my home church), and she was the one with the car. She worked at the same mall but a different store so I had to go with her whenever she went, and stay there even when I was not working. If she worked the 10-6 shift and I worked the 3-9, I had to go at 10 and TG would pick me up at 9. That was a long day. I love to shop and I love to sit and read and certainly like to eat, but I was saving for my wedding dress and didn't have a lot of spare cash. As I said, it was a record-breaking winter for cold and snow, and one would think that being in the womb of a cozy mall would suit at such times, but I hated it with a passion. I can hardly stand to go inside a mall now and usually stick to the anchor department stores, just to buy cosmetics. I do miss the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, but it was painful for the legs and back, carrying packages, trying to find stuff to buy for people. I much prefer doing that online now, sitting in my chair and wearing pajamas, sipping cocoa!!!! Haaaha yes times have changed and we have to take the bad with the good, and vice versa. Your bedroom built-in is beautiful and when you talked about rabbeting, I was reminded of the part in the 1948 Cary Grant/Myrna Loy movie Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, where the house is partially completed and a carpenter yells down to a hapless Mr. Blandings: “On them second floor lintels, between the lally columns, you want we should rabbet them, or not?” And Mr. Blandings says no, and all these pieces of wood fall down around him. Hysterical. Love to your Barb ... xoxo
I can see why malls are not on your high list, that is a lot of mall time! Do people even share rides like that anymore? I was one of the groups of kids that roamed the malls in my early teens, when Barb and I got married in the mid 80's, we would go to the mall and I would mainly wait outside the stores while she shopped. Now I have come to hate crowds and pretty much all shopping.
I do not remember that line from Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House but it sounds pretty historical!
Congratulations on "the one" what a beauty! Congrats to Kevin and Forrest too! Love the bookcase, what a beautiful piece! Zoey is adorable in her jersey!
Great post and enjoyed all the photos, and yes skimmed across the end ones because I was brought up in the UK in a non-hunting family where no one had firearms, except the farmers and the wild fowl hunters. I didn't meet one of those (a wild fowl/hare hunter) until I was 25, though my family knew farmers but only in a socializing sense. My Dad was in the police and he had a BB gun which he never used in his job, different times. He would practice every now and again, and even showed me how to use it. My mother wasn't too thrilled as I was about nine at the time. But as I've said before, I visited my hub's relatives in North Dakota and saw a lot of heads on the wall, and one time being shocked after walking into their family room to find an elk head that was huge sitting in the middle where the coffee table normally is, antlers to the ceiling. My initial reaction was to hug it and not being able to get my arms all the way around. The discussion was being decided where they were going to put it because there was no way they had room. I realized after the initial shock of walking into a room with a hug elk's head, how beautiful it was, and I was so close to studying this gorgeous animal and realized that I would never get a chance when it was in the wild, so I made the most of my time with it. These folks - and maybe you too? - learned how to hunt from an early age with rifles (driving tractors also) when they were nine, and me being taught how to use a BB gun at nine and remembering how aghast my mother was. All game meat was for consuming, that I also know. Back in the day I also realized it was the only means for survival. Anyhoo, onto other things, I was very impressed with the bookcase you made and how nice to have the help of a fellow blogger. I enjoyed reading all about your family history and so many things here, but I probably should quit now as I tend to ramble on. Thanks for another great post!
It is so interesting, the differences between different cultures, countries even regions of our own country. We have multiple mounts in our home, I can honestly say that I have never hugged one. I have studied the detail of each of the animals though, you are right, how else would you get that opportunity?
I have been surprised that TN has not called for an open hunt to bring the deer population down some. They seem to be all over this area. I was leaving my home last evening and at the top of the hill there were 7 just feeding in a yard. My ex was a hunter and I have a niece that is, so hunting don't bother me.....But I am not doing it! lol...nice book case and I love how it is set in the wall.
Suburban deer have always been a problem. Half the people want them left alone while the other half think they should be controlled. In the end, they almost always need some kind of herd reduction.
Thanks for the warnings! Glad I got to read most of the post. Love your bookcase. You two make quite the team. So much talent. Yes, home paper delivery is a thing! But they don't ride bikes, they drive!! We had the paper delivered for a few years here in BC because they have lots of puzzles...crossword, sudoku, jumble. Then they out priced themselves. Didn't poor Dakota get to go to the football get together? Glad you had a successful hunt.
Dakota stayed home. She would have been miserable at their house. No wonder papers have gone up so much in price. It must cost a fortune to deliver them with a vehicle!
The visit sounds wonderful. And well done with the bookcase. It looks great! Did you see the Ken Burns documentary about the buffalo on PBS? It was fantastic! And thanks for your recent visits!
I can't imagine the challenge of hunting for buffalo! My boys grew up learning to hunt and 2 of them still do. We made deer sausage out of most of the meat. ( some fatty ground beef and sausage seasonings mixed in to the meat) Meat...most of us eat it. lol Loved your post!
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I have much admiration for anyone who hunts, especially bow hunters! You got a very nice buck! I still hunt with my camera:)
ReplyDeleteOkay, that is a first! I know many people understand it, some tolerate it, but you are the first person who said they admire those who hunt. You just made my day!
DeleteI've never hunted but it's a great skill to have and the culling aspects of it have to help out the general population, especially over the winter. Filling the freezer is a super nice bonus. Great looking bookcase too.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the culling. There are many examples where animals have not been managed and overrun their carrying capacity. This is most evident with deer in suburban areas where they eventually have to be reduced.
DeleteI'm one of those who has fond memories of my father hunting. In fact, I lived in a rural area and hunting was just a way of life. Now, I live in an area where hunting is considered evil. Anyway, in his later years, my father mostly bow hunted. He enjoyed the challenge of it and was mostly successful. Your bookcase looks great. I'll share your project with my husband who is realizing his dream of becoming a woodworker after his retirement.
ReplyDeleteWe love woodworking. The key is to take your time, ask a lot of questions, and watch YouTube videos. It seems as though rural people are becoming fewer and fewer. I am glad I am as old as I am so I will not be around when ruralness disappears altogether.
DeleteThere are many things that I don't understand, and I don't have to. We're all products of our times and our environments and personal sensibilities, of course.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things I don't understand about other peoples' lives. Depending on the subject matter and how busy my mind is at a given time, I will sometimes try to see their point of view, other times I do not. What I try not to do is judge them. For the most part, I am successful. I think people should be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all exactly alike?
DeleteCongratulations on the big one…. I can hear Fred Sanford….”it’s the big one”, ringing in my ears when I read that line. Lol. Congratulations also to Forrest and Kevin on their expert shooting as well. In terms of size though I think your big one was the smallest of the three. Lol.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bookcase! It would have made a pretty skinny coffin!
Deb
If you think mine is the smallest, I think I need to talk to Riley about getting you a new pair of glasses for Christmas. Maybe some magnifying glasses to make my buck look even bigger!
DeleteWhat a great deer to harvest. You will definitely have enough meat for the winter and I'm sure Kevin will share some bison with you. Nice bookcase for all your hunting and fishing books. You guys are amazing with what you can create.
ReplyDeleteWe were a bit apprehensive at first as this is such a visual piece in our bedroom. We are super happy with how the bookcase turned out.
DeleteNice rack!! I have to laugh at "harvested" versus killed. You are being so politically correct!! Yeah I really like seeing them alive versus dead, but if they weren't "harvested", there would be way too many causing way more problems. As for the buffalo ... WOW! How do you get THAT back to the ranch!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. I thought it was better than saying "murdered". I didn't write about it but, they loaded the buffalo into the back of our truck, we took it back to our house and cut it up. Now, that was a chore!
DeleteCongratulations to you and Kevin--especially with a bow!! Wow!! The bookcase looks great--good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, it was a good week all around!
DeleteMy oldest brother has so many more memories of our dad than the rest of us and it is interesting to hear his stories. I can imagine that you and your older sister had way different experiences and memories from your youth. Congrats on the kill...I thought you used a gun? The bow is cool. I know of a bow hunter here in Ohio. He was actually on a reality show about bow hunting? He travels all over North America with his bow. Or at least he did. Your bookcase looks so nice- how wonderful to have the time and know how to do neat projects. My husband is super handy and talented; alas, he works so much that relaxing on his down time is more appealing (which I understand) to him though every once in a while he´ll embark on a project.
ReplyDeleteI had the time, not the know how on making the bookcase. My friend Jim really helped me a lot. I only wished he was here so he could have shown me in person! I get your husband working and not having enough time, I was there once too.
DeleteI appreciate the warnings! We name our deer, and I get a bit sentimental. I grew up in downtown Toronto, and there just isn't a hunting culture here. I am squeemish.
ReplyDeleteThere are many hunters around us. We hear guns a lot. I am thankful they didn't let the gun range go in out our backyard. Even hunters were against it.
We name come of our deer as well. We have Gimpy, how has an injured back leg. Red, who is a lot redder than the other deer. But for the most part, the does and fawns are hard to tell apart.
DeleteCongrats to both you and Kevin! Your buck will make for a great center piece on your wall. I admire anyone that hunts with a bow because you have to be so close which really reduces your odds. Us hunters realize that harvested wildlife have led a natural life and hopefully a quick death when harvested, unlike most domestic farm animals raised in an unnatural industrial environment and have a horrible death. Great job on that bookshelf!
ReplyDeleteMost of the deaths that take place in nature are horrible. Animals dying of old age, starvation or other predators are usually slow and painful deaths. At least with a bow or rifle it is quick. A lot of us choose to ignore that part of nature, myself, one of them but when you do see it, it is a reminder of how cruel nature can be.
DeleteHunting is an important part of life in Newfoundland, even to this day. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how important hunting is in some cultures and nonexistent in others.
DeleteWe could start a YouTube channel “Cabinetmaking via Facebook Messenger”! Every good teacher owes their props to students who are willing to learn. You did an amazing job. That was a really fun project!
ReplyDeleteNobody ever taught me to deer hunt with a bow or gun, so I hunt deer with my F-350. Luckily, I am a lousy hunter.
Thanks for all your help, it turned out much better than it otherwise would have! You may need to go off road with that 350 if you want meat to survive the winter!
DeleteLike you, all our family hunted and most our friends. Most still do. I’m glad our kids still do. I think it’s important to pass down those skills. We were far from the only ones with a dead deer hanging in the garage each Fall! I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about hunting, strange. I love the bookcase.
ReplyDeleteI have several friends who are non-hunters but they understand it, it is just not for them. I've said it before, but I believe that hunters are closer and understand nature better than almost everyone else out there. They understand what it takes to get meat and where it comes from.
DeleteGosh darn that previous comment was mine. I don’t know why I still can’t get my name to show up!
ReplyDeleteMy computer does not seem to be making me anonymous anymore. Not sure what changed, but all of a sudden our name appeared and stayed there.
DeleteWell that is a very impressive deer! Looks to be about three times the body mass of even a "high fence" white-tail from Texas! And with a bow! Was it from one of your ladder stands? Did it take a forklift to load the bison? Thats got to be days of butcher work ahead of you guys! Congrats from a poor soul with no venison in his freezer (:
ReplyDeleteThose ranches want all the deer's energy to go into antler growth and not body size. I got this one from a ground blind up close and personal. It was actually the only deer that has come that close to my ground blind all season. I guess it was meant to be!
DeleteCongrats on the deer, I'm sure you will enjoy your venison steaks, burgers and sausage. The bookcase looks great, you are both so talented, but I think you might be running out of projects for the house, that was one of the few unfinished items you mentioned when we visited last summer. I guess the rest of your winter will have to be working on the perfect brew!
ReplyDeleteI know, what ever will we do?!?! I am actually going out to the workshop this afternoon and play mad chemist!
DeleteYes, I totally agree that it would be not just boring but horrible if we were all the same. Congratulations on the buck and the buffalo. Your book case is perfect ! And I really enjoyed the memories you shared...lots to ponder there ! I always want a large family...
ReplyDeleteOne rarely thinks about what it was like for their sibling growing up. You just assume it was similar to your upbringing, but with the age difference, it was totally different!
Deleteyou are 60...i always wondered. my siblings and i all have very different memories of growing up, i think we grew up in different homes!! i enjoyed the video of the bucks, alive...i skimmed to the comments. i know you did not kill one, or two!!
ReplyDeleteNo, I would never do that! Most of my memories involve my brothers and next oldest sister. My three older sisters were all out of the house by the time I was 6 or 7.
DeleteHunting with a bow....that's impressive. Congratulations to all of you. My dad didn't hunt but my mother came from a family of hunters. One year my grandmother made her tamales with venison. All the pictures and the video are great.
ReplyDeleteWe do steaks from the backstraps, some sausage and the rest into burger. I'll have to see about cutting on of those steaks up for tamales!
DeleteOh wow, that's some deer. There's not really much hunting that goes on here in the UK!
ReplyDeleteCorinne x
https://skinnedcartree.com
That's what I love about blogging, you get to meet so many people from very different areas.
DeleteIt's funny about siblings. You can be so alike in ways you never realize until you're older. That's what is happening to my brother and myself. And our memories aren't always the same even though we're only 3 years apart. Nice bookcase. And I love Custer State Park. Even though I feel bad for the buffalo, I also know herds need to be culled for the good of the herd. Have a great week ahead. Erika
ReplyDeleteCuster State Park is one of a kind. We live within minutes of it, drive it several times a year but have just scratched the surface when it comes to exploring it. Believe it or not, most hunters feel bad for the animals too. It is a bittersweet experience.
DeleteCongratulations to you, your son, and your friend on a successful hunt. People that think hunting is wrong also think that meat comes from the grocery store and no cows are killed in the process. Beautiful bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteAlthough they may not look at it this way, all meat eaters are responsible for the death of animals. I am just cutting out the middleman!
DeleteCongratulations on you "Harvesting" the "One". See how I toned that down? LOL. There was not that much success at the SSUVL. Maybe because we have too many Coyotes. May just have to take care of that in the future. There is a large pack that roams around. Nice job on the book case. Never pictured you as a reader though. I didn't notice. Were there a lot of picture books in there? Quit feeding your sister false information about me. The information about Harry, aka HTDH was spot on. Love the blog.
ReplyDeleteI do more reading when we are on the road. When I am home, I tend to be working on a project or watching videos. No fake news around here, everything I write rings of the truth!
DeleteWOW! That is a very nice deer that you got...then I saw Forest's deer and WOW, that looks HUGE! Maybe it is just the angle of the camera and how his deer is sitting, but there is no doubt you got the best looking one with that rack on that deer!
ReplyDeleteSouth Dakota deer are very small in stature. It would not surprise me at all if Forrest's is a good 30 pounds heavier.
DeleteInteresting about your family. As 4th in a family of 13 kids, my experience was very
ReplyDeletelike your sister's. I am 72, and malls were a brand new thing, the first coming when I was 18, already married and with a child, lol--and a second on the way before I was 19. So no hanging out for me!
Kudos on the successful hunt. I hope my guys get something during season next week.
If I remember correctly, you can your venison? We've never tried that but have smoked plenty. Good luck next week!
DeleteLooking good the hunting. Plenty of meat in the freezer for the winter, and well done on the deer.
ReplyDeleteNever been hunting in my life but it must be a satisfying thing to do so you all can eat. Living off the land, I believe is good.
Enjoy.
We live off the land a little.
DeleteWe have friends who take it to the next level, harvesting plants, mushrooms and other edibles.
I have never eaten buffalo or deer.. does it taste gamely like lamb or more like beef?
ReplyDeleteMy father is number 8 or 9 and by the time he came around a few of his eldest sibling were already married with kids. So he has nieces and nephews older than he.
That would be weird to have nieces and nephews older than you!
DeleteVenison has a unique flavor I would like to lamb. Buffalo is more beef-like, but milder, almost tasteless to us
Your comments about the carrying capacity of the land make a lot of sense, but a lot of the "green" lobby in the UK don't seem to understand the concept at all. Trying to get measures in place to control deer numbers is very much an uphill struggle, and meanwhile farmers suffer the consequences.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many examples of where the population of some critter is not controlled and becomes overpopulated only to eat all their food source and end up dying a slow painful death of starvation bringing things back into balance. Up in North Dakota, an overabundance of geese can cut the yield of a crop field significantly. Many of those farmers rely on a good harvest to make it through the year.
DeleteSo much to unpack in this post! And I always have lengthy comments, hahaa! First, no one in my family hunts. BUT we are all for it as long as the animals, both before and after death, are treated with respect as I can see that you and yours do. Also my TG points out, there is zero wrong with killing an animal that you intend to eat. I think deer are magnificent animals (and I like buffs too, those huge eyes) but I know there are way too many of them and they pose dangers to people, and the herds need to be culled. So anyway, roller skating. My Uncle Sherrill, who died in 2012, was a handsome man whose life's work was as a mechanic, but in his youth he was an incredible roller skater. He could dance on skates with a partner and was so graceful. My sister and I, when we were barely teenagers (in the very late sixties) and lived in Fort Lauderdale, used to walk about a mile on Tuesday nights (Ladies' Night) to the roller rink and skate for hours. My favorite song to skate to was The Vogues' "Special Angel." The smells and sounds of a roller rink are conjured every time I hear that song! Such wonderful memories. Also malls ... ugh what a subject. I love to shop and have spent my share of time in malls, but during the year between college graduation and marriage ('78-'79) when TG and I were engaged, I worked at Southlake Mall in Crown Point, Indiana. That was a brutal winter and my arrangement was, I neither drove nor owned a car (obviously). I lived with a girlfriend and her family (I was from Georgia and she was engaged to a boy from my home church), and she was the one with the car. She worked at the same mall but a different store so I had to go with her whenever she went, and stay there even when I was not working. If she worked the 10-6 shift and I worked the 3-9, I had to go at 10 and TG would pick me up at 9. That was a long day. I love to shop and I love to sit and read and certainly like to eat, but I was saving for my wedding dress and didn't have a lot of spare cash. As I said, it was a record-breaking winter for cold and snow, and one would think that being in the womb of a cozy mall would suit at such times, but I hated it with a passion. I can hardly stand to go inside a mall now and usually stick to the anchor department stores, just to buy cosmetics. I do miss the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, but it was painful for the legs and back, carrying packages, trying to find stuff to buy for people. I much prefer doing that online now, sitting in my chair and wearing pajamas, sipping cocoa!!!! Haaaha yes times have changed and we have to take the bad with the good, and vice versa. Your bedroom built-in is beautiful and when you talked about rabbeting, I was reminded of the part in the 1948 Cary Grant/Myrna Loy movie Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, where the house is partially completed and a carpenter yells down to a hapless Mr. Blandings: “On them second floor lintels, between the lally columns, you want we should rabbet them, or not?” And Mr. Blandings says no, and all these pieces of wood fall down around him. Hysterical. Love to your Barb ... xoxo
ReplyDeleteI can see why malls are not on your high list, that is a lot of mall time! Do people even share rides like that anymore? I was one of the groups of kids that roamed the malls in my early teens, when Barb and I got married in the mid 80's, we would go to the mall and I would mainly wait outside the stores while she shopped. Now I have come to hate crowds and pretty much all shopping.
DeleteI do not remember that line from Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House but it sounds pretty historical!
Congratulations on "the one" what a beauty! Congrats to Kevin and Forrest too! Love the bookcase, what a beautiful piece! Zoey is adorable in her jersey!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I just put the last piece of trim on the bookcase yesterday, now I am on to the next project!
DeleteGreat post and enjoyed all the photos, and yes skimmed across the end ones because I was brought up in the UK in a non-hunting family where no one had firearms, except the farmers and the wild fowl hunters. I didn't meet one of those (a wild fowl/hare hunter) until I was 25, though my family knew farmers but only in a socializing sense. My Dad was in the police and he had a BB gun which he never used in his job, different times. He would practice every now and again, and even showed me how to use it. My mother wasn't too thrilled as I was about nine at the time. But as I've said before, I visited my hub's relatives in North Dakota and saw a lot of heads on the wall, and one time being shocked after walking into their family room to find an elk head that was huge sitting in the middle where the coffee table normally is, antlers to the ceiling. My initial reaction was to hug it and not being able to get my arms all the way around. The discussion was being decided where they were going to put it because there was no way they had room. I realized after the initial shock of walking into a room with a hug elk's head, how beautiful it was, and I was so close to studying this gorgeous animal and realized that I would never get a chance when it was in the wild, so I made the most of my time with it. These folks - and maybe you too? - learned how to hunt from an early age with rifles (driving tractors also) when they were nine, and me being taught how to use a BB gun at nine and remembering how aghast my mother was. All game meat was for consuming, that I also know. Back in the day I also realized it was the only means for survival. Anyhoo, onto other things, I was very impressed with the bookcase you made and how nice to have the help of a fellow blogger. I enjoyed reading all about your family history and so many things here, but I probably should quit now as I tend to ramble on. Thanks for another great post!
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting, the differences between different cultures, countries even regions of our own country. We have multiple mounts in our home, I can honestly say that I have never hugged one. I have studied the detail of each of the animals though, you are right, how else would you get that opportunity?
DeleteI have been surprised that TN has not called for an open hunt to bring the deer population down some. They seem to be all over this area. I was leaving my home last evening and at the top of the hill there were 7 just feeding in a yard. My ex was a hunter and I have a niece that is, so hunting don't bother me.....But I am not doing it! lol...nice book case and I love how it is set in the wall.
ReplyDeleteSuburban deer have always been a problem. Half the people want them left alone while the other half think they should be controlled. In the end, they almost always need some kind of herd reduction.
DeleteThanks for the warnings! Glad I got to read most of the post. Love your bookcase. You two make quite the team. So much talent. Yes, home paper delivery is a thing! But they don't ride bikes, they drive!! We had the paper delivered for a few years here in BC because they have lots of puzzles...crossword, sudoku, jumble. Then they out priced themselves. Didn't poor Dakota get to go to the football get together? Glad you had a successful hunt.
ReplyDeleteDakota stayed home. She would have been miserable at their house. No wonder papers have gone up so much in price. It must cost a fortune to deliver them with a vehicle!
DeleteThe visit sounds wonderful. And well done with the bookcase. It looks great! Did you see the Ken Burns documentary about the buffalo on PBS? It was fantastic! And thanks for your recent visits!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder on Ken Burns documentary, I have been meaning to watch that!
DeleteI can't imagine the challenge of hunting for buffalo! My boys grew up learning to hunt and 2 of them still do. We made deer sausage out of most of the meat. ( some fatty ground beef and sausage seasonings mixed in to the meat) Meat...most of us eat it. lol Loved your post!
ReplyDeleteBarb and I spent last Sunday grinding venison for burger and sausage. We are trying the sausage this morning, I hope it is good!
DeleteInteresting information about wordle. I always use the same starting word and I have actually gotten it on the first try once!
ReplyDeleteYou should have bought a lottery ticket that day as well!
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