Deer around my house . . .
 

OK, I'm not a hunter and don't know the first thing about butchering a deer. Fact is, there are lots of deer in the woods around my place and given the potential for limited meat resources under certain societal conditions I was wondering . . .

What are the reliable, quick & quiet ways to bring down a deer? I need a primer . . . take me from a large animal munching begonias next to the house to wrapped frozen packs of meat in the deep freeze. What are the steps? Really want to avoid discharge of a firearm if possible but if it comes to that, so be it. I have a rifle I picked up in my youth, I think its a .222 semi-auto? Any usefullness in that?

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Since I live in northern WI, I'll tell you. 1. Climb tree and wait. 2. When deer comes, drop onto deer 3. Twist neck real hard I don't know what to do after that. :bear_grin:

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

The most silent method to bring down a deer is of course a bow and arrow. As far as butchering the deer I have done 6 this last season alone. There is a very good video available that I picked up at Gander Mountain. It shows the processing from field dressing to the end. I vacuum seal all of my meat now for longer and better storage rather than freezer paper. My whole family loves venison and I make some fantastic jerky.:proud:

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

O.K.

What the name of the vid from Gander Mtn?

I haven't been deer hunting in years, I think
it's time to start again.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Am I the only one who can't imagine having a rifle that you're thinking of hunting with, yet you aren't even sure of the caliber?

If you're serious at all about getting ready for any problem that may arise, blow the dust off of that thing, get some ammo and get to a range. Learn what you have and how to shoot it. Now.

I'm guessing it's probably a .22. Much more common in semi-auto than a .222. You can take a deer with it, but you'd better have some clue what you're doing. It's not just going to fall over at any hit. A head shot will do it in quickly, a shot to the vitals will kill it, but you'd better be able to track a wounded animal. Butchering the animal is an important part, but if you're not familiar with your firearm and the anatomy of a deer, you're never going to put one on the ground in the first place. Get the gun out and practice.

There are any number of sites on the net that will explain field dressing and butchering a deer for you. Print them off and keep them handy if you're not comfortable. It's not hard.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

My cousin has a .222, and has taken down many dear with it.

I used a .243, I loved it. Time to dust it off and go out again.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

I will have to get it back from my dad to get you the title but it was the only one that they had when I asked last fall. They also only had it in VHS the guy at Gander Mountain said that it was not available on DVD yet. I got the video to make see if the way I was doing it was right. I was pretty close to the guy in the video but did pick up a few tips to make some things easier.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

It has been said that a 22LR has probably killed more deer (illegally) then any other round. Not sure that I believe that. Anyhow, I still would not use a 22LR. Deer head shots are very tough at long ranges in the field. As far as body shots, I have seen deer blasted with a lethal 12 ga slug travel miles, I figure theu would not even notice the 22 untill they did not wake up a couple of days later. Stick with a deer caliber gun. Remeber Red Dawn, 1 shot and one shot only so as not to give your position away. Being a hunter, as single shot is hard to discern direction (depending on terrain) because it usually catches you by surprise. However, I can usually pinpoint the second shot. Just my 2 cents

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

If you want to be absolutely silent, get a bow. Whatever you use, make sure you practice and know how to properly use your weapon first. First off, you very likely will go hungry if you don't. Its also inhumane IMO if you can't deliver a quick and lethal shot. Finally, for your obvious own safety.

As far as field dressing goes, start your cut just above the genitals and take it straight up the belly to the rib cage. Don't cut too deep, just enough to get past the hide. Kinda think of it as surgery. You don't want to cut too deep as it will be messy and will smell pretty rough if you get into the intestines. Most of the organs will find their own way out, but you will have to pull and cut some, especially within the rib cage to get them out. Not so bad on a cold day!

I've always either had my gradfather butcher them or take it to a butcher. Although I've watched a few times, I'm not the guy to ask there. If you google "how to butcher a deer" I know there are several sites with instructions though...HTH!

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

I was just thumbing through my pocket size SAS survival guide, and just as I thought, it has a step by step on how to hunt, snare, bleed, skin and prepare game. Even shows you how to make various snares or weapons with which to hunt with. Everybody really should have one of these handy little guides in their pack.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Attachment 25830

This is a good time to plug the BSA...

:smokin:

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

If the deer are really that close to your house its not that difficult to kill one and keep the noise to a minimum with a .22 rimfire rifle. First buy some subsonic ammunition available at most sporting goods stores(don't tell them what its for)2-3$ for a box of 50. Next, dust off the rifle and practice shooting until you can hit a quarter sized target at 50 ft. This is very doable with a little practice.

Now, set out some bait to lure the deer near a window of the house . For a quick clean kill aim for the head, behind the ear(quartering away view), between the eyes(head on), base of the skull(facing away view). When you fire keep the muzzle of the gun inside the house and it will be barely audible more than 100 feet away. Its VERY IMPORTANT that you want to be sure that there is nothing behind the deer like houses, kids playing, autos, or anything like that in case you miss. Also it helps if you can be on a second story and shoot at a downward angle. After the deer is hit it should drop instantly and may twitch and kick for a minute or two. Then its time to butcher, wrap, and freeze.

The video on how to cut up a deer is very informative and helpfull. The skin peels off easier when the carcass is still warm and it is very important to get the deer butchered immediately in warm weather. I reccommend using wax butcher paper and tape available at most grocery stores to wrap the tasty cutlets.

BP

Note: I have never done this just heard stories about it!

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Thanks for the info, it is a .223 stainless Ruger. Used to use it to dispatch sharks boatside.

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Wow, what a vivid discription, you must have been "all ears."

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

The ruger .223 will be way too noisy. However if noise isn't a concern the process is the same, just louder. Processing a deer is not very difficult. Once you see one or two processed its not tough. You take them apart like a puzzle. Just don't be afraid to jump into, who cares if the steaks and roasts aren't cut perfect, they'll still taste great.

BP

I am a very good listener!:emotions16:

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Yes, I do remember it is damn loud, what would be a good alternative? Close range, lowest report, effective power . . .

Re: Deer around my house . . .
 

Thanks! Appreciate it.