Processing Deer: How To Age Your Deer Meat

Posted on December 2, 2011 by havalon

Aging Is The Key To Great Tasting Venison

By Pat Carrothers

Venison actually contains many of the same enzymes as beef, such as lactic acid.  Venison, however, has a different taste and it is much lower in fat.  You can get an even better flavor from your deer by aging the meat in the proper manner.  Aging deer is a simple process, but it needs to be done with care to save the meat for consumption.

After the deer dies, it enters the rigor mortis stage.  This stage usually lasts about a day.  How to Age Your Deer Meat Image 1During that stage, the muscles contract and the meat is tougher to butcher and hard to cook and eat.  You don’t want to freeze the meat during this stage.  You can either hang the skinned deer in a very cool spot, or quarter the deer and store the meat in a very cool environment.

In order to allow the meat to age without decay, keep the meat at a temperature ranging from 32-35 degrees.  Make sure the meat never gets any warmer than 40 degrees because at that temperature, bacteria can begin to grow and the meat will rot.  Aging deer can take place over a period of 3 to 10 days or more.  There is no specific time.

The general rule of thumb is that the younger the deer, the less aging it needs.  If you have a mature buck, you may want the meat to age for 7-10 days in order for it to become tender.  Younger deer usually only take 3-5 days.  You will have to work in a trial and error type of way.  The aging deer process will depend on many different factors including the environment, the type of deer and many other things.  Whatever you do, make sure you have proper storage facilities with proper temperatures.  Anything outside the right temperature range will allow meat the chance to spoil.

After the aging process is complete, you want to freeze the venison to use later at your disposal.  It is a good idea to freezer wrap each piece of meat in moisture free wrappings.  You may want to use vacuum packaging to ensure that you get all of the air bubbles out.  This will keep the meat fresh for longer in the freezer.  If any moisture gets into the meat, it will have a much more “gamey” taste and it can become tough.  Venison can usually be stored in freezers at 0 degrees for anywhere from 6 to 12 months.  Make sure you label each package with the date so you can keep track of it’s age.  If you are an avid hunter, you may also want to label the package in a manner so you can tell from which deer the meat comes.  Try it out and enjoy that tender venison!

Next post: The Best Ways To Cook Deer Meat

For more information on deer processing, click here.

Posted in Deer Hunting, Deer Processing, Expert Advice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Processing Deer Meat On Your Own

Posted on November 28, 2011 by havalon

You Don’t Have To Be An Expert To Butcher A Deer Safely

By Pat Carrothers



processing-a-deer-venison-steaks

The keys to success in processing deer meat are keeping the meat cold and dry.

The best thing you can do for the deer processing portion of hunting is make sure that the meat does not spoil.  This is true whether you plan to take the deer to a professional or do it yourself at home.  Take the right actions while you are still in the field.  That means right after you kill the deer, you need to gut in a reasonably short period of time.  Once you get the meat ready to move, keep it cool, clean, and dry.

Venison meat, like any meat, can spoil quickly if it is not kept in the right conditions.  It is a good idea to have all of your tools ready and sanitized before you begin deer processing so you can ensure that the meat can be prepared before it begins to spoil.

Many deer hunters don’t enjoy the butchering process and prefer to have someone else do it.  We think it’s just a factor of getting used to it by experience.  It’s a little intimidating for those of us that didn’t grow up in a family where butchering was commonplace.  But you don’t have to be an expert to butcher a deer safely. Anyone who enjoys hunting should also learn the basics in butchering.

As always, you need to keep the meat in a cool, dry environment.  If it is warm and sunny outside, you want to take the deer home as quickly as possible so the meat does not get too hot and begin to spoil.  You may have heard about the meat aging process, but even that process needs to take place at a temperature just a few degrees above freezing.  Hot weather can ruin everything fast.  If it is hot, throw an ice bag into the cavity after gutting.

It is helpful to hang the meat before beginning the butchering process.  When you hang the deer, make sure it is in a controlled environment that’s cool and dry.

Butchering Basics

In order to butcher a deer and secure meat that is safe to eat, make sure the venison is transported to a cool, clean, dry location quickly.  Have we said this enough yet?  You will need to have several things on hand anytime you hunt in order to do this when you make a kill.
-10-15′ rope
-Sharp skinning knife (nothing’s sharper than our Havalon)
-Knife sharpener (if you’re very old school)
-Cutting board
-Hacksaw
-Paper towels
-Plastic bags
-Rubber gloves

Quartering Your Deer

After the game has been killed and you field dress the animal, deer processing can be done in one of two ways.  You can take the deer to a commercial processor, or you can do it yourself.

Plenty of hunters simply take their kill to a commercial processor.  It is convenient and these companies are able to make special items from the meat such as jerky, deer sticks, and sausage.  Other hunters like to do the deer processing themselves.  Some gather with other hunters and process more than one deer at a time.  Others simply enjoy finishing what they started and completing the project on their own.

No matter what form of deer processing you choose to use, make sure you follow the basic rules.  You will need to:
-Keep the carcass clean, cool, and dry at all times.
-Bone out the meat.
-Avoid cutting through the brain or the spinal column with any of the processing equipment.
-Store the meat until test results are available if the deer needs to be tested for CWD.  If the deer has the disease, dispose of the meat.

If you choose to carry out deer processing at home, you will need to know the methods well in order to save as much meat as possible.

Cleaning

processing-deer-cooler-spaceYour work space does not need to be fancy, just clean, cool, dry and sanitized.  Your knives need to be cleaned frequently during the process.  Clean them in hot, soapy water and rinse regularly between cuts and make sure the work area is regularly cleaned.  It’s a good idea to keep bleach water solutions on hand to keep everything sanitized.  Bleach is serious stuff and has some hazards to it.  Do some research and get to know the different ways to make a sanitizing solution.  You can find good info at the Center for Disease Control site:  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/bleach.asp.   Be sure to follow all safety guidelines regarding concentration of bleach and ventilation.

Deer processing can be narrowed down to three main steps: skinning, boning, and wrapping.

Skinning

There are great videos of how to skin a deer on the web.  Everybody does things a little differently but the basics are the same.  We hang the deer by its head.  Many others hang the deer head down for skinning.   Either way, you are trying to avoid contaminating good meat with gutshot meat or spinal fluid. We’ve already discussed where to cut in case you are planning to mount a trophy.   Skinning is not difficult, especially on a somewhat warm animal.   It gets difficult if left on the animal for more than a few hours.  If it’s frozen, forget about it until it thaws out.  Cut the lower legs off and be sure to keep the carcass cool, clean, and dry at all times.

Boning

Take the hind quarters, loins, neck meat, and inner tenderloins off of the carcass while it is still hanging and put them into a cooler.  You can then go back and remove the gristle and fat from each piece one at a time.

Wrapping

In order to preserve every piece of meat, double wrap the meat in freezer paper and get rid of any air pockets.  Label the packages with the type of cut and the date.

Deer processing can take a significant amount of time, especially for someone who is new to the game.  If you can keep things clean and orderly, your meat should taste great and be safe to eat.

Enjoy The Traditions

One of the best things about hunting and processing your own meat is taking part in ancient traditions.  If you’re one of the lucky ones, you learned your skills from your father and mother.  They learned theirs from your grandfathers and grandmothers.  And on and on back through the years.  If you’re a typical suburban American, this tradition has been lost for quite a few years.  If you’re reading this, you’re probably hunting and taking your deer to a processor.  But why not get yourself a teacher and learn how to put your own meat on the table?

In this era of total electronic distraction, make sure to pass on these traditions to your children.  They won’t like it now when you interrupt their TV shows and video games.  But they’ll appreciate it someday when they know they can put meat on the table for their own family.

What tips do you have to share on processing your own deer meat?

 

Posted in Beginners Guide, Deer Processing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Deer Processing – Part 1

Posted on November 23, 2011 by havalon

Tools For Processing Deer Yourself

By Pat Carrothers and Paul Schwartz

Once you’ve harvested the deer of your dreams, you then have to work on field dressing the animal. After that is behind you, you have to think about deer processing. Many hunters take their deer to processing companies that can make certain cuts of meat for them. It is possible however, to do the deer processing on your own. If you want to complete the cycle from hunting to processing yourself, there are many different tools you can use. What you need will depend greatly on the types of meat you wish to produce.
Some of the things you may want to consider, depending on how many deer you plan to process and what types of meat you intend to enjoy, are the following items:
● grinder
● band saw
● tenderizer
● dehydrator
● coolers
● refrigerators

Tools For Processing Deer Yourself Image 1The Basic Necessities

The basic deer processing necessities are much more simple. Every hunter will need a clean place to work and sharp knives sitting right alongside knife sharpeners. The work space should be cleaned with a water and bleach solution before any meat touches it. It is also a good idea to re-clean the space often while the deer processing is taking place.

Some hunters like to use their favorite knife and take frequent breaks to sharpen the device. Others will keep several similar knives on hand so they do not have to stop deer processing to sharpen the knives as frequently. Sharp knives are definitely the most valued asset when it comes to deer processing. We’re learning that our Havalon Baracuta with XT127 fillet blades and XT115 hunter’s blades are really good for trimming down meat from large to smaller sizes and for removing unwanted fats and connective tissue.

Meat Grinder

Meat grinders come in many different versions including hand crank products or products with electric motors. If you will be grinding a lot of meat, electric meat grinders are worth the cost. The grinder should come with a few cutting disks to aid with coarse or medium grinds. Coarse works best for jerky while medium is good for anything.

Cubers

Tools For Processing Deer Yourself Image 2You can purchase tenderizer and cuber attachments for most meat grinders, but the hand crank cubers are something to consider. All you have to do is drop the steak into the cuber, rotate the crank, and watch the cubed steak drop out. You can even pass the venison through twice to cut the meat in two directions.

Dehydrator

Generally, grinders and cubers will get the average hunter through the deer processing event. However, if you plan to make a lot of jerky, you will also want to add a dehydrator to your list. Whenever you dehydrate, you will want to make sure you are careful that the drying process does not run too hot or too cool. You can end up with jerky that is not dry enough and jerky that is too dry. When it comes to venison meat, you do not want to waste anything.

Next: Processing Your Own Deer Meat

For more information on deer processing, click here.

Posted in Deer Hunting, Deer Processing, Equipment, Expert Advice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Field Dressing and Processing Your Deer Meat

Posted on November 17, 2011 by havalon

Field Care of Your Deer Affects What You Taste

By Pat Carrothers and Paul Schwartz

If you have any experience in hunting you know that making the big kill is really just the beginning. After you have your prize, you then have to take care of the meat in the field. What you do at this point will affect what you taste later.

Field Dressing You DeerField dressing game properly is the most important aspect of a successful hunting venture. Deer and many other animals make wonderful meals if the game is well processed out in the field. The flavor of the eventual meat greatly depends on the care and timeliness of the field dressing. Many animals are wasted, or not as
tasteful, because hunters do not follow good meat handling rules.

Every time you hunt, expect to make a kill and travel with the tools you will need to complete deer processing.

Those tools include:
• knife
• cooler
• ziploc bags
• disposable gloves
• cutting board
• marker

There are several guidelines you should follow in the field in order to take care of the game meat in a timely manner. These guidelines will allow you to gain access to tasty meals later at home.

Guideline 1
Always work on deer processing immediately after the kill. Never let it sit for a long celebration (but high fives and war whoops are in order).

Guideline 2
If your knife is not sharpened, don’t even bother to start deer processing. You will damage the meat and waste a lot of time (use a Havalon, and you don’t need to worry about losing your edge).

Guideline 3
Remember to keep the animal carcass cool and dry at all times. Warm tissue allows meat to spoil very quickly. Temperatures of 40 degrees or below are best.

Guideline 4
Cut off all of the things you will not be eating such as fat, meat that has been shot-damaged, and contaminated stomach or intestinal tissues.

Guideline 5
As you continue processing the animal, cut the meat into pieces that will fit into ziploc bags. Seal the bags tightly for placing into the freezer. You can always go back later and remove the sinew before cooking.

Guideline 6
If this is your first time butchering a kill in the field, it’s best to have help so the deer processing can go quickly enough. Plan ahead.

Every hunter may have a slightly different method when it comes to deer processing, but there are efficient methods that can help newcomers understand the process. The following methods are tried and true for deer processing:

1. Remove skin and hang deer by head or front legs from a tree. Skin the deer from neck down to keep the hair from getting into the meat. Pull the skin down
and cut off the lower legs.
2. Wash the body while removing any dirt, blood, hair, and damaged tissue.
3. Take the loins from the back bone. This meat creates the best steaks. We’ll address aging the meat later.
4. Take the meat from the front and rear quarters and put it into the cooler.
5. Remove the front and shoulder neck meat for ground meals or stew.
6. Remove the hind quarter meat for roasts or stews.
7. Package all meats and label them accordingly. Make sure they fit securely into the freezer.

The amount of time the deer processing will take greatly depends on you and your level of experience. It should take an hour or two to remove the skin, wash the carcass, and quarter the deer. It can also take an hour to remove the bones from the various quarters. Expect it to take at least 2 to 6 hours to cut the pieces out, package the meat, wrap it, and then store it. Experienced hunters can complete the process with their eyes closed. It may take beginners longer, but if you follow these methods and guidelines, the meat you will enjoy later will taste great.

Next Post: Tips and Tools for Butchering Your Deer Yourself

What tips do you have so new deer hunters out there can protect their meat?

Posted in Beginners Guide, Deer Hunting, Field Dressing Tips, How to Field Dress a Deer, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Which Trail Camera? Part 2 – Setting Up

Posted on November 14, 2011 by havalon

Five Tips For Setting Up Your Trail Cameras

By Steve Sorensen

which-trail-camera-perfect-pose

A common mistake is to place the trail camera too high. Set up a little above knee high and you should get perfect poses like this.

1. How to consider lighting – Taking pictures can be defined as capturing light, and bad lighting ruins many photos. So, set your trail cameras with that in mind. If you point them into the rising or setting sun, your images will be degraded by glare. Point them north or south for the best results.

2. How high off the ground – A common mistake is to place trail cameras too high. Deer aren’t as big as many people think. A little above knee-high is perfect wherever the ground is flat. If you need to adjust the angle up or down, wedge a short stick behind the camera.

3. How to aim for best results – Don’t make the mistake of setting up trail cameras perpendicular to the trail. Deer will walk by before the camera is triggered. It’s better to aim your camera down the trail so the deer is in the camera’s view long enough to activate the camera and trip the shutter.

4. How far from the subject – Ideally, if a deer is five to fifteen feet from the camera, you should get great photos. Digital photos cost nothing, so set your trail cameras to take multiple-shot bursts. You’re more likely to get the deer right where you want him.

5. How to stop the deer – Scrapes, licking branches, food sources such as apples or corn, mineral licks, they’re all places where deer stop. Deer usually hesitate just before jumping a fence or entering a clearing. You’ll get sharper, clearer photos when the deer has a reason to pause.

Digital cameras are a lot more expensive than the spool of thread Grandpa used, but so is everything else. Today, the least expensive digital trail cameras are as good as or better than more expensive cameras of a few years ago, so the time to buy is now. They’re fun, they’re extremely reliable, and they take very good quality photos when used properly.

About Steve Sorensen…

Outdoor writer and speaker Steve Sorensen has been a fan of knives since he was six, when he began begging his dad to take him hunting. His articles have been published in Deer and Deer Hunting, North American Whitetail, Sports Afield, and many other top magazines across the USA. Invite Steve to speak at your next sportsman’s event, or follow his writing on his website, EverydayHunter.com.

Which trail cameras do you like?  What is your experience?  Leave a comment below.

Posted in Beginners Guide, Deer Hunting, Equipment, Expert Advice, Guest Writers, Steve Sorensen, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Which Trail Camera? How? When? Where?

Posted on November 12, 2011 by havalon

Tips To Help You Decide Which Trail Camera To Choose

By Steve Sorensen

which-trail-camera-doe-eyes

Who's spying on who? Trail cameras are entertaining as well as informative.

You’ve finally decided to spring for a trail camera. You’ve waited a long time because you’re “old school.” Maybe you even wonder what your grandfather would have thought.

If you’re “old school,” my hat is off to you. There is something to be said for the traditional ways. But does that mean you use a magnetic compass instead of a GPS? Punkin balls and smooth bores instead of modern ammo from a rifled barrel? Some scraps of lumber nailed in a tree instead of a new load-tested, safety-first climber? You get the picture. It’s called progress, and progress isn’t all bad. Once in a while you gotta say, “Never mind what Grandpa would have thought.”

Our grandfathers could never have imagined the hunting tools we have today. Fifty years ago Grandpa might have tied a piece of thread across a trail to determine roughly when a deer walked by. Today we can know exactly when a deer shows up at a certain place, and we can see the actual deer, plus every other animal that passes by.

Here are the hows, the whens, and the wheres of using that new trail camera.

HOW TO CHOOSE A TRAIL CAMERA

Use the Internet to compare specifications of the trail cameras in your price range, but place a high priority on what’s easiest to use. That advice isn’t just for beginners. It’s for everyone – because the easier a camera is to use, the less time it takes to check them, and the less time you spend spreading your scent around.

I use the Bushnell Trophy Cam and the Moultrie Game Spy M-80. Those aren’t the only ones to consider, but I like them because they have the video and still features I want, and they’re fast and easy to use. They get terrific pictures, too.

WHEN TO USE YOUR TRAIL CAMERA

which-trail-camera-doe-lick

Setting up your trail camera on a licking branch, or making your own, can give you a good read on bucks in the area.

Trail cameras can be used all year ’round, but the best times to use them is when bucks are growing their antlers and during the days up to and including the hunting season. Some hunters look for shed antlers in the spring so they know what bucks survived the hunting season. Using trail cameras in the dead of winter can give you the same information.

Virtually any time is a good time to use scouting cameras, as long as you have the time to check them.

WHERE TO PUT YOUR TRAIL CAMERA

Naturally, we use “trail cameras” on trails. Finding good deer runways takes a little time, so look for trails whenever you’re in the woods. A great time to find trails is before spring green-up when they’re a lot more obvious. While looking for shed antlers or hunting spring gobblers, take note of good locations for trail cameras.

However, trails aren’t the only places to set up your cameras. You can set them up at food plots, or along the edges of cropfields where deer feed. When using your cameras at natural food sources or along trails to food sources, remember that food sources change.

Set cameras at “licking branches” during the summer and fall while bucks are in bachelor groups. These are places where they lick, chew and rub their scent to tell other bucks “I’m in the game.” They’re sizing up their competition.

Find a licking branch or make your own. Choose a flexible limb about five feet high and deposit a drop of lure from a buck’s pre-orbital gland (www.SmokeysDeerLure.com) on it. You should get bucks posing for pictures, nose on the branch, wondering “Who’s the new guy?”

Next post: Five Tips for Setting Up Your Trail Cameras

Put Havalon Knives On Your Buddy List For Christmas – Click Here To Shop Havalon.com

Posted in Beginners Guide, Deer Hunting, Equipment, Expert Advice, Steve Sorensen, Trail Cameras, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Muzzleloading: How To Get Started – Part 3

Posted on November 10, 2011 by havalon

Cleaning Your Muzzloader

By Ed Hall

muzzleloading-wonder-lube-and-cleaner

Wonderlube is just that, a wonderful barrel lube.

Ah, cleaning your muzzleloader, whether you fire one shot or a dozen, is a necessity. Even if your 777 pellet residue is not in its own highly corrosive, it will absorb moisture and hold it against your bore, eventually resulting in rust.

One advantage of most of the new styles of muzzle loaders is that they do not need major disassembly for cleaning. The Traditions Pursuit for example has a readily accessible breechplug, unscrewed with just fingers or an included small spanner wrench.

Cleaning solutions for muzzleloaders are mostly water. In a pinch, use a dilute solution of a household cleaner such as Simple Green, though Hodgdon says just water is fine. I like a “range rod”, a longer rod having a knob handle for home use,  find it easier than using the ramrod and its six-inch extension.

I like to use a wet toothbrush to clean any part of the rifle having any of the residue from firing. (I’m extremely fussy about my guns.) After cleaning, if at all possible, I run hot water through the barrel in the bathtub and wipe it dry. The barrel, being quite warm, guarantees any wetness will quickly dry.

Wonderlube is just that, a wonderful barrel lubricant. After cleaning, and between shots at the range and in the field when I can, I clean with one tight damp patch down the bore followed by a dry patch, then a couple of strokes with a Wonderlube patch.

Muzzleloader-breech-plug

One of the grandest inventions in muzzleloading: the removeable breech plug.

I’ve saved the breech plug for last. As I said earlier, its tiny hole passes the primer fire into the powder charge. Find a tiny strand such as from a brass wire brush to insure that tiny passage is clean. Clean breech plugs very well and lube the threads before screwing the breech plug back in place.

One of the grandest inventions in modern muzzleloading is the removable breech plug. Nowadays we simply unscrew the breech plug to make cleaning a much simpler chore. Simply push a cleaning patch all the way through the barrel and out the muzzle rather than pushing a patch from the muzzle down, and hopefully pulling it back out.

Final instruction: Aim at a trophy buck and squeeze the trigger!

 

Posted in Beginners Guide, Ed Hall, Muzzleloading, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Muzzleloading: How To Get Started – Part 2

Posted on November 8, 2011 by havalon

How To Choose Powder and Bullets For Your Muzzleloader

By Ed Hall

muzzleloader powder and bulletsThere are three propellant options: real black powder, replica black powder and replica black powder formed into pellets. Real black powder is very hygroscopic; it readily absorbs moisture, and is messy to work with. The residue from real black powder is extremely corrosive, so much so that fired guns, left with any amount of ambient moisture, will be damaged in a weekend and ruined in a couple of weeks. Also important is that real black powder is considered an explosive for shipping and storage. I don’t wear buckskins, and I don’t shoot black powder.

Loose replica black powder must be carefully measured for each shot, but the pelletized version is much easier to deal with and is the common choice among muzzleloaders today.

muzzleloader-powder-pellets

Pellets of replica black powder are much easier to use than loose black powder.

Hodgdon pelletized replica black powder is such that two pellets propel a typical 250-grain bullet just a bit faster than a .44 Magnum rifle, with a muzzle velocity of 1,785 ft/s, according to Hodgdon. Driving a controlled expansion fat bullet at that velocity is a most lethal prescription out to, say, 150 yards.

Hodgdon is one of our major smokeless powder companies and their black powder replica “Triple Seven” outsells all of its competition combined. The Hodgdon predecessor was Pyrodex, and it is still available, similarly packaged and sitting alongside 777 on the shelves. I advise against its use because the dark end is a bit of real black powder to better ensure ignition – - and it leaves the same highly corrosive residue. If your gun shop has only Pyrodex left on the shelf, find another gun shop.

Triple Seven pellets, if they take a soaking, will fail to fire, but they are so non-hygroscopic that the container they come in is not sealed against moisture. There is a new pellet on the market called ‘White Hots’ made by IMR, but then, IMR is owned by Hodgdon. Cleanup with 777 and White Hots is with just plain water.

One 777 pellet is the equivalent power of 50 grains of black powder, (although they weigh considerably less). A standard deer hunting load is 100 grains, or two pellets. It is possible to find pellets having less than 50 grain equivalent, if you wanted, say an 80 grain load using a 50 and a 30 grain pellet.

Hodgdon recommends against the common practice of using three 777 pellets for more velocity, and instead recommends two of their 777 Magnum Pellets, upping the muzzle velocity to 2,010 ft/s. Using a 150-yard zero, you’ll be about two inches high at 100, and six inches low at 200 yards.

Choosing The Muzzleloader Bullet

Almost nobody hunts deer with a traditional patched round ball anymore. They do get the job done at modest ranges and are seemingly faster, but they are a bit light and ballistically poorly shaped and lose their punch very quickly.

The cloth patch has transitioned to a plastic cup having a gas seal at the bottom. It has been named the French word for shoe, sah-BOW, though most folks say SAY-bow.

Muzzleloader-sabots-from-Barnes-and-Traditions

Muzzleloader sabots from Barnes and Traditions.

The better bullet itself took a bit longer, as early saboted bullets were merely jacketed handgun bullets driven faster than they were designed for. Only in the past dozen years or so have dedicated muzzleloader saboted bullets been available, having proper construction for muzzleloader velocities and pointed tips to slice through the air. (A few states have special bullet requirements.)

Today there are typically two bullet weights available, 250 and 300 grains. In my humble opinion, the 250-grain is for deer and the 300 is for elk, but if you want to better ensure an exit wound on your deer, choose the 300. I use Traditions Smackdown bullets made by Hornady.

Legally-Loaded Muzzleloaders?

Check local laws, but generally a muzzleloader is considered legally unloaded when the primer, the cap, or in the case of a flintlock, the priming powder, is absent. A charge and bullet in the barrel doesn’t make it loaded, so you need not fire your rifle at the end of the day if you must transport your rifle in a vehicle.

In wet weather I put a small piece of rubber where the primer goes for overnight storage.   I always store and hunt with my muzzleloader with a strip of electrical tape over the muzzle.  I tape the muzzle of all my guns to keep out moisture and bits of bark when I lean it against a tree. It also reminds me that I have a charge in my muzzleloader.

Next post: Cleaning Your Muzzleloader

Anyone have success hunting with a muzzleoader so far?  Leave a comment here:

Posted in Beginners Guide, Deer Hunting, Ed Hall, Guest Writers, Muzzleloading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Muzzleloading: How To Get Started

Posted on November 4, 2011 by havalon

How to Get Started Hunting with a Muzzleloader – Part 1

By Ed Hall

The New Muzzleloaders Are Easy To Master

muzzleloader-how-to-get-started-for-huntingBuckskin shirts notwithstanding, hunting muzzleloaders for deer and larger game have come a long way.  You can still hunt with a flintlock, and deal with “phffft-bang,” sulphur smell and dutiful cleanup if you want.  But there’s no stink, no inaccuracy, no limited punch and range, no misfires, no hangfires, no weather issues and no more messy cleanup if you choose to hunt with a modern muzzleloader.

The new muzzleloaders are easy to master. I would hope you’d get in some practice sessions, but a bit of reading and a few shots at the range and you can be ready to hunt.

You can expect your modern muzzleloader to just about duplicate the performance of either .44 Magnum or .45-70 cartridges in a rifle, the same jacketed bullets, the same riflescope, and the same two-inch (or better) groups at 100 yards and four inch groups at 200. Even better, modern muzzleloader bullets are nicely pointed for better long range performance.

There was a time about a dozen years ago when you had to decide between .45 and .50 caliber muzzleloaders, but new .45′s have all but disappeared from the gunshops.  I prefer a .45 for deer as its forty caliber bullet has plenty of punch, but the .50 reigns.

The New Muzzleloaders Are Easy to Load

First fire off a primer or two to rid the barrel of moisture. Then drop two pellets of powder into the barrel, push a pointed, jacketed bullet in its plastic cup down the bore, affix a shotgun primer and close the breech to protect it from weather.

Muzzleloader-Traditions-breechplug

The breechplug of the Traditions Pursuit.

Modern muzzleloaders come with a breech plug that is screwed into the end of the barrel, so all the pressure upon firing is in the barrel and held by the breechplug. The ‘action’ of the muzzleloader needs no strength to contain pressure; it just affords a hammer and a trigger, and perhaps an additional sliding safety.

The shotgun primer is placed in a recess in the breechplug, where a tiny hole feeds its fire into the main charge. The hole is very tiny so burning gasses don’t spray back into the action. The action seals the primer against falling out and against weather.

Take a read at Traditions Performance Firearms, dedicated to muzzleloaders and all the accessories you might ever want. They have a new Pursuit Ultralight, the lightest muzzleloading rifle ever at 5.1 pounds, as the breaking trend in rifles today is light weight. Other catalogs to peruse are Thompson/Center and CVA.

Next post: What Type of Powder to Choose

 

 

 

 

Posted in Beginners Guide, Ed Hall, Expert Advice, Guest Writers, Muzzleloading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Great Lakes Steelhead Fishing – Part 2

Posted on November 2, 2011 by havalon

The Incredible Artificial Egg for Great Lakes Steelhead

By Mike Bleech

great-lakes-steelhead-artificial-eggs

Upper left - Glo Bugs, lower left - Sucker spawn, lower right - soft egg patterns. For contrast, dark nymph patterns (also steelhead favorites) in the upper right.

Collecting an endless assortment of flies is integral to the fly-fishing lifestyle.
None of what I am about to tell you however has limited the number of steelhead flies in my vests, boxes, drawers and shelves. It is true nonetheless.

It occurred to me one day that a large majority of the steelhead I have hooked over my career hit some sort of egg pattern, with the most popular being a soft egg pattern sparsely dressed with yarn.

I randomly surveyed some friends and acquaintances who are serious about steelhead fishing about this matter. In the end, every one of them came to the conclusion that their experience has been similar to mine. Most had their own favorite fly patterns which were not egg patterns, but upon reflection it was the various egg patterns that actually caught the most steelhead for them. More specifically, it came down to Glo Bugs, Sucker Spawn, soft egg patterns and other egg imitations.

This hardly narrows a fly collection down. If you have done a lot of steelhead fishing then you have caught steelhead on countless different combinations of sizes and colors and now you feel you must carry all of these whenever you fish for steelhead, which of course is impossible.

My good friend Jim Simonelli prefers Glo Bugs. Those he ties do not look much like Glo Bugs in tackle shops. Everyone who has tied flies for long understands that the flies most fly-fishers would choose to purchase are not the ones that are most effective on the stream. Shoppers want full, neat, finely detailed flies. Steelhead prefer sparsely tied flies. Real life is not neat and tidy, it is messy and dirty and ragged from living.

THE SYSTEM

great-lakes-steelhead-artificial-eggs

This steelhead fell for a small egg sack dressed with a pink floater.

There is system to all of this disarray. Indeed, there are reasons for different fly sizes and colors.  People like to narrow things down to what, where, when and why. We like to think we understand things. Whether this system for choosing egg patterns is true to the degree I believe is not important. All that is important is that the egg pattern works.

Usually systems start at an end and finish at another end. This steelhead system starts in the middle with eggs of natural color and size: A shade of orange and a size based on the type of egg, usually either salmon or steelhead, but sometimes sucker. These egg patterns probably could be used exclusively with a high degree of success.

Regarding steelhead eggs, they are almost always fished in the form of skein. There is not much in the way of variables, except for size. The rule of thumb with steelhead skein is to use a small piece of skein in clear water, then increase the size with darkening water color.

Salmon eggs can be fished as skein, as single eggs, or as a group of single eggs in egg sacks. This provides for much more variability. The rule of thumb with salmon eggs is to use single eggs in very clear water. With darkening water color use egg sacks or skein in increasingly larger sizes.

Also as the weather darkens use brighter colors on the material used for egg sacks, and add floaters, which are essentially imitation eggs, in brighter colors.

Steelhead are likely to be skittish in clear water, and mild colors including white, light pink, or orange are choices that will be effective. Small eggs most likely will be the ones that steelhead take, or the Sucker Spawn pattern.

Natural colors and sizes can be effective under what most anglers would consider perfect steelhead fishing conditions, that being when the creeks have a little heavier flow and some color such as you might see during the morning of an all-day rain.

Now, by natural color I mean the tint of a natural salmon egg, a medium orange. My fly boxes will hold at least three shades of medium orange, and they are there for good reason. An exception might be after the steelhead have seen too many of these patterns, when fishing pressure is heavy. Chartreuse can be effective at times like this.

As the water gets more and more color however switch to more brightly colored flies. Try deeper oranges, then reds. Use larger sizes. Some expert steelhead anglers will use Glow Bugs that are an inch in diameter.

Of course like most steelhead anglers I carry a large assortment of steelhead patterns. However, if I had to stick with just one pattern it would undoubtedly be an artificial egg. That still leaves a lot of room for wiggle.

Click Here To See Havalon’s Baracuta-Z Fillet Knife

Have you fished for Great Lakes steelhead?  What works best for you?  Share a tip right here.

Posted in Expert Advice, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing, Guest Writers, Mike Bleech, Steelhead Fishing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment