Big fat butchering

[footfootfoot]

I was surprised at how big he was and such scanty antlers. I'm going to check his teeth today and see how old he was.

I read somewhere that deer only grow their antlers after they've taken care of their nutritional needs for the winter. Mast years will yield larger racks and lean years will yield smaller ones. This year we had a late frost that killed a lot of buds, therefore hardly any wild apples, 50% loss in commercial apples in many orchards, barely any acorns or other nuts (walnut, beech, hickory, etc.) The fall was long and warm so there was a lot of vegetation, but overall I'd guess it will be a tough winter for the deer.

Bow season started a month early and there were more Doe permits given out this year. I think DEC wants to increase the harvest to reduce the number of deer that will die of starvation and or disease.

I still have 4 more permits but I don't think I've got four more days of butchering in me. The most intense part is the thousands of tiny decisions you have to make when cutting. At this stage for me it is not automatic, like chopping up a carrot would be. I can do that in my sleep. But with the deer I have so many questions in my head it is mentally tiring. I need to watch a real butcher work and pick up some tips.