How many deer would you need to harvest a year to feed a family?

[breakingcontact]

It depends, how much meat do you need or want to eat?

 

[bwframe]

...Obviously, I couldn't yield as much meat as an experienced hunter, and I freely admit that deficiency. But I could and would do it if needed...

Where a lot of non-hunters fall down, (including maybe the poacher mentioned above,) is the assumption that hunting, dressing, butchering, processing, storing, etc, etc, etc, is simple and easy.

You really have to spend a fair amount of seasons actually hunting to sort this all out. Including a season or three where things don't go your way. Lot of non-hunters don't have a plan for getting skunked. Just read the yearly deer season threads and see how many seasoned hunters never get a shot. There are a lot of factors that can and do effect different folks hunting, from local to local. Disease, predators, other hunting pressure, and even our beloved DNR can work against us having a successful meat harvest.

The other end of it, not often discussed in depth, is the whole other side of it that begins, when standing over your dead harvest. How do you handle that critter that was upright minutes ago? How do you keep it from spoiling, let alone edible? How do you get the most from your harvest? Eliminate waste?

Like a fair amount other issues discussed here on INGO. Often people just don't know, what they don't know.

 

[Sigblaster]

It depends, how much meat do you need or want to eat?

Well, that's a very good point to bring up.

I eat 1 to 3 meals a day. Sometimes meat, sometimes not. Since we're all older, we don't always eat the same things at the same time. If I'm making French Toast for the family, I may or may not make bacon or sausage. Depends on how many people want French Toast. Same for when my wife makes pancakes. How many she has to make determines whether she's going to make meat with it too.

Then, maybe we have pasta for a meal. Not going to have meat with that. Or my wife makes a pizza. Maybe some pepperoni and Italian sausage. Some meat, not a lot.

But there are many times where we we have ribeyes with mushrooms and onions, and home made bread on the side, and feast. Or maybe I make a batch of sausage and peppers and onions, and live off that for days.

I know that humans need meat, and we eat a fair bit of it here, but it's not a part of every meal for us. I guess that makes it hard for me to estimate how much we actually consume per year.

 

[bwframe]

I'm not going to say I wouln't eat long pig, but it would be a last resort if it was an option.

I think we'd lose half of the population to spontaneous metabolic collapse if cellphone service went down for more than 24 hours, so there'd be plenty of meat around. Fire up the smoker and save it for later.

I've seen more than one first time deer harvested, where the hunter had to go hurl during field dressing.

Imagine what that's like doing a long pig??? Hard to guess what it's like skinning something without fur?

 

[Sigblaster]

Where a lot of non-hunters fall down, (including maybe the poacher mentioned above,) is the assumption that hunting, dressing, butchering, processing, storing, etc, etc, etc, is simple and easy.

You really have to spend a fair amount of seasons actually hunting to sort this all out. Including a season or three where things don't go your way. Lot of non-hunters don't have a plan for getting skunked. Just read the yearly deer season threads and see how many seasoned hunters never get a shot. There are a lot of factors that can and do effect different folks hunting, from local to local. Disease, predators, other hunting pressure, and even our beloved DNR can work against us having a successful meat harvest.

The other end of it, not often discussed in depth, is the whole other side of it that begins, when standing over your dead harvest. How do you handle that critter that was upright minutes ago? How do you keep it from spoiling, let alone edible? How do you get the most from your harvest? Eliminate waste?


.

This is the other part of it- losing meat to poor handling. Salt it, smoke it, freeze it. I hate to think about wasted game. You took this animal's life to feed yourself, don't waste it. Make its sacrifice worth it.

 

[Michigan Slim]

Sounds like one deer a year would do well for you, assuming normal times. Steaks, roasts, chops and burger. Lots of meal options there.

 

[indyjohn]

I don't count on freezing being an option if I arrive at the point of hunting to feed myself and other dependents. Salting is something I'd like to know more about. Also dehydration (jerky) is an interest the OG has considered.

 

[yetti462]

I am not above eating a human in the end. It's not right, but that's out the window by then. I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

They taste like s--t

 

[cg21]

They taste like s--t

Specifically the bull variety.

 

[yetti462]

We do not buy meat from a store. My father in law gives us beef every year for Christmas, we supply our own pork, the rest is deer. A few years ago we didn't get beef, and 8 deer went into the freezer. That was when the kids were small, by October I was whacking again due to low freezer supply . This year we have 3/4 beef, 5 deer and a hog in freezer one deer was canned.

Kids eat me out of house and home. I'd hate to see the grocery bill if we bought meat.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

I am not above eating a human in the end. It's not right, but that's out the window by then. I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

Well, that's a very good point to bring up.

I eat 1 to 3 meals a day. Sometimes meat, sometimes not. Since we're all older, we don't always eat the same things at the same time. If I'm making French Toast for the family, I may or may not make bacon or sausage. Depends on how many people want French Toast. Same for when my wife makes pancakes. How many she has to make determines whether she's going to make meat with it too.

Then, maybe we have pasta for a meal. Not going to have meat with that. Or my wife makes a pizza. Maybe some pepperoni and Italian sausage. Some meat, not a lot.

But there are many times where we we have ribeyes with mushrooms and onions, and home made bread on the side, and feast. Or maybe I make a batch of sausage and peppers and onions, and live off that for days.

I know that humans need meat, and we eat a fair bit of it here, but it's not a part of every meal for us. I guess that makes it hard for me to estimate how much we actually consume per year.

You can also hunt Rabbit ,Turkeys, Fish a bit and mabey a chicken coup. Deer are not the only option

 

[Ark]

Where a lot of non-hunters fall down, (including maybe the poacher mentioned above,) is the assumption that hunting, dressing, butchering, processing, storing, etc, etc, etc, is simple and easy.

You really have to spend a fair amount of seasons actually hunting to sort this all out. Including a season or three where things don't go your way. Lot of non-hunters don't have a plan for getting skunked. Just read the yearly deer season threads and see how many seasoned hunters never get a shot. There are a lot of factors that can and do effect different folks hunting, from local to local. Disease, predators, other hunting pressure, and even our beloved DNR can work against us having a successful meat harvest.

The other end of it, not often discussed in depth, is the whole other side of it that begins, when standing over your dead harvest. How do you handle that critter that was upright minutes ago? How do you keep it from spoiling, let alone edible? How do you get the most from your harvest? Eliminate waste?

Like a fair amount other issues discussed here on INGO. Often people just don't know, what they don't know.

Those logistics are what stop me from deer hunting right now. It's not putting a shot on a deer, it's what I do with this deadass animal after I do. I'd have to hang and clean it in the field and take it straight to a processor, because I don't have chest freezers and meat processing tools or everything freezer packaging for a whole animal right now.

Logistics matter when you get into game animals too big to be stuffed in a backpack.

 

[two70]

Big deer on the hoof weigh 200 pounds.

Close, but not quite, a big deer will DRESS 200 lbs. in the Midwest. On the hoof, most mature bucks, a few mature does, and some younger bucks will weigh 200 lbs., though they will typically dress 50-75 lbs. less.

 

[RCB]

A general rule of thumb is 1/4 of meat per person per meal minimum. You have to starches to go along with that. A family of four can eat off 1 deer for about a month, give or take, depending on the size of the deer, again assuming you have veggies, starches or similar. Beans can add some legs to meals.

 

[two70]

Ok, good info, I'm learning. How many deer could 1 person harvest in Indiana per year, assuming they followed all of the king's laws and got every tag they could, like buck, spike, doe, etc. or whatever the classifications are. Modern arms, blackpowder, archery, or whatever the classifications are. Max it out, how many could you take?

Theoretically? Over 200, if you hunted every county in the state. Practically, 10 would be a stretch for most even with access to multiple good properties in multiple counties. If restricted to only one county, the legal limit would be around 4-9 depending on the county.

 

[dak109]

I hear it's grisly and gamey.

Tastes like pork.

 

[cburnworth]

I haven't been deer hunting in a couple of years. I do however raise chickens for meet & eggs. I raise rabbits for meat( and all other usable parts: tails, ears, feet & the rest i feed to the chickens)

 

[hooky]

I am not above eating a human in the end. It's not right, but that's out the window by then. I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

Politicians are a lot like squatch. You really need to braise in a crockpot or dutch oven to break it down properly.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I haven't been deer hunting in a couple of years. I do however raise chickens for meet & eggs. I raise rabbits for meat( and all other usable parts: tails, ears, feet & the rest i feed to the chickens)

What breed do you guys raise and do you ever sell the furs?