We have a freezer well stocked with venison. We are trying to eat down the store bought things right now in an effort to get more space for what likely will be more this fall. Then, I will rotate and put the older venison on top.
I have never hunted in my life! I was raised on venison, squirrel, snapping turtle and fish though. I loved hunting season. My mom and I would bake for the holidays! LOL!
I married a man who really enjoys hunting. Many women will not eat venison, but I think it is MUCH better than beef!
We butcher our own venison every year. It is a job and usually takes 2-3 days over all. First, after the deer hangs and ages a bit (and I will go out, put my hands on it and thank it for it's life, seriously!) my husband will skin and quarter it. Then, I de-bone the quarters and cut and package it (usually my kids help). This is getting harder and harder on me though, because I have raynauds phenomenon. Any suggestions on that would be appreciated!!
Then, the scraps are put in a couple huge bins and the next day we grind with an electric grinder (we used to use a hand grinder! Ugh!) We mix hamburger 1/3 to 2/3 venison to give it some fat content, otherwise it is too dry for frying. We now use 80/20 hamburger for this. 73% is still too fatty even with a venison mix! I don't know how people eat that stuff.
Then, we package all that up and enjoy for a long, long time.
I have decided that if I need venison and I don't have a hunter around, in mid-winter, when it is very cold, if someone hits a deer with a vehicle and leaves it behind, I will throw the thing in the back of the truck. I don't think I would enjoy hunting at all. I would do it before I would starve. Raynauds makes being in the cold very difficult. I don't like to sit still and I would cry if I shot a beautiful animal.
But I am glad my husband does.