Sergeant Chase's White Tail Deer Page - Info and Links

I firmly believe that three factors affect the taste of your game.  The first is the animal's diet.  If that deer or pig's diet  has consisted of acorns for the past three months, the meat is going to have a "different" taste... not gamy in the usual sense, but somewhat bitter and much drier.

Next, Adrenaline!  I believe this is the main culprit in crappy tasting venison.  Think about the time you were most scared - maybe a kid running away from the neighbor's vegetable garden :)  After 18 years on the police department, I have figured it out:  really really scared folks-- STINK REALLY BADLY!!!  Translate this to an animal - If after you shoot that animal, you chase it around - it will get nervous, drop adrenaline into the bloodstream, and taint that meat!  If on the other hand, you put the animal straight down, or shoot it and let it run out without showing yourself, you will have much fresher meat!  (The deer knows it feels bad after having been shot, but does not panic like it would if some human immediately came running after it - even the feeblest Bambi would make a connection outta that one!!)

Third, If you do not ice the meat and switch out the water on a regular basis - that meat is gonna stink!  I usually leave my meat on ice for three days.  I have seen folks who leave it on ice for up to ten days (where it starts getting gray),.  It tasted okay, but I just did not care for the slimy look.

Whaddya think... any validity to my ideas??  Feel free to e-mail me with any ideas or comments.

Meat Hunts vs. "Trophy Hunts"

  I have noticed that every place I have had a chance to hunt (including the Texas Parks draw hunts) has failed to take the intended number of does for that season.  It seems that most folks want to save their tags for that "big un".  In addition, most trophy type ranches hold their doe hunts toward the very end of the season, when the deer have learned to be scarce.  I understand that trophy fever is what drives/sustains a lot of the ranching industry in Texas these days.  I am not sure what the answer is.  I do know that it is disheartening to try and find a hunt for myself and three kids and be looking at spending more than a tenth of my salary for one weekend.  Disneyland or an Alaskan Cruise have become cheaper than many a Texas Whitetail Deer Hunt.  Most of the hunts I see on the net are specifically for bucks and go from 1500.00 up (per hunter/per deer).

However, the situation is not hopeless.  Several of the links I have put on this page, such as the Reed Family Ranch,  are offering discounts for Parent/Kid hunts.  Texas Parks and Wildlife offer a good number of draw hunts (we are currently at 50% success rate getting drawn for the youth hunts :) and the Texas Wildlife Association has a Youth Hunting Program which is excellent!!!  I purchased an Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit for '02-'03, but getting my knee tore up at work has kept me from trying that out.  Maybe rabbit hunting in the early spring!!  I also noticed in the local paper at the end of the regular season, several ads for whitetail does at $100 a piece.  However, I have a feeling those hunts would be more farming then hunting (probably not a good way to introduce one's son or daughter to the sport...)

Besides the fun of getting out in the woods, understanding the process of killing, cleaning, etc... the food one eats, our family can go through five deer (hill country -about the size of Iowa rabbits :) and two hogs in five months!  What's more, if you put steak side by side with venison backstrap - the kids would take the venison every time!  I am fully convinced that part of the reason the kids like the stuff so much, is that I was taught (thank you Johnny!) the right way to harvest, clean, and store each deer I've taken.  Click here for that rant :)

  If you have any excess doe or hog within 300 miles of Houston that you need help with (for under cruise boat prices :), or if you know of any reasonably priced doe culls, please give me a call... maybe we can work a deal!!  Or better yet, e-mail me.  All the best,  Jay

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