Indicators of Wealth?

[Maenad]

Get it yourself and let me know how it felt killing something...

Did it for the first time last year - 8-point buck (skunked this year, but the rest of the party filled out our tags, so plenty of venison in the freezer).

It's... serious, is the best way I can put it, I guess. If you're going to take a life, you have the responsibility to do it quickly and humanely. It's satisfying in the same way that gardening is, stocking up the freezer/pantry with food for the household. But it's still killing something, and anyone who can take that lightly has something wrong with them, as far as I'm concerned.

... and that got WAY off-topic. Sorry everyone.

 

[Car-Guy]

I went to a Ruth's Chris once. Both DW and I agreed Outback steaks were better and much less expensive.

Both are okay and are near the top of my list but IMO, Morton's beats them all. However, while I never actually compared prices, they (Mortons) may be the most expensive, if that matters to you.

 

[Car-Guy]

Did it for the first time last year - 8-point buck (skunked this year, but the rest of the party filled out our tags, so plenty of venison in the freezer).

I haven't deer hunted in a long time. Never liked venison that much. These days we prefer to just feed the deer and I go through about 50lbs of corn a week. At this time of the year, we typically see 6 to 8 deer every night less than 50 yards from our back door. (I have seen twice that many at times) After several years of feeding them, they still don't trust us and will dash off as soon as I step outside. So hunting deer wouldn't be a problem around here if I was "still into that".

 

[RunningBum]

Both are okay and are near the top of my list but IMO, Morton's beats them all. However, while I never actually compared prices, they (Mortons) may be the most expensive, if that matters to you.

I think I went to a Morton's once. It was on a business trip, working with another company on a joint project, and for various reasons it went horribly. So I suggested to my 2 co-workers that we go out for a nice meal and I think this was the place. They were a bit worried about but as senior guy I said I'd pay the tab and deal with any expense account problems. Just my luck, this was the one expense report I can remember ever getting audited, but it went through without too much trouble.

The steak was very good, but to my tastes I didn't think it was better than Ruth's Chris.

 

[Winemaker]

Definitely. As long as you're killing something other than small game to obtain meat. People seem to forget that you have to take a life in order to eat meat. Just a simple reality check for the grocery store warriors or for those who buy meat in general. Get it yourself and let me know how it felt killing something...most cant do it.

If you're not supposed to eat 'em, why are they filled with meat?

We have been purchasing whole local beef and hogs for 30 years, although since it's only two of us, we have been only buying half beef lately.

Nothing beats going to the cellar for a bottle of wine, over 35 different kinds, reds, whites,pinks, dry, sweet, oaked, unoaked, barrel aged, Californian, New York, Chilean, South African, or Italian. All 1300 bottles or so, hand crafted, and made to mine and DW's liking.

 

[Turn_the_Page]

Pulling weeds while wearing jeans that do NOT have holes in the knees.

 

[2017ish]

Pulling weeds while wearing jeans that do NOT have holes in the knees.

OK, but don't go all super luxurious and exclude paint and wood-stain coloring on the jeans!

 

[hesperus]

People seem to forget that you have to take a life in order to eat meat. Just a simple reality check for the grocery store warriors or for those who buy meat in general. Get it yourself and let me know how it felt killing something...most cant do it.

By a similar analogy, does this mean I have to squeeze grapes in order to enjoy wine?

 

[W2R]

By a similar analogy, does this mean I have to squeeze grapes in order to enjoy wine?

I always thought wine was made like this.

 

[hesperus]

I always thought wine was made like this.

you won't find that in a grocery store

 

[HFWR]

I noticed that Costco, under the Christmas gift category, has Japanese Waygu beef on sale. IIRC, a sirloin roast was only $900, after $300 off...

 

[Winemaker]

I always thought wine was made like this.

It's a start!

 

[pb4uski]

Did it for the first time last year - 8-point buck (skunked this year, but the rest of the party filled out our tags, so plenty of venison in the freezer).

It's... serious, is the best way I can put it, I guess. If you're going to take a life, you have the responsibility to do it quickly and humanely. It's satisfying in the same way that gardening is, stocking up the freezer/pantry with food for the household. But it's still killing something, and anyone who can take that lightly has something wrong with them, as far as I'm concerned.

... and that got WAY off-topic. Sorry everyone.

Yes, killing a whitetail was always bittersweet for me... the thrill of a successful hunt offset by the knowing that you killed a beautiful and majestic animal. Those who spend a lot of time in the woods come to appreciate the wily whitetail. My solace was that I know that the herd needs to be managed to be consistent with available food supply and I believe that a quick kill is more merciful and humane than winter starvation or being stalked and killed by predators.

 

[travelover]

........... My solace was that I know that the herd needs to be managed to be consistent with available food supply and I believe that a quick kill is more merciful and humane than winter starvation or being stalked and killed by predators.

I think it would be easier after they took your expensive landscaping down to the ground, like they do here in SE Michigan.

 

[pb4uski]

Actually they did that to us too. DW, put christmas lights on some of the yews one year and they just nibbled around them... they were probably thankful as it made it easier for them to see where to nibble.

I do recall one year where I got skunked during rifle season. About a month later I watched tv quite late. Turned off the tv and started up the stairs to go to bed. At the ground level landing, there was a good sized doe on the walkway about 2 yards from the entry door window. I stopped and watched her for a couple minutes and then went to bed.

 

[mpeirce]

I think it would be easier after they took your expensive landscaping down to the ground, like they do here in SE Michigan.

Yup. One person's majestic beast is another's giant pest.

Now if only we could reintroduce widespread wolf packs in the midwest. That might make a dent in the deer population. Probably not going to happen given how freaked out people get when a coyote is spotted around here.

 

[MRG]

I do recall one year where I got skunked during rifle season. About a month later I watched tv quite late. Turned off the tv and started up the stairs to go to bed. At the ground level landing, there was a good sized doe on the walkway about 2 yards from the entry door window. I stopped and watched her for a couple minutes and then went to bed.

I think it was the last season I hunted on our old property.
Three days from before sun up to almost sunset, nothing. Sign all over, I knew the land and how they moved around. It was thick dense air and they seemed to be bedded down.

I went in earlier the third day beat and dejected. Started watching the local news. Turned and looked outside, five of them standing 70 yards away in the field eating poison ivy. I took one from the porch, it dropped immediately but DW saw it drop. For some reason she doesn't care for venison anymore.

 

[HFWR]

I'm not totally convinced that attracting deer with feeders and such indicates the cleverness of the hunter... [emoji12]

Definitely a deer overpopulation problem, since most of the predators are gone. Nothing to thin the herd but hunters, and car/deer collisions...

 

[MRG]

I'm not totally convinced that attracting deer with feeders and such indicates the cleverness of the hunter... [emoji12]

Definitely a deer overpopulation problem, since most of the predators are gone. Nothing to thin the herd but hunters, and car/deer collisions...

If you are referring to my post, no bait. It's illegal to bait game, but more importantly it's unsportsmanlike. I don't know of any hunter that baits whitetail. In some places it's illegal to take a deer when it's at a water hole.
Deer simply love poison, I avoid it, but there was far too much to eradicate.

 

[NW-Bound]

Y'all make me crave some venison. Next time I am at Sprouts, will look to see what they have for elk meat. Not sure if they have steak, but I remember seeing elk and bison burger there.

 

[HFWR]

If you are referring to my post, no bait. It's illegal to bait game, but more importantly it's unsportsmanlike. I don't know of any hunter that baits whitetail. In some places it's illegal to take a deer when it's at a water hole.
Deer simply love poison, I avoid it, but there was far too much to eradicate.

Feeble attempt at humor, though I do know of people who have feeders/salt/etc. around to encourage the deer to hang nearby...

Deer hunting is different depending on the location. In Indiana, there's a bow season and a shotgun/slug season. No high-powered rifles, so less chance of accidentally shooting a nearby farmer. In Texas, with more wide open spaces, and less/no cover, long shots are more the norm

 

[Winemaker]

Usually feeders and salt licks are set up in off season to record with a game camera. This allow a hunter to selectively hunt what is on his property. My SIL and daughter enjoy venison, so he hunts for the size of the deer and not the shape of the rack. They have to have 4 points here to be legal. But putting corn in deer feeders in the summer is no difference than putting corn in the feeders to fatten your cattle. Hopefully it keeps them out of someone's garden, especially mine. But I don't hunt.

It is illegal to bait deer in my tri-state area in season. However, I can safely say that my car/pickup is the best bait available. I have killed over 20 deer over the years traveling to and from w#$k.

 

[HFWR]

Not sure, but I'd guess baiting in season is verboten most everywhere.

Thankfully, my BIL has a deer lease a couple of hours away, so I usually end up with some venison sausage or burgers. Beats freezing my assets off in a deer blind/stand...

 

[redduck]

I've been trying to get her to eat out of my hand for about two months now. No luck so far.

 

[MRG]

Feeble attempt at humor, though I do know of people who have feeders/salt/etc. around to encourage the deer to hang nearby...

Deer hunting is different depending on the location. In Indiana, there's a bow season and a shotgun/slug season. No high-powered rifles, so less chance of accidentally shooting a nearby farmer. In Texas, with more wide open spaces, and less/no cover, long shots are more the norm

Thanks. I've had salt, that's generally legal. The area where the deer were was a couple of game trails that came together near our one pond. We'd had the privilege of watching animal behavior there most people never get to see happen in real life.

That same place we watched in awe as two bucks were fighting during the rut. There was a small group of does watching the action. While it went on quite a while it was not much of a contest. One mature 10 point buck, in his prime, vs a young spike. The spike learned a lot of lessons that day. In the spring we watched two gobblers fighting over a group of hens. The winner wasn't obvious to us.

I have a buddy who lives next to 600 acres of PA state forest. He spends a lot on corn, feeding the whitetails and black bears. He has had to do a bit of bear proofing because of inviting them so close to the house.

Yes, hunting laws and even customs vary by area. Where I grew up in PA, a tree stand was not considered sporting, but having 20 guys drive deer up a hollow was. Where I hunted in MO it was the opposite.

Buying game is a luxury too, I think elk tenderloin was $50 pound. If you want to go big game like Moose or Elk a guided hunt is very expensive.