Pumpkin pile is where the venison congregate. If you happen to be standing around with a rifle…well okay.
3 Likes
A spear, atlatl, bow, crossbow, a bowie knife, all probably would work too. 
If you want to be more passive, a pit trap or a net or lasso.
2 Likes
I gave up growing sweet corn. Racoons seem to smell from miles away when they are just about ready to pick and they climb the stalks and take a few bites off each ear and then go on to the next one leaving the stalks on the ground. I thought about tying a plastic bag around the ear after pollination to keep the aroma contained but never tried it.
5 Likes
Corn eating raccoons are the best to eat im told from my midwest trapper friends. They claim a mild beef flavor
I heard that racoons carry a brain eating parasite have you heard anything about it?
1 Like
Several land fur bearers can it is very similar to chronic wasting disease common in places with whitetail deer. Quick observation of just a minute or 2 makes it very evident wether infection has occured or not. All wild game is recommend to be cooked well either way, but they are popular to eat with trappers that i know, racoon beaver and muskrat make great table fare for wild game. It sure aint elk bear or moose but its damn good and easier to aquire for freezer stocking purposes and with trapping can be done passively and quitely without notice of other hungry folks looking to steal a meal during hard times
5 Likes
I sure envy you guys your game diversity. Here, in the lakes all you get is catch and release carp, our deer is much smaller thain yours wich you need a licence to hunt, and thats preety much it. I have tryed jay, blackbird and dormice before, good meat but not much of it…
6 Likes
Oh you still need a license to hunt animals, unless you have a big enough property and don’t tell anyone.
Birds like Turkeys are monitored by the Game Wardens and some carry tracking chips on a little bracelet.
Same for fishing on any property that isn’t yours, need a permit to fish.
Some pest animals there are exceptions, and with predatory animals attacking livestock it’s also overlooked. In my state we will hold a bounty on Coyote and will pay you for so many killed.
But everything has a season as well, and they separate the seasons by weapon types in my state. Bow/Crossbow, Firearms, and then Antique/Archaic so Muzzleloaders and traditional bows iirc.
2 Likes
The only bounty I am aware of in washington state still is the pike minnows which there are a few guys over east that make a living fishing for them as a invasive species. It is all very highly regulated each thing is a license a season a cost weapons restrictions pole restrictions trap restrictions area restrictions daylight and night restrictions and the list goes on and on. The game is plentiful, if you play within the rules to get it it becomes much harder to do it in a meaningful way. I chase panfish hard as it is great eating but few people want to come home and spend hours and hours filleting and packaging for long term storage. I dont even know anyone that will butcher there own large game anymore they take it to a butcher shop drop it off with a cut list and come pick up their packaged meat at a set price of cut and wrap per pound. Much lazyness in my eyes and depending on the grid and the system to provide what they need when they need it. Like many others here I chose to take things in my own hands and provide what my family needs are. All the while trying to be respectful to each animal or fish I harvest for food. Knowing where your food comes from is important to me, and that connection with the real world. Not the grocery store. I admire your farm highly Kristijan and the way your are raising your family. If land were easy to purchase here without a home owners association telling you what animals you can and cant have, at what hours you can make noise, outlawing the use of wood stoves as problem smoke makers, people calling law enforcment to file formal complaints against your boat trailer not having current tabs on it and it is visible from the street and so on… So I must rely on what I can aquire on demand or freezer pack away for a later date until I can get the land to live the way you do brother
A while back i did a short video on some 40 panfish caught in a day, 3 hours of cleaning filleting and packaging yielded around 5lbs of quality meat. A lot of work to eat good food. And most people throw those fish back choosing to target trophy fish such as bass. Ill eat the bass too if I catch one 
and there are people around here that would crucify me for saying I would eat a trophy fish! And yes a 20-50 lb salmon is a fun fight a good adrenaline rush, but not near as satisfactory as multiple high end healthy meals for my family. I snap some pictures once in a while for friends but im not trying to brag, I send those pics to friends that know how to catch them or I mentor to catch them as well. Just this year taught a close friend I consider to be family how to chase panfish and stack some meat. He has 2 little mouths to feed and a wife and they have a tiny lot in town where they have 4 small raised garden beds and 4 chickens thats max what the city will allow and this is a tiny logging town. A few trips on the boat traded for seeds from his garden last year. Good trade in my book. He has the green thumb and I have the boat now we can trade even more his greens for my fish. Helped him learn ti trap a few years ago as well and that has helped him fill the freezer as well now we share spots and check traps for each other it works out very well
5 Likes
Cody, that “if you are quiet” thing is key here too… over many things.
Here, hunting is a farse. A hobby for rich pentioners or a way for poachers to do their thing with less suspission. You see, it takes years and a lot of money from enlisting in hunters asosiation to when you are alowed to hold a gun, and even at that point, everything you shoot belongs to the goverment. If you want it for your self, you need to buy it, pound per pound. Hence the “legal poaching” part.
Thanks Marcus. Means a lot.
Not all roses thugh… when we looked for a farm, we looked at specific places that are uninhabitable all around. And what a good decision that was. The buirocratic nuse keeps tightening. Few days back, a law was made for every chickhen to be registred… we cant homeslaughter our cattle for probably over 20 years now… same with pigs, but luckly they turn a blind eye over that… what lm trying to say is, quickly a envyous neighbor can call all kind of services on you. Best to isolate and keep low.
Sometimes, even that doesent help. As much as l cant belive my eyes, we, in the middle of nowhere, got robbed the other day. Some crops. I will survive a few plants gone… but the fealing that someone was lurking, checking on and waiting for crops to mature, while trenspasing… this leaves a weight on ones chest. And the feeling that he will surely do it again. And next time, it may be more thain a few plants… and hey, its not even a real chrysis yet! Got to think this trugh real carefully… for now, only defence l got is if the thief happens to get in to a bike accident and gets a ass full of small gravel… or rock salt l belive has also been found in wounds of such accidents 
7 Likes
I hesitate some to post such things on this forum (lest anyone think I am a ruthless poacher, but I see things differently then most…uh…goobermint entities…) but I cannot enough recommend a walk with the Wildman a poachers tale part 1 and 2. A much different mindset, but for maybe a dark day that may come some great information from a southern boys perspective in the us using any means necessary to put food on the table
https://meattrapper.com/wildman/
A hard pill to swallow that thieves always are nearby. I have been down the road with tools that disappeared from the shed but I can confidently say it didnt happen a third time. Preventative measures and what not. Did you know that a 20volt dewalt battery can hook to a tazer? Thats a spicy steel door on the shed
6 Likes
I have an on-line homesteading friend who went out to find his whole five acre apple orchard clean out over night. That took a team with a truck. One had two steers rustled. That was last year before shelves started going bare. I expect it to get worse soon. I always thought it was coon getting into my corn but was told and saw from the neighbors popcorn patch that it was porcupines that were doing the worst damage. Hard to stop anything that can climb.
1 Like
Went to tractor supply for a gallon of paint. $44, $60~, and $27. We left with a quart for $10. Oil base white.
Wow!
I guess I better get some.laquer thinner and use up my old car paint.
5 Likes
I will have too try that idea, never seen that done Thanks much for posting that tips and tricks, i could use that plan on lots of old rims,other than the classic salvage rims, That saves a lot of time and effort.
I don’t think a lot of people know how to properly dress out large game. And even if you do, you might not have time and tools.
Not so funny is the beef industry was trying to figure out why people weren’t buying things like roasts and they figured out it was because no one knew how to cook them.
2 Likes
Just toss it in the crock pot and call it a day!
1 Like
Dad just put together a walk in cooler to hang a couple head of beef and pigs in. We use to have one we could use… but its not available to us anymore. Being able to process animals yourself deffinatley has a value that is overlooked by most.
In fact they are offering a special 16 credit program at the local tech collage this year. Trying to get more people into the profession of meat processing. There use to be a lot of places that processed meat but they have slowly went out of buisness.
4 Likes
God is good, nice fishing spot, and fish for meals, thats what i been thinking 10 bucks a measley pound for salmon.
4 Likes
Yep then there is me, my all time favorite cut of meat is a prime rib roast. But ill be damn if i pay an extra 2 dollars a pound for the ribs to be trimmed off. When I’m feeling rich ill buy a standing rib roast and cut the ribs for a separate meal. Or then custom cut some super thick ribeye steaks. Save money and better cuts. I have been looking and cant find anywhere this year local to buy a half of beef, people are holding onto livestock. Piglet prices went up enough this year my dad wouldn’t make a profit coupled with feed prices we didn’t do pigs this year
3 Likes
A lot changed in the 80s around here. One you have to send the animal out to be killed because peta got find outlawed and it needed a USDA ver to inspect the meat, so a guy that got paid 60k a year and the small shops didn’t do that much business. The butcher I talked to who owned a grocery store that sold meat, just said they could do it but it wasn’t worth the time when they could buy the specific cuts wholesale. Like prime rib might be popular during Christmas but no one buys it in July so you have to make hamburger out of it. Because they couldn’t afford a flash freezer that keeps it tasting fresh in December. They don’t hire butchers anymore at stores unless it is a specialty meat place. Every grocery store used to have at least one of not 2-3. Meijer used to have 2-3 working at the same time and I don’t think they have any anymore.
3 Likes