Hunting Blog

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People do a wide variety of things with their game meat once they get it home. Some butcher it themselves and freeze it, others have a professional butcher take care of the job for them. In addition to the traditional meat cutting services, many butchers will also make sausage or jerky from your game.

Apart from freezing or drying the meat, there’s one traditional option that is often overlooked in our modern world - canning. You can prepare meat for stews and other dishes, then use a pressure canner to preserve the meat for future use without refrigeration.

A few important tips for canning your game meat are: be sure all jars, even new ones, are cleaned before you start; remove any damaged meat as you go; leave at least an inch of head space at the top of each jar; always use adequate pressure when canning; and, examine all finished jars after they’ve had time to cool to ensure they’ve sealed properly.

When we pack up all our gear and head off for hunting season, one of the items we often leave behind is a camera. Whether you’re a great photographer or not, having even the most basic camera on hand can be useful in the field.

If you have a compact digital or traditional camera, that’ll do nicely. Many seasoned hunters recommend packing a three-pack of disposable cameras into the rest of your gear - this way if they get lost or broken, no one cares, but you have them on hand if you need them.

A great way to involve friends or family members in the hunt is to take them along to document your trip. A relative who loves taking pictures of the outdoors is ideal for this job, but your nephew armed with a digital or disposable camera will do just as well. Have them fill in a hunt journal for you and take photos of areas you want to remember for next year. Also, taking pictures of your trophy before it’s butchered is always a bonus