Well, when it comes to your hunting dog, hopefully something that captures the essence of what that dog will mean as a hunter and trusted companion!
Choosing a name for your hunting dog isn’t always as easy as you’d hope it to be, especially when you want it to be something as unique and memorable as the memories outdoors that you hope to make together.
Hunting Dog Name Ideas
So, if you’re wondering, “what are some good names for hunting dogs,” then you’re in the right place! Let’s take a look at some classic, rugged and other memorable ideas for hunting dogs.
Classic Names For Hunting Dogs
Hunting is a timeless pastime. So, below are some hunting dog name ideas that honor the hunting tradition.
Ranger – Perfect for a loyal companion that’s always by your side.
Scout – A name that signifies keen observation skills.
Hunter – Simple and direct, ideal for a dog that loves the chase.
Tracker – Reflecting the dog’s ability to follow scents.
Sage – A nod to the wisdom and experience gained in the field.
A connection between a hunter and his/her dog is a strong bond that will hopefully continue for years to come.
So, whether you’re looking for a name for your duck hunting/waterfowl dog, or a pheasant hunting dog or other type of hunting dog, we hope this list of names has provided some ideas for you to choose a name that is as unique as your dog and the experiences you will have together.
As you make your decision, try choosing a name that will resonate not only with your dog’s personality, but also its hunting spirit!
Deer meat, otherwise known as venison, is a prized protein for many hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. However, its distinct wild or gamey flavor can be off-putting to some, especially if not prepared correctly.
The good news is that with some proper techniques and practice, you can significantly reduce, or altogether eliminate, the taste that can keep some people from enjoying one of the healthiest meats there is. And, you can turn your venison into a delicious and savory dish!
How To Remove The Wild Or “Gamey” Flavor From Venison
So take a look at some of the methods of removing the gamey, or “wild” taste from venison…
1. Proper Field Dressing and Handling
The process of removing the internal organs (gutting) and skinning the deer should be done as soon as possible after the kill. The longer these organs remain inside the animal, the higher likelihood of not only unwanted flavor, but also bacteria. So, being able to locate and field dress the animal promptly are very important.
Make every effort to keep the meat clean and cool during this process. Remove any hair, dirt, and bloodshot areas.
It’s important to keep your deer meat as free from dirt and hair as possible during the field dressing and/or processing.
2. Bleeding and Trimming
Properly bleeding the deer after the kill can also reduce gamey flavors.
Placing the quartered and trimmed meat into cooler full of ice will help drain out the blood, which will greatly reduce the gamey flavor. You can allow the meat to sit for days in the ice. However, for best results, empty the bloody water and continue to add fresh ice during this process. If your cooler has a drain on the back, you can leave the drain open to allow the bloody runoff to constantly drain. Just don’t forget to refill the cooler with ice as it melts!
Trim away any silver skin, connective tissue, and visible fat, as these can contribute to a strong taste that many find unpalatable. Removing the “tallow” or fat from the meat can significantly improve its flavor.
Removing as much silver skin as possible is a great way to reduce the wild flavor that deer can have.
3. Aging the Meat
Aging venison helps to tenderize the meat and mellow out its flavor.
You can dry-age venison by hanging it in a cool (34-37°F), well-ventilated area for around 7 to 10 days.
Alternatively, wet-aging can be done by vacuum-sealing the meat and letting it rest in a refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
While some prefer venison backstraps or steaks, others love deer burger as well.
And, while deer burgers can be a delicious alternative to beef, just like other deer meat, it can have a strong, gamey flavor that might not be appealing to everyone.
So, if you’re looking to tone down that wild taste and make your deer burgers more palatable for you and others that may be new to eating venison, here are some effective strategies to help you achieve a milder flavor:
You likely spent time and effort harvesting your deer. If you’ll spend the same effort after the harvest, you can enjoy one of nature’s healthiest meats as well as great flavor!
1. Trim the Meat Thoroughly
Start by trimming away any visible fat, silver skin, and connective tissue from the deer meat before running it through the grinder. These parts can contribute to that stronger, gamey flavor. (Be sure to use a sharp knife to ensure you remove as much of the unwanted material as possible.)
2. Soak in Milk or Buttermilk
As mentioned above, soaking ground deer meat in milk or buttermilk can help neutralize some of the gamey taste. Simply place the meat in a bowl, cover it with milk or buttermilk, and let it soak in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. Be sure to rinse the meat thoroughly before cooking.
3. Use Spices And Flavoring To Counteract The Wild Taste
Incorporate bold seasonings and spices into your deer burger mix. Ingredients like garlic, onion powder, paprika, cumin, and black pepper can mask and complement the gamey taste. Adding a touch of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce can also enhance the flavor and add a savory depth to the burgers.
Another effective “seasoning” to help remove the wild taste from deer burger is cream of chicken soup powder. Work and knead it into the deer burger before cooking or grilling and it will give your deer burgers and amazing flavor!
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01/31/2025 05:33 am GMT
4. Mix with Beef or Pork
Combining deer meat with a fattier meat like beef or pork can also help balance the flavor. You can experiment with different ratios, but mixing 50% deer meat with 50% ground beef or pork typically does a great job of neutralizing an unwanted gamey taste, as the fat content in the additional meat helps mellow out the gamey taste and improves the texture of the burgers.
5. Incorporate Veggies
Mix in finely chopped onions, bell peppers, or even mushrooms into your deer burger mix. These ingredients add moisture and flavor, which can help dilute a gamey taste. They also add texture and make the burgers more flavorful overall. Plus, veggies are healthy!
6. Grill with Flavorful Sauces
Just like with other cuts of venison, if you’re grilling your deer burgers, consider basting them with flavorful sauces or glazes, as mentioned above. A marinade or barbecue sauce can add sweetness and tanginess, which can further mask the gamey flavor and enhance the overall taste of your deer burgers.
7. Don’t Overcook
Since venison doesn’t have much fat, overcooking is a concern, as it can make the meat tough and accentuate its gamey flavor. Cook your deer burgers to medium-rare or medium so you can maintain their juiciness and tenderness.
By following these tips, you can reduce the gamey taste and create delicious, flavorful deer burgers that are sure to please your palate. Enjoy your cooking and the great outdoors!
Final Thoughts On Removing Wild Taste From Venison
By following the above steps, you can transform your deer meat into a delectable and flavorful dish that even those hesitant about the wild taste will enjoy.
So, whether you’re grilling steaks, making a hearty stew, or crafting gourmet burgers, these techniques will help you make the most of your venison and savor every bite.
Have you ever been lugging a heavy tree climbing stand through the woods and wondered, “is all this sweat and being out of breath really worth it?”
If you’re like me, you’re often wanting to know, “what’s the lightest climbing stand I can get?”
Thankfully, in the mid-2000s, I discovered the Lone Wolf Hand Climber and my days of struggling through the woods with a heavy (and loud) stand on my back were over.
But then, in late 2023, Lone Wolf Custom Gear announced the new Crossover Climber and I just had to find out how they possibly could have improved on what I felt was likely the best and most innovating climbing stand ever for deer hunting.
Lone Wolf Custom Gear’s Crossover Climber (The Details)
Talk about light!
The Crossover Climber from Lone Wolf Custom Gear weighs in at only 11.5 pounds, which is really amazing for a climbing stand. In addition, has a packed profile thickness of only 1-7/8 inches!
The platform dimensions of the Crossover Climber are 24″ x 16-1/2″ and the seat dimensions are 17″ x 13″. It will fit trees from 6 to 18 inches in diameter, and it was a weight rating of 250 pounds. It carries a lifetime transferrable warranty and it’s manufactured right here in the USA.
It’s evident right away that the creativity and craftsmanship that went into the Crossover Climber is top notch!
Key Features
So, let’s take a look at some of the features of this Lone Wolf Custom Gear Crossover Climber…
The Crossover Climber has an incredibly slim profile!
This cover does not come with a stand. It is is something that I made and I will tell you why I did that in a minute. But, it’s just a piece of pipe insulation that I wrapped with some camo tape and attached it with some line to cover the teeth of the stand.
I made the above cover for the teeth because a couple of different times over the years, using the old Lone Wolf Hand Climber, I fell down in the woods while walking with the stand on my back. And, if I didn’t have those shoulder straps cinched all the way tight down on my shoulders, when I fell, that stand slid up my back and those teeth hit me in the back of the head. With the pad, if I were to fall, I wouldn’t be injured by those sharp teeth!
I learned the lesson when I got this stand that I do not want these teeth ever coming in contact with my head for any reason. And so, I made that cover so that if for some reason, I would fall in the woods, the padded cover is what’s going to hit the back of my head.
Now, as for the teeth… super important! If you have used the old Lone Wolf Hand Climber in the past, you will know that the teeth are different than this and the teeth on that stand were great. But they are nowhere near as sharp as the teeth on this stand. These teeth are razor sharp. And when I said they are razor sharp, they are razor sharp! If you press or run your finger too hard on one of these, you could definitely cut yourself open. So, be careful with the teeth!
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01/31/2025 12:47 am GMT
The Seat
If you are used to the old Hand Climber from Lone Wolf, you will know that this new seat platform on the new Crossover Climber is where they’ve trimmed off some of the weight out of the seat. So now, you’ve got this crescent-shaped seat and a strap seat. As a result, a good bit of the metal frame has been removed (as well as the weight). The foot platform is also smaller on the Crossover Climber than on previous versions of the Lone Wolf Hand Climber.
The key to this stand holding together (as you can see the profile is super thin at 1-7/8 inches), is this knob right here.
And on the back here, you can see where the key cinches down in this groove. So, you unscrew this knob, push the key in, turn it vertically, and you can then separate the two pieces.
Now, when I am approaching my stand location or where I’m going to climb, I’m always trying to get there as quietly as possible. So, I will mention that the key sometimes it gets stuck and when you pull the two pieces apart, it can make a little bit of noise. I don’t love that. But, I think that’s something that will probably get better as I get used to using it more.
So, if I had to just mention one little con of the key, that would probably be it. But again, it’s not something I can’t work around. And so, as I use this more, I’ll figure out a way to be better at that.
Once you separate your platform using the knob and key, you will loosen the knobs on the platforms and raise the arms to their furthest point and tighten the knobs back. And to break it back down, you loosen your knobs, flatten it back down and tighten your knobs.
Then, take one side of the cable out (you want to be sure that you don’t go past the orange warning markings on the cables). Wrap the cable around the tree and insert the other end into the other tube and lock down the lever.
Always wear a safety harness when using any tree stand!
Once the stand is secured by the cables to the tree, you’re ready to start climbing. Insert your feet into the openings in the foot platform.
The straps, in addition to holding the two pieces together when you’re transporting, are also what keep the bottom portion of the stand and the top portion connected while you climb because you don’t want to for some reason drop the bottom of your stand down the tree and now in you’re in trouble because you had no way to get down!
Be sure to connect the straps to the knobs on the seat portion of the stand. You can loosen them to give you the proper slack so that you can climb. Once you reach your desired height on the tree, tighten those straps down. It will cinch the two parts of the stand down very snugly against the tree and you’ll feel very secure up there.
This is the bar that will lean back against and actually sit on as you climb. And of course, the cam levers operate the same way on the hand portion as they do on the foot portion.
You will slowly advance up the tree using the hand and foot portions of the stand. Remember, the object is not to get to your desired height there super fast. The object is to get there safely!
When you reach your desired height, snug down the straps. You can then fold the climbing bar under the seat if desired. You can then sit down (you can sit on the strap seat or you can sit on the seat pad. Or, you can flip the pad up and use it as pad to lean against the tree.
If you are a little wider of a guy or lady, then you might not love this crescent seat. That’s one thing you need to think about. But for me, I’m used to sitting on small seats like this with the old Lone Wolf Hand Climber.
