Tips for Processing your Deer Properly

With hunting season in full force, knowing how to properly process your deer is important. Some people choose to send their game out for processing while many others prefer to do it themselves. Most hunters know that they should dress the carcass as quickly as possible, but once it is hanging and ready for processing, what’s next?

During the transport home, it is essential to keep the carcass as cool as possible. If placing it in the trunk of a car, allow the carcass to cool down prior to placing it in the trunk. Although it is popular to do so, it is not recommended that you tie the deer to the roof or hood of your vehicle. Doing so exposes it to heat from the sun and the engine.

Many hunters prefer to age the carcass prior to processing. If you choose to do this, keep it stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less for a period of 2 to 3 days. If possible, do not allow it to freeze during this time as doing so can cause the meat to become tough. This step is not necessary if you are using the meat to make sausage.

To freeze the meat, cut and package it into portions that are meal sized for your family. Wrap it tightly in waxed paper, freezer wrap, a heavy-duty aluminum foil, or plastic freezer bags. Ensure that all of the air has been removed from the bag prior to freezing for best results. Meat that has been properly wrapped will store in the freezer for up to a year.

Venison can be made into ground meat and jerky as well as the traditional steaks and roasts. It is important to remember that venison is very low in fat content - averaging approximately 5% body fat versus the 25% body fat found in beef cows. Most often pork is added to the venison and then they are ground together to help the meat stick together. This addition allows the cook to use venison to create hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf and more. One advantage to making your own ground venison is that you are able to add any spices prior to freezing to save you some time when you are ready to cook.

Handling, processing, and preparing the deer properly helps to reduce the risk of any food-borne illnesses. It is essential that steps are taken to prevent contamination, starting with how the carcass is handled in the field and ending with proper handling in the kitchen. Stop by Milonajo Outdoors for all of your game processing needs! Have a question? Let us know! We’d be happy to hear from you!

Another Kind of White-Tail Trophy

After deer hunting for a good 30 years or so and searching for that trophy buck, this season I came across a little guy that was a trophy in his own right. Until this year I had never heard of the skewbald deer (sometimes called piebald or referred to as pintos.) Come to find out, it is quite uncommon to see one of these beautiful creatures and so I am not likely to ever have this opportunity again!

For those unfamiliar with the term, skewbald is a genetic variation that is uncommon to white-tailed deer. It causes the areas of brown to have white mottled in, similar in appearance to a pinto pony. Many times the terms are used interchangeably but the term piebald refers to black and white while skewbald is in reference to other colors - not black.

After doing a bunch of my own research, it doesn’t seem as though there really are any answers to what causes skewbald deer. They are not, as some believe, a cross between an albino and a normal white-tail but are just a genetic defect. Some believe they are the end result of inner breeding and these animals are inferior to the rest of the herd and should be removed to prevent them from carrying on this genetic flaw.

Myself, I was happy to take this skewbald from the area. He is currently at the taxidermist where he will be preserved forever and will no doubt be an interesting conversation starter at my house for years to come! And for those that are wondering, Yes - he made for some good eating too!

Milonajo Outdoors is on Facebook!

If you haven’t already joined us on Facebook, now is the perfect time for you to stop by and “like” our Fan Page! We have a lot of excitement taking place in the form of contests and free giveaways but you have to like us to enter!

The contest rules are simple! After you like our page, send 25 of your friends over to like us! Ask each friend to post on our wall telling us that you sent them! Once you have hit 25, you will be entered into our drawing. If you have more friends that want to join, we will hand you a second entry into our drawing when you hit 40! Each one of your friends that join can join in on the fun and send 25 of their friends too!

I cannot give away too much and tell you what the winners will receive, but I can promise you that it IS great gear you will want! I take a lot of pride in the items I offer in my store and you will win one of the hundreds of fantastic items that we currently stock! Hurry over to Milonajo Outdoors on Facebook and join in on the fun - we’ve almost reached enough entries to hold our drawing!

What's Been Happening at Milonajo Outdoors!

At Milonajo Outdoors, we are pleased to announce that we have partnered with US Outdoorsman Central (USOC) to be able to offer you outstanding deals, opportunities to win exciting hunting trips and much more! When you join USOC, you will also receive a code that will allow you to save 10% off of your purchase in our store!

Not only are we now able to offer all of these outstanding opportunities but we are still offering competitive pricing and a large inventory for all of your outdoor sporting needs. We have expanded our selection to include Elusion Camo, archery equipment including Steel Force Broadheads, The Big Acuta knife collection and more! If you haven’t tried Proc’s Huntin’ Buddy yet, you can even find him at our store!

If you haven’t stopped by Milonajo lately, you’ve been missing out on a lot of great deals! Stop in and give us a look! Christmas is coming and we’re sure to have the perfect gift for your favorite hunter. While you’re there, why not buy yourself the perfect gift too? Don't forget to look us up on Facebook! We're excited to announce that we are offering some great giveaways on our Fan Page too. You won't want to miss out! We have been very busy at Milonajo Outdoors! 

Properly Maintaining Your Hunting Rifle

Maintaining your hunting rifle is not only beneficial in prolonging the life of your firearm, but also helps maintain the accuracy of your shooting. It can seem like a tedious task, but once you have become familiar with the process, it is an easy way to get the most out of your firearm.

Learning to maintain your hunting rifle can be pretty simple. There are many products on the market that are one-step total gun care products. These products are usually sprayed on to the barrel and cylinder chambers to remove any dirt and, after it sits for a few minutes, it just wipes right off. If you don’t already own one, consider buying a rifle cleaning kit. They will include rods, patches, solvent, and so on - pretty much everything you will need to clean your rifle.

You will also want to spray the action. Allow the spray to sit for a few minutes before you wipe it down. Make sure to remove all of the fluid from the parts.

Next you will want to clean your barrel. Many gun owners opt to use a bore snake versus the traditional patches. Using a bore snake is as simple as spraying the floss end of it with the solvent and then guiding it though the barrel and out of the muzzle. Pull the bore snake through a second time to make sure the barrel is completely clean.

With the help of a bore light, take a look down the barrel of your rifle to make sure that it is clean. This is also a great opportunity to inspect the condition of it and make sure that there is nothing out of the ordinary happening.

Now you will want to lubricate your rifle. If you are going to be storing it for a lengthy period of time you should also lubricate the bore, otherwise it is not necessary. Use just a small amount of gun oil when you lubricate the action on your rifle - too much oil will attract dust and gum up the works.

That is about it, in a nutshell! As we always say, if you have questions, contact us! If you have any pointers to add, please feel free to leave a comment, we’d love to hear from you! Thank you for reading our blog, we hope you have enjoyed it!

5 Duck Decoy Set Up Tips

Most duck hunters have spent years trying to perfect the spread of their decoys to make sure that they are set up in a way that will attract the most duck attention. When using the right setup and the right species of duck, you will, without a doubt, harvest more ducks during the season then you ever have before. We decided to share 5 of our decoy setup tips with our readers. 

#1 - Make sure that your decoy spread features a landing zone. If there is not one, you will see ducks circle around the spread and never land. The landing zone needs to be the right size and there shouldn’t be anything blocking the opening. If they do not have a place to land, it won’t matter how many decoys you set up or how real the decoys look, the ducks will not land.

#2 - Having the right decoys is important. That expression “ducks of a feather flock together” isn’t just a cute saying, but is true. Ducks are attracted to other ducks in their species. It sounds simple enough, but not everyone follows this rule. If you are hunting Mallard ducks then you should use Mallard duck decoys. If the area you are hunting has many different species of ducks that you are hunting, then you can use different species of decoys - but just keep each species in its own area of the spread.

#3 - How alive (or dead) does your decoy look? If you are hunting on a nice calm day, your decoy spread might look like a bunch of dead ducks floating around! Adding a little bit of motion to your decoys can help bring them to life and attract other ducks. Adding motion can be done with a machine, with magnets or even by using string. It really makes a difference!

#4 - To elaborate a bit on tip #3 - when buying decoys reconsider using decoys that do not have weighted keels. Although the weighted keel is a popular choice, too much weight in the decoy can hinder movement on days that only have a light breeze.

#5 - Spend some time during the season observing the ducks that you are hunting. By learning how they act on the water, how they circle, and how they react to your spread will help you place your set up in a way that will be the most effective. Pay attention and you will learn the best spread and how many decoys

We hope our tips help you have a great duck hunting season! If you have any tips to add, feel free to leave a comment - we would love to hear what works the best for our readers. As always, if you have any questions, you can always contact us! 

Useful Tips for Training Your Dog to Hunt

When it comes to hunting waterfowl, there is nothing quite as awesome as watching your dog swim out into the freezing cold water to retrieve your prize and swim back to the shore carrying it in his mouth. Not only is it a great feeling when you are the one that trained your dog to do this, but there are few things that you will come to appreciate as much as your 4 legged hunting partner taking the swim into that freezing cold water for you.

A well trained hunting dog will not only help you hunt successfully, but will also become an obedient, lifelong friend and a cherished family pet. The following tips are meant to help you get started in training your hunting dog. These tips may not work for all dogs but will work with Terriers, Spaniels, Retrievers and Pointers.

To begin with, make sure that you do your research. There are a lot of different breeds of hunting dogs. Each one has a reputation for being skilled at one type of hunting or another. Research the different breeds to make sure you are choosing the one that is the best suited to your hunting needs. Each breed will vary in the amount of care that it will need. Some need a lot of room to run and others lead a sedentary life so it is also important you take the needs of the dog into consideration - and remember that a cute puppy could grow into a decent sized dog.

Many people find that choosing a puppy versus an adult dog nets better results. If you are simply looking for a house pet, then you should definitely choose an older, well behaved dog. Check your local dog shelters for the perfect household companion. For hunting it typically works best if you train the animal, beginning when he is a puppy. Taking the time to acclimate your new puppy to water will help ready him to go into open water when the time comes. 

Teaching them some of the most basic of commands is also beneficial. Although you may feel it is cliché to train the dog to sit, it will help set the foundation for the future when you are training her to learn and listen to more complex demands. Introduce your puppy to decoys and scents early. You want to make sure that he learns the difference between a decoy and a real duck at a young age.

Always take time to reinforce positive behavior with a positive reward. Dogs love to know when they have pleased their owner. It is important when establishing a long relationship with your dog that he knows, from an early age, when he has done something that he will be rewarded for. If it is possible, train the dog daily. Making it a fun and rewarding experience for her will help her learn quicker.

Use training tools such as decoys and scents often so that the dog will become adjusted to the scent and feel of the waterfowl (or other animal) that you want her to hunt with you. If a boat will be used, train her using the boat so she will learn how to get in and out and will not be scared of it. As the dog learns, begin taking him out into real hunting scenarios so that he will adjust to that part of the training phase. During the training, when you are training the dog to adjust to gun fire, start by shooting away from the animal and over time, make adjustments until you are able to shoot right over her head. In time she will learn not to be afraid of the sound of gun fire when she is out hunting with you.

As always, we would love to hear any feedback from our readers. If you have additional tips that will help us or other readers train their dogs for hunting, please leave us a comment that we can share with everyone. You are of course always welcome to contact us too.