Comments about ‘Utah County family still lives the hunting tradition’

We raised nine children. And every year we went on the deer hunt, and there was plenty of territory in Utah with free access. We almost always filled all of our tags.

We were very careful with the venison - it was our year's supply of meat. We "cleaned" the animal where it was taken and put it in a shady place as soon as possible, but did not move it until it "cooled out".

We skinned out the animal as soon as we got home and boned out the meat, being careful to remove the fat and the tissue (which in venison is what carries the strong flavor. Then we wrapped the different cuts in freezer paper and put it all in our freezer locker at the neighborhood facility where monthly rates were reasonable. We tried not to waste anything.

My wife was an expert in cutting the meat into thin slices and cooking it like cooking liver. We had a large electric frying pan and she cooked the meat right at the table, having prepared the vegetables, etc. in advance. The result was always a delicious meal.

Those were the good old days!

WowTwoBitsWorth! That honestly sounds gross but at the same time fascinating to do the whole process from start to finish. What an amazing skill for your family to have.
This family featured in the story has it right. I bet those kids are going to have the best memories from these camping trips!

Where does meat come from?

The store, silly.

the BEST times of my life were spent hunting with my dad and uncles and then doing the same with my son.

Great now I am hungry. Seriously though, I will never forget the first times I went hunting as there were good times. Families that I have known who have hunted together have been some of the most solid and honest people that you could ever hope to meet. This such as this build family bonds.

Always thought that was a sad excuse for entertainment. However, if that is the only way you can get your food.......

It wasn't 'entertainment'; it was necessity. Without the two deer my dad brought home, our family would have gone without. We too used everything. The same thing happened with the excess trout we caught. Mom put things in a bottle, added salt and a bit of beef fat to it, and into the pressure canner it went. The storage room and deep freezer were loaded with canned fish, deer, pheasant and other things. Without the hard work to raise a garden, hunt and fish, and glean we would have been hungry. As it was we learned the joy of providing for ourselves and others in need. I won't deny that the entertainment came from being together to lighten the load. It is truly unfortunate those days are gone because children became responsible as they learned what was necessary to raise a family. I wonder what the fat content is in a Wii game, an iPod, a marvelous cell phone that can do anything except teach children responsibility. Killing a deer was not entertainment; it was harvesting a different part of God's blessings to us.