Looking for great tasting venison? Here’s one reason why you shouldn’t push that deer.
You have him in your sight. It’s the perfect shot but as you release the arrow (or pull the trigger), he moves!
You got the shot, but you nicked him. It’s a marginal hit at best.
Now what?
Every hunter I know has his own theory on whether on not that deer should be tracked. More likely, you’ll be pushing that deer rather than actually tracking him.
Yes, pushing a deer does elevate the heart rate and cause more bleeding. Ultimately a faster death, but a marginal hit may not bleed fast enough to cause a quick death.
The longer the deer runs, the further away it gets. Nothing like a long walk with no blood trail to find that deer. And the faster it runs; the more adrenaline builds up in the animal’s muscles.
Why it matters
If you are hunting with the goal of serving great venison steaks and roast, you don’t want to be tasting adrenaline. When a large amount of adrenaline is released by stress, it uses up the glycogen in the animal’s system. The lack of glycogen used by the adrenaline makes your meat tough and will go bad quicker. After death, the glycogen is turned into lactic acid. It’s the lactic acid that helps keep the meat tender, pink, and flavorful. So let the marginal hit go. You want something that tastes good. In truth, your best meat comes from a quick kill where there is a minimal amount of adrenaline released.
On the other hand, if you want the trophy – that 10-point rack – then by all means, track it, push it, do whatever you have to do to find it.
Your choice
It’s your choice to push or not but always think of the end product that you are going after before the adrenaline pumping through your system sends you on the chase.
Adrenaline – a hormone excreted at times of stress
Glycogen – stored form of glucose or sugar that is an animal’s main source of energy.
KeiLin Farm, a producer of farm fresh beef, chicken, pork, and eggs, is located in Davisburg, Michigan. Check out our website to discover all of our products and services including deer processing.
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