Fat sika

MJ75

Well-Known Member
I took this 6 point Sika in Kintyre this weekend. I've never seen this amount of fat on a deer. Large lumps of suet were pulled out of it when gralloching. When I skinned it I found this. Has anyone else seen such fatty venison?

sika2.jpg


sika.jpg


MJ
 
Very typical. I shoot Sika, both does and stags in Tyrone with a great cover of fat on the back and the hind quarters. Big rolls of fat inside around the kidneys too.

Sika also have a much better conformation in terms of the carcass shape around the hind quarters than any fallow I ever shoot.

Great deer for the freezer.
 
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This is typical of the Sika as a species. They are such efficient feeders and can digest items of herbage and even softer woods that other deer cannot.They also eat most species of woodland fungus which is high in proteins. You will see lots of chewed fungus if you empty the rumen. It makes the venison in my opinion second to none in flavour. This extreme fat cover also gives them an advantage in surviving a period of starvation in winter such as the one we had last year. Eat-you will enjoy.

David
 
Don't feed the fat to your dogs. One of mine ended up with pancreatitis after to much rich fat// little beggars were mooching as I butchered it. As said, I have never seen such fat on a deer,
Jim
 
Brian, i think you may find its hinds and stags,not does. Cheers Rich
Very typical. I shoot Sika, both does and stags in Tyrone with a great cover of fat on the back and the hind quarters. Big rolls of fat inside around the kidneys too.

Sika also have a much better conformation in terms of the carcass shape around the hind quarters than any fallow I ever shoot.

Great deer for the freezer.
 
Get the frying pan fired up buddy !!! - you should see the fat on some of the well fed Sika in the central NZ north island - i would quite happily eat Sika veni exclusively for the rest of my days...........well done
 
Couldnt agree more with Bill. Sika are very good eating, and over the two weeks in Scotland we took some reasonable weights for the highlands. However the Sika in Dorset tend to be much heavier and carry a great deal of fat even later in the year. Nice beast in the photo. Little tip take off the whole haunch and then freeze it whole. Then cut it in steaks on a bandsaw. You end up with cartoon steaks as I call them and they go well on the barbie.

Best

Sikamalc
 
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