Hi all,
I am new to stalking, have only previously been with a friend who has all the kit.
I am looking to book up some guided stalks for myself & was wondering, what kit am I expected to have as a newbie on a paid stalk? What should I be looking to purchase in order to appropriately be able to butcher at home (apart from the skill, as looking in to that separately), & what makes kit in this realm better than others, for instance is there a gambrel thats better than another for some reason, or will any do? I don’t like to buy cheap & buy twice, but I am perfectly happy buying second hand. Where on earth am I supposed to start?
What is the correct etiquette to turn up with on the day so we can have a good stalk without considering the carcass?? Should I be taking a Roe sack for instance??
Thanks for any help
I live in a flat and butcher most my deer.
Key is preparation rather than lots of kit. Appreciate that much of what I suggest is probably not up to professional standards, but then it doesn’t require large facilities and expense. It’s aimed at someone like myself who is putting deer into their own foodchain.
Mora Knife - you can pretty much do it all with one of these. Buy two and a sharpening steel. Keep them both sharp. They are good knives for gralloching, skinning and butchering. I like two knives so you can pick a sharp one once you have blunted one.
Saw - not essential, but a basic £5 tenon saw from Screwfix works well.
Skinning - easiest time to skin is when carcass is still warm. But the skin acts as protection of the meat during transport etc. most extract carcasses with skin on as gives full protection. Game dealers only take carcasses as complete carcasses with skin on - its the law.
Transport - you need to think how you are going to get carcass out. For small deer - blue ikea bags cost £1 each, can easily be washed and fold into a pocket. You can easily carry a Roe deer quite a long way. White rubble sacks also very good for putting smaller deer, or bits of larger deer into.
I am personally not a fan of Roe Sacks as the weight is all on your shoulders rather on a proper waist belt. A decent hiking pack is much better. Better still is a frame designed for carrying heavy loads.
But as always a lot depends on your ground, your physical ability etc.
Transport home - likely the back of the car. You need a good carcass tray, box etc. that will keep everything inside. A decent flexible trugg as you can buy at any garden centre or borrow from your beloved works ver well.
If you are travelling far with a carcass, add a couple of large clippy boxes. Most garages sell ice. Fill up clippy boxes with ice and stick them around the carcass. Plastic bags of ice leak. Personally if you can let the carcass cool somewhat before transport that helps hugely. Or open the car windows and / or turn the aircon on.
Kitchen table / sideboard and a couple of chopping boards.
Negotiating skills to use the above. I find that it is much much easier to have skinned the carcass, removing bottom legs, head and all the other bits whilst still out in the field. Key is to split open the chest and let all the blood drain out. Blood and hair cause the biggest objections.
A decent tray or two to put larger joints into the fridge to cool.
Large freezer bags abd freezer paper to put joints into for long term storage.
Hanging - meat does improve somewhat by hanging. If its cold you can hang a carcass in a shed / garage etc. in warmer weather you can age the main joints in the fridge for a day or two. But you won’t notice if you put the meat straight into the freezer. However take the meat from the freezer and let it defrost well and dry out a wee bit before cooking.
Scott Rae videos - he pretty much shows you how to do it.
Bones and sinews - I tend to keep my meat on the bone. I think it cooks much much better, especially if you are making stews, casseroles, curries, gravies etc. The bones and sinews produce an unctuous jelly / syrupy like consistency and lots of flavour.
Personally I am not a fan of mince.
