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Here are a few delicious deer and
antelope species and a bit about them.
See some more at our
Venison Vendors
page.
Axis Deer.
This native of India is most valued for
its exotic trophy antlers, beautiful,
spotted hide, and delicious venison meat
which is similar to fine veal but lower
in fat and cholesterol. Axis are found
in the USA in Texas, Florida, and Hawaii
in great numbers.
Blackbuck Antelope.
Also found in great numbers in Texas,
USA, this native of India is a beautiful
antelope using colors of black, fawn
gold, and white. The females and young
males are always fawn and white. The
male (hence the name) gets more black on
his back as he gets older. Trophy horns
on this antelope are over 21". Legend
has it that Indian maharajas would have
champion fighting Blackbucks and this
was a great diversion on lazy
afternoons. The winning Blackbuck would
wear jeweled necklaces and a purple
velvet cape. Blackbuck are small so each
one doesn't provide many pounds of
venison, but it is delicious and well
worth a looking for.
Scimitar Horned Oryx (SHO).
Native of the dry country of Chad in
Africa (but now extinct there). These
large white, royal antelope offer
curved, razor sharp horns in both sexes.
43" is a very nice trophy. Legend has it
that the myth of the Unicorn comes from
this beautiful animal whose curved
horns, at a distance, could look like
one horn and whose body, particularly in
motion, looks very horse-like.
Starting as excess zoo stock, the SHO
have prospered on Texas ranches.
Starting with fewer than 80 in 1980,
there were over 11,000 in Texas in
January of 2012. On April 4, 2012, the
Scimitar Horned Oryx were put under USFW
Permitting Regulations of the Endangered
Species Act because two animal rights
groups ('Friends of Animals' and HSUS)
sued the USFW to 'protect' these
animals, mostly from hunting on the
ranches of Texas. The head of the the
'Friends' group says she would rather
see the animals extinct than on a
hunting ranch in Texas. She will
probably get her way: Most Texas
ranchers will not take over three months
to get a permit to harvest their own
animals they bought and paid for. Nor
will they want to ask the government
what they can harvest how and when,
every year. So, the ranchers have been
told that their options are to separate
the sexes and let the animals attrite
away or starve them to death. What can
you do? Write your Senator and
Representative to take the Scimitar
Horned Oryx off the Endangered Species
List. Donate to the Exotic Wildlife
Association to fight for the survival of
these beautiful animals.
Manchurian Sika Deer.
Native of China and Manchuria, these
small, elk-like deer are a staple in the
Orient and becoming more available in
the USA. However, they've had an uphill
battle to find homes in our NW states
where people want to farm them but are
having to fight local legislation -
personalities and issues. Sika venison
is stronger flavored so find just the
right recipe to enhance its nice
attributes.
Fallow Deer.
This native of Europe is known as the
trophy of kings. It has large palmated
antlers in October-March. Most older
European venison recipes are based on
the flavors of the Fallow Deer. The
Fallow comes in several colors, all with
spots: dark chocolate brown, light
brown, white.
Barasingha Deer.
This deer is an endangered species of
India. It is larger than an Axis and
smaller than an elk. In the spring it is
a lovely orange-brown color, otherwise,
brown. It has large Mickey Mouse ears
and a sweet face. Before it went on the
Endangered Species List, it was known
for its delicious venison meat. It is
reproducing well in places like Texas
but ranchers cannot afford to stock many
because, due to the List, they are
difficult to buy and sell. There is a
movement to take species off the
Endangered Species List if they are
reproducing well in a non-native
country. Allowing venison meat producing
herds would assure the Barasingha of not
going extinct...that's why we have so
many cattle today! Allowing trophy
hunting would provide a kindly exit for
the old males and their antlers are
relatively large and very, very heavy
compared to other deer.
Whitetail Deer and Mule Deer. These
natives of North, Central and South
America are very prolific, more than at
any time of recorded history. When the
sheep men eliminated the screwworm, it
allowed the survival of many more native
deer. They are becoming pests in many
parts of their world. Seasons need to be
extended and more harvesting allowed
both for the sake of the animal and for
people. These deer tend to cycle...they
reproduce until their food supply cannot
support them and then in one season,
most of the deer will get diseased and
starve and die. Did you
know?...Whitetail deer kill more people
every year than any other wild animal?
You can't buy Whitetail and Mule Deer
venison from venison vendors. You'll
have to harvest it yourself. Because it
is native, it isn't commercially
available.
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