Venison question

[Dacluver]

I'm curious how often, or how accessible was venison. Would it have been eaten more in the Trans Mississippi where roving bands of bushwackers and jayhawkers roamed the land?

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

In my readings, I can't recall having seen where it was eaten (not to say that it wasn't, I just haven't seen it, OR they didn't write about it!)....In larger military organizations (not roving bands of Bushwhackers) the needless discharge of a weapon was forbidden.
I seem to recall a story where some Yank infantry were being transported by boats on some river.....They went ashore to shoot ducks against orders. They ended up getting captured. My point: I don't think hunting was encouraged.
It was also easier to "forage" cattle, chickens and pigs, though "foraging" from civilians was forbidden, most officers would turn a blind eye on their hungry troops who might have engaged in this.

 

[diane]

The bushwhackers probably stood a better chance of a venison stew than an army. Nothing like thousands of men stomping through the woods to clear it of every four footed critter and winged thing for fifty miles around!

 

[millerpsc]

It amazes me that certain species of animals didn't go extinct during the civil war, especially in northern and eastern VA.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

The bushwhackers probably stood a better chance of a venison stew than an army. Nothing like thousands of men stomping through the woods to clear it of every four footed critter and winged thing for fifty miles around!

At one reenactment that I was participating in, around 7:30 in the morning, I went to use the sinks as the rest of the camp were also waking up, preparing coffee, breakfast etc, two deer ran right through our camp!
We were all astounded!! .....But, I agree with Diane, I don't think deer running around or being too near a huge camp was a common occurrence!

 

[Dacluver]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Now I'm hungry.

I might fry some ground venison bacon burgers before the night's over . . . a perfect late night snack !

 

[Dacluver]

Now I'm hungry.

I might fry some ground venison bacon burger before the night's over . . . a perfect late night snack !

Dinner at our house last night!

 

[Booner]

I'm not so sure there were as many deer 150 years ago as we have now. No such thing as a hunting season then, loss of habitat and market hunting was hard on them. I seem to remember my grandfather, who was a federal game warden, saying that deer and turkey were almost extinct in Missouri in the 1920's. Something like only 400 deer were throughout the state. They halted hunting in 1925 and had to import deer in from Michigan to increase the herd and provide genetic diversity. Hunting didn't resume until the 1930's on a limited basis.

 

[donna]

This is very good question.. Venison was the most important game animal in Colonial and Early America. They were plentiful throughout North America. Deer, because of intense hunting, became scare. By the mid-19th century venison had become rare in Eastern markets in America. By the 1900s it was scare in Western states too. By the early 20th century there was the virtual elimination of venison from the American diet.

In the 19th century if they purchased or killed deer, it was very expensive. The haunch was the favorite piece of meat. It was roasted, boiled and fried or cut into slices (collops) and prepared. Most 19th century cookbooks had a few recipes for venison. Venison was served as a luxury in upper class homes and in fashionable restaurants in the late 19th century.

By the early 20th century there were laws protecting deer and other game . In the South, where the deer were more numerous, it still remained on the menu.

In the 20th century as the deer population grew, more was eaten. There were more recipes for deer in 20th century cookbooks.

From: "Oxford Companion of American Food and Drink" by Andrew F. Smith.

Was deer or venison eaten by soldiers during the Civil War?

A good article on this is from "Deer Jerky and the Confederate Soldiers"
see: https://prezi.com/wa3d4axfnbxm/deer-jerky-and-the-confederate-soldiers/

It states "deer jerky played a big part in the Confederate nutrition. They had to make do with what they could find."

Another reference I found of eating deer during Civil War by soldiers is in book "The Taylor's Civil War" (historical fiction) by Lowell F. Volk. This is about Virginia farm family. There is reference to Union raiders taking everything they had and killing deer for meat.

 

[MRB1863]

A visual:
View attachment 92459
http://thegingeredwhisk.yummly.com/2013/01/bacon-cheese-venison-burgers.html

I hope you brought enough for everybody!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Now I'm hungry.

I might fry some ground venison bacon burgers before the night's over . . . a perfect late night snack !

I have a deer liver in my freezer.....It's tasty fried with some onions!

 

[1stMN]

I just got my deer back from the processor within the last week, plenty of venison italian sausage and steaks to go around!

 

[James B White]

A good article on this is from "Deer Jerky and the Confederate Soldiers"
see: https://prezi.com/wa3d4axfnbxm/deer-jerky-and-the-confederate-soldiers/

It states "deer jerky played a big part in the Confederate nutrition. They had to make do with what they could find."

If it played such a big part, there must be numerous primary sources mentioning it just like salt pork and bacon. I'd be more interested in those, as it doesn't fit with Smith above. They wouldn't be making do, they'd be eating in luxury.

The author also seems not to understand the necessity of smoke while drying meat in the open air. Flies laying eggs on your drying jerky tends to make it unappetizing in a few days.

I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste the links and once I clicked on the making jerky page I couldn't get back to the others, but it seemed like a modern person extrapolating from what he does and then trying to find things to justify it.

 

[donna]

I hope to check other sources. It would seem other soldiers would mention in their letters and diaries. Just wanted to post what I had found.

 

[donna]

In further research found deer mentioned as food for soldiers in book, "Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide".

One quote from book:

George A Remly, 22nd Iowa Volunteers, in a letter to his father from Rolla, Missouri, on Dec. 3, 1862 . "Company D returned last Monday evening bringing into camp three deer and twelve wild turkey that they had killed on their way back. They report game very plenty."

 

[diane]

I'm not so sure there were as many deer 150 years ago as we have now. No such thing as a hunting season then, loss of habitat and market hunting was hard on them. I seem to remember my grandfather, who was a federal game warden, saying that deer and turkey were almost extinct in Missouri in the 1920's. Something like only 400 deer were throughout the state. They halted hunting in 1925 and had to import deer in from Michigan to increase the herd and provide genetic diversity. Hunting didn't resume until the 1930's on a limited basis.

The scarcity of game back east caused more than one Indian war - and that was back in the 1700s and before. It's a very, very delicate arrangement - precarious, in fact - and it doesn't take much to upset the whole continent. The eastern people kept the land so that it was favorable to plenty of deer and other game, thinning out trees and burning off the floor so yummy grasses would grow and Bambi would be fat and healthy come dinner time. Not to mention provide a nice set of shirts. Indians used everything for everything but the Europeans very often didn't. I've wondered about that. Seems the more technologically advanced societies become...the more wasteful they are! (By the way, it's not like Indians helped their cause - liked to get tons of beaver skins and deer hides to trade for those nifty sharp axes and shiny beads...)

 

[Bee]

The eastern people kept the land so that it was favorable to plenty of deer and other game, thinning out trees and burning off the floor so yummy grasses would grow and Bambi would be fat and healthy come dinner time

Wow! The Indians of Yosemite did the same thing: they burned the Valley every year to improve the yields. I participated in a few walks and lectures regarding the original inhabitants, and it was amazing how different the ecosystem was 'back in the day'. So much research has been done in the park, that it changed its policy on burns: many of the naturally caused fires are allowed to burn themselves out to make the forest healthier.

 

[Booner]

There's so much dead wood in Colorado due to the pine bark beetle that most of the state will go up in flames one day.

 

[diane]

Wow! The Indians of Yosemite did the same thing: they burned the Valley every year to improve the yields. I participated in a few walks and lectures regarding the original inhabitants, and it was amazing how different the ecosystem was 'back in the day'. So much research has been done in the park, that it changed its policy on burns: many of the naturally caused fires are allowed to burn themselves out to make the forest healthier.

There's so much dead wood in Colorado due to the pine bark beetle that most of the state will go up in flames one day.

I'll bet Booner knows about the California water wars! Still going on at that. Owens Valley, for instance. The valley was a marsh with lots of tules and trees and lush grasses and it was well irrigated by the Paiutes. Nobody realized they were actually farming the land there because the method of farming was not a concept the Europeans understood. But - LA needed water because developers needed water because there was money in them thar Hollywood Hills! It's easy to kick a bunch of poor Natives off their land - stop, don't, you'll be sorry is about all you'll get out of them. And they were sorry - Owens Valley became a poisonous dust bowl and would have made headlines like Love Canal if houses had been built on it. Indian trailers - meh! (Check out "Chinatown".)

Booner, how much of Colorado have they turned into monument? They can't even get in to maintain things - no roads, no access, no nothing. Burns up uncontrollably and if it don't burn, the bugs get into it.

Ack! I'm sorry...I'll get back to food!