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Question regarding adrenalin in the bodyies of successful hunts...

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HatchA:
Ok, so the other night I watched a very interesting program in a series about the age old question of whether women could do some of the more "traditionally manl" jobs around the world.  This particular show featured three women that went to South Africa to hunt/cull some of the animals there on privately owned land. 

Yes, they used rifles and yes, the worked at night; lamping the antelope but it was still interesting to watch.  I've yet to experience the hunt so I was wrapped up with interest!!

The one thing that stood out for me though, was that the guy that gets the contracts for culling was instructing the women to shoot clean, clear headshots for immediate kills.

Now, I know that with arrows we aim for the heart/lung area in the hopes of an easy, calm death but occasionally the animal can bolt and need to be tracked.

My question is about the guy's main reason for insisting on headshots...   He stated that if/when an animal is shot and wounded (probably with a slow-killing wound) the adrenalin is released into the bloodstream and it "...ruins the meat..........makes it inedible..."  and as the meat harvested from the cull on the show would be shipped to the UK as "venison", nothing less than a headshot was acceptable.

so...  I read the stories in the magazines and on here about how some deer manage 20 yards, some manage a LOT more than that before finally settling down to an eternal sleep.  I also read about how damn tasty fresh venison is!!  My question, I suppose is two-fold:  Have any of you ever heard of this example and/or has anyone ever experienced the "difference in taste" that he's claiming is possible??

I hope I'm making sense ^^

cracker:
Yes you do make sense and here is my take. I know that adrenaline is dumped into the blood stream instantly up the ocurrance of a frightening event. If you've ever had some numbskull pull out in front of you you know what I mean. I dont think that the short term pressece of edrenaline is that harmful however here in Ga. there is a portion of the deer season that it is legal to hunt deer with dogs I have eaten venison  that was chased for exended periods of time and the meat was not very tasty at all which leads me to believe that continued pressence of adrenaline may be more harmful to the taste and quality of the meat.
JMO
Ronnie

Cameroo:
I was always under the impression that it's the lactic acid (or lactate) that builds up in muscle tissue when it's over worked without enough oxygen that sometimes ruins the taste of meat.  Another reason to try your best for a clean kill!

cracker:
Quite possible like I said jmho I'm not a biologist so I wouldn't actually know.

JW_Halverson:
Not one of the deer or antelope I have hunted has ever tasted "off".  The three legged mulie doe I shot last January was so tough I could't get a fork into the gravy, but she tasted fine. 

I shot a doe antelope last year that had a front leg shattered before I first found her.  I followed her for an entire day over 7 miles because I couldn't walk away and let someone else's poor shot make her life miserable.  She ran in great big arcs across huge tracts of South Dakota prairie.  I cut across those arcs closing the distance until I finally got a 150 yd shot at her.  The wound was clean, dry, but didn't show much signs of healing.  Probably happened the day before.  Gutted her and brought her to the nearest game warden.  He was also a biologist and a fanatic antelope hunter.  We both agreed the wound was fairly recent and not infected or gangrenous. 

She hung for 11 days between 34 and 40 degrees in the garage before I skinned her and butchered all but the shot front leg.  I kept the shoulder above the shattered leg  thinking it would be blended in with other game in sausage.  I tried some backstrap chops on the grill and they were superb!  Tender, sweet, richly flavored, and not excessively gamey.  That whole animal was one wonderful meal after another.

Ultimately I believe it is how the animal is cared for after being shot.  Get 'em gutted fast, wash the body cavity as thoroughly as possible with the coldest water you can find, snow works fine too.   And I strongly believe in aging venison a minimum of 10 days, 14 is better yet.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

As for the clean kill thing...I can't stand to see 'em suffer.  Clean shot or no shot is a good rule to go by.  I doubt anyone here would disagree.

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