Archers Elk - A Great Accomplishment

Well he did it! After 7 hard years of hunting, The Archer finally brought down a bull elk, a hard thing to do up here. Here's the story :
A few nights ago, well after dark, my husband went out looking for our Archer, who had been gone all day. Being gone all day isn't unusual for our avid 19 year old hunter, but not coming home after dark falls is. Around 11pm neither of them had returned and I was beginning to wonder what had happened to them. Super Catman and I took communion in my kitchen and we prayed for their wisdom, safety and protection. Some time around midnight the 4-wheeler and the truck drove in much to my and the kids relief. Both of them had packs full of meat and a digital camera to tell the story. Archer was walking on air. He scarfed up some food and headed to bed, knowing he would need sleep for the big pack out the next day. Every time I woke up, I prayed angels around our meat - that it would be protected from predators and spoiling.
Before dawn I was up making breakfast for the hungry men. Sock Fashion Expert wasn't feeling very good, so I left her home with Moonbeam. I wasn't so sure about the whole pack out job thing, but I figured I was needed. I also didn't want to miss the special thing that meant so much to our Archer. After hiking a few miles through forest, over slippery downed trees, up mountainous country and into dense brush, we came upon the elk.
Much to all our relief, it remained untouched. After a few pictures, the men took out knives to begin butchering. I was shocked and horrified when my husband handed me a knife - "you've got to be kidding" I was thinking. He instructed me on how to cut meat from the ribs and assigned me the job. Ugh!! Well, I guess I can try. Okay, well it wasn't that bad. I imagined that we must have been a little like the Indians of Early America. "Many hands make light work" right? So I took the straps from the ribs as Art Dog, My husband, and Archer worked on other parts. It went pretty fast. Nothing was wasted. We loaded the meat into garbage bags and then into our back packs.
They were all amazed that we were able to pack it out in just one trip that day (besides what they hauled out the night before). My husband hauled over 80 lbs, Archer hauled close to 90 lbs, I'm not sure what Super Catman had, but I hauled a little under 60 lbs and Art Dog had a little over 50 lbs. It was quite a deal. We worked hard but felt a feeling of accomplishment when it was over. As for me, I was content to see my hot tub registered within its chemical limits and I spent a good long time relaxing in there!! Now for the processing!!

What Granny Clampet and I Have in Common

What do Granny Clampet and I have in Common? Well, I imagine she rendered plenty of bear fat! I haven't, however, stooped to feeding my family crow gizzards or possum innards.
Today was rainy and overcast. My good friend, Elasta Woman was coming for a visit. Long before I even dragged myself out of bed, our eldest son, "The Archer" (pictured here), had cooked himself some breakfast and went out in search of game. I did a daily devotional with the other kids, got them started on school and hurriedly began straightening up. My husband did math with the kids as usual. Just as Elasta Woman and I had settled in with a good cup of joe and some zucchini bread in burst Archer.
Ecstatic, he told us he had "predator called" in a mammoth black bear. It's weight was likely over 300 lbs. The younger boys loved the excuse to post pone their school work until later on. With lots of hoopla, my husband and all three boys headed off to pack out the meat, fat and hide. The bear was so big that all of them together couldn't drag it out.
We try very hard not to waste anything. It would be such a travesty to me to kill such a majestic animal and not use all of it. This is why I began rendering the fat. I have actually found that rendered bear fat is great for deep fat frying, for baking, etc.. It's organic, doesn't have access to what the "city bears" do, and there are other health benefits as well. Animal fat has been used among indigenous people for centuries. Heart disease and Diabetes were not as prevalent among them until they had access to processed foods. Ok, I'll get off my soap box about that. We also eat the meat (though it has to be cooked very well) and keep the hide.