Welcome to a new hunter, Lindsey Kay Craven!

One thing I always enjoy seeing across the desk here at Cordray's is fathers introducing their kids to a pastime they enjoy. We have lots of fathers and sons, but we also have lots of dads and daughters. This past week one guy was just a little late in getting to us. And as many of you have seen, Michael is quick to ask, "Where have you been?" Just so you know, the correct answer to this question is NOT, I had to shower and shave, take my wife to dinner, and then moseyed on over to drop of this deer at 9:55! The guy this week had a surprising answer. "Well," he said, "I brought my new baby home from the hospital today and then asked the wife if she minded if I went out to hunt in the woods behind our house." You see, this isn't his first rodeo, either! He continued, "When she agreed, I went on and shot this nice buck. And since it was on my daughter's birthday, I wanted to get a few pictures of her in the camo outfit she came home from the hospital in with this buck." He went on to talk about how much he looks forward to taking his 2 little girls into the woods with him. Now I don't know how this will all turn out, but from my vantage point here, I see a lot of guys who just love introducing their daughters to hunting, spending time with them and having some common ground, away from the world outside. And through the years, I've seen a few fathers and daughters bring in young men to introduce them to the sport and build new hunting families. So welcome to our newest Big, Bad and Unusual hunter, Lindsey Craven, and congratulations to her dad, Bo Craven.
Claudia

Venison Loin Recipe

This recipe is contributed by Kristin, Kenneth's fiance. I'll tell this on Kenneth. We started the venison business when Kenneth was 4 years old. He used to say he was going to grow up and find himself a "chick" that could cook venison and drive a 4 wheeler. Well, it looks like he's found her! We are all looking forward to their wedding in June.
Claudia
For more recipes, click on the title above.

Venison Loin wrapped in bacon

Venison Loin
1 pound bacon
Italian dressing
Worcestershire sauce
Toothpicks

Slice tenderloin into ½” thick pieces. Make sure each piece is approximately the same size to ensure even grilling. Place pieces in a sealable container.

Pour a generous amount of Italian dressing over the venison. Add dashes of Worcestershire sauce also. Close container and shake the mixture until the venison is coated.

Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

After marinating the meat, wrap each piece of venison with ½ of a slice of bacon. Secure bacon with toothpick. The bacon should cover about ½-¾ of the meat surface.

Grill the pieces until the desired temperature of the meat 160 degrees) is reached and bacon is crispy.

HELPFUL TIPS:

Soak toothpicks in water before using them… this will prevent the toothpicks from burning while grilling the meat!

Although this recipe is designed for venison, it works well with beef as well as other wild game animals – such as, quail, pheasant, and dove!

Kristin Kierspe

Beef's up! New Shares Ready Next Weekend

The next batch of beef shares will be ready next weekend. If you'd like us to hold one for you, send in your deposit check right away. Then we'll give you a call to let you know when you can pick them up. If you got a share in the last batch, we'd love to hear some comments from you! Want more information on Cordray Farms Beef? Check out the Important Links section or click on the title above.

Michael C.

Oops! I goofed. Greg Scott Davis has the biggest deer.

The Big Buck contest is based on the dressed weight of the deer which we don't know until the deer is cleaned and weighed. I overlooked Greg Scott Davis's deer at a dressed weight of 113.8 lbs. Sorry Greg! But here's your picture and if you're still at the top of the board at the end of the year you'll win the shotgun.
Claudia

Can I buy venison?

We get this question all the time, but no, we can't sell you venison. I know you can buy it in restaurants, they have to import it as farm raised deer from off. I guess it's just the opposite of buying locally! It is against the law to sell venison from SC deer. The reasoning, and rightly so, is that if it were legal to sell deer meat, we'd have lots of professional hunters out there and pretty soon no deer at all. So when you come in to Cordray's, you see a meat case full of beef. That's from our cows and we sell it. One section of the case has venison products on display to help people decide what to do with their deer meat. The packages are clearly labeled Not For Sale. Sometimes folks get irritated with us, but we won't sell it. Go get yourself a deer!
Claudia

The rain is helping to get them moving!

Everyone's reporting scattered storms and rain, but lots of deer. One guy saw 8 big bucks and had time to choose! Jeff Stone brought in a really nice 12 point in velvet. Check out his picture and many others under the Big, Bad, and Unusual page. Justin Hembree got 2 and even invited his buddy into the photo!