Robert's Raising/ Hunting/Trapping of Animals
Raising a calf
We've tried our hands at raising calves, Hereford and Scottish Highlanders in the past. We have considered raising a calf again since the price of bull calves is low. Robert keeps talking about butchering it ourselves to save money. I don't know about that. It would be a few hundred pounds. Sometimes I feel the cost of having it professionally butchered, cut and wrapped offsets the time and labor of doing it ourselves. We still have some of the fencing from when we raised animals before, but we may need more. One of the problems with keeping animals is preparing for a vacation. They need to be cared for on a daily basis. You also need a very large freezer. There is the start-up cost of fencing to consider and the cost of butchering. Eating meat from animals you've raised yourself, knowing there are no added chemicals to make the meat look fresh, is a cost-savings and is healthier than meat you can buy in a store.
Hunting and Fishing
Robert hunts extensively during the fall deer season. We always have a deer in the freezer. He's been hunting for the past 30 years or so. Our children have gone through the hunter safety courses and have NY state lifetime hunting and fishing licenses. Ben shot his first deer a couple of years ago and also bow hunts. He and his father ice fish every winter and both enjoy fishing for trout. When I first met Robert, he would spend some of his free time tying flies. Robert has passed this art form down to Ben.
Trapping
Robert and Ben trap beaver, muskrat, mink, and fisher. The picture to the left is Ben holding up two large beavers. I can't say that we've ever tried eating the meat from these animals, but when the prices of fur are up, it's a nice extra income. During the winter of Ben's last year of high school, he would get up at 4:30 am and check his trap line before school started. Every day. It takes committment to run a trap line; you have to check it every day in the worst type of weather. That year he trapped 20 beaver, over 100 muskrats and 25 mink.
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