The Deer Story

Now, you are probably asking yourselves, “What in the world does deer meat have to do with anything in this blog??” Well, it just so happens that we now have in our possession one very dead and edible deer. Not a leg. A whole deer. Complete with head, hooves, and everything in between.

Driving back from Monbestu on Sunday, Aaron and I watched in horror as the car directly in front of us smashed into a deer that had been on the side of the road. Everyone came to a screeching halt (Mike and Cyndi were behind us) and Aaron dashed out of the car. The Japanese people who hit the poor animal seemed fine, and cautiously approached Aaron and the deer. Unfortunately, the poor thing was still alive, though it would absolutely not last long due to its very obvious injuries. Aaron promptly pulled out his ever-present pocketknife and slit it’s throat so it wouldn’t suffer any more. The Japanese people looked very confused and uncomfortable. Once the well-dressed man and his wife decided there was nothing for them to do, they straightened their driving gloves and went on their way. However, by this time, Aaron’s brain had gone into over drive and he decided, rightly so, that it would be a terrible waste to let the deer just rot. I’m sure you can see where this is headed, now. Anyway, he pulled it off to the side of the road and up onto the snow. After filling it’s now empty body cavity with snow, we quickly drove the remaining five minutes back to the village.

Remember Mr. Igota? He’s the wildlife biologist friend of ours who speaks pretty good English. He gave us a venison quarter back in the fall. I dropped Aaron off at his house on the main road and went home. After waiting about 20 minutes, I decided that we would probably be eating venison for a while since Aaron had not come back.

Apparently, Aaron had knocked on the door, explained to Mr. Igota what had happened, and then asked if it was “allowed” for him to harvest the meat. Mr. Igota just calmly nodded his head and said, “Good idea.” Aaron explained that he needed help collecting the animal. Could Mr. Igota help him? “Just a minute, “ was the response. Within minutes, Mr. Igota, his brother, his boss, and Aaron, piled into the truck to fetch the poor creature. Apparently Mr. Igota had been having a meeting at his house. You can imagine my shock and surprise when I looked out my front window to see three Japanese men and my husband pile out of the little truck and dump a rather large dead deer into my front yard. Mr. Igota just smiled at me and waved good-bye. After a lot of debate and conversation, I managed to convince Aaron to finish gutting it and just hang it from a beam in the garage.

First he had to go to Seicomart to get rope. Our friend Chihiro was working, so he got to explain to her why he needed rope. I don’t think she completely understood until later in the evening when I went to get drinks. Then her eyes opened wide and understanding set in. I just had to laugh and shake my head. After getting rope, Aaron and Mike tried to find something to spread the hind legs with so they could hang it. Aaron’s first attempt was a ski pole, believe it or not. I’m sure the family that left the ski equipment behind never dreamed it would be put to such a use. Only problem was that it wouldn’t hold the considerable weight of the deer. So, I found a cleaning brush that they used, complete with bristles still attached. As we had no daylight left, the guys left the deer hanging in the garage and closed the door.

The next morning, Monday, Aaron spent the afternoon butchering the deer. Apparently he had company for part of the time. Mr. Igota and a friend came by for a while. At first, Mr. Igota seemed to feel that they needed to hide the deer from view, as it might upset folks. That wasn’t really an option, so Aaron just promised to work fast. After a little while, the Otasaka’s came by to watch. Ryuya’s father and grandfather came over and watched, later joined by Grandma Otasaka. They seemed fascinated. Ryuya’s mother stopped by after picking Ryuya up from school and I could tell from her body language that she wanted to see the deer. So, Aaron happily pulled up the garage door so she could see what remained of the carcass and the tub full of quartered venison and snow. Thank goodness for all the snow still on the ground! She seemed to think it was the coolest thing imaginable and said she had never eaten venison before. So, of course, with all this meat on our hands, we promptly offered her a whole leg. Our offer elicited a huge squeal of delight and a low bow of gratitude. I knew they would not be a family to turn their noses up at what is usually expensive meat, even if a car instead of a gun killed it. On Tuesday, Aaron cleaned up one of the hind quarters wrapped it in a clean trash bag, and then we both went next door to give it to the Otasakas. They seemed both pleased and puzzled at the same time. I think they were a little unsure as to how to cook it, so Aaron gave them a few pointers.

However, the story doesn’t end here. Yesterday (Wednesday), the Queen of Repaying Favors struck. While retuning from a trip to Seicomart, Aaron was delayed by the Otasakas. They spoke in Japanese he couldn’t understand, though they seemed to be thanking him. Then, Grandpa Otasaka handed Aaron a very large, salted and frozen salmon. The whole thing. I should have known something like this would happen! You just can’t beat Grandma Otasaka in the world of Favors. So, now our freezer is almost completely full of salmon and venison. We still have two forelegs to deal with, too. I think I might have to have a venison party! Chili, anyone?

For anyone who is really curious, here are the photos. Consider yourself warned, though, some of them are messy.

Aaron with the deer in the front. He had to finish the gutting that the car started.

Always curious, Ridge watches while his daddy works.

Hoisting the critter up in the garage. Notice the brush still attached on one end of the "spreader bar" we improvised

Finally, we successfully hung it up.

The next day, it was neatly packed in snow

...and that evening, dinner - a Japanese dish called Donburi.

And here is the fish...