Make sure not to let good meat go to waste.

After celebrating my birthday last Thursday, I was lucky enough to hit the woods Friday afternoon for an evening hunt to finish out my perfect birthday celebration.

Being able to enjoy the wonderful cold front that rolled in and made the critter activity explode made for a wonderful hunt.

I saw deer activity the whole time I was in the woods.

I wound up seeing two small bucks, two spikes and five does.

There were also three fawns running around.

I also had a sow coon with her four offspring attempt to play with the zippers on my blind.

Had they been successful, I would have let them have the blind. A mama raccoon with her fuzzy little babies is not anything that you want to experience.

The bucks were all interested in chasing the does but the does were not ready.

This gives some insight to the fact that the opening weekend of modern gun may reveal a moderate amount of rut activity and the chances of seeing that elusive buck will certainly jump.

I returned home Friday night and was already anticipating the next morning.

The morning was crisp and cold with a bit of wind coming right out of the north.

I could hear geese flying high right after daylight.

I had a lot of deer activity again and saw a few more deer than I did Friday evening.

From 7 a.m. until 9 a.m., I had deer constantly passing through.

I was excited to see two young bucks lock horns and fight just 15 yards from me.

They made a lot of noise that sparked the interest of a small seven-point.

He emerged from the trees and the young bucks took off. In the next few minutes, the deer moved on.

I had one young doe come out and she immediately appeared startled.

She stared down a lane to my right and I could see something large and dark emerge from the tall grass.

I could see a large hog standing in the lane at about 65 yards.

I checked the hog in the scope and saw it was a boar.

I knew he needed to be taken out and was hoping he was traveling with a sow because I would prefer to shoot her.

I waited a few moments and it was obvious he was traveling alone.

I raised my muzzleloader and got him in the crosshairs.

I squeezed the trigger and a quick boom accompanied with a cloud of blue smoke filled the air.

I consider it stress relief and aromatherapy all in one.

The smoke cleared and I walked down the lane to see where he fell. As I walked down, I could smell the horrible aroma that comes with a nasty boar hog.

He was mad and stirred up as he ran 22 yards.

I found him and drug him back up the hill to the lane.

I wanted to give him to someone, but he smelled horrible and the fact that he ran and had an adrenaline rush before he crashed guaranteed that the meat would be nasty and tough.

He was about 90 pounds in size.

A small boar would have been a lot better.

I decided to haul him off and go home to rest for the evening hunt.

I returned to this spot that evening and started seeing deer just 15 minutes after I walked to the blind.

I broke over the barrel and put in a primer.

I closed it softly and waited for animal activity.

A doe stepped out and was followed by her fawn.

After just 15 minutes, the doe seemed uneasy and ready to leave.

She was staring down the lane in the vicinity of where I shot the boar that morning.

I looked and I saw the biggest hog I had ever seen.

I immediately grabbed my gun and put the scope on the massive pig. I checked the hog out and it was in fact a big sow.

She was not nursing nor pregnant so I knew this big pig would be much appreciated by someone.

I put the crosshairs on her midsection so that the hams and shoulders would remain intact.

I squeezed the trigger and waited on the cloud to clear as I heard her let out a squeal.

I took to Facebook and posted that I had a 200pound sow that I just shot that wasn't nursing or pregnant and told anyone if they wanted it to contact me.

I had immediate response from seven people and gave it to the person that messaged me first.

I found a home for a good organic, free range, antibiotic and steroid-free pig.

I followed the heavy blood trail and found her. I slit her throat to begin draining blood off the meat and had to drag her out of the thick brush because my four wheeler couldn't go into the thicket.

I put a rope around her neck and made a harness out of my end of the rope. I was able to drag her about 75 yards to my four wheeler and tie her to the rack to drag her out to the family that wanted her. I helped him load her up and they were gone. I then had to give a quick clean and swab out of my muzzleloader and my dad's muzzleloader.

I figured I did good just by thinning out the two large pigs.

Two down and probably 100 to go.

It was dark by the time I got the guns cleaned and my gear put away.

I went home to enjoy some deer chili and some football.

I may not have harvested a deer but at least someone was able to fill their freezer and that is always a plus.

As a hunter, there is nothing that makes me more upset than to see people kill a deer, hog or a few ducks and toss them in a ditch to waste.

I promise you that there are so many people in this world that would gladly take any meat that you do not want to keep.

It is also illegal to throw away the meat off of animals.

It takes no time to take the hide off of a deer or hog, remove the guts and deliver it to someone in need.

You can also breast a duck quickly and put them in a bag to deliver to someone.

If you hunt just for something to hang on the wall, then you hunt for the wrong reasons.

A trophy is fine and dandy but the meat can do more for you than a rack of horns.

I love my wall hangers, but I like it more when I can go to my freezer and pull out a package of healthy meat.

I also prefer to give a shoulder or leg quarter to someone that needs it instead of hunting for no reason.

If you take a big buck and do not want the meat, make someone's day and deliver them a deer.

With social media, it is so easy to find people that want a deer or hog.

You can make your neighbor's day if you simply have a deer processed and give it to them for Christmas.

Hunger is a major issue right here in Union County.

Food pantries are always needing donations.

I am not the only person more than happy to shoot and tag a deer and give the meat to someone.

Some people do not hunt and can't kill one but can afford the processing.

Others can't afford a license or processing.

With six deer tags, you know you will not put six deer in your freezer.

Put the three that you were going to take anyway in your freezer and take another for a friend, neighbor or an elderly person at your church.

It will not cost you anything but time and a little bit of effort.

Hauling off a big nasty boar is just part of it, but never waste a sow or small boar.

A 60-pound hog can give a family about 35 pounds of meat.

A large doe can feed a family of four for a month.

With the holiday season approaching, help those less fortunate.

If you are lucky to harvest that big monster buck, cape him out and give that meat away if you have no intention of putting him in your freezer.

There are many people that need it.

Your deer camp or lease can go in together and deliver meat that no one wants.

All it takes is a group effort.

Pictures? Comments? Questions? Send them to katiem@eldoradonews.com.