For many Pennsylvania residents, deer hunting is the sport that also puts food on the table.

The season, which opens Dec. 1, draws marksmen by the hundreds into the freezing winter woods and, for them, it's worth putting up with the chill because of what it yields: tasty venison, or deer meat. Versatile venison also comes from elk and reindeer — and those who savor the game meat go for it in a big way.

"Both my husband and I hunt, so we usually end up with over 200 pounds of venison in the freezer!" said Katie Crowl, 27, of Marietta, via e-mail.

"We eat venison at my house on almost a daily basis all year long," Crowl wrote of herself and husband, Josh, also 27. She takes regular recipes that use beef and substitutes venison to create lasagna, meatloaf, tacos, chili, pot roast and even burgers.

"Anything you can make with beef, you can make ... with venison," Crowl said.

Fans of the meat point out that it's low in fat and cholesterol. And they'd like to clear up a common misconception.

"Some people think it's gamy, but ... it's so lean," said Sandi Fasnacht, 45, of Ephrata.

"People don't understand it's the leanest meat out there," Fasnacht said. Lean can make cooking tricky, however; venison gets done fast.

"Medium-rare is the most you ever want to cook venison," said Sam Nelson, 53, of Mount Joy. He likes to fire up the backyard grill to make one of his favorites — deer backstrap, or loin, which he cuts like Delmonico beef steaks, and butterflies. When doing so, he keeps a very close eye on things, checking the meat every couple of minutes.

That helps Nelson foil venison's reputation for being gamy or chewy. He once served the meat to a guest without telling her what it was and, to this day, Nelson's not sure if she ever knew she ate venison. Nevertheless, "she devoured them," he recalled of the steaks he made for a surf-and-turf dinner.

For Fasnacht, deer is literally a family tradition.

"My dad hunted, so I grew up around it all my life," she said.

Her father, the late Harold Eberly, was one of the founders of a hunting camp in Tioga County. "Dad always had deer meat," Fasnacht said.

Eight years ago, Fasnacht's husband, Brian, 50, introduced her to hunting; he also butchers his own deer. "Loins are the favored cut," said Fasnacht. "We also get steaks and roasts, and the lesser cuts we grind into hamburger." Some folks like to mix the latter with beef, but not Fasnacht, who likes it just the way it is.

She has a favorite recipe for deer loin; though she admits she doesn't measure, marinate at length or do anything fancy. Fasnacht places the loins in a loaf pan or a Pyrex dish, pours some Worcestershire sauce on top and adds steak seasoning — Fasnacht likes McCormick Broiled Steak Seasoning Blend. Ground salt and pepper, to taste, complete the flavoring. "I like a course salt," Fasnacht said, adding she prefers peppercorn-style pepper, especially the five-peppercorn, multicolored variety.

Using tongs, the deer loin goes onto a "nice, hot, ready grill" — but, again, time your cooking carefully. "It's not long," she said. "Cook until the center is a nice pink." Fasnacht said to aim for what she calls "a maximum-medium doneness" or medium-rare.

Sam Nelson's secret behind an enjoyable deer dinner starts long before he cooks anything.

"Good preparation of venison starts when you pull the trigger or draw the bow," said Nelson. Make a clean kill, he advises fellow hunters, and don't drag the carcass through dirt and muddy creeks before throwing it "in a pickup truck for a three-hour ride home without being cooled. ... If we don't give our venison the same care we give our beef, it has no chance of being the same quality."

Fasnacht, relaying information from husband Brian, said flavor can be affected by, of all things, how a deer runs.

"When you shoot a deer ... if they are running hard, and get all this adrenaline in their system, that can affect how the meat will taste," Sandi Fasnacht said.

Aging is key, too.

Dave Gunselman, 49, of Ephrata, said he's been deer hunting for about 35 years. Gunselman, too, agreed that the taste of venison is not wild-tasting if aged correctly.

That's done by allowing the freshly butchered meat to "sit in the refrigerator at 40 degrees for about a week" before freezing. "Especially the backstrap … That's the filet mignon" of deer meat, Gunselman said. "Butterflied tenderloins are good." Like many deer hunters, Gunselman butchers his own, smoking some of the meat for jerky.

But what if you're not a butcher by nature? Deer- meat processing services are readily available; Paul Hess, who runs Hess' Butcher Shop in Willow Street with his brother Lloyd, for example, estimates they process 2,000 to 2,500 deer per season. From that, they make up to 30 different products, including venison ham and bacon.

If you're not a hunter, venison might prove a little tricky to find. It's illegal for hunters to sell wild game — though they can give it away — and any commercial venison has to be farm-raised and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Paul Hess said. An Internet search yielded Highbourne Deer Farms, Dallastown, York County, as one place to try; call 428-2774 or log on to www.highbourne.com.

Here is Sam Nelson's take on venison steaks, made with backstrap. Properly prepared, they have a texture like very tender beef steaks, with just a slightly different flavor. Nelson and his wife, Donna, 52, recently prepared a dinner of venison steaks served at their home with a salad, a colorful string bean/baby carrot vegetable medley and roasted miniature red potatoes seasoned with oil and parsley. He paired the meal with a mild merlot. All ingredients are to taste; Nelson said he doesn't season much.

"Make sure steaks are completely thawed. Rinse and pat dry before placing in Italian salad dressing or olive oil marinade of your choice before refrigerating for at least 24 hours. As an option, remove meat from Italian dressing and place in A.1 steak marinade for a few more hours. "This helps replace the tart, spicy taste of the Italian dressing with a more traditional, meaty flavor.

"Remove all marinade. ... Season with steak seasoning of your choice; I use a product called Kirkland's Montreal Steak Seasoning.

"Grill on indirect heat or pan-sauté on very low heat with a little olive oil until no more than medium-rare. Remember, venison has no fat, so it cannot remain tender if cooked well-done."

The oil in the Italian dressing will help displace the deep red color of the uncooked meat, Nelson said. "So even the fussiest meat eaters will not know they are eating slightly rare meat."

This is how Dave Gunselman prepares deer backstrap. He likes to season with McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade, available in 1.06-ounce packets.

"Remove backstraps from deer (two straps per deer). Cut each strap in half. Each piece will be approximately 8 to 10 inches in length," Gunselman e-mailed.

"Age meat in refrigerator seven to 10 days" in a freezer bag or in plastic wrap before cooking, he said.

"Marinate meat with McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade, per instructions on packet, for approximately 30 minutes. Other flavors are available.

"Get grill very hot. Sear exterior of meat to seal in the juices. [Gunselman does 4 to 5 minutes per side]. Do not overcook. Baste with marinade, if desired. Remove from grill and let venison filet 'relax.' Take it off the heat and leave it sit for three to four minutes.

"Serve with whatever," Gunselman wrote via e-mail. "Enjoy!"

The following two recipes come courtesy of Katie Crowl. The first, for Venison Pot Roast, "is so easy and it is my favorite," Crowl wrote. The second recipe is a venison version of the classic burger.

VENISON POT ROAST
1 venison roast (any weight), thawed

Black pepper, to taste

Baby carrots, as needed

4 large russet potatoes, cubed

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, quartered

1 bottle or can of your favorite beer (usually Coors Light at our house)

Horseradish sauce, to taste

Set thawed roast in the bottom of large slow cooker. Heavily sprinkle top of roast with pepper.

Place carrots, potatoes and onion around edge of roast.Pour beer around edge of roast, being careful not to wash away pepper.

Fill beer bottle or can halfway with water and pour around edge of roast. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with a small amount of horseradish sauce on each serving.

BARBECUED VENISON BURGER
1 pound ground venison

½ onion, chopped

¼ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

Combine venison and onion and sauté until venison is browned. Stir in all other ingredients. Simmer about 20 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.


Deer and fighting hunger in families
Since 1991, a charitable group, Hunters Sharing the Harvest "has channeled hunter's donations of venison to local food banks, soup kitchens, and needy families, via an integrated network of local contacts and cooperating butcher shops," according to their Web site, www.sharedeer.org. Hunters are encouraged to consider donating their second or third deer of the season, but also to consider smaller donations. For participating local processors, log on and click on "resources" or call 866- 474-2141.

Deer season features a new five-day antlered deer only season in Wildlife Management Units 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B, according to the Web site www.outdoorcentral.com. It starts tomorrow and concludes Dec. 5. It is followed in these four WMUs by seven days of concurrent antlered and antlerless deer hunting Dec. 6-13. The rest of Pennsylvania follows the two-week antlered and antlerless season Dec. 1-13.

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Stephen Kopfinger is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at skopfinger@lnpnews.com or at 291-8799.