Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[Reg Smeeton]

Can anyone tell me what animal I saw in Big Bend National Park, Texas? I thought it was a pair of stags, but having googled them, they're nowhere near big/tall enough for what we saw. Same antlers and stuff that stags have, but the body was on top of 6-foot muscly legs. These things were massive, and I didn't realise anything like them even existed. It was pitch black, around midnight, and we thought we'd seen some kind of mystical creature.

Elk?

[DMR]

Caribou

[sonicyouth]

Steroids?

Caribou

aka reindeer, Texas is a bit far south for their range.

According to this elk are extremely rare in Big Bend although seems to be dated from 1997. This article implies that elk are more widespread.

Either way, it's probably an elk you saw.

[DMR]

I dont know I just googled antlered animals like Reg did

[sonicyouth]

You should try reindeer sausage. It's great.

[4D]

I've seen elk in Canada, a large deer built like a brick shithouse.

[Reg Smeeton]

Steroids?

aka reindeer, Texas is a bit far south for their range.

According to this elk are extremely rare in Big Bend although seems to be dated from 1997. This article implies that elk are more widespread.

Either way, it's probably an elk you saw.

I thought you might now be the TEF expert on rangiferine ungulates.

[sonicyouth]

I thought you might now be the TEF expert on rangiferine ungulates.

Was there one before?

I haven't seen one yet, only eaten them. Steaks, roast, kebabs, smoked sausage - all delicious.

Mostly I'm improving my birding skills.

[Reg Smeeton]

I dont know I just googled antlered animals like Reg did

Do you work for GCHQ? Strangely, one of the plus points about getting older, is that you do tend to acquire knowledge...one of the downsides is that you then forget it.

[Reg Smeeton]

Was there one before?

I haven't seen one yet, only eaten them. Steaks, roast, kebabs, smoked sausage - all delicious.

Mostly I'm improving my birding skills.

Don't mind a bit of venison myself...but I'd imagine free range reindeer to be a bit more flavoursome.

Good work on the birding...what have you seen?

[sonicyouth]

I'd only tried venison once or twice before and found it a bit tough. Reindeer is very tender by comparison and extremely rich in taste.

I don't keep a list but my latest 'tick' is a hobby, which I spotted along the A40 between Carterton and Witney. At home we have a few birds as regular garden visitors that I'd hardly seen back in the UK, namely garden warbler and fieldfare that are nesting en masse in trees behind the house, get great views just sat on the veranda on a sunny day. There are some excellent wetlands around but have been flooded recently following the snow melt so haven't yet explored them properly

[Peter Venkman]

I'd only tried venison once or twice before and found it a bit tough. Reindeer is very tender by comparison and extremely rich in taste.

I am surprised at that, I love Venison and have never had a tough piece of it, quite the opposite in fact and find it also very rich in flavour.

Reindeer from Ikea is not bad but I do prefer venison TBH.

[Reg Smeeton]

I'd only tried venison once or twice before and found it a bit tough. Reindeer is very tender by comparison and extremely rich in taste.

I don't keep a list but my latest 'tick' is a hobby, which I spotted along the A40 between Carterton and Witney. At home we have a few birds as regular garden visitors that I'd hardly seen back in the UK, namely garden warbler and fieldfare that are nesting en masse in trees behind the house, get great views just sat on the veranda on a sunny day. There are some excellent wetlands around but have been flooded recently following the snow melt so haven't yet explored them properly

I like fieldfares...must be quite a sight.  You get them coming to Blighty when it's too cold in Scandinavia, redwing then same.

[Chubbs]

Don't mind a bit of venison myself...but I'd imagine free range reindeer to be a bit more flavoursome.

Good work on the birding...what have you seen?

Got given a 1.5kg haunch of venison from my father in law, cant wait to cook it this weekend.

[Chubbs]

I'd only tried venison once or twice before and found it a bit tough. Reindeer is very tender by comparison and extremely rich in taste.

I don't keep a list but my latest 'tick' is a hobby, which I spotted along the A40 between Carterton and Witney. At home we have a few birds as regular garden visitors that I'd hardly seen back in the UK, namely garden warbler and fieldfare that are nesting en masse in trees behind the house, get great views just sat on the veranda on a sunny day. There are some excellent wetlands around but have been flooded recently following the snow melt so haven't yet explored them properly

I'd only tried venison once or twice before and found it a bit tough. Reindeer is very tender by comparison and extremely rich in taste.

I don't keep a list but my latest 'tick' is a hobby, which I spotted along the A40 between Carterton and Witney. At home we have a few birds as regular garden visitors that I'd hardly seen back in the UK, namely garden warbler and fieldfare that are nesting en masse in trees behind the house, get great views just sat on the veranda on a sunny day. There are some excellent wetlands around but have been flooded recently following the snow melt so haven't yet explored them properly

if it was tough, it was over cooked, you HAVE to cook venison rare (medium rare at a push)