So the day before yesterday I had the chance to break down a young buck with 2 amazing chefs (I held my own I think) and it got me thinking about venison (deer meat to you who don't know).  So many hunters waste so much of a deer, when so much can be used for food, tools and clothing.  The hide makes braintanned deerskin, one of the softest and most useful tanned hides there is, the bones can make a wide variety of tools, and every part of the meat can be used.   We boned out about 40-50lbs of meat from a 150 button buck.  I took the shanks (lower legs) to make stew and venison stock, one of the chefs took the rest of the bones to make a venison demi (an aromatic, condensed stock). I now find my self with an abundance of venison.   As an aside, during the 18th century in the southern states there was a trade in native deerskins, one that rivaled the fur trade to the north, while at the same time Native people here in southern new England were writing to the colonial authorities that there were no deer to feed their families.   Not the case these days.

To make a good venison stock (can also be done with beef or lamb bones)
roast the bones (long bones are best cut or broken open to release the marrow) with attached meat in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour.  You can also roast onions, celery and carrots with them.
Put the roasted bones and all the pan scrapings into a very large stock pot, cover with cold water.  Add some thyme, rosemary juniper berries and bay leaf.  Simmer for several hours over low heat.  And by low I mean just barely moving...no boiling
don't add salt....it will be too much as the salt won't boil off, just the water.
after 4-5 hours you should have a reduced liquid with a lot of meat floating in it.   Strain the stock thru a fine sieve, then return it to a low heat...at this point you can add a small amount of tomato paste or some further aromatic seasoning.....after another few hours you should have a wonderful shimmering stock....partition into small containers and freeze. Then you can use it as a base for meaty stews (venison) or soups or gravy...

here is a link about the Deerskin trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deerskin_trade