Raw Deer Venison on the Primal Diet, food reference

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Raw deer venison holds a specific and well-regarded position within the Primal Diet framework. Aajonus Vonderplanitz consistently identified wild game, including deer, as preferable to domesticated meat, and venison is among the wild meats he mentioned by name as constituting what he meant when he said "raw meat." In his own words: "When I refer to raw meat, I mean any flesh food, whether it is seafood, fowl, beef, lamb, venison or buffalo." This explicit naming of venison places it squarely within the full class of raw flesh foods he recommended for rebuilding cells, generating energy, and reversing degenerative disease.

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Primary ActionRaw deer venison holds a specific and well-regarded position within the Primal Diet framework. Aajonus Vonderplanitz consistently identified wild game, includin

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Overview

Aajonus described deer as "wonderful" when asked directly about it, and he made clear that deer are accessible, practical, and plentiful enough that obtaining one provides substantial supply: "Bag one and you'll have plenty." He personally butchered a deer that a friend shot in Nevada City, California, and he ate the meat for up to a year, storing some of it in a sealed jar. He also personally participated in making pemmican from deer. He personally preserved venison in December 1999 and reported it was still good years later. These first-person accounts place deer venison not as a theoretical food but as one he actually used and experimented with in depth.

The overarching role of venison, like all raw meat in the Primal Diet, is cellular rebuilding. Aajonus explained that without raw meat eaten in combination with raw fats, "most people cannot regenerate cells to either reverse or prevent the aging process of deterioration." Venison, being wild rather than domesticated, carries additional advantages in terms of nutritional diversity and lower contamination load compared to grain-fed commercial animals.

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Properties and Effects

Wild Dietary Diversity One of the central arguments Aajonus made in favor of deer venison specifically over domesticated meat is the extraordinary dietary diversity of the wild deer. He explained this in detail: "They eat a lot of different foods. They may travel and eat a thousand different foods. And when you've got cows in stalls, they're only eating two foods, two or three or five foods. That's it. So they're going to get the variety." This variety in the animal's diet translates directly to a wider spectrum of nutrients concentrated in the meat itself.

He contrasted this with human dietary simplicity: "Now for us humans, variety only means eating meat. And all the tribes eat the same meat all the time. And they stay very healthy. So for us, simplicity is perfect. For an herbivore, it's not. They need to get out and eat a lot of different herbs." This is a foundational point, the variety is embedded in the animal before it becomes food, and the human does not need to replicate that variety in their own diet.

Freshness and the Smell Test Aajonus recounted that a deer kept for a week and a half before eating still "smelled so fresh, like it was just killed earlier that day." He attributed this exceptional freshness retention to the wild nature of the animal: "Something about the deer eating it. It's wild. I think it's wild for everything." This observation suggests that wild game like deer naturally preserves its freshness longer than domesticated meat, which he connected again to the breadth of the animal's diet.

Water Content and Drying Properties Aajonus provided a specific figure for the water content of wild deer: "As a wild deer, it's only about 55% water." He contrasted this with domesticated cows, which he said can range from "40-60-70% water." This lower water content in wild deer makes it denser, more concentrated, and more relevant to understanding pemmican preparation, as the dried meat shrinks substantially from its fresh state.

Energy and Cell Rebuilding Venison falls into the same class as all raw meats in its role within the body. Aajonus distinguished between two metabolic pathways for raw meat: when eaten with butter, it goes toward rebuilding cells; when eaten alone, it goes toward energy production. This distinction applies to venison as much as any other meat. He stated: "Raw meat eaten alone goes toward energy production. If you eat raw meat with butter, it rebuilds cells."

High Meat (Aged Venison) Aajonus kept venison in a jar, sealed, without opening, for up to a year, and reported no odor: "I kept some of it in a jar without opening it. And a year later, no odor to the wild deer." He described eating his deer meat over the course of approximately a year. This indicates that properly preserved raw venison, even without refrigeration if sealed, maintains its integrity far longer than would be expected. He also referenced feeding venison to chickens as high meat: "If I had a leg of venison, I could cut it up in little pieces and put it out. Oh, the chickens."

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Form and State

Fresh Raw The ideal form is fresh raw venison, as close to the time of kill as possible. Aajonus described the optimal state as eating "that clear meat while it's frying out there", a reference to meat that has been set out but not cooked, with sunlight on it, during the butchering process. A woman who acquired a deer killed right outside her house and brought it inside immediately, eating it the same day, represents the ideal scenario in terms of freshness.

Aged Raw (Week-and-a-Half Hold) A friend of Aajonus held deer meat for approximately a week and a half before eating it. It still "smelled so fresh, like it was just killed earlier that day." This indicates that a week to ten days of aging at refrigerator temperature does not diminish the quality of wild venison, and may in fact improve it through mild pre-digestion by natural bacteria.

Year-Long Preservation in Sealed Jar Aajonus reported keeping venison in a sealed jar for up to a year, noting "no odor to the wild deer" even after that time. This is a form of preservation through oxygen exclusion and oil coating (see Section 4). He stated: "I preserved some venison in December 1999 and it is still good."

High Meat / Rotted State Aajonus acknowledged feeding rotted venison to animals (chickens and ducks specifically) and implicitly endorsed aged, rotted venison as pre-digested food, consistent with his broad teaching that rotting in raw food is not putrefaction but natural bacterial pre-digestion. He stated the general principle: "A rotted food will help... degenerate the old tissue in it, the toxic tissue, the rotted is the better. But to rebuild it has to be the fresh." This principle applies to venison as with all meats.

Cooked State Aajonus was entirely against cooking venison or any other meat. The entire framework of the Primal Diet is predicated on keeping all animal products raw. Cooked fat creates lipid peroxides. Cooked meat putrefies in the body. He said clearly: "When you cook anything, it putrefies." The only reference he made to cooked venison was in the pemmican context, where he criticized rendering the fat in the traditional Native American way as producing lipid peroxides, and said plainly: "I think it's not good."

Pemmican (Dried/Preserved Form) Pemmican made with deer is a specific subcategory. Two-thirds dried deer meat combined with one-third fat (traditionally rendered deer fat, though Aajonus objected to this). He personally experimented with soaking the dried deer meat in olive oil and peanut oil (when peanut oil was still available in its unprocessed form), reporting that "it never absorbed a bit of it. You have to beat it and mince it and you have to put it out in the sun again." He noted that the American Indians considered pemmican emergency food only, burying it at the end of each year if the season had been good, and replacing it fresh annually. Aajonus made clear that sunlight will not putrefy animal fat but will putrefy pressed oils: "The sun damages pressed oils... it turns animal fat bitter and sour, but it doesn't putrefy it. But sunlight will putrefy pressed oils."

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Sourcing and Preparation

Hunting Your Own Aajonus strongly recommended hunting deer as a practical source, describing it as accessible and affordable relative to organic commercial meats: "Deer is wonderful. Deer, yeah. Bag them all the time. Bag one and you'll have plenty." He explained how to access this source: "Don't go to the butcher because the butcher will not be able to be a liaison between you and the hunter. You have to go to the hunter's group. Are they listed in the phone book? Yeah, pretty much. You can call the Sierra Club and ask them. There's a hunting group. They advertise. Just look in Sportsman's Lodge or any of them. You'll be able to find them."

He also noted the legal aspect of deer on private property: "If you got them all around here, plug one. Guys can split it. As long as it's on your private property you can really fight it in court. Anything that's on your property is your property."

Diet of the Deer (Corn Contamination Warning) Aajonus specifically warned about deer that eat corn: "Just because of what the deer may eat, there's a lot of corn and stuff up there." This was said in the context of Nevada City, California. He instructed someone to eat "that clear meat while it's frying out there", suggesting the muscle meat away from the organs may be preferred in corn-eating deer, and that feeding the corn-contaminated portions away (or being selective about which parts to eat) is appropriate.

Butchering the Whole Animal Aajonus personally butchered a large female deer alone, under a flashlight at night, with the additional challenge that the animal was heavily infested: "The amount of fleas on them, that were just on the head, in the head, were thousands. Fleas and ticks on the head were altogether at least 2,000, just on the head." Despite this, he viewed the animal itself as healthy and unafraid: "I watched this animal for about 30 minutes before he was shot. She was shot. And she didn't have a care in the world. Just out there grazing, having a good time."

He prioritized the brain and eyeballs: "I put the head inside because I wanted the brain and the eyeballs. So I took the head inside to butcher it." He extracted the brain and made a "big gallon pot of glandular shake" with it, downing about a quart himself, sharing the rest.

Glandular Extractions from Deer Beyond muscle meat, Aajonus referenced extracting specific glands from deer for therapeutic purposes. He specifically mentioned the thyroid gland from deer as a therapeutic food for someone with a nearly non-functional thyroid. He said: "Who has it? Can you get thyroid from the deer? Great... You've got a source. You get that thyroid." He provided a preparation method: blend the thyroid with milk and red onion, it will taste like clam chowder.

Preserving Raw Venison in Oil Aajonus provided a detailed preservation protocol applicable to venison: "Cut fresh meat into 1"x 1/2" x up to 4.5" and coat with olive or coconut oil. Pour about 3/4 cup of oil into wide-mouthed quart jars and stuff the meat slices into the jars to eliminate air pockets. It will preserve for many years." He specifically cited his own example: "I preserved some venison in December 1999 and it is still good."

The Glandular Shake from Deer Brain After butchering the Nevada City deer, Aajonus made a gallon pot of glandular shake using the brain (and presumably other glands). He described the method as consistent with the recipe in his recipe book. He consumed approximately a quart of it before picking up his girlfriend and reported extraordinary energy: "I didn't sleep until 5.30 that morning. We went all night. It was great stuff."

Toughness and Marinating Aajonus acknowledged that deer and antelope are "pretty tough" as raw meat. His solution: "You could marinate them in pineapple if you wanted to break it down a little bit." He framed this as optional, not mandatory, it is for palatability rather than health necessity. He also noted that "the native tribes, the tougher the meat, the better. That's what they say. It makes stronger cells."

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Required Pairing

Butter as the Fat Buffer Aajonus consistently emphasized that raw meat, including venison, should always be eaten with butter or another raw fat. The biochemical reason he gave is that without fat accompanying the meat, the body will burn the protein as fuel rather than using it for cellular rebuilding. He said: "Always have butter so you don't burn your fat. Always provide so you don't burn your meat, your protein."

The specific metabolic distinction he drew: when raw meat is eaten alone, it goes toward energy production. When eaten with butter, it goes toward rebuilding cells. This is not a suggestion, it is framed as a fundamental pairing requirement.

He also stated: "You need to eat plenty of raw fats. Most people cannot regenerate cells to either reverse or prevent the aging process of deterioration without eating plenty of raw meat in combination with raw fats."

Sour Cream as an Exception The one cream permitted with meat is sour cream, because it is pre-digested cream. Aajonus stated: "Sour cream can be eaten with meat, but no other cream should be eaten with meat." This applies to venison as to all meats.

Context-Dependent Butter Timing Aajonus also noted a nuance regarding when butter should be eaten relative to meat: "You are correct, if you are not eating butter all day. Since you are eating butter all day, it is better not to eat it with your meat meal." This indicates that the butter pairing is primarily necessary when butter is not being consumed throughout the day, if one is already consuming butter steadily, the separate meat-with-butter pairing may be modified.

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Contraindications

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Therapeutic Protocols

ProtocolThyroid Gland from Deer for Thyroid Conditions

For someone with an "almost non-functional" thyroid on both sides, with overactive parathyroids compensating, Aajonus prescribed raw thyroid gland from deer, prepared as follows: "Take that and some milk and some red onion and blend it together, it'll taste like clam chowder. But if you like the salty, tomato-like, Mexican flavor, then go with the [salsa-style preparation]." He confirmed deer as a source by asking directly: "Who has it? Can you get thyroid from the deer? Great." The implication is that the person already had access to deer and should harvest the thyroid for direct therapeutic use.

ProtocolGlandular Shake for Profound Energy and Recovery

From the Nevada City deer, Aajonus made a gallon glandular shake using the brain and other glands. He drank approximately one quart himself. The result was documented as extraordinary energy, no sleep needed until 5:30 the following morning. This protocol is detailed in his recipe book (referenced but not fully described in the transcripts). The deer brain was extracted "in about four or ten minutes" from the skull using tools.

ProtocolGeneral Raw Meat Protocol for Degenerative Disease Reversal

Aajonus reversed "multiple incurable diseases, diabetes, psoriasis, angina pectoris, and bursitis, all incurable, all extremely painful" using raw foods including raw meats. Venison is explicitly named as one of the meats that constitutes this protocol. He stated: "I eat raw milk, lots of raw eggs, raw meats, chicken, fish, beef, lamb, all of them. It reversed all of my diseases."

ProtocolRaw Meat for Nerve Tissue Repair

In the context of neurological damage, Aajonus stated that raw meats help rebuild nerve tissue. While fish and chicken were his first choices for nerve-specific repair (because of their more targeted application to nerve tissue), he placed venison within the same broad category of raw meat that prevents cellular deterioration. The general protocol he described involved feeding raw meat consistently to provide the building blocks for cellular reproduction.

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Topical Applications

There are no specific topical application protocols documented in these source passages for raw deer venison specifically. Aajonus mentioned raw beef (thin slices) applied to burns, and compared bison versus beef in that context, finding no difference "as long as they were both organic." Given that venison is explicitly named as equivalent to beef and bison within the raw meat category, it is reasonable within his framework that the same topical burn application could apply, but he did not specifically document this for venison in the available passages.

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Dosage and Safety

Year's Worth of Meat from One Deer Aajonus indicated that a single deer provides substantial supply, enough to last a considerable time. He personally ate from one deer "for up to a year." He kept some portions in sealed jars that remained good for that full duration.

Preservation Quantity The preservation protocol calls for approximately 3/4 cup of oil poured into wide-mouthed quart jars, with meat cut to 1" x 1/2" x up to 4.5" slices, packed to eliminate air pockets. This jar method preserves for "many years."

Frequency Venison and other raw meats are intended as regular, ongoing components of the diet, not occasional supplements. Aajonus described eating raw meat "on a daily basis" once he committed to the diet in 1982. He described eating meat "almost every day," with variety across types. There is no stated upper limit on venison frequency in the source passages.

Water Content Consideration for Pemmican Wild deer meat is approximately 55% water. When dried for pemmican, it reduces dramatically in size. A 90-pound block of pemmican could sustain travel "all the way across from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean" on roughly "half a cup of it a day." However, Aajonus noted this was emergency food only, "they never ate it unless they had to", and pemmican from cooked rendered fat carries the lipid peroxide problem he identified.

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Culinary Applications

Raw Deer Brain Glandular Shake After extracting the brain from the skull in approximately four to ten minutes, Aajonus blended it with other glands and made a gallon pot. He consumed approximately one quart. The recipe is described in his recipe book. The result was extreme energy and vitality, documented as lasting through the night.

Eating the Meat Raw, Minimally Processed Aajonus described eating the deer meat directly, "all raw." No cooking, no preparation beyond cutting. He described smelling it and finding it "fresh" even after a week and a half of storage, then eating it.

Thyroid from Deer, Clam Chowder Style Raw deer thyroid blended with milk and red onion produces a flavor resembling clam chowder. This is both a therapeutic preparation and a culinary one, designed to make the organ palatable while preserving all raw properties.

Pineapple Marinade for Toughness For those who find deer or antelope too tough to eat comfortably: marinate in pineapple. The enzymes in fresh, unripe pineapple (bromelain) break down the tough connective tissue. This is explicitly described as optional and for palatability. It does not change the raw status of the meat.

Carpaccio Style with Olive Oil While Aajonus described carpaccio primarily in the context of beef, he used it as a general model for raw red meat preparation with olive oil. Given that venison is classified as a red meat equivalent to beef and lamb in his framework, the carpaccio preparation (thin slices with olive oil) would apply.

Pemmican, Dried Meat with Fat Two-thirds dried deer meat combined with one-third fat. Aajonus experimented with soaking dried deer meat in olive oil and peanut oil (when the latter was available in its unprocessed form). He reported that the dried meat "never absorbed a bit of it. You have to beat it and mince it and you have to put it out in the sun again." The traditional version used rendered deer fat, but Aajonus disapproved of this because of lipid peroxide formation from cooked fat.

Leg of Venison for Animals Aajonus described cutting a leg of venison into small pieces and feeding it to chickens. This is not a human culinary preparation but demonstrates his view of aged/high-meat venison as still entirely wholesome and nutritious.

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Primary Derivative

Deer Thyroid Gland The deer thyroid is the primary derivative documented with specific therapeutic protocol detail. Aajonus described it as accessible from deer obtained by hunters, confirmed that people in his circle had access to deer and could therefore obtain the thyroid, and provided a specific preparation: blend with milk and red onion for a clam-chowder flavor. The therapeutic target is thyroid dysfunction, specifically near-non-functional thyroid with compensating parathyroid overactivity.

Deer Brain (Glandular Extract) The deer brain is extracted whole from the skull, blended with other glands (per the recipe book formula), and consumed as a glandular shake. Aajonus consumed approximately one quart of a gallon batch. Documented effect: sustained, dramatic energy lasting through the night.

Preserved Venison in Oil (Long-Term Storage Product) Venison cut to specific dimensions, coated in olive or coconut oil, and packed in wide-mouthed quart jars constitutes a long-term preserved raw meat product. Shelf life documented as "many years" based on Aajonus's personal experience preserving venison from December 1999.

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Historical Context

Native American Pemmican Tradition Aajonus documented in detail the traditional Native American pemmican-making process involving deer. The original method was raw: the fat was rendered from the deer, but the original tribal practice was to let it sit in the sun without boiling. Aajonus said the older raw method (without boiling) was preferable but still problematic because of lipid peroxide development in exposed animal fat, though he acknowledged that unlike pressed oils, sunlight makes animal fat "bitter and sour" rather than truly putrefied. The modern pemmican process, even as practiced by Indians describing it to him, involved cooking and rendering the fat, which he rejected.

The traditional function of pemmican was as emergency rations only. He emphasized: "The American Indians would make it every year just to make sure they could get through the winter if they had to. They never ate it unless they had to. They would bury it at the end of the year if the next season... they would bury it. They would never eat it. They only ate it if they had to. It was an emergency food."

Wild Tribes' Use of Raw Deer and Wild Game Aajonus documented personal experiences living with multiple Native American tribes, the Mayans, the Yaqui, the Sioux, and the Inuit, all of whom instructed him to eat raw meat. The broader tradition he described included running down deer until the animal was exhausted: "They run without stopping for eight to ten hours... running with the deer the whole time until you exhaust the deer. You don't get exhausted. They don't get exhausted. The deer gets exhausted and then they kill them." This occurred in the African tribes he described (in the context of antelope, which is a related wild game category). The principle that raw meat enables extraordinary physical endurance is foundational to his view of wild game as food.

Legal Context of Deer on Private Property Aajonus provided a specific legal framing for hunting deer on private property: "As long as it's on your private property you can really fight it in court. Anything that's on your property is your property." This was practical advice about obtaining deer outside of official hunting permit frameworks.

Hunters' Groups as Supply Chain Rather than retail or commercial channels (which do not exist for raw deer venison), Aajonus directed people to hunters' groups: Sierra Club listings, Sportsman's Lodge advertisements, hunting newsletters. He noted that butchers sometimes charge hunters to process game meat, "the butcher charges them a lot of money to do it", but that butchers are not the right liaison for obtaining the raw product directly.

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Cross-References