Never certain of the cost of ground beef, I scoured the meat departments of local grocers, eager to prove a point for this column and to my wife that inflation had driven the price point of domestic cow above that of venison burger, finally justifying my hunting expenses as that of feeding the family in a frugal fashion.

At around $5 per pound for beef and after performing some Alan from “The Hangover” style mental arithmetic that factored in licenses, fuel, processing, etc. for the venison, I realized, once more, that this was a lost cause.

Though still no financial salvation, it’s rewarding on Taco Tuesday to reach into the freezer to pull out a pack of venison as opposed to tacking a pound of ground beef onto the escalating grocery bill. Truthfully, aside from my love of travel and the friends I see and meet along the way, a ready supply of wild meats is my favorite aspect of hunting anymore.

More Nance: No prairie dogs but hunters have a lot to look forward to in Florida

Gator permits:Another lottery to acquire a gator permit produces ... another whiff

Hunting tracts: Some tracts in Polk County for hunters to take a closer look at

How these meals translate in the kitchen, however, has much to do with how the meat is handled in the field. Florida’s heat is your enemy and will spoil game in a hurry.

For large animals such as deer and hogs, retire them from the woods and to the cleaning shack as fast as humanly possible to cool down and dress. Many people prefer to field dress their quarry before returning to camp, basically to lighten their load. I think this can do too much damage to the quality of the meat by cleaning it in the dirt and mud, though. Folks aren’t always precise with their knives, either, and spilled rumen in that scenario is a huge foul. Unless you have a several-mile hike to a vehicle, better to haul dead deer and hogs back whole where there are better facilities in which to operate.

If you have a walk-in freezer, wonderful for you. Hang the whole dressed animal in there a few days and you’ll likely be set with fantastic eats once the meat ages. Those of us who work with coolers, ice the quartered deer or hog down immediately but be sure to drain off the melting water which will accumulate bacteria.

After the hunt, my next move is to call the local processor. I don’t have the time or facilities to process my own game, unfortunately, but there are several solid operations around town who charge fair prices for their services. In the Lakeland area, the Page family at Whitetail Station north of Knights Station Road does excellent work. In Winter Haven, Chop-N-Block off Cypress Gardens Road will take good care of you.

For smaller critters like ducks and upland game, riding with waterfowl on the bow of the boat or quail atop the dog cage is about as bad as letting a deer bake in the sun. Bring a plastic bag and leave room in the cooler. People don’t like duck because it is typically handled so poorly, I’m convinced.

No matter what you do, though, sometimes a particular animal just turns out tough. It's the nature of the beast. These animals are wild, of course, not fattened in tight pens on grains. Wild hogs, for instance — I’ve shot and cleaned hundreds of wild hogs, and I’m consistently fooled by a fat sow that stinks up the kitchen and gnarly boars whose pork can be cut with a fork.

Still, there are plenty of culinary methods of doctoring up poor quality animals. Above all, it’s important to be grateful for these blessings by honoring the animal and the hard work invested in harvesting it with a meal worthy of celebrating with family and friends. These notions alone make wild game worth that extra money.