In search of deer soup...

The first time I visited Japan, I was dead-set on visiting Nibutani, which boasts the largest Ainu population in all of Japan. One night I had "traditional Ainu food", which consisted of a really starchy potato cake, deer soup, and some barley tea.

Fast forward to 2010: I have a friend who butchered a deer and had more meat than he could use. So he offered me some, and not wanting to waste a resource, I took some home. The first thing I thought of was that tiny cafe where the chef/waitress pantomimed a "deer" to try to communicate the ingredients to her soup.

I am now on a mission to locate a great recipe for deer soup. It's harder than I thought.

My search for Ainu recipes came up broke, and I am not about to make a soup that contains Cream of Mushroom or frozen peas. I think the deer deserves better. I want to make a delicious slow cooked deer stew that can use ingredients from my garden, Ainu food pairings, and a hint of Japanese flavor. So far, I'm thinking deer, root vegetables from my winter garden (radish? parsnip? carrot?), a touch of miso, and a prolonged simmer in a dutch oven (or crock pot).

Does anyone have any ideas?