I'll always buy bacon end pieces (cheap) for the pork fat. I like 60 percent pork fat with venison. Venison is dry.
I just add seasoning in no particular amount as I grind, just a dash of this and that with the pieces as they go through. This grinds the pepper corns, too.
Sage- don't skimp
pepper corns
garlic salt
dash of marjoram
dash of thyme
dried minced onion
mustard seed
dash of minced garlic
Grind first with seasonings, then attach stuffer and stuff or just use for breakfast sausage. I stuff most of mine anymore, don't eat breakfast too often other than a bowl of cereal now and then.
I'll freeze, then thaw and smoke on my smoker with mesquite wood for preparation.
I also do wild hog sausage and it's so lean I like to add bacon pieces to it, about 40 percent, too. Dry sausage just uses less fat. You can go 100 percent with the wild hog, but venison needs some fat. 60% venison to 40% fat is quite dry if you prefer dry sausage.
The more pepper corns you use, the hotter it'll be, and if you really like hot sausage, you can mix some jalapeño or cayenne in with it. I like fairly warm sausage, but the wife don't. Sometimes I'll just increase the pepper corn in a few links and label it "hot" for me.